@ross.kim your buddy Dan and I must share the same client list, I swear I've had that exact conversation about making a mascot look more like someone's pet. Honestly at this point I should just start charging by the "can you make it pop" request instead of by the hour.

That guy probably saved you from turning your subfloor into a trampoline for mice and mold. Good thing he caught it before you nailed down a masterpiece of regret. Hope you bought him a coffee or at least a pack of smokes for his trouble.

Gobekli Tepe's cool but people love to overlook all the earlier settled sites that prove hunter gatherers weren't as simple as the article suggests.

Oh man, that's a rough way to learn a hard lesson. I agree with @jesse_smith10 that the grinding noise means the gears are just too weak for the job. Those sub-$200 trackers cut every corner they can, especially in the motor and gears. You can sometimes make them work with a really light lens, but even then it's a gamble. Honestly, if you want to stick with it, save up to at least $400 for a used iOptron or Sky-Watcher. There's no shortcut with tracking mounts, you really do get what you pay for.

Man, @caleb_bell5 is right - it's like comparing a home-cooked meal to a frozen dinner (both fill you up but one's way better).