Keith Foster (u/keithf96)

Posts

I switched my dark theme's main text from pure white to a light gray three months ago and it made a huge difference.

I was working on a dashboard for a client in Chicago and the pure white text on a dark background was causing eye strain during long sessions. After some testing, I found that using a light gray at 90% brightness reduced the contrast just enough. It cut down on the harsh glare without losing readability. I now use #E6E6E6 as my default text color for all dark mode projects. Has anyone else found a specific gray shade that works better than pure white?

2 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

keithf96•7d ago

I finally gave in and bought a proper drawing tablet last month

I spent about $350 on a mid-level screen tablet after using a cheap non-screen one for years. I was sure it was a waste of cash, but the direct hand-eye link changed my line work overnight. My sketches went from stiff to feeling natural in about a week. Has anyone else made a gear jump that actually made a big difference in their art?

3 comments

-1

c/astronomy-photos•

keithf96•8d ago

My best shot of the Orion Nebula almost got ruined by a neighbor's porch light

I was out in my backyard in Phoenix last month, about two hours into a 30 minute exposure run on M42. Had everything dialed in, guiding was solid, and then my neighbor across the street came home. He flipped on his bright, uncovered porch light and it flooded my whole setup. I had a choice: pack it in for the night or try to salvage the data. I ran over, knocked on his door at 1 AM, and just asked if he could turn it off for a bit. He was cool about it, but by the time I got back, the subs were all washed out. I ended up having to toss that whole batch and start over from scratch, which cost me another hour of clear sky. Has anyone else had to deal with sudden light pollution mid-session, and what did you do?

2 comments

c/blacksmiths•

keithf96•9d ago

My forge's new blower motor seized up after just two months

Turns out the mounting bracket from the Iron Wind supply catalog was letting in way too much forge scale and ash. Spent three full days taking the whole system apart, cleaning the armature, and fabricating a proper seal plate. Anyone know a better source for blower parts that can handle the grit?

2 comments

c/color-contrast-checks•

keithf96•11d ago

I used to think my dark blue on gray looked fine until I saw it on my mom's old tablet

I was showing her my new blog layout last week and she had to squint at the screen from across the room. I ran the colors through a checker and the contrast ratio was only 3.2:1. What's a good way to test designs on older screens before you launch?

2 comments

c/conspiracy-debates•

keithf96•14d ago

I used to think the official story on 9/11 was solid, then I watched the 'Loose Change' cut next to the NIST report

For years, I just went with what the news said about the towers. It made sense on the surface. Then my buddy made me sit down and watch the 'Loose Change' documentary, the final cut from 2009. Right after, I pulled up the actual NIST report on my laptop. The difference was huge. The film throws out a lot of questions fast, like about free fall speed and the third building. But the NIST doc, all 10,000 pages of it, goes step by step with the fire tests and steel samples. One says 'look at this weird thing,' the other shows the math on why the beams failed. After 3 hours of comparing, I saw how the first one picks facts to fit a story, and the other builds the story from the facts. Has anyone else done a side by side like this and come away thinking one method was way more convincing?

2 comments

c/coding-for-beginners•

keithf96•1mo ago

Giving code answers to beginners feels wrong, even if they ask for it

It helps them now, but it hurts their learning in the long run. I've stopped doing it and only offer hints. They get frustrated, but they learn more.

3 comments

c/pc-build-guides•

keithf96•1mo ago

Appreciation post: A silly fan cable mix-up had me checking the wrong part for hours

I followed a written build guide to connect all my case fans, but one just wouldn't spin no matter what. After freaking out and almost returning the fan, I noticed the guide's picture showed the cable plugged into a different header on the board. I had it in the pump header instead of the fan slot! Switching it over made everything work perfectly.

3 comments

Posts

I switched my dark theme's main text from pure white to a light gray three months ago and it made a huge difference.

I finally gave in and bought a proper drawing tablet last month

My best shot of the Orion Nebula almost got ruined by a neighbor's porch light

My forge's new blower motor seized up after just two months

I used to think my dark blue on gray looked fine until I saw it on my mom's old tablet

I used to think the official story on 9/11 was solid, then I watched the 'Loose Change' cut next to the NIST report

Giving code answers to beginners feels wrong, even if they ask for it

Appreciation post: A silly fan cable mix-up had me checking the wrong part for hours

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