Matthew Gonzalez (u/matthewgonzalez)

Posts

A fader at my shop in Denver switched to clipper-over-comb for every blend

I watched him do a full skin taper on a guy last Saturday using only clipper-over-comb and a trimmer for the outline. He didn't touch a guard once. The blend was super smooth and took him maybe 20 minutes less than my usual method with guards. I've been trying it on my last 3 clients and the results are hit or miss. Anyone else here ditch guards entirely or am I missing something about when to use this technique?

2 comments

c/backpacking-routes•

matthewgonzalez•3d ago

Got caught in a lightning storm on the John Muir Trail near Muir Pass last August

I was about 2 miles south of Muir Pass around 11,500 feet when the sky turned dark fast and the hail started. No trees up there, just rocks and exposure, so I dropped my pack and sat on my sleeping pad with my knees up to reduce my profile. The storm lasted about 45 minutes and I counted 8 seconds between flash and boom at the closest point. Has anyone else had to squat through a storm above treeline like that?

2 comments

c/electricians•

matthewgonzalez•4d ago

Picked the cheaper multimeter over Fluke for my first tool kit

I was starting out and had to choose between a $40 Klein and a $200 Fluke for my first multimeter. Went with the Klein to save money for other tools, and it's been solid for basic residential work. Anyone else start with budget gear and regret it later?

3 comments

c/ai-innovations•

matthewgonzalez•5d ago

Pitted GPT-4 against a smaller local model for a code review task and the little guy won

I had GPT-4 rewrite a whole Python function last week but when I ran it through Llama 3.2 locally it caught two edge cases the big model totally missed, so has anyone else found smaller models outperforming the giant ones on specific boring tasks?

2 comments

c/auto-body-repairers•

matthewgonzalez•7d ago

Watched a customer try to explain "the dent just appeared" to my coworker Mike...

Stopped by that new chain shop on 5th street last Tuesday and watched a guy spend 15 minutes trying to convince the estimator that a 4 inch door ding was "from a shopping cart." Mike just nodded the whole time with this straight face while I nearly lost it behind a toolbox. Anyone else get these wild explanations for damage that clearly came from a parking lot hit and run?

2 comments

c/chefs•

matthewgonzalez•7d ago

Finally figured out why my knife sharpening never lasted

I was at my wits end after a Saturday brunch service last month. My chef knife would be sharp after I hit the stones but by Tuesday it was dull as a butter knife again. I thought I was doing something wrong with the angle or the grit progression. Turns out I was putting way too much pressure on the final honing step. I was basically bending the edge over instead of straightening it. A line cook who used to work at a nicer spot in Portland watched me one shift and pointed it out. Now I do light passes at the end and my edge holds for a full week easy. Anyone else deal with a dumb mistake like this that took way too long to catch?

2 comments

c/fast-food-rankings•

matthewgonzalez•8d ago

Taco Bell gave me the wrong order 3 times in one week and I finally snapped

Last month I hit the Taco Bell on Broadway in Denver during my lunch break. I ordered a crunchwrap supreme but they handed me a cheesy gordita crunch instead. I went back inside and they swapped it but forgot the sour cream. Third time I went there they gave me someone else's bag entirely with like 6 tacos I didn't order. I finally told the manager I'd just go elsewhere from now on. Has anyone else had a fast food place mess up that many times in a row?

2 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

matthewgonzalez•24d ago

Spent 20 minutes deciding between a Park Tool and a cheap spoke tension meter

I went with the Park Tool one because the guy at the shop said the cheap ones drift after like 50 wheels. Has anyone else had a no-name tension meter just lose calibration on them?

2 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

matthewgonzalez•25d ago

Old school board game guy told me to never trust a rulebook before playing twice

I ignored that advice when I taught Catan to a new group and we spent 45 minutes arguing about whether you can build a road through a settlement. Has anyone else had a house rule disaster from not reading the fine print first?

2 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

matthewgonzalez•26d ago

Fixed a leveling issue with a zip tie and a dime

Had this Otis Gen2 that kept drifting about half an inch at the third floor. Drove me nuts for two days. Tried swapping the encoder, checking the brake gap, even re-leveled the door tracks. Turned out the leveling switch bracket had a hairline crack and was flexing just enough. Wedged a dime in there with a zip tie to hold it steady while I waited for the part. Has anyone else bodged a fix like this that actually held for months?

2 comments

Posts

A fader at my shop in Denver switched to clipper-over-comb for every blend

Got caught in a lightning storm on the John Muir Trail near Muir Pass last August

Picked the cheaper multimeter over Fluke for my first tool kit

Pitted GPT-4 against a smaller local model for a code review task and the little guy won

Watched a customer try to explain "the dent just appeared" to my coworker Mike...

Finally figured out why my knife sharpening never lasted

Taco Bell gave me the wrong order 3 times in one week and I finally snapped

Spent 20 minutes deciding between a Park Tool and a cheap spoke tension meter

Old school board game guy told me to never trust a rulebook before playing twice

Fixed a leveling issue with a zip tie and a dime

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