Unpopular opinion: Mull and super cloth are totally fine for most hardcover books

I kept seeing posts online saying you absolutely need to use expensive bookbinding cloth or you can't get good results. Then I picked up a copy of 'Hand Bookbinding' by Aldren Watson at a used book sale for 3 bucks. In that book from the 1960s, the guy straight up says mull and super cloth were the go-to for regular books for decades. I decided to test it on my last project, a 200 page journal. I used super cloth from a craft store, cost me like 8 dollars for a huge roll. The spine is just as strong as the expensive stuff, the hinges move fine, and it looks clean. Has anyone else actually compared cheap mull to the fancy stuff side by side and seen a real difference?

TIL most coworking spaces don't have proper backup internet...

Was looking into a spot in Chiang Mai and asked about their failover connection. They said they just call the provider if it goes down. Found out only 1 in 5 coworking spaces worldwide actually has a secondary ISP. Has anyone else run into this problem?

Chatted with a GC last weekend who changed my mind about spray foam

I was loading up at the Lowe's on Coors when an old contractor named Hank stopped me and said spray foam can trap moisture against stucco walls here in Albuquerque. He showed me cell phone pics of a job where the wood behind it was totally rotted after just 4 years. Has anyone else had issues with closed-cell foam in our dry climate?

Thought those $20 LED shop lights from Menards would be junk but theyve been running 6 months straight no flicker

Debate: Is it ever okay to backfeed a panel with a generator cord?

I was on a service call in Fresno last month where the power was out for 6 hours. Homeowner had a portable generator and wanted me to show him how to backfeed through a dryer outlet. I told him no way, that's how you kill linemen. But then another sparky on site said as long as you flip the main breaker its fine. What do you guys think, is there any safe scenario for backfeeding or is it always a no-go?

Hit 100 nights in my tent this year and my back is surprisingly fine

So I keep a little tally in my camping journal and last week I realized I crossed 100 nights sleeping in my tent for 2024. That's way more than I expected since I only camped maybe 30 times total before this year lol. I honestly thought my old air pad would give out by night 50 but the thing just keeps going. What's the longest stretch of nights you guys have logged in a single season?

Used a different mortar mix for a patio in Phoenix and it set way too fast

I was doing a small patio job out in Phoenix last week and grabbed a bag of Quikrete Mortar Mix instead of my usual. The heat was around 105, and the stuff was basically rock hard in the bucket after 20 minutes. I learned the hard way that some fast-set mixes just can't handle that kind of dry heat without a real fight. Anyone have a go-to mix for super hot, dry climates that gives you more working time?

Found a wallet with $120 in it at the grocery store parking lot last Tuesday.

It had a local ID and some family photos inside. I turned it in at the customer service desk, but part of me wondered if I should have just taken the cash and left the wallet somewhere obvious. The money could have really helped me out this week. What would you have done in that spot?

Appreciation post: The difference a proper seam roller made on a big commercial job

We just finished a 12,000 square foot office in Phoenix, and the boss finally sprung for a 100-pound roller instead of the little 20-pound one we always used. The first day, we were all complaining about moving the heavy thing around. But after rolling the seams, the difference was night and day. The seams practically disappeared, and the adhesive set perfectly with no ridges. Has anyone else made the switch to a heavier roller and noticed a similar jump in quality?

Vent: My entire digital piece glitched out during a live stream showcase in Portland

I was about 20 minutes into a live painting demo for a local art group in Portland last week. My screen froze completely, and the software crashed, losing about 45 minutes of work. I had to restart the program and my streaming software fast. I managed to recover a rough version from an auto-save file I had set to every 10 minutes, but the final layers were gone. I explained the crash to the viewers and just kept going, rebuilding the lost parts from memory. Has anyone else had a live demo go wrong and found a better auto-save setting?