# Things I've learned the hard way . . .



## wmpwi (May 23, 2005)

*Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

tvodrd suggested I keep a list and it's a good idea. After only a month, here's a start on mine:

List of things to I’ve learned (though not necessarily in order)

1.	Measure twice, cut once (too important to leave off any list)
2.	Bench test everything before installation
3.	When soldering, be advised that heat sinks do just that - transmit heat to fingers very efficiently.
4.	Everything melts. It helps to know what and when.
5.	Smoke is usually a bad thing.
6.	Ask first, someone else has already done it wrong before you and someone else has already done it right too
7.	There’s no such thing as too many tools
8.	More power is not always the best answer
9.	Half the fun can be in the doing, but that assumes you know what you’re doing.
10.	What ever it is, always assume it’s loaded or plugged in
11.	Sometimes it's cheaper and easier to buy the damn thing than it is to fabricate it.
12.	Just because it fits doesn’t mean it will work
13. The flame that burns twice as bright actually does burn half as long.
14. Just about anything can be fixed if you spend enough.

More to come, unfortunately. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## VidPro (May 23, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

and always have 2 of the parts your using, one for learning, the other for burning.


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## wmpwi (May 23, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

I like it. That can go right on there now. Anyone else with suggestions, this could become a sticky thread.


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## tvodrd (May 23, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif wmpwi!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif Ain't it true! It takes a while to "get it right," but when you do, it will have been more than worth the effort!

Larry


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## MrMom (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif


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## cy (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

When something you are trying to remove or take apart refuses to budge. STOP and come back to it later. 

if you keep going, probably end up destroying it. VS coming back later after rethinking a new solution.


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## Lynx_Arc (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

if extra parts are cheap, buy extras because they sometimes have *legs* on them.
Just when you think you have it figured out in your head and dont write it down, someone comes and asks you a stupid question that makes you forget your ingenius idea.
When you finish with something easy nobody wants one, but when you make something nearly impossible everyone bugs you to tears to make them one for free so sometimes you only show those that appreciate it and know they don't grow on trees.
You test battery always goes dead when you are on the verge of completion.
If you have something complicated working on the bench it will break upon assembly every time.
If you have every tool imaginable you will always need one more, but if you only have a few tools you seem to have too many you don't use.
You always forget you have heat shrink tubing until you are finished soldering everything.
You always need one more test/clip lead than you have.
Even if you are an octupus you never have enough arms.


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## VidPro (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Dont look into the leds, they are not going anywhere, and it doesnt improve your vision.

A new soldering tip is only sharp for the first 26 joints, and its the 27th that needs a good sharp tip.

a "cold joint" that works, is better than the 4th resoldering of the same joint.

Epoxy never cures fast enough, till you find that last thing you could use it on, then its hard as a rock.

The store always closes, 10 minutes after you need a part, and it takes you 12 minutes to get there.

You always have to many projects that are not completed, because the mailman does not deliver, till he KNOWS that you just started on a different one.

no mater what your trying to read with your Meter, you have it on the other setting.

there is never enough HeatSink, until you try and solder.


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## jtice (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

"""You always forget you have heat shrink tubing until you are finished soldering everything.""" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif

Yep, I do that ALLL the damn time!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

I sit back, to look at my newly finished master piece and DOOHHH !!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif


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## MoonRise (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Always stop and think "Where is it going to go when it slips?" Not "IF", but "WHEN". Sharp object, grinder, soldering iron tip, whatever, always think about the set-up and where the tool is going to go when it slips.

Also, if you get even an inkling that something isn't right with the set-up or you feel even a tiny bit uncomfortable, STOP. Think about it and redo the set-up or jigging or clamping or the entire operation. You can always find a safe way to do the operation. You only get one set of hands and eyes.


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## zespectre (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

-The soldering iron will finally get warm just in time for your wife to ask you to take out the trash.
-Your friends and neighbors will tease you about your flashlight collection...until the power goes out.
-If you have a favorite "emergency" flashlight, practice changing the batteries and (if necessary) the bulb, by feel, in the dark. If it can't be done quickly and easily then get a different "emergency" flashlight!
-If inserting the batteries backwards will destroy the LED in a flashlight, get a different one for "emergencies" (see previous entry).
-Always buy the kids a couple of their own flashlights...or you'll never be able to find yours!
-When using a powerful light indoors, be wary of mirrors! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif


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## James S (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

a lesson I learned while making lunch yesterday:

When picking up a ziplock store bag of pre-shredded cheese make sure you're grabbing the end that opens and not the bottom, as the ziplocks on those bags just dont work...

And the followup, even though you've seen others in the house using a dustpan, does not mean that they put it in a reasonable place from where you'll be able to find it after spilling a pound of shredded cheese all over the floor...


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## wquiles (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

So many of those I have sufered myself /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rant.gif

GREAT tread /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

Will


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## Lynx_Arc (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

You always are involved in working on the hardest part of a project when the doorbell or phone rings with someone that has an emergency.
If you buy a 4 pack of batteries you will always need 5 of them, if you buy an 8 pack you must have 9.
When you find batteries on sale and buy 3 times as many as you will need in a year someone will need half of them and you will end up wishing you had bought 5 times as many. When you buy 5 times as many batteries as you need, nobody will need or want extra batteries so they sit for years and you worry about them going bad before you use them.
Everyone wants you to help them fix their stuff, car, electronics, plumbling etc... but when you need an extra hand to finish your flashaholic project they act like you are imposing on their free time and look at you like you are an idiot.
That perfect host either turns out a mm too small to fit everything or everything fits and you inadvertantly destroy it when someone interrupts you for their *less trivial* project help.
The only time you have a power outage is when you are just about to finish your greatest flashlight made for..... you guessed it.... a power outage, so you cannot finish it till next power outage which doesn't happen for years, by the time which you bought a neater gadget you use for that power outage instead.


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## zespectre (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*James S said:*
When picking up a ziplock store bag of pre-shredded cheese make sure you're grabbing the end that opens and not the bottom 

[/ QUOTE ]

And the corallary...
Never try to vacume talc powder with a bagless vac! (for those who haven't tried it, it pretty much clogs the filters forever).


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## IsaacHayes (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

JTice, yeah, I've done that before on car stereo harnesses. I solder all of my wires and heatshrink them rather than crimp. Drives you nuts!!

Lynx, I bought a TON of C batteries for dirt cheap a year or so ago, but didn't realize they were carbon zinc. I thought they were light weight! I plan on hooking a bunch of them in series for a power source for my HV generator.

But actaully, I haven't ruined any LED's or Luxeons or anything like that yet. I know some of you hate me, and I'll probably screw something up next for saying this!!


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## HarryN (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

I am still learning just how challenging it is to heat sink an LED enough that it will actually maintain its light output continuously (as opposed to the first 10 seconds) when run above 500ma.

I suspect that this is one of the great, underestimated challenges to the new builder, since most most do not have access to a Lux meter.


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## JimH (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

When you find yourself putting in an exhorbitant amount of effort on a task, you are on the wrong track - fall back, regroup, take a different tack.

When that part, or tool, that you just set down 20 seconds ago, goes missing for more than 10 minutes, it has dematerialized - it will not rematerialize until you buy another one. Same thing goes for that tool that you didn't need when you saw it just recently - but now that you need it, it is nowhere to be found.

Sometimes when you drop a part and hear it bounce twice, the second bounce was into another dimension (or parallel universe if you prefer). It might take 2 years to come back, or it may never come back.

The act of taking some things apart generates an extra part, which you will notice when the thing is all back together and appears to be working normally.

No matter how long you keep that pile of scrap parts and material around, you won't find a use for it till you throw it out.

The easiest way to lose something is to set it somewhere where you won't forget it.

The easiest way to forget to take something is to set it by the door so you won't forget it.

When at the grocery store buying items to make a particular dish, you don't buy item A because you know you have some in the fridge. What you forgot was that you put item A in the fridge a year ago, and now it's a science project.


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## greenLED (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way . .*

Fingerprints fade with enough friction (eg. don't sand Cu heatsinks too vigorously) :green:


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## wmpwi (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

I wish this thread had run about a month ago. I could have saved myself a bunch of money and even more time. There are some incredible words of wisdom here. Thanks everyone and don't stop.


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## asdalton (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*JimH said:*
The act of taking some things apart generates an extra part, which you will notice when the thing is all back together and appears to be working normally.


