PSA: I saw a bunch of guys at the truck stop in Bakersfield just dumping DEF straight from the jug into a dirty filler neck.

The crud and rust flakes falling in from that crusty old cap are gonna wreck the injector pump way faster than any off-brand fluid ever could, so has anyone found a good funnel with a fine mesh screen they actually trust?

Had to pick between the full John Muir Trail or just the northern High Sierra section for my 2-week trip last August. Went with the shorter loop.

Remember when we all used to shape shoes cold?

I started in the late 90s and we shaped everything cold with a rounding hammer and anvil. It took forever, maybe 45 minutes per shoe if you were good. Around 2005, I finally bought a propane forge for my truck. Now I can heat and shape a shoe in under 15 minutes, and the fit is so much better. It was a big change, but seeing the difference in hoof health made it worth the cost. Does anyone else still keep a rounding hammer handy for quick cold fixes, or is it all hot work now?

Rant: I saw a backyard studio in Portland that made me rethink my whole plan

I was visiting my cousin in Portland last month and saw his neighbor's new backyard studio. The whole thing was built on a raised platform about two feet off the ground, which I never considered. He said it was because his yard gets really damp in the winter and he wanted to avoid moisture issues. It made me realize I might need to change my foundation plan for my own build. Has anyone else had to raise their studio because of a wet yard?

PSA: I used to think a sharp knife was just a sharp knife. I was wrong.

For years, I just used a steel on my main chef's knife before every shift. Thought that was enough. Then I worked a pop-up in Chicago last fall, and the head chef made me put my knife on his 1000/6000 grit whetstone. The difference was insane. My old method just straightened the edge. The stone actually ground a new one. Cuts through tomato skin like it's air, no pressure at all. I do a full stone sharpening every three weeks now, steel in between. My prep time dropped by a solid 20 minutes because I'm not fighting the food. Anyone else make this switch and notice how much easier service gets?

Vent: My colorblind boss tried to 'fix' our app's contrast

Honestly, he spent a whole Tuesday adjusting every button to what he called 'perfectly clear' shades of green and brown. Ngl, the rest of us couldn't read a thing. Has anyone else had a client or team member accidentally make things way less accessible?

Thinking I could skip the chain whip for a cassette swap was my dumbest move

Stripping the lockring threads meant a whole new hub for me.

Shoutout to my old music app that had all the controls on one screen

Back then, I could play, pause, and skip songs without digging through menus. Now the new version scatters everything across different tabs. It takes more time to do simple things. Why do updates often make apps harder to use? Let me know if you've seen this too.

First time processing a wild boar for a customer and I'm unsure about the fat

The boar had a lot more fat than I'm used to with domestic pigs. I trimmed it similar to pork, but it smelled different. Any tips for game animal fat?

I finally quit rushing through post-weld heat treatment.

The last vessel I worked on hasn't had a stress crack since.