My neighbor pointed out my phone reviews were missing a huge battery life test

He said, 'Pat, you never check how long it lasts on a full day of navigation,' so now I always run a 4-hour GPS test before posting. Anyone else have a specific real-world test they always run now?

Showerthought: I used to hand-fit every extractor on a 1911, but a jig changed my life

For years, I'd spend maybe 45 minutes on each 1911 extractor, filing and checking by eye. It worked, but it was slow and sometimes the tension was just a bit off. Last year, I bought a specific extractor fitting jig from a tool maker in Ohio. The first time I used it, I had a perfect extractor fit in under 15 minutes. The jig holds everything at the exact angle and lets you take off material in a controlled way. The big difference is repeatability. Now every extractor I fit has the same hook geometry and tension, and I can do it fast. It was about 90 bucks, but it paid for itself in two jobs. Has anyone else found a simple jig that saved them a ton of time on a common job?

Hot take: The 60-second cleanse rule is being totally ignored and it's messing with skin

I keep seeing videos where people say to massage a cleanser for like 20 seconds and rinse. But every derm course I took stressed a full 60 seconds to really break down oil and sunscreen. I timed it with my morning routine for a month, and my clogged pores on my chin cleared up by about 70%. Some say over-cleansing is the risk, but I think under-cleansing is the bigger issue now. What's the minimum time you all actually stick to for a basic gel or cream cleanser?

Got called out for my broom finish on a garage floor in Phoenix

An old timer watched me work and said, 'Kid, you're dragging that broom like you're mad at it. Let the weight do the work.' I was putting way too much muscle into it, leaving deep grooves. The next day, I just held the handle loose and walked it across the wet concrete. The finish came out way more even, with a nice, light texture. Anyone else get a piece of advice that flipped a basic skill for you?

My foreman in Phoenix said my wire pulls were too tight at the bends

He pointed out a 90 degree turn where I had less than 6 inches of slack before the box. I always thought a tight pull was a clean job. Now I leave a full foot of service loop at every major bend. Anyone else get called out for pulling wire too straight?

I switched from billing by the hour to a flat project fee for a website redesign, and the client was way happier.

I finally cleared that old farmhouse chimney after my uncle's weird trick

My uncle, who did this job for forty years, told me to always pack a bag of rock salt. He said if you run into a really tough, damp creosote plug, throw a handful up the flue before you start brushing. I thought it was just an old wives' tale, but I had a job at the Miller farm outside of town yesterday. Their chimney hadn't been touched in maybe fifteen years. I got the camera up there and saw this nasty, tar-like blockage about halfway up. Remembered what he said, tossed some salt up, waited ten minutes, and went at it with the poly brush. The stuff just crumbled away like dry sand instead of gumming up my rods. Saved me at least an hour of fighting it. Has anyone else tried something like that, or was I just lucky this time?

My buddy swore by using a cabbage leaf as a fermentation weight for pickles.

He said it was an old trick from his grandma and would keep everything submerged. I tried it on a jar of garlic dills last month. Came back after five days to find the leaf had completely dissolved into a slimy mess floating on top. Had to toss the whole batch. Anyone have a better homemade weight idea that doesn't turn into goo?

Got a weird bulge in a curved wall and a string line wasn't cutting it.

Building a curved garden wall in Portland last week, and the middle section kept pushing out about half an inch. My old boss used to say to just use a long board, but that felt clunky. So I grabbed a cheap garden hose, filled it with water, and used it as a water level around the curve. It showed the exact high spot in seconds. Has anyone else used something weird like that to check for plumb on a radius?

Update: Saw a sidewalk pour in Charleston that made me rethink my broom finish technique.

The crew there used a stiff-bristled push broom and pulled it back towards themselves in one smooth motion, creating a perfectly uniform texture without any of the wavy lines I sometimes get, so has anyone else tried that specific pull-back method on a large slab?