[/ QUOTE ]

I've heard of this one before. The corollary is that if you take apart and reassemble something enough times, you will eventually have two of them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


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## PhotonWrangler (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

If you happen across a hot soldering pencil, make sure you pick it up by the handle.

Sometimes rustproofing is _not getting_ rustproofing.

In a battle of wits, never enter the fight unarmed.


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## BC0311 (May 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Great stuff! So many of these apply to so much of life in addition to electronics.


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## VidPro (May 28, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

electrolytic caps have the polarity shown for a reason, try and follow the polarity 
(gee is was just a little reverse power, but it sure did pop loud)

heat shrink CAN be slightly expanded, when you dont have any big enough.

solder wick is a pain, but it might be better than heating the part, and throwing it on the ground quickly to slop the solder off it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif if there is enough solder, the solder sucker is the best though.

meter set on OHMS is a bad way to test polarity and conduction of the ends of a battery. (wont tell you who i learned this from 

you can fast charge rechargables as long as they dont fast Overcharge.

when making curcuits, 95% of the parts, are there to fix the deficiencies and problems of the 2 needed to do the actual work

programming is easy, debugging till it works exactally right is both time consuming and near impossible, but dont ask microsoft to do it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## diggdug13 (May 28, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

My dad ALWAYS said: "you get what you've paid for, buy cheap get cheap" and as always I've seemed to prove him and his sayings right.

doug


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## greenlight (May 28, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Don't give flowers to someone else after they were given to you...


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## KevinL (May 29, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*wmpwi said:*
13. The flame that burns twice as bright actually does burn half as long.


[/ QUOTE ]

So appropriate about lights and cars. A car enthusiast told me a while back "There's no such thing as a low-consumption high-performance car - if you want her to MOOOOOOOVE she's gonna drink". I could say the same thing about the lights.. crank up the power to the business end and do expect runtime to fall. Where's my USL again?

My other additions..

1. Better to buy a $50 piece of gear from the get go than buy a $10 piece of gear five times. Learned this many years back with cheapo computer mice that were lucky to last two weeks - literally.
2. The ONE single time you do not have a light with you is the time you are guaranteed a blackout. I was at a place that lost power for five minutes, the person that was with me said that was the only time he decided he wouldn't need a light. Well, guess who was carrying the U2.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif it was only five minutes, but what a cannon that U2 is in pitch blackness. I dialed it down to level 4! (coming from someone who never sets it lower than 6, not while my lithium ions are in it)
3. A Surefire official Z60 lanyard is $12. A DIY paracord lanyard and McGizmo clip is less than $4. Sure makes that $270 flashlight you lost for the lack of a lanyard look cheap now.. lanyard it or lose it!


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## PhotonWrangler (May 29, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

If you're doing close-up soldering work and you have long hair, pull it back first. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif


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## chmsam (May 29, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

1). A great warranty on a piece of crap just gets you a newer piece of the same crap when you replace it -- get the good version upfront.
2). The piece of crud version will cost you less. However, it probably won't hold up your when life could depend on it, or when it just plain would come in real handy -- get the good version upfront.
3). When you look for quality also look for practicality. If it isn't there when you need it 'cause it's not carryable, what good is it, regardless of the cost?
4). Too pretty/rare/collectable/valuable to carry versions are nice. The ones you can use when you really, really need 'em are the ones that you really, really appreciate.
5). The pain in the butt you get from carrying too much stuff goes away pretty quick when you save someone from having a disaster, large or small, and you get the "Oh, so that's why you've always got that with you! Thank you!" Especially true when you see the "I'm gonna get me one of those!" look in their eyes (true addicts love to spread their addictions). And even better than that when the soon to be addict is really hot! Hubba, hubba! Chicks do like geeks!


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## KevinL (May 29, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

chmsam just wrote the definitive text on the rationale behind EDC /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

You just can't say it any better than that!!


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## Reaper (May 29, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

And, no matter how careful you are----------
Murphy will show up eventually and say "GOT YOU".


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## Lynx_Arc (May 29, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Buy cheap stuff to loan others so your good stuff won't vanish.
Don't buy a 3 year extended warranty that costs only $10 less than buying a new one because technology will make it cost $15 less by the time your warranty would have replaced it at 2 years and 11 months. 
You always stock up on stuff you never use and use stuff you never stock up on, then you stock up on stuff you used all of it up and never use it again.
Instruction manuals.... don't. The only stuff with parts lists have expensive parts you cannot get, while cheap stuff has cheap parts but no parts lists.
It is always the 50 cent part that breaks in the $100 item that renders it useless and it always breaks when they change designs to get around the breakage problem with the 50 cent part and the warranty expires, so you have to buy a $80 assembly to replace the 50 cent part and everything it connects to. I once had a broken nylon bushing in a transmission and the dealer quit carrying them at $2 each. I needed 4 of them. Instead I had to buy new shifting forks with new nylon bushings for $125 to fix the problem.

Buying the latest and greatest lasts only long enough for you to pay it off and have it be obsolete and start messing up and the next latest and greatest has the fixes for the problems of the last version.

If you find a bargain everyone wants it, if you pay full price everyone only wants one when the price goes up or it is discontinued. If you buy something to resell nobody wants it until you find a use for it then everyone wants one and nobody makes them any more.

Everyone thinks you are a nut for carrying extra stuff, but the same people are the first to remember you have it in your pocket when they need it, then a few weeks later they think you are a nut again.


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## PhotonWrangler (May 29, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*Lynx_Arc said:*
Buying the latest and greatest lasts only long enough for you to pay it off and have it be obsolete and start messing up and the next latest and greatest has the fixes for the problems of the last version.


[/ QUOTE ]

A corollary to that is to never buy serial #1 of anything. Remember the first Mazdas? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif


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## MaxaBaker (May 29, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

DOn't try to look for something you lost when it's actually in your hand (or around your neck, or behind your ear)! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif 


I did that with a CPF light pen today. I was looking all over the place for it when it was behund my ear the whole time! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/drunk.gif


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## PhotonWrangler (May 29, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif I've done that, MaxaBaker. "Where the heck are my glasses?.... O, wait." /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif


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## gadget_lover (May 29, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

1) When you drop the soldering iron, let it fall. Only Jedi Masters grab the cold end.

2) You can't really drop a 500 degree bolt before the blister forms.

3) Sanding a part in a disk sander can bring the temperature up to 500 degrees. See #2

4) Never try to blow the saw dust out of a spinning drill bit when you have long hair. (learned in 1971)

5) If you run a part beyond the designed specifications, one or more of the other specifications will be invalidated.

6) You can build it fast, cheap or high quality. Pick any two. If you add enough luck you can get all three.

7) Murphy was an optimist.


Daniel


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## kongfuchicken (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

biking-wrist guards/padding+small cliff=bad, scar on the elbow bad...


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## KevinL (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*Reaper said:*
And, no matter how careful you are----------
Murphy will show up eventually and say "GOT YOU". 

[/ QUOTE ]

I once remarked to a colleague, "No matter what the $#*( we do, the bullet with our name on it will get us"

His reply was great - "Well, try to make it a small bullet then."

We've worked to minimize the damage wherever we can. 


Speaking of the bullet with our name on it, I've always believed in laying in not just one, but FOUR different backup plans. This is a tremendous amount of redundancy to be sure. At work, I care for and feed a mission critical database. To put it bluntly, nothing happens without this system. Work literally grinds to a halt, as it did during a failure that took out both the primary system AND three of my backups... but the 4th saved me.


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## Mednanu (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Anytime you handle a firearm, check the breach first before doing anything else.....even if you _just saw_ someone else check it two seconds earlier; check it again. Never trust the other guy's judgement who supposedly just verified that breach was empty...the stakes are just too high. 

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/xyxgun.gif


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## brightnorm (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Always keep a plunger in the bathroom.

Brightnorm


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## MaxaBaker (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*brightnorm said:*
Always keep a plunger in the bathroom.

Brightnorm 

[/ QUOTE ]


/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/aaa.gif


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## nightshade (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

A ounce of image is worth a pound of performance.

A ounce of chocolate equals four pounds of fat.

Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.

Proper planning and preparation prevents **** poor performance.


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## chmsam (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Bathrooms and alcohol are often sources of amusement, but only for others.

