Blew $400 on a 'done for you' dropshipping store and got nothing

I figured I'd shortcut the hard part and bought a pre-built store from a guy on Fiverr. Paid $400 thinking I'd get a polished site with winning products and a marketing plan. What I got was a generic Shopify template with 12 random items from AliExpress and zero research. The 'marketing plan' was just a list of Facebook groups to post in. No sales, no refund, guy disappeared after a week. Has anyone else fallen for these package deals or am I just the sucker here?

Found out yesterday that NEC code 760.121 requires fire alarm cable support every 4 feet, not 6 like I’ve been doing for 8 years

I was reading through some 2023 code updates on a break between jobs and stumbled across that one. Always thought it was 6 feet for any low voltage stuff. Pulled out my old handbook and sure enough I’ve been spacing my staples wrong this whole time. Got me wondering how many inspectors actually check that or if I just got lucky all these years. Any of you guys run into an inspector who busted you on that specific rule?

Picked up a weird resume trick from a hiring manager at a coffee shop

Was grabbing a latte in Austin last Tuesday. Overheard a guy talking about how he scans resumes. He said he checks the "interests" section first. Said if it feels fake or generic, the whole resume goes in the trash. Made me rethink my whole layout.

My first attempt at metal minis went sideways fast

I tried painting a Reaper Bones mini with just craft paint last weekend and it peeled off like sunburn after one night. The acrylic just would not stick to the plastic no matter how thin I made it. I ended up stripping the whole thing with Simple Green and starting over with a proper primer. Has anyone else had that problem with Bones plastic specifically?

PSA: I was a brine-only snob for 2 years until my buddy from Austin threw some whey in his hot sauce

Last month I watched him pour leftover whey from his yogurt into a pepper mash and it fermented way smoother than my salt brines ever did. Now I'm mixing whey with my sauerkraut brine and the texture is totally different. Has anyone else tried blending different starters?

Overheard a guy at the forge say he uses a 4-in-1 rasp for everything...

I always figured you needed a specialty rasp for each part of the hoof, but he showed me how he does the whole trim with just that one tool. Saved me like 40 bucks on a new rasp I was about to buy. Has anyone else tried sticking to a single rasp for the whole job?

PSA: Check your dry suit neck seal before every dive

Had my neck seal split on me last Thursday during a bridge inspection in Norfolk. Water came rushing in at about 15 feet and I had to abort the whole job. Cost me $280 to get it replaced at a local shop and lost half a day's pay. Anyone else had a seal go bad at the worst possible time?

Just finished a set of 500 detail drawings for a single apartment complex project. My mouse hand is numb.

I always planned my trips around water sources until a ranger in the Sierras gave me a different tip

For years, I'd plot my routes by stringing together lakes and streams, thinking that was the only safe way. On a trip near Mammoth Lakes last fall, a park ranger told me to look for 'dry camps' near ridges instead. He said the views are better, the bugs are fewer, and you can carry just enough water for the evening and morning. I tried it on a three-day loop, carrying two liters to a high spot between two known creeks. Waking up to that sunrise with no one around was worth the extra weight for a few hours. Has anyone else switched to planning around campsites instead of just water?

Just figured out a trick for pulling cable through a tight attic space in an old house

Last week in a 1920s bungalow, I was stuck trying to get a line across a low, cramped section. I ended up using a fiberglass push rod with a small magnet taped to the end to guide the cable around a sharp corner. What's your go-to method for those impossible attic runs?