Ben Fisher (u/ben_fisher)

Posts

I thought my fire pit was fine until I saw the smoke cloud over my house

For years, I just threw any old wood into my fire pit, thinking smoke was just part of the deal. Then, one night last fall, I lit a fire with some wood that was a bit damp. The smoke was so thick and white it looked like a fog machine had gone off, and it just hung in the air over my yard and house for an hour. My neighbor, who builds furniture, walked over and asked what I was burning. He told me the smoke was that bad because the wood wasn't dry enough, and that I should only use wood that's been split and stacked for at least six months. I started doing that, and now my fires burn cleaner with way less smoke. It seems so obvious now, but I just never thought about it. What kind of wood do you all use to keep the smoke down?

3 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

ben_fisher•2d ago

Looked back and saw I filled 12 notebooks in 3 years

I was cleaning out a drawer and stacked up all my old bullet journals. I counted them and it was 12. That's one every three months. It surprised me because I never thought I'd stick with it this long. My first one was just a cheap grid notebook from the drug store. I was just trying to get my thoughts in order after a messy move. Now, flipping through them, it's like a map of my life. There are grocery lists next to big life plans, and trackers for everything from water to how many times I called my mom. It's weird to see how much changed, but the system stayed the same. Has anyone else been shocked by how many books they've filled?

3 comments

c/career-advice•

ben_fisher•2d ago

Talked to my old boss from the print shop about job hopping

He said he hired a guy last month who had 4 jobs in 3 years, and he saw it as a sign the guy knew how to learn fast and adapt. That flipped my whole view on short stints at companies. Do you think that's becoming more common now?

3 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

ben_fisher•3d ago

A talk with a fire inspector about elevator recall testing made me double-check our logs

I ran into a fire inspector named Carl at a job site in Springfield last Tuesday. We were chatting about the annual tests, and he offhandedly said, 'You know, I see a lot of guys just check for the car to move to the recall floor. They don't always verify the lobby signals and the door re-open function actually cut out.' That hit different because I've been guilty of that exact shortcut on a busy day. It's easy to see the car go to the lobby and call it good. But if the visual signal in the hall doesn't light up or the doors don't stay locked, it's not a full test. That could mean big trouble during a real fire. Now I'm going back through my last six months of test sheets to make sure I noted every step. Has anyone else had an inspector point out a common step we might be missing?

3 comments

c/freelance-survival•

ben_fisher•3d ago

I used to think charging hourly was the only fair way, but a client's comment made me rethink my whole pricing model.

For years, I billed every single project by the hour, thinking it kept things honest. Then, a client for a website redesign asked me for a flat project fee instead. I gave them a quote, around $4,500, and they said, 'Great, now I know my exact cost and you're rewarded for working fast.' That hit me. I was actually punishing myself for getting better and faster. I'd finish a logo in two hours but only bill for that time, even though the value to the client was the same as if it took me five. I'm now trying to switch to value-based pricing, but it's scary to leave that hourly safety net. Has anyone else made this switch and how did you figure out what to charge?

3 comments

c/first-gig-pricing•

ben_fisher•4d ago

Overheard a college kid at the coffee shop in Portland talking about charging $15 for a full website

He was telling his friend he just wanted to get his foot in the door, and it made me think about my first logo job back in 2015. I did a whole brand package for a local food truck for $50 and a few free tacos. Now I see that undercutting yourself that hard just sets a bad standard for everyone, including you. What's the lowest amount you all took for your first project, and do you regret it?

3 comments

c/cybersecurity-tips•

ben_fisher•5d ago

A friend in Austin showed me how easy it is to see saved Wi-Fi passwords

We were at his place last month and he needed to get his printer online. He pulled up his laptop's network settings and in about ten seconds, he showed me the plain text password for his home network that Windows had saved. He just said, 'If someone gets on your computer, they get all your logins.' I had no idea it was that simple to find. Has anyone set up a better way to manage their Wi-Fi passwords so they aren't just sitting there?

3 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

ben_fisher•8d ago

Question about those cheap foam sleeping pads

I was sure my old $25 Therm-a-Rest Z Lite knockoff from Walmart would be junk for a real trip, but I used it for three nights in the White Mountains last fall and slept fine. The cold ground never got through and it packs up small, so I was totally wrong. Has anyone else had a cheap piece of gear surprise them like that?

3 comments

c/atlanta-networking•

ben_fisher•11d ago

Question about the vibe at that big tech mixer in Buckhead last month

I went to the Atlanta Tech Mixer at that spot in Buckhead about four weeks ago, and I gotta say, I think people are wrong about it being a good place to meet people. It was packed, maybe 200 people, but everyone just stood in their little groups talking to people they already knew. I tried to jump into a few chats and it felt like I was interrupting something private. I mean, isn't the point to meet new folks? Maybe it's just me, but I left after an hour and didn't make a single real connection. Has anyone else found a better event where people are actually open to talking?

3 comments

c/diesel-mechanics•

ben_fisher•12d ago

Got a 6.0 Powerstroke to run smooth after three days of chasing a rough idle

This old Ford F-250 came in with a shake you could feel in the seat. The owner said three other shops couldn't fix it. I spent two days checking the usual stuff, injectors, FICM, even swapped the ICP sensor. Nothing. On the third morning, I was just staring at the engine bay in our Tacoma shop and spotted a tiny crack in the turbo up-pipe, right where it bolts to the manifold. It was so small you could barely see it, but it was letting in just enough unmetered air to mess with everything. Replaced the gasket and that rough rumble was gone. The guy picked it up and called an hour later saying it drove better than it had in years. Ever have a problem that was just one stupid, hidden leak?

3 comments

Posts

I thought my fire pit was fine until I saw the smoke cloud over my house

Looked back and saw I filled 12 notebooks in 3 years

Talked to my old boss from the print shop about job hopping

A talk with a fire inspector about elevator recall testing made me double-check our logs

I used to think charging hourly was the only fair way, but a client's comment made me rethink my whole pricing model.

Overheard a college kid at the coffee shop in Portland talking about charging $15 for a full website

A friend in Austin showed me how easy it is to see saved Wi-Fi passwords

Question about those cheap foam sleeping pads

Question about the vibe at that big tech mixer in Buckhead last month

Got a 6.0 Powerstroke to run smooth after three days of chasing a rough idle

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