- The time to be certain about the paper supply is before and not after. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif 
- Priorities and options change based upon the situation (No paper? No newspaper? No magazines? Singles for a five?). /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon6.gif
- Murphy is one thing, but remember, God has a sense of humor and you are the butt of the joke (Bwwwahahahahaha!). Example: when you have both an alcohol and bad food choice induced situation, where both ends are about to simultaneously become, er... engaged, you will make the wrong choice. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smoker5.gif And your wife will be there to laugh at you. Can you say, "Film at eleven?" 
- Wives have very long and very accurate memories. Except that they will neglect to mention that the story they are telling (and retelling) is but one, single instance in an otherwise exemplary (indeed, saint-like -- was that thunder I just heard? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif ) life.
- Wives love, and in fact, live only to relate that one instance over and over again. In front of family, friends, and co-workers. Yours, not hers. At parties. Work parties. In front of the boss. Just before your review. When you really, really could use the raise. And the boss is a member of the Temperance Union. Or is very stern and humorless and devout. Or all of the above.

And just because I am certain that somehow, somewhere I owe my family for something... one family member used to have two fiercly protective terriers. They would ferociously defend them by snarling and loudly barking against all attackers. Especially the porcelain one. On the morning after the night before. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif


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## MrTwoTone (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

When in the bedroom,only mention your WIFE'S name.Happened
to a coworker,he complained of head and neck pain for more
than a week. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif


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## chmsam (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

No good conversation ever started with:

- I have something to tell you. (And I know I don't want to hear it)
- Oh, did I forget to mention... (Yes, you did. And just how good is the dinner the table so I'll know just how bad this is gonna be?)
- You know I love you. (Uh, oh. It's either expensive or is gonna take a lawyer. Or both)
- Watch what I can do. (Where's the first aid kit and what is the number for 9-1-1?)
- Let me tell you what YOUR child did today. (They're YOUR kid when they make honor roll, but now they're mine? -- especially good for step-parents, btw)
- Honey, do you know how much I love you? (Be afraid. Be very afraid.)
- Do you think she's cute? (Forget "does this make me look fat?" THIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS QUESTION YOU WILL EVER HEAR! There is no correct answer -- answer yes and you are dead, answer no and she'll only think you are lying)
- Do you remember when...? (No, I don't. I'm getting old and forgetful, but that won't stop you from holding it against me no matter how obscure the thing I forgot was)
- How much did you love that car/boat/shirt/light? (DID? That's the past tense. Uh, oh... Hey, waitaminute! Cool! Now I don't have to hide that new...)


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## PhotonWrangler (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*chmsam said:*
- The time to be certain about the paper supply is before and not after. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif 


[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif Amen to that! I could list that as one of my quirks in that other thread - I _always_ check beforehand.


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## gadget_lover (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

In an emergency, don't expect people to act rationally. I was a telephone operator in the 1970s. I actually got this call;

Me: Operator; may I help you?

Him: Quick, I need the number for 911!


Daniel


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## gadget_lover (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

One of the most important things.....

If there are two ways to interpret what someone says, choose the more complimentary one, not the insult.

If it's really a compliment and you choose to act like it's an insult, you will be unhappy, he will be unhappy and it will take forever to rebuild your relationship.

If it's really an insult and you choose to take it as a compliment it does no harm, may turn the other person's feelings around. It sets both of you up for rebuilding the friendship.

Besides. It really pisses people off when you smile and treat them nice after they insult you.

Daniel


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## PhotonWrangler (May 30, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*gadget_lover said:*
If it's really an insult and you choose to take it as a compliment it does no harm, may turn the other person's feelings around. It sets both of you up for rebuilding the friendship. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Wise words, Daniel.


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## gadget_lover (Jun 1, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Measure twice, cut once.
- - - - Then measure again before glueing.

Daniel


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## JimH (Jun 2, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*gadget_lover said:*
Measure twice, cut once.
- - - - Then measure again before glueing.

Daniel 

[/ QUOTE ]

Daniel,

Where's the fun in that. Then you you'll know how it turns out before you begin. It's kind of like reading the end of a novel to see how it turns out before you finish the first chapter. 

How a bout cut twice, never measure - that's where the adventgure is.


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## JimH (Jun 2, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*




double post


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## gadget_lover (Jun 2, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Ok, Another thing I learned the hard way.....

You can end up with a double post if you hit the continue button twice after typing in the message. 


You can cover it up by cleverly editing the post so it looks like you are


----------



## gadget_lover (Jun 2, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

continuing the previous post. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Daniel


----------



## MrTwoTone (Jun 2, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

If you think you have enough gas in the car to drive to the NEXT exit-you don't......


----------



## chmsam (Jun 2, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

1) The stuff you have packed and carried for an annual event for years, but never used, when left behind because you never have used it, will be "mission critical" because you left it behind.

2) Duct tape will repair almost everything... but not quite. There are reasons those doctors went to school for all those years.

3) The go-to, ultimate backup, use-only-when-your-life-depends-on-it light will be dead when you need it because someone in your family found it in your secret hiding place, and had to go past at least 10 other lights (Yes, at least 10. We're flashaholics, remember?), to make the glow in the dark stars on their ceiling glow a teeny bit brighter. And that is why you riped the living snot off your knuckles in the dark. (see #2)

4) The go-to, ultimate backup, use-only-when-your-life-depends-on-it knife will be dull when you need it because someone in your family found it in your secret hiding place, and had to go past at least 10 other knives (Yes, at least 10. I'm a knife guy, remember?), to scrape paint off a $2 desk they got at a garage (garbage?) sale -- and it was no bargain at that price. And that is why you sliced your thumb when you went to cut that rope. (see #2 again)

5) The latest computer you bought cost 1/4 of your first 8086 machine (and 1/1000th of the IBM 360 you used to punch cards for), is faster by factors -- not just multiples, and does not weigh even a tenth as much (not to mention the size of the 360). But the keyboard sucks! Gimme that old click response of the early PC keyboards.

6) The first thing to go when you get old is, um..., what a minute, uh..., what was I talking about?

7) The size of your "nose goblin" (that you have not noticed but they have) is directly proportional to their level of hottie-ness when you are trying to make a first impression. Well, Buck-o, you made a first impression, alright!

But if you still can get her to hang out with you, you are not only a god but more importantly she is most definitely a keeper.


----------



## chmsam (Jun 2, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

1) The kitchen knife you have sharpened, and (this is the important part) have left a piece a piece of tape on, that says "Sharp!!", will cut your wifes' thumb. Somehow this will be your fault.

Each time it happens.

2) The mangy mutt your kid got will, even after it destroys your favorite shoes, light, book, etc. (or all of them, actually), will still be a "precious, cute, innocent, little puppy."

3) The precious, cute, innocent, little puppy your kid got will, after it destroys the pair of shoes your wife just bought, still be a "mangy mutt."

4) Your vehicle -- your pride and joy -- your baby! -- will have to be left out in the driveway because your family has packed the garage with extremely vaulable items. Like a bicycle with two flat tires and no chain. And that $2 desk bought at a garbage, er, garage sale. Or the volleyball set -- with a net full of holes -- and no volleyball. And the boards for the tree hou... -- HEY! Who left my torque wrench out here! And why did they use it as a hammer! AAAAAaaarrrrrrggghhh!


----------



## Reaper (Jun 2, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

NEVER, EVER, say that you went to a "Flashlight" convention. The familiy members will forever snicker and raise their eyebrows when they mention that you went to one. More in character if I went to a gun show instead.


----------



## AJ_Dual (Jun 2, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

The dial tone in live phone wire is about 45 volts. The ring signal depending on the REN rating of your home's service drop, could be as high as 90 volts. 

Both have the potential to create a very interesting sensation when you're stripping phone wire with your teeth because you were in too much of a hurry to go get a wire stripper from the basment.


----------



## KevinL (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*chmsam said:*
3) The go-to, ultimate backup, use-only-when-your-life-depends-on-it light will be dead when you need it because someone in your family found it in your secret hiding place, and had to go past at least 10 other lights (Yes, at least 10. We're flashaholics, remember?), to make the glow in the dark stars on their ceiling glow a teeny bit brighter. And that is why you riped the living snot off your knuckles in the dark. (see #2)


[/ QUOTE ]

Ouch, sorry to hear about that.. it sounds painful even without #2!

I kinda figure this is the reason why the light that fills this particular role in my collection is actually carried, used, and reloaded every week. This decreases the chances of it being dead.

Another thing I learned from the computers: If you take a lightly used component, package it up nicely (or not bother to package it, doesn't matter), and leave it alone for many months, it will die. Of what I have no idea but it is almost certain it will be dead next time you need it. Strangely, if left in the system, powered on, it will last forever. Almost.


----------



## DarkLight (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

The quick and easy path is always mined.

