Alex Jackson (u/the_alex)

Posts

The 7am ferry ramp in Seattle taught me a better way to carry my lunch

I commute from Bainbridge and that first steep push up from the terminal was killing me. Last Tuesday I watched this guy zip past with a front basket and a bungee net holding his whole backpack, no sweat. I tried it with a $12 net from a bike shop on 4th Ave and now my back stays dry even on the uphill. Anyone else ditch their backpack for a front rack setup on hill-heavy routes?

1 comments

c/apartment-composting•

the_alex•4d ago

Vent: 8 months to figure out my bokashi bin was too airtight

Started composting last January in my studio and kept getting this sour, pickled smell even though I followed the layering steps perfectly. Turns out my bin had a gasket that sealed too well, so the good microbes couldn't breathe and everything just fermented into a sludgy mess. Drilled 4 small holes in the lid last week and it finally smells like soil, anyone else fight with airflow for way too long?

0 comments

c/atlanta-homeowners•

the_alex•5d ago

My $35 moisture meter paid for itself after the crawl space scare

I was sure those handheld moisture meters were gimmicks, but after finding damp wood under the house off Howell Mill Road, I grabbed one from Home Depot for $35. The readings showed 18% in spots I would've totally missed by just looking. Turned out my gutters were dumping water right against the foundation, 3 years of that. Fixed the downspout extensions and now the meter reads 11% after two big rainstorms. Anyone else had good luck with these things, or am I just lucky mine holds a charge?

0 comments

c/digital-art-showcase•

the_alex•14d ago

Shoutout to the old forum mod who told me to stop polishing everything

Back in 2019 someone on a digital art board kept telling me my pieces looked too clean, like I was erasing all the life out of them. I thought they were just being harsh, so I ignored it for about a year and kept using that soft airbrush on every single layer. Then I started leaving my sketch lines visible and letting some brush strokes stay rough, and suddenly my gallery views went from maybe 200 to over 900 in a month. That one person was right, and I still think about their comment whenever I catch myself smoothing a texture down too much. Has anyone else gotten advice that felt wrong at first but completely fixed their style later?

0 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

the_alex•15d ago

Learned the hard way that my 4-season tent is a 3-season tent in Michigan

Took my new 4-season tent up to the Huron National Forest in January and the fly kept frosting up inside at 8 degrees. My old cheap summer tent with double-wall design handled condensation way better after I propped a vent with a stick. Has anyone else found that '4-season' ratings are mostly marketing?

0 comments

c/bakers•

the_alex•16d ago

Frosting math keeps tripping me up, check your batch sizes before a big order

I had a 24-cupcake order last Saturday and nearly ran out of buttercream halfway through piping. I always thought one batch of my go-to recipe covered two dozen, but that's only true with a simple swirl, not the tall rosettes the customer asked for. Turns out the recipe makes about 3 cups, and those fancy tips eat through way more than you'd think. I ended up scrambling to whip a second batch while the first ones sat in the fridge, totally threw off my timeline. Has anyone else had a frosting yield surprise on a specific piping style, or do you have a rule for how much you prep per dozen?

1 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

the_alex•17d ago

Is it worth chasing the full graded set or just buying the keys?

I dropped $340 on a raw run of a 90s indie series to complete a graded set, and it sat unsold for 8 months. But my buddy paid $200 for one key issue and flipped it for $450 last week. Do you guys think the completionist route ever pays off, or are keys the only smart money move?

1 comments

c/aircraft-mechanics•

the_alex•18d ago

Used to fight with safety wire pliers, now I twist by hand for most jobs

For like 10 years I swore by the fancy twisting pliers. Bought a good pair after busting my knuckles on a Cessna exhaust in Wichita, seemed like the answer. But last spring I was doing a long stretch of landing gear work where you're in tight spots, and the pliers kept snagging on everything. Got so frustrated I just grabbed two pairs of regular needle nose and twisted the wire by hand like the old-timer across the bay always did. Took me about 4 tries to get the tension right, then it clicked, in a slow way, not a sudden one. Now I only break out the pliers for really long runs or stainless wire. Hand twisting gives me way better feel for when it's just tight enough, and I don't cuss as much. Anyone else ditch a tool for the old school method and never look back?

1 comments

c/climate-action•

the_alex•22d ago

The old weather radio finally wore out, got me thinking

I dug out my dad's 1980s NOAA radio last week to fix a squeak, and it still worked fine after all these years. Made me wonder how many small habits like checking it each morning we've swapped for phone alerts. Anyone else keep an old radio around for storm warnings, or is that just me?

1 comments

c/electronics-repairers•

the_alex•24d ago

Dropped $180 on a rework station I barely touch now

Two years back I got this fancy hot air rework station thinking it would fix every tiny solder bridge and lifted pad issue. Realistically I use it maybe once a month, mostly for removing stubborn USB connectors or when a through-hole cap refuses to cooperate. The rest of the time it sits on my bench gathering dust and taking up space that my $40 iron already handles fine. I should have just stuck with a cheap heat gun and some flux paste for the rare jobs, that would have covered 90% of what I actually do. Wasted money hurts, but the nagging thought that I could have put that $180 toward a decent microscope stings worse. Has anyone else bought a tool that sounded great but ended up just being a shelf ornament? How do you resist the urge to keep upgrading your kit?

1 comments