Switched from conventional oil to synthetic and saw a huge difference at 5,000 miles

I ran conventional 5W30 in my old Honda Civic for about 60,000 miles and always changed it every 3,000 miles. Decided to try a full synthetic on a whim from Walmart for $28 a jug. After 5,000 miles the drained oil still looked golden instead of that black sludge I was used to. My valve train noise got noticeably quieter too over the next 2 weeks after the switch. I figured it was just marketing hype but now I'm sold on the longer intervals alone. Has anyone else seen a real change in engine cleanliness after switching?

My sous chef told me to stop pre-salting steaks before service

Been doing it for 10 years. Thought it helped with crust. He said I was drawing out moisture and making them tough. We did a side by side test with 12 ribeyes last Tuesday. His method was better. Salt right before the grill. Now I feel stupid. Anyone else hold onto a habit for years that was actually hurting your food?

Just realized I been overthinking my chain cleaning routine

Heard some guy at the shop saying he just wipes his chain with a rag after every ride and lubes it once a month. I been doing the whole degrease, scrub, rinse, dry, lube dance every 2 weeks for the last year. Started doing his thing for about 3 months now and my chain still looks fine plus I saved like $20 on degreaser. Anyone else been doing extra work for no reason?

Why does nobody talk about how chain lube attracts dirt way more than it should?

I had this customer last month, a guy named Dave who rides 20 miles every weekend on gravel. He came in complaining his drivetrain sounded like a coffee grinder. I took one look and his chain was caked in this black gritty paste, like the lube turned into sandpaper glue. He told me he always applies it wet and lets it sit overnight before wiping. I asked how much he uses and he said 3 full squirts per link. So I showed him how 1 drop per roller plus a 5 minute wipe down cuts the grime by 80%. He looked at me like I was speaking alien. Has anyone else noticed people just dump lube on and hope for the best?

That client who argued with me about SPF in July

I had this lady come in back in June for a facial and she was maybe 55 with some serious sun damage. I recommended a basic zinc SPF 30 and she literally laughed at me and said she didn't need it because she 'tans easily'. I tried to explain that tanning is still damage, but she cut me off and said her dermatologist told her SPF is a scam. I just stood there with my spatula in my hand not knowing what to say. She ended up buying a $90 serum instead and walked out. Has anyone else had clients just completely ignore science like that?

Question about truing a wheel on a rainy day in Portland

I tried truing my rear wheel after riding through some wet streets last week and the spokes kept pinging weirdly, has anyone else had trouble with moisture messing up spoke tension?

Old timer told me to wet my bricks before laying them in summer heat

I was working a retaining wall job in Phoenix last July and this retired bricklayer named Dave told me to soak my bricks in a bucket before laying them. I tried it on one section and the mortar held way better than the dry bricks I used on the other side. Has anyone else found that wetting bricks helps in hot weather or is it just for certain types of clay?

I just found out the first computer bug was a real moth stuck in a relay, saw it in a museum in Virginia

Finally got the hang of my rock saw after a year of bad cuts

I was always getting jagged breaks on my agate slabs until I watched a guy at the Tucson gem show last month. He was using way less pressure and letting the blade do the work. I tried it on a piece of Lake Superior agate yesterday and the cut was perfect. Anyone else take way too long to figure out a basic tool trick?

Update: A single wrong turn in the Wind River Range turned a 3-day loop into a 5-day survival test

My buddy and I missed a faint trail junction near Lizard Head Meadows, adding 15 miles and forcing us to ration our last two energy bars. Has anyone else had a simple navigation error completely rewrite a trip?