The only thing more accurate then incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire!

Never listen to someone who says their dog doesnt bite! Sure,it doesnt bite them!


----------



## zespectre (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*DarkLight said:*
Never listen to someone who says their dog doesnt bite! Sure,it doesnt bite them! 

[/ QUOTE ]

Or it may not be their dog (nod to Monty Python)


----------



## Rudi (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

This thread started with:

1. Measure twice, cut once (too important to leave off any list).

This slogan has often failed me, so I modified it for better results:

Think three times before measuring twice to cut once.


----------



## Echo63 (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

1. that dodgy switch on your super bright mod will always work when your looking down the business end
2. its your fault when people blind themselves with your surefire - after being warned
3. always have a backup, or two, or three (goes and checks work bag) or 7


----------



## MoonRise (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

You can never have too many clamps.

Use the right tools for the job. A torque wrench is not a hammer. A scalpel is not a machete. etc, etc, etc...

Good, cheap, fast. Pick two, if you're lucky you'll get two but sometimes only get one. You will never get all three.

Life is too short for ugly.

Think.


----------



## DrJ (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

It would have been better to keep that boatload of Intel stock that you once had, (a long, long time ago), rather than blowing it all on an expensive fast red Italian sports car, (that's was always broken anyway)....


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Always look CAREFULLY before reaching for a soldering iron...ouch!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Don't leave bottles of pop in an unheated sun porch in the wintertime /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/str.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif


----------



## Sub_Umbra (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Once you turn a load of laundry pink there's no turning it back.


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*Sub_Umbra said:*
Once you turn a load of laundry pink there's no turning it back. 

[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif My spouse gave me the gift of pink socks a couple of weeks ago. You're right, they're gonna be pink forever. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif


----------



## gadget_lover (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

A coke will stay cold a long time in a glass lined thermos bottle.

A glass lined thermos bottle filled with coke will shatter if shaken.

A glass lined thermos bottle hidden in the sleeve of your coat will shake as you walk and swing your arms.



Experience is not the best teacher. Watching your big brother get whupped with a big belt is much, much more instructive.

Daniel


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## PhotonWrangler (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*gadget_lover said:*
A glass lined thermos bottle hidden in the sleeve of your coat will shake as you walk and swing your arms.


[/ QUOTE ]

UH-oh. Did this happen to you?!!


----------



## gadget_lover (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*PhotonWrangler said:*
[ QUOTE ]
*gadget_lover said:*
A glass lined thermos bottle hidden in the sleeve of your coat will shake as you walk and swing your arms.


[/ QUOTE ]

UH-oh. Did this happen to you?!! 

[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Yes, that's why it's called learning "the hard way". I was not allowed to have soft-drinks with lunch, so I smuggled it out of the house. I was 1/2 way to the bus when it shattered. The glass thermos liner was in a sheet metal canister, so I did not get cut. I did get 12 ounces of ice cold soda-pop sprayed down my arm. It was a long, long day at school.


I guess I owe a fresh "learning".

Never-Ever-EVER yell "that didn't hurt" at your dad as he puts his belt back on.


Daniel


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Holy smokes. Glad you weren't hurt by that little explosion, Daniel.


----------



## MaxaBaker (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*gadget_lover said:*
Never-Ever-EVER yell "that didn't hurt" at your dad as he puts his belt back on.

[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif True!


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## gadget_lover (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

I get the feeling Baker already knew that one about the belt. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


My older brothers taught me many valuable lessons.

The most important? Listen VERY carefully!!!

Example: 
"Hey, Dan. I'll give you a dime for every quarter you can stand on edge" I stood a quarter on edge, he scooped it up and gave me a dime for it. I was up to 20 cents before I caught on.


Example: 
"You better take off your shoes and socks before you do that!" 
"Why?" I asked. 
"You'll get shocked"

So I took off my shoes and socks and grabbed the electric guitar. He was right, I got shocked.


Example:
"Don't do that. Dad'll give you a licken".
I didn't do it. Sure enough, I got the licken. I told dad it didn't hurt. I learned some more.


My brothers didn't lie, but they were awful mean while they told the truth.

Daniel


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## MaxaBaker (Jun 3, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*gadget_lover said:*
I get the feeling Baker already knew that one about the belt. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/whoopin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/awman.gif


----------



## KevinL (Jun 4, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Life is too short for crap tools. Avoid compromises, they will always come back to bite you when it hurts most. To those waffling about buying Surefire lights, hurry up and buy them. 

Just buy the best and never look back.

Ignore how thin your wallet is after the above.


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## PhotonWrangler (Jun 4, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*gadget_lover said:*
"You better take off your shoes and socks before you do that!" 
"Why?" I asked. 
"You'll get shocked"

So I took off my shoes and socks and grabbed the electric guitar. He was right, I got shocked.


[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif Oh man, you had some mean brothers!

Somebody told me I was gullible. I believed him. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


----------



## chmsam (Jun 5, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

A little off topic but more to come that is...

1). Pink clothes that didn't start out pink MIGHT be salvageable. Rit makes a product that removes colors -- use it only, repeat, only as directed. Probably find it in the laundry product section of your grocery market. Rit makes dyes, so they should know. BTW, do not, repeat, do not wash the product before you try the color/tint remover. Sorry I cannot remember the exact name of the stuff.

2). A few years ago while working in the frozen foods section of my store, one of the guys who works there pointed out a 6-pack of cans of soda that had been left in one of the frozen food cases. The cases are called coffin cases since they are about 3 feet wide and 6 feet long, and they have no top (how does it work? Frigid air is circulated over the top). Anywho... I looked at the 6-pack, stepped back, and counted backwards from ten, out loud. When I hit zero... POP! (pardon the pun). It sprayed chunks of frozen soda over a 15 foot radius. Did I mention that I have this psychic thing that works once in a while? My wife says psycho, but she's only right about half the time. OK. Two-thirds, but that's my final offer.

Meanwhile, back on topic...

Even in the middle of the night, during a high speed car rally, in the middle of a very isolated section of a forrest, even if it is hidden, if you leave something lying around someone will steal it. More details to come in another thread (I did not have the happiest weekend).


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## brightnorm (Jun 5, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

When you're buying items that you really want or need, (ie underware, socks, clock radios, etc ) and you find something really excellent both functionally and pricewise - buy more than the amount you normally would. Soooner or later that great model will be replaced by an "improved" model that is worse than the one you have, not to mention more expensive.

Brightnorm


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## nightshade (Jun 5, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*brightnorm said:*
When you're buying items that you really want or need, (ie underware, socks, clock radios, etc ) and you find something really excellent both functionally and pricewise - buy more than the amount you normally would. Soooner or later that great model will be replaced by an "improved" model that is worse than the one you have, not to mention more expensive.

Brightnorm 

[/ QUOTE ]

Amen. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif So true. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


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## PhotonWrangler (Jun 5, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*brightnorm said:*
When you're buying items that you really want or need, (ie underware, socks, clock radios, etc ) and you find something really excellent both functionally and pricewise - buy more than the amount you normally would. Soooner or later that great model will be replaced by an "improved" model that is worse than the one you have, not to mention more expensive.

Brightnorm


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree 100%, Brightnorm. I now stock up on a few personal necessities after having lost my favorites, the things that fit just right, work really well, or last really long. Usually the "improved" version has fewer features, is poorly made or just doesn't fit or work like the legacy stuff did.


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## Zelandeth (Jun 6, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

When your car tries to tell you something, listen.

Car which I'd just spent a long while restoring ALWAYS started first time without protest - aside from one morning. I generally would have taken that as a sign to stay put, but I had 20 minutes before the store closed which had the part I needed - so decided to ignore it and go for it anyway. Figuring I had breakdown cover if everything went wrong. Idiot.

30 seconds later, I slammed into the side of a gas tanker which shot a junction in front of me.


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## wmpwi (Jun 6, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Zelandeth, the very fact that your writing this rather than one of your surviving relatives is a wonder in and of itself. Sorry about the car, but the down side could have been much uglier. Glad you're still with us and I assume you'll be editing your (web page)


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## JimH (Jun 6, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

How many times do we have to learn things the hard way before it sinks in.

I couldn't count how many times this has happend to me. I got a new toy in the mail on Friday. After playing with it all day Saturday, I decided that I wanted to take it to work so I put it somewhere where I wouldn't forget it. 

Guess what - I've spent all day Sunday, and a few hours this morning, looking for it. I even tried the old standby - looking in the refrigerator (place of last resort to look, but nothings ever there).

