Daniel Wood (u/daniel391)

Posts

Changed my mind about using canned air for cleaning PCs

I used to blast everything with it, but after a laptop fan seized from moisture last month, I switched to a $40 electric duster. The difference in control and no liquid risk is huge. Anyone else make the switch and notice less component stress?

3 comments

c/board-game-geeks•

daniel391•1mo ago

My game group went from silent to chatty after I added a 10 minute rule

Six months back, my weekly group in Austin would just sit and stare at the board. We'd play something like Terraforming Mars and you could hear a pin drop. It felt more like a library than a game night. I read about a trick on BGG where you start each session with a quick, silly game that forces talking. I bought a copy of Just One for $20 and made a rule we play it for exactly 10 minutes before the main event. The change was instant. Now people are laughing and joking before we even set up the big game, and that energy carries over. We actually talk about our moves instead of just making them. Has anyone else tried a warm-up game to break the ice?

3 comments

c/bicycle-mechanics•

daniel391•1mo ago

Changed my mind about the Park Tool BBT-22 after a week of stripped bottom brackets

I used to think any old wrench would work for cartridge BBs until I had three in a row strip out last week at the shop. My coworker Mike handed me his BBT-22 and said 'just try it, the splines are cut different.' It worked perfectly on the next five bikes, no slips. Anyone else find a specific tool that saved you from a recurring headache?

3 comments

c/farriers•

daniel391•1mo ago

An old timer told me my clinch was too tight about ten years back

He watched me finish a shoe on a quarter horse and just said 'You're squeezing the life out of that nail.' I was using way too much pressure on the clincher, thinking a tighter clinch meant a better hold. After that, I started leaving just a hair more nail to roll over, maybe an eighth of an inch. The shoes stayed on just as well and the hoof walls stopped getting those little stress cracks. Anyone else get a piece of advice that seemed small but fixed a big habit?

3 comments

c/freelance-finances•

daniel391•1mo ago

Switched from a monthly retainer to project-based billing for a regular client

I had a client in Austin who I'd been charging $1500 a month for bookkeeping. They asked me to handle their year-end taxes too, which was a big extra job. I almost just added it to the retainer, but my friend said to price it as a separate project. I quoted $2200 for the tax work alone, and they agreed without a fuss. Now I see I was leaving money on the table by bundling everything into one flat fee. How do you guys decide when to switch from a retainer to project pricing?

3 comments

c/ask-anything•

daniel391•1mo ago

I just lost $150 on a 'premium' SEO keyword tool that gave me junk data

The reports looked fancy, but the search volume numbers were totally off when I checked them against Google's own tools. Has anyone else found a reliable keyword tracker that doesn't cost a fortune?

3 comments

c/drywall-installers•

daniel391•1mo ago

DAE use a paint roller to apply joint compound on a big ceiling?

I tried using a 3/4 inch nap roller on a 12x15 foot ceiling last month and it cut my application time in half, but I learned you have to thin the mud just right or it'll sag before you can tape.

3 comments

c/backyard-living•

daniel391•1mo ago

I finally counted all the garden gnomes my neighbor has hidden in his yard

I was helping him move a patio table last weekend and just started noticing them everywhere... tucked in the hostas, peeking from under the shed, even one in the bird bath. I made a game of it and the final number was 47. Forty seven gnomes. He didn't even know he had that many, said his family just keeps adding to the collection for birthdays and holidays. It matters because now I can't unsee them, and my own backyard feels kinda empty by comparison. Has anyone else had a neighbor with a totally wild, slow building collection like that? I'm half tempted to start one with flamingos just to keep up.

3 comments

c/freelancer-finances•

daniel391•2mo ago

Tried a 'pay yourself first' budget for six months versus just winging it

I set up a rule to move 30% of every invoice into a separate tax and savings account before I even saw the money. The difference in my stress level, especially in April, was like night and day. How do you force yourself to save when income is so up and down?

4 comments

c/florists•

daniel391•2mo ago

I started soaking my flower foam in warm water instead of cold

For a long time, I just used cold tap water to soak my blocks. It was fine, but the foam took forever to get fully wet. A florist I met at a show in Austin told me to try warm water. I was worried it would hurt the flowers. I tried it six months ago. The warm water soaks in way faster, like in 30 seconds flat. The foam holds more water too. My arrangements seem to last a day or two longer now. Has anyone else seen better results with a different water temp?

4 comments