Jade Flores (u/jade226)

Posts

Finally switched from a wet suit to a dry suit for harbor work and I'm never going back

I've been diving in San Diego bay for two years now always using a 7mm wet suit. Kept telling myself it was fine just deal with the cold right. Last month a guy I work with let me borrow his dry suit for a hull inspection job. Water temp was like 55 degrees and I stayed down for over an hour without shivering once. No flushing no feeling like a popsicle. Picked up a used one off a buddy for $600 last week. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted it for any reason? I'm wondering if I'll miss the flexibility in summer months.

2 comments

c/carpenters•

jade226•2d ago

Unpopular opinion: finish nails arent always the right call for trim

I spent years using 16 gauge finish nails for every piece of baseboard and casing I installed. Thought I was doing it right because they held tight and didnt bend easy. Then last spring I did a job in this old house near downtown Nashville where the walls had plaster that was super brittle. Every nail I fired would either crack the plaster or pop back out after a day. The homeowner's dad was an old timer and watched me struggle for an hour before he said try 18 gauge brads with a dab of glue. I felt like an idiot but I switched and everything stayed put no cracks no pops. That moment made me realize I had been overbuilding simple trim work for years just because I thought bigger was better. Anybody else have a technique they stuck with too long before figuring out a simpler way?

2 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

jade226•7d ago

Pro tip: Stop centering everything on the canvas like I did for 2 years

I was making portfolio pieces and wondering why they looked so static. Then a friend in a Discord crit group pointed out that I had every single subject dead center with equal space on all sides. It was like a lightbulb went off. Now I use the rule of thirds grid and honestly my compositions look 10x better. Has anyone else had that moment where a basic design rule suddenly clicked?

2 comments

c/estheticians•

jade226•28d ago

Spent $200 on a fancy LED light mask and it gave me breakouts

Bought one of those red light therapy masks after seeing all the estheticians rave about them. Used it strict like the instructions said. Three days later my cheeks were covered in little whiteheads. Turns out my skin hates the silicone against it. Had to stop and go back to my regular routine. Anyone else have a bougie tool backfire on them like this?

2 comments

c/fence-erectors•

jade226•1mo ago

Debate: Should we dig post holes first or set the rails before concrete sets?

I keep seeing guys on job sites argue that you should dig and pour all holes before even touching rails, but I've always set my top and bottom rails while the concrete is still wet to keep everything straight, which way is actually faster and more accurate in the long run?

2 comments

c/binge-worthy-shows•

jade226•1mo ago

Got told my pacing was way off after 6 episodes of a show I loved

So I finished this crime drama last week, thought it was amazing, and told my buddy who writes for TV. He watched the first 3 episodes and said the pacing was terrible. Too much setup, not enough payoff until episode 5. I was like wait, I didn't even notice that. Now I rewatched it and yeah, I see it now. That feedback changed how I pick shows to binge because I pay more attention to how fast each episode moves along. Has anyone else had a friend totally ruin a show for you by pointing out something you never saw?

2 comments

c/bike-commuter-tips•

jade226•1mo ago

Thought rain pants were a gimmick until my first wet March commute in Portland

I bike about 8 miles each way to my job downtown. For two years I just wore jeans and changed when I got to work. Then last March we had that week of nonstop drizzle and I was soaked through by mile 3 every single day. A coworker lent me her old pair of REI rain pants and I couldn't believe how dry I stayed. Picked up a pair for $45 at the REI garage sale last weekend and now I get why people swear by them. Has anyone else had a piece of gear they ignored for way too long?

2 comments

c/fix-my-setup•

jade226•1mo ago

My buddy called my desk setup "cable spaghetti" and now I can't unsee it

He came over to game last night and pointed at the mess of wires behind my monitor saying it looks like a nest. I never really noticed before but now it's ALL I see when I sit down. Anyone got a cheap way to clean up a bunch of loose cables without buying those expensive cable management boxes?

2 comments

c/glaziers•

jade226•1mo ago

Serious question, is a 5% waste factor on big storefront jobs still realistic?

I was talking to a guy at the supply house who said he always orders 10% extra on anything over 100 square feet. He told me, 'A single bad cut on a big piece of low-iron glass and you're out $300 and a whole day.' But my old boss drilled into me that 5% was the standard and anything more was poor planning. I'm doing a 500 sq ft job next month and I'm stuck between these two numbers. What's your take on the right amount of overage for commercial work?

2 comments

c/ai-innovations•

jade226•1mo ago

Unpopular opinion: I think AI art generators are getting worse at understanding basic requests.

I tried making a simple image of a red apple on a wooden table with Midjourney last week. I put in that exact phrase, and it gave me a weird purple fruit on a metal counter. I ran it five more times and only got one that was close. I mean, maybe it's just me, but I feel like they're adding so many fancy features that the core job of following clear instructions is getting lost. Has anyone else had this happen with a really simple prompt recently?

2 comments

Recent Comments

9h ago

Pro tip: Found out the hard way that injector return lines can fool you...

Buddy of mine had nearly the same thing happen on a Ford 6.0 a few years back. He was chasing a miss that came and went, swapped out a whole set of injectors and even put in a new FICM. Was about to pull the whole top end apart when his dad came over and saw the return line had a tiny rub spot where it touched the alternator bracket. Pinched it off with a clamp and the truck ran perfect. He was so mad he kicked the tire, lol. Cost him like 600 bucks in parts and three weekends for a 5 dollar hose. Always check the simple stuff first, man.

22h ago

TIL you can fix a stuck shutter curtain with a pencil eraser

Three months is pretty good actually. If a camera has been sitting around for decades with old grease turning into glue, a little cleaning can buy you some time while you save up for the proper repair. Most people just want to shoot a few rolls for fun, not restore it to museum condition. I've had eraser tricks last over a year on some old Spotmatics. And honestly, if it does fail worse later, you're already looking at a curtain replacement anyway so you didn't lose anything. Calling it a bandaid makes it sound like a bad thing, but bandaids work great when you just need to get through the weekend.

4d ago

Still not sold on Japanese stab binding - give me reasons why I should try it

Just stitch slow and breathe between each hole.

5d ago

Datacenter outage at Equinix DC6 last Tuesday burned me hard

Yeah because nothing says "fun Tuesday" like watching your entire production pipeline fold because some dude fat-fingered a route map. I bet their change ticket just said "improving stability" too.

5d ago

Went to a local farmers market and noticed something weird about the reviews

Yeah bots are totally flooding review sections now. It's getting ridiculous honestly.