I sure hope I don't have to wait for it to rematerialize from that parallel dimension /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif


----------



## drizzle (Jul 12, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Don't put your super expensive tent in the washing machine.

After the washing machine has bonded the plastic coating together of the nylon floor of your super expensive tent. Don't get so upset that you decide just to give it away and buy another rather than try to repair it. You will find that the company that made this perfect tent has gone out of business and you will never find another like it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif


BTW, for JimH and for everybody, I have a really effective way of putting things where I will find them again. This is for all those little things that don't have a set place. If I look for it and don't find it in the first place I look, I remember *that* place because that will be the first place I look every time I look for it. That is now *it's* place. When I eventually do find it and want to put it away again I put it in *it's* place.

Of course, that doesn't stop me from putting something in a "special" place from time to time, and forgetting where that special place is.


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## newo (Jul 12, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

It is cheaper to keep her.

Life is too short to drink cheap wine.

When in doubt, spend the money. You'll end up spending it anyway, and there is no sense in paying for something twice because you tried to save a few bucks the first time around.


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Jul 12, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Never put plain tap water in your car's radiator in the winter. 



Ok, so I was young and stupid. The only difference now is that I'm no longer young!
:laughing:


----------



## KevinL (Jul 13, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*newo said:*
When in doubt, spend the money. You'll end up spending it anyway, and there is no sense in paying for something twice because you tried to save a few bucks the first time around. 

[/ QUOTE ]

Ain't that the truth... I NEVER learn. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif


----------



## chmsam (Jul 13, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Never take sides when any of your in-laws are getting divorced.

Never get mad just because you assumed your teenager would be where they said they were going. It's your job to check.

Never get mad when your parents catch you. That's their job.

Never underestimate the stupidity of anyone including (especially?) yourself. 

Never underestimate the power to make money from other folks being stupid.

Never underestimate the amount of money you can lose not only because you can be stupid once in a while, but also because someone might just be (a lot) smarter than you.

Never miss a chance to hear good music, have a drink of good wine, have a bite of good food, or to kiss a pretty girl (on the cheek, in case your certain someone is watching).

Your certain someone is always watching.

There is truth in these statements ONLY if wisely used:
- Never do anything you'll regret.
- It is better to regret stuff you did than stuff you didn't do.

Betting your rear end on a piece of equipment that you bought really, really cheap isn't always a good idea.

Someone is going to get hurt real bad (at the very least) moments after you hear these words, "Hey, wanna see me do something really cool?"

The big dog you got for protection will turn out to be the friend of absolutely everyone.

The extensive and expensive training for the dog will only work if everyone else in the house uses it consistently, which of course will never, ever happen.

The more expesive the cell phone you get your wife and kids, the more they will tend to lose it. A corollary: the more features you get for their phones, the less they will use the features, the phone, or (more likely) both, but if you don't get the features you will never hear the end of the whining and gnashing of teeth.

The more expensive the cell phone you get for yourself, the more everyone else will take it while you are not looking. And they will lose it.

The more reminder notes that you leave for yourself, the more liable you are to forget something. And really look stupid (well, more so anyway) to your wife.

The longer you are married, the more you are going to be wrong. 

Even when you are right. 

Even if you can prove it.

Especially if you can prove it.


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## drizzle (Jul 13, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Dang Sam! Did you really learn ALL of that the hard way? I'm suprised you're still around to tell us about it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ QUOTE ]
*chmsam said:*
Someone is going to get hurt real bad (at the very least) moments after you hear these words, "Hey, wanna see me do something really cool?"


[/ QUOTE ]

This reminded me of one I still have to relearn from time to time:

The Frisbee Rule of Predictions:
Never make a prediction more specific than, "Hey, watch this."


----------



## Samoan (Jul 13, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Don't ask how the car keys got in the freezer. Accept that this is where they are and get on with your day.


----------



## chmsam (Jul 15, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

The most important thing I have learned the hard way is that life is very rarely dull. And usually for all the wrong reasons.

Not too far off topic but here's one to learn the easy way -- I heard it in a comedy routine and goes something like...

"I can't imagine why my wife is so annoying. Women are overly sensitive and always want to be the center of attention... What's that, Honey? (See what I mean?)... Yeah, in a minute... They're always getting into your business. My wife can't go a minute without interrupting... What was that noise in the other room? Hey, cool! It's a boy!... Now, where was I? See, they're always interrupting..."

Maybe this is a cautionary tale.


----------



## The-David (Jul 24, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Think befor you poast.


----------



## fuelblender (Jul 25, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

If you ever meet the President, don't offer him the surprise gift of a firearm by whipping it suddenly out of your coat pocket.


----------



## drizzle (Jul 25, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Hey fb, this thread is things *you* have learned the hard way. Are you writing us from prison? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif


----------



## KevinL (Jul 26, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

[ QUOTE ]
*brightnorm said:*
When you're buying items that you really want or need, (ie underware, socks, clock radios, etc ) and you find something really excellent both functionally and pricewise - buy more than the amount you normally would. Soooner or later that great model will be replaced by an "improved" model that is worse than the one you have, not to mention more expensive.

Brightnorm


[/ QUOTE ]

Should'a laid in another 10 units of the CMG Inf Ultra with lug lanyard hole while the going was good /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif


----------



## Mags (Jul 28, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Always check for toilet paper before you do- umm... you know. ESPECIALLY when you are in a public bathroom. You dont want to have to pay the guy in the next stall ten bucks for 5 little squares of toilet paper.


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## RAF_Groundcrew (Nov 20, 2005)

If you find something that you really like, buy a spare, you'll lose the first one.

Almost anything can be fixed.

Almost anything can be broken.

Many things can be broken further by trying to fix them.

Your partner (I would say wife, but that would be sexist (even if it's true)) will knock over that glass of water on the floor in the second between you noticing, and telling them to be careful......

Alcohol gets you drunk (but I still keep trying to disprove that theory).


----------



## RAF_Groundcrew (Nov 20, 2005)

Oh yeah, and some women just don't understand irony.... like the time I was reaching into the car to get something, my wife wasn't looking and shut the door on my arm. I said 'Ow !'.... 

Maybe it was the way I said it, or the pause before saying it, but she thought I was being sarcastic !!


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## KevinL (Nov 21, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*



Mags said:


> Always check for toilet paper before you do- umm... you know. ESPECIALLY when you are in a public bathroom. You dont want to have to pay the guy in the next stall ten bucks for 5 little squares of toilet paper.



The flashaholics curse for the unbelievers - may they be stuck in a toilet with no TP in the middle of a blackout just after they've finished doing their big job.....


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## chmsam (Nov 21, 2005)

- This will come as a shock. Alcohol actually does NOT make you smarter, more attractive, or stronger. It will however, make you more apt to try and prove that you are any or all of the above. Also, it will not ease the pain resulting from a reality attack with bearing on any of the above. However, most often the "image of beauty index" (the 10 to 1 scale) influenced by alcohol is inversely proportional to the reality lying next to you the next morning and virtually never in the right direction.

- Your driving skills cannot outperform the laws of physics.

- Wisdom does not always come with old age. Fortunately, it's usually treachery that does, and that often might be the better choice in the world today.

- I have said it before, and I will say it again, The Parents' Curse works. That's the one where your mom and dad said, "May you have children just like YOU."


----------



## powernoodle (Nov 21, 2005)

The second mouse gets the cheese.


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## PhotonWrangler (Nov 21, 2005)

"Never jump into a pile of leaves with a wet sucker."

_Linus Van Pelt (Peanuts)_


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## Macaw (Dec 18, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

NEVER fry bacon while naked!


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Dec 19, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*



Macaw said:


> NEVER fry bacon while naked!


 
Oh geez, I'm gonna have nightmares about that! :laughing:


----------



## KevinL (Dec 20, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

First Inviolate Law of Information Warfare: Whatever you say CAN AND WILL most assuredly be used against you. 

Second Law of Information Warfare: Whatever you don't say will also be used against you...


----------



## chmsam (Dec 20, 2005)

Recently I have made the following errors:

I have underestimated the capacity for stupidity of people.

I have underestimated the capacity for rudeness of people.

I have underestimated the capacity for people to irritate others.

... especially during one of the holiest and potentially happiest times of the year for many religions and cultures.

So basically, and especially at this time of year, and even if you hide them pretty well, people will find your buttons and learn just how to push 'em!

Sigh...

Happy Channukah, Merry Christmas, Joyous Kwanzaa, etc., and a Happy New Year!


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## winny (Dec 21, 2005)

Never try to repack something in retail packing from China unless you are 4'6", Chinese and born on the factory floor during lunch break. Once you have opened a retail package, the volume of the individual pieces inside will grow and change shape so that it would be impossible to fit it back again. 

You will end up with that perfect Christmas gift that you would just add batteries to in a plastic shopping bag rather than the original packing and feel like an idiot.


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 21, 2005)

winny said:


> Never try to repack something in retail packing from China unless you are 4'6", Chinese and born on the factory floor during lunch break. Once you have opened a retail package, the volume of the individual pieces inside will grow and change shape so that it would be impossible to fit it back again.


 
How true! A corollary - never try to refold a road map into it's original form. Some of the folds will magically invert to prevent this from being accomplished.


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## winny (Dec 21, 2005)

PhotonWrangler said:


> How true! A corollary - never try to refold a road map into it's original form. Some of the folds will magically invert to prevent this from being accomplished.



Indeed! Why didn't I think of that?

I came up with another one:

When using Atmel's MEGA128 micro controller, double check what pins are used for in circuit programming, as it's not the same as all the other MEGAs, before sending in your board design for production. You will end up hand-soldering wires to lots of tiny-tiny little legs and cursing using words you didn't know existed.


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## Radio (Dec 21, 2005)

Tis better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool then to open it up and remove all doubt

There is no such thing as Too Rich or Too Thin BUT Too tight IS Broken!

Once a King, always a King but once a Knight is never enough!

Never keep a six-pack of soda in the car in the winter, They EXPLODE!!


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## wmpwi (Dec 21, 2005)

Never try to teach a pig to sing. All it will do is frustrate you and **** off the pig.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Dec 21, 2005)

I'm terribly sorry but I'm halfway between 45 and 46 and so far I'm finding very little to recommend about getting older. My life is actually pretty dull.

A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 21, 2005)

When you screw a C7 LED Christmas light into a socket, make sure it's rated for 120vac and not 12vdc before energizing.


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## nightshade (Dec 21, 2005)

Friends and family are more important than anything else...
Life is short and fragile....
Never miss the chance to tell your children and spouse "I love you" 
My house don't float....
There is no such thing as too many M.R.E.'s or water bottles...


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## KevinL (Dec 22, 2005)

PhotonWrangler said:


> When you screw a C7 LED Christmas light into a socket, make sure it's rated for 120vac and not 12vdc before energizing.




Not all 110VAC hardware is autoranging and 240VAC compatible. Beware of wall warts when flying communications equipment from the US. (I'm in the "rest of the world").

Generally, once smoke starts pouring from the vents of power supplies, it is unwise to try to turn it on again.


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## NFW (Dec 22, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*



PhotonWrangler said:


> If you're doing close-up soldering work and you have long hair, pull it back first. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif



That does double when you're using a drill.

And triple when you're drilling into something on or near the floor. 

Painful lessons, these.


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 22, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

If you're cruising towards a stop light at >20mph and you decide to put the car into neutral, try hard not to overshoot and put it in reverse.


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## winny (Dec 23, 2005)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*



chmsam said:


> Never miss a chance to hear good music, have a drink of good wine, have a bite of good food, or to kiss a pretty girl (on the cheek, in case your certain someone is watching).



I have a two new ones!

Always take chmsams advice! 
I just missed this years best opportunity to kiss _the_ prettiest girl. :mecry: 
Any remedies for cowardness someone?

Don't assume that your latest creation will work just because it worked before you left. If you want to impress someone, bring at least two known working backups.


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## Lurker (Dec 23, 2005)

Never say anything privately to a coworker that you wouldn't be willing to announce to your whole department.

And closely related to that one, never write anything in an email that you wouldn't want forwarded to the whole organization.


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## RAF_Groundcrew (Dec 23, 2005)

Back to the China thing, why do all the things I order from China via ebay (mainly cheap CR123s) come with coloured ribbon tied around the packet ??????

Not complaining, just curious....


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## wmpwi (May 23, 2006)

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.



So I’ve been gone for a bit. I was surfing around and saw a couple of new updates for my mother boards BIOS. Never wanting to be more had a few minutes out of step, I downloaded and flashed my working BIOS. That was the last time it worked. While my system wasn’t obsolete by any means, technology did march on. 



Oops #1 - Couldn’t fix the BIOS so I had to buy a new mother board

Oops #2 - DDR memory wouldn’t work and I need DDR2

Oops #3 - AGP graphics card doesn’t fit in a PCI Express slot need new graphics card

Oops #4 - MB requires a different power supply

Oops #5 - Did I mention I had to get a new Processor, yup.



All done and I could keep the same monitor, case, drives, and the other easy stuff, but all the drivers changed on me. Run Windows XP and Oops #6 – Windows detected a significant upgrade in my system such that it advised that I had to reactivate and reinstall. Did that and lost all my stuff, software wise. E-mail addresses, bookmarks, E-mail, passwords, account information, etc. Did I mention that I was really bad at backing up my system? Well, 33 days later, I’m much better at it now.


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## chmsam (May 23, 2006)

It is still better to ask forgiveness than permission.

It is still better to regret the things you did, than it is to regret the things you didn't do, and a lot easier to rectifiy the situation.

In this country we still haven't come up with a better fix for most problems than the T.M.A.I. solution. What is the T.M.A.I. solution? Throw Money At It. I think that I would like to become a problem.


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## Arkayne (May 23, 2006)

Scour the floor beneath your workbench thoroughly before you vacuum it.

I've been doing that but i still get what sounds like rocks being picked up by the vacuum. I guess that's why I buy 3 of everything.


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## LuxLuthor (Oct 11, 2006)

Keep a plentiful stock of Gorilla Glue on hand.


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## the fuzz (Oct 11, 2006)

I live by this rule at work

Praise in public
Critize in private
..


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## PhotonWrangler (Oct 11, 2006)

When you take apart a water pipe to fix something, make sure you know how to solder it back together properly before turning the water back on.


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## chmsam (Oct 11, 2006)

Finding out why the dryer eats one sock at a time is easier than understanding your spouse. Why? Consider the following...

Your spouse (and this works for either gender) will say the exact thing you do not want them to say. It will be at the exact time you do not want them to say it. Also, it will be in front of the last person to whom you would want them to say it. Finally, they will look totally innocent (but we all know better) and will at the same time make you look like something that has just crawled out from under a large and slimy rock. To prevent this from happening, never flush the toilet while they are in the shower. Even by accident -- and you can never, ever convince them that it was just an accident. 

Especially if you did it twice.


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## jds009 (Oct 13, 2006)

Never try to mow your dads (fake turf) putting green!


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## TedTheLed (Oct 14, 2006)

RAF, I think the red ribbon is the Chinese "international mail" stamp..?


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## Diesel_Bomber (Oct 14, 2006)

Do not attempt to vacuum your cat when it is dusty.

The blow nozzle from your compressor isn't a good idea either.

:buddies:


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## Diesel_Bomber (Oct 14, 2006)

Cats don't like hairdryers after a bath, either.


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## PhotonWrangler (Oct 14, 2006)

If you're going to attempt to give a cat a bath, clip it's claws first.


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## cloud (Oct 14, 2006)

If you take apart something complicated or has many parts... take pictures or reference notes.. cos when you come back to it 2 months down the line its  oo: ...


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## WNG (Oct 14, 2006)

Women, that's something I learned the hard way.
Love is grand, and divorce is 50 grand. No, really it is, if you're lucky that is.

oh yes, Also...

Common sense is not so common.


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## shadowbuds (Oct 14, 2006)

Button cells don't like to be soldered... and glasses save your eyes when shrap metal flys everywhere.

(thanks to that experience I discovered CPF)​


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## Chris201W (Oct 14, 2006)

This is a great thread, and very amusing, but I wouldn't try to learn anything from it. I believe Hermann Hesse wrote, "wisdom is not communicable." You've got to do these things yourself to really learn not to do them again...


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## wmpwi (Oct 14, 2006)

If that's true, I've got a lot of ugly learning ahead of me. :huh: 





Chris201W said:


> This is a great thread, and very amusing, but I wouldn't try to learn anything from it. I believe Hermann Hesse wrote, "wisdom is not communicable." You've got to do these things yourself to really learn not to do them again...


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## Illum (Oct 14, 2006)

you cant rollerskate with beer bottles ducttaped to sandles

When taking a stroll beside the road, a fallen flashlight will always hit the asphalt no matter how close to the grass you are
never pack coke-cola with prized cassette tapes and head up north..
Never do the dishes after you've tried on a couple sweaters...the sinks grounded folks...and although the sink has no sharp edges, it hurts like a [email protected]#$%^&....
Never plug your prized electric toothbrush you bought from the US and plug it directly into the wall socket in singapore...



WNG said:


> Common sense is not so common.



common sense...isn't


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## geepondy (Oct 14, 2006)

Guys, I've only read the first page so I hope this hasn't been spoken but when soldering, using flux does wonders. If your iron is a little weak or you don't won't to use too much heat, it really helps the solder to flow.

Another life issue I learned recently is that if your girlfriend asks if you love her, don't say sometimes even if it's true.


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## shadowbuds (Oct 15, 2006)

> Another life issue I learned recently is that if your girlfriend asks if you love her, don't say sometimes even if it's true.



All us men know what they want to hear... why do we make it hard on ourselves?

On topic - Taking out the garbage at night is much better than waking up in the morning, hearing the truck, rushing outside getting all the bags/cans in the right spot only to find it's on the other side and they already got yours!

EDIT: Oh yeah, if you let your girlfriend remove batteries from a device while in a car make sure the windows are closed... "hehe, that was cool" - "did you just throw my rechargeable batteries out the window?!?" - "what..."
​


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## BentHeadTX (Oct 15, 2006)

Your kids put alkalines in the battery charger and rechargables in the clock

CR123A lithium primary cells fit in RCR123 lithium-ion battery chargers

Your matched set of 8 perfectly balanced AA cells for your 8AA to 2D cell Mag mod... are in toys, cameras and remotes. At least one cell is now permanently lost. 

Your "emergency lithium AA battery storage box" was brought to camp and handed out. 

NiMH and lithium AA cells can be mixed together and put in the remote control.

The only hiding place in your house... is at work.

If you can't remember how much you payed for a flashlight, ask your wife. 

Superglue clouds Luxeon optics!

Your EDC 2AA flashlight batteries are in the remote

If you feel a sneeze coming on... put the soldering iron DOWN!

The first 99% of the job takes the first 1% of the time. 

Read the fine print first

The more delicate the operation, the greater the attraction it is to idiots that want to bother you, play with it or show you how it's done.

The runtime left on the batteries will get you to the hardest part of the process before failing.

Batteries only leak in your good stuff

CPF goes down when the thing you need becomes available

McGizmo personally checks your schedule to ensure you won't be available before he puts his lights up for sale

The backordered light you purchased will arrive in the mail the day after a better model comes out.

A lathe can't be replaced with a Dremel

Don't use a circular saw as a buffer

The more expensive the computer CPU, the more likely the cooling fan will fail.

DON'T use your thumb as a computer CPU heat sink to "check the motherboard really quick" 

AMD Athlon thumb tattoos don't impress chicks

Don't put switchblades in your front pocket

Benchmade knives make great pry bars....once

(bicycling) Saving 10 grams of weight by using carbon fiber parts does not make up for the extra 10 kilos of fat on your ***. Pushing your bike home 30 kilometers home because that critical part fails makes up for it. 

The less respect someone has for a weapon is inversely proportional to the chances they will kill themselves with their superior knowledge.

Superglue is the perfect adhesive to repair everything you don't work on.

You'll always have 90% of the thermal epoxy you need

High binned LuxeonV leads always break off the emitter when soldering

Thermal epoxy the LED on the heat sink BEFORE solding the leads!

Don't leave a Luxeon connected to a variable power supply unattended

A dropped light will always hit the cement at the weakest point

If you can't find your favorite light, look in your wife's purse

The last turn of the bezel to "snug" always breaks the UCL window

Your friends will always turn your flashlight head the wrong way...then make up for it by continously tightening the head until the battery is crushed. 

Dogs love the taste of Kroll clickie rubber covers...they only chew on the Kroll AFTER the've eaten the backups in the drawer.

Don't tell your wife HA-III is scratch proof... she will feed your light to the dog.

Your AAA keychain light will NEVER turn on in your pocket... unless you put a $2.50 lithium AAA inside

Kids can't break minimags... unless you mod them

Thermal paste does not taste good

Tape "Type A" and Type B" two-part thermal epoxy syringes together. Your kids will use up all the "Type A" attempting to glue something together

Thermal epoxy should be stored at work

Soldering irons melt Luxeon domes... but only the best binned ones

$1,000 Pace soldering stations destroy things faster than $30 Wellers

You know that $$$ modded light you just built? There is something that is missing, not done correctly or a little too loose... something... maybe a cold solder joint... maybe the heat shrink slipped... something. Drives ya nuts...don't it?

Modders are not paranoid...just experienced


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## Illum (Oct 15, 2006)

BentHeadTX said:


> If you feel a sneeze coming on... put the soldering iron DOWN!







BentHeadTX said:


> Batteries only leak in your good stuff



theres really no way to prevent it, not really in the good stuff either, just the stuff you want to keep.




BentHeadTX said:


> Don't put switchblades in your front pocket



the backpocket will hurt more if you plan to sit down.




BentHeadTX said:


> Superglue is the perfect adhesive to repair everything you don't work on.



Superglue is like melted ducttape, glues watever bonds forever. I avoid Superglue because of that, before it is applied to whatever you want to apply, its already stuck on something else.




BentHeadTX said:


> Thermal paste does not taste good



Neither does silicone and white lithium grease :sick2:


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## cloud (Oct 16, 2006)

Quote:
Originally Posted by *BentHeadTX*
_Thermal paste does not taste good _



Neither does silicone and white lithium grease




... Illum_

also solder flux paste covered on your sandwiches...UUgh:eeew:


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## gggarf (Oct 16, 2006)

1) Water always WINS!

2) The only way to get rid of Bermuda Grass in a Fescue lawn is to MOVE!


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## EssLight (Oct 19, 2006)

Test the fit *before* applying the adhesive.

Never try to cut tempered glass with a rotary tool. (Honestly, I thought it was plastic.)

Always wear safety glasses when using a rotary tool. (Yes, I was wearing safety glasses when the tempered glass shattered, and fortunately, none of it came towards me. But it was a tedious cleanup job.)

Make sure the cap on the jug of windshield washer fluid is tight before storing it in the back of the car.

Treated lumber warps. Rapidly. Even after you assemble it.

Clamps are a wonderful creation, and can apply significant force when attempting to bend wood back into shape.


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## chmsam (Oct 21, 2006)

Do not laugh at your wife after she cuts her thumb on the knife you just sharpened. And had marked with a piece of adhesive tape that says, "SHARP!" Especially if she has done this more than once. (Remember -- the knife is sharp and will cut someone other than her unless you can run very, very fast)

The new light that you just spend about two weeks pay on will be used as a hammer by your wife AND your kids.

If you have insomnia, the wife/kid/dog will wake you after you have finally drifted into a sound sleep for the first time in weeks. 

For the first few days after you start a graveyard (overnight) shift, your wife will call you just after you have finally gotten to sleep. She will have called to ask you how you are adjusting to your new sleep schedule.

The dog will chew up the CD you just bought. You know, the one that took you two years to locate and cost you three times the price of most other CD's. Yeah, that one.

The plastic bag containing the bottle of bleach you just bought will break. So will the bleach bottle. You liked those brand new $60 slacks, didn't you?

The bag with the crappy "box wine" won't break. The one with the $65 bottle of single malt scotch will. Even if you had them double-bag it.

Your wife will not throw the $6 pair of crappy sunglasses when she has a bad day at work. She'll throw the RayBans (yours, not hers) that have been out of production for 15 years and used to be perfect.

The alarm clock will not go off on the day of the interview. It will go off on the weekend.

The radio show that you just discovered and that played music you really, really liked and couldn't hear anywhere else will be cancelled in your area. It will be replaced by "The Polka Hour."


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## yuandrew (Oct 21, 2006)

Lessons learned this week:

1. Playing "Fire Flute" on a furnace with inshot type burners is a bad idea.

2. Burned hair stinks!

"Fire Flute"-Use your fingers to partially block the gas orfices on each burner. With one burner still going, lift your fingers quickly to let small amounts of gas reach the holes. You should be able to make tiny "poofs" Unfortunately, when I did this with an inshot burner, I managed to get enough gas in one to have it flash back on me

3. If there's a test tomorrow; don't stay on CPF or other forums too long. You'll get addicted and forget about studying.


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## Illum (Oct 21, 2006)

yuandrew said:


> 3. If there's a test tomorrow; don't stay on CPF or other forums too long. You'll get addicted and forget about studying.




I forgot it already...then trying to make up two 14 page papersin 4 days


I hate the forum


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## jds009 (Jan 13, 2007)

Yaknow what, im gonna bring this back up! its been to long with no "advice"


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## parnass (Jan 13, 2007)

Tools which are advertised as being _professional quality_ are usually not.


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## UncleFester (Jan 13, 2007)

Hmmm... are the other tools then *amature*?


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## parnass (Jan 13, 2007)

UncleFester said:


> Hmmm... are the other tools then *amature*?



They are homeowners' quality or worse. The kind of tool which breaks after a few uses, sometimes causing skinned knuckles or a bruised elbow.


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## BVH (Jan 13, 2007)

Do it right the first time, buy Snap-On hand tools if you possibly can. Not only do they function extremely well, but they look good and very importantly, feel good in the hand.


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## Nereus (Jan 13, 2007)

Lesson1: Tantalum capacitors are quite picky when it comes to polarity. I almost lost an eye when I installed one in reverse and it exploded and shoot half the cap right in middle of my eyes.

Lesson2: Use safety glasses, see above.

Lesson3: Discharge capacitors before you touch a high-voltage circuit. I got some 10 kV zzzzap on my fingers when I was building a cascade circuit that kicks a HID on.

Lesson4: Even though you would have studied lesson3 above thoroughly, it is very useful to use only one hand when touching the circuit first time after energising it... 10kV zzzzzap is much more comfortable if runs only through your hand compared to it running hand-to-hand, through whole your upper body - and your heart :green:

Lesson5: Sima lens pens are eatable.

Lesson6: Luxeon 5s are eatable - the higher the bin, the more eatable they are.

Lesson7: Arctic silver thermal grease is eatable.

Lesson8: UCL lenses are eatable.

Lesson9: McR45 reflector is eatable.

Lesson10: All screwdrivers are eatable.

Etc... 5-10 is by no means a comprehensive list. If you do not believe lessons 5-10, ask my labrador retriever... Who is, btw, still very alive and kicking, despite of proofing lessons 5-10 true.

-N


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## Diesel_Bomber (Jan 13, 2007)

If you don't have time to do it right the _first_ time, you really don't have time to do it *AGAIN*.


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## Lurveleven (Jan 13, 2007)

Delivering a 90% completed project buys you time to complete the remaining 50%.

Sigbjoern


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## wmpwi (Jan 13, 2007)

By the time I got about 1/2 down, I was looking to see if you had a pet goat. Lab would have been my second guess.:laughing: 



Nereus said:


> Lesson1: Tantalum <SNIP>
> 
> Lesson10: All screwdrivers are eatable.
> 
> ...


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## PhotonWrangler (Jan 13, 2007)

Before trying to clip the cord off of a table lamp, make sure it's unplugged first.

Double-check your wiring prior to applying opwer to your 220v 50 amp relay circuit. 

I was an innocent but startled bystander to these events. Fortunately no one was injured!


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## chmsam (Jan 14, 2007)

Duct tape can conduct electricity. It can burn, too. It can do both at once. This can be very, very exciting.

But usually not for the right reasons.


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## Morelite (Jan 14, 2007)

Breaker / fuse panels are not always labeled correctly.

Water shut-off valves don't always "shut-off", test before cutting water pipes.


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## AlexGT (Jan 14, 2007)

"Always assume the knife is scary sharp" 

Why is it that everytime you lend a knife to a person the person always asks "Is it sharp?" at the same time he/she runs his thumb on the edge to get a nasty cut? Seen that happen 4 times now.

AlexGT


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## soapy (May 4, 2007)

Would that be "Cut once, moan twice"?

-The sharper your chisel the more likely it is to find a hidden nail.
-If you meet a nasty lock and a door that just won't open, try the handle. It's probably not locked. Unless you remembered to try it first.
-Keep your favourite tools close at hand.
-EDC kit should always be ready.
-Motion sensitive lights in bathrooms detect motion, not people sitting still.
-Deciding you really need the loo is a sure way for the four hour delay to vanish.
--The above four points can suddenly combine in a small airport in France. And inside, you'll be grinning at the shouts from the other stalls! :devil:


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## Fluffster (May 5, 2007)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

Sarcasm just isn't worth it. A mean person with a sharp wit is still a mean person. This took me far too long to learn. Fortunately, many of the people I needlessly pissed off in my youth believe I've changed.

Ever thought about what you'd say at a deathbed? Sitting in silence, trying to find the words while time runs out does leave a mark on the soul. Saying what you'd meant to say to a gravestone just isn't the same.
Doubleplusungood if it's your own deathbed, I presume. I don't intend to learn that the hard way...


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## Illum (May 5, 2007)

always assume the coil the solder gun is resting on is hot, regardless of whether the solder gun is on.

I remembered turning the thing off, then twenty minutes later packing away my gizmos...OUCH! 
wait wasnt it off? [picking up the solder gun to make sure the indicator light was off] 
OUCH! [yes I touched the coil *TWICE*] before I realized it was in fact hot and from residual heat


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## PhotonWrangler (May 5, 2007)

Before twisting the cap off of the car's radiator, let the engine cool down first.

Especially if you're wearing contacts.


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## Valolammas (May 5, 2007)

#1 When moving into a new house and installing ceiling lamps, carry a multimeter and use it. It is possible, that ONE of the rooms has a light switch that works the opposite of ALL the other switches in EVERY other room. 230 Volts is not that bad, but once is enough.

#2 When replacing your car battery, be very careful not to touch the negative terminal with the end of the wrench you are using to tighten the lead on the positive one.

#3 If you decide to use gasoline to light a fire, don't spend too much time scratching matches. As time passes, more and more of it will evaporate, and it's the vapor that burns. Or goes BOOM if it happens to get trapped in a semi-enclosed fireplace.

#3.1 Burnt body hair smells awful.
#3.2 And takes a while to grow back.

#4 Listen to your wife, she's usually right.


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## wmpwi (May 5, 2007)

And pisses off the cat too I'd bet! :laughing: 





PhotonWrangler said:


> Before twisting the cap off of the cat's radiator, let the engine cool down first.
> 
> Especially if you're wearing contacts.


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## PhotonWrangler (May 5, 2007)

wmpwi said:


> And pisses off the cat too I'd bet! :laughing:



Oopsie!  That would explain the hissing noise! I've just corrected it.


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (May 6, 2007)

Never EVER use a knife when the use of scissors is called for!

My thumb is ALMOST back to normal after nearly two weeks....

The offending knife is a small Kershaw linerlock with a warncliff styled blade. That thing is SHARP!


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## ekincam (May 7, 2007)

When draining fluids from a car, always ensure that whatever orifice that is used to refill said fluid is or can be opened prior to draining fluid. An empty transmission with a rounded fill plug is no fun.


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## Illum (May 7, 2007)

PhotonWrangler said:


> Before twisting the cap off of the car's radiator, let the engine cool down first.
> 
> Especially if you're wearing contacts.



I think that goes for any caps in the car when the motor is still hot....I been stupid enough to pull out the oil dipstick...boy was it "high pressure"


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## chmsam (May 8, 2007)

These didi not happen to me, but to someone I know.

The day after you decide the spare in the trunk is too hard to get to with the air hose is the day you'll get a flat.

D.O.T. triangles don't work real well in seriously bad weather. Road flares burn out sooner or later. Standing out in bad weather with a flashlight is a real PITA, but do-able. Sooner or later you'll need to do all three and every once in awhile all three at the same time... but all of the necessary items will be in the other car. Cars that cannot see you will come very close to you, which can be kind of exciting, but not for good reasons.

The window that doesn't roll up or down, that hasn't for years, and that you have been meaning to fix, will finally drop down... about six inches (and stick there) during a real "frog strangler"... right after you pick up your wife's clothes from the dry cleaners. You will not notice this for quite a long time.

If it's your lucky day, all three of these will happen at once.


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## Carabidae (May 8, 2007)

Whatever it is, it will land sticky side down.

The package you were expecting on thursday doesn't come on friday, or saturday either, so you wont get it until monday. After the weekend's over so you don't have time to mess with your new light.

All the nice things you've done for a woman can be forgotten in 3 seconds flat when you forget something you should have remembered

Fat cells only increase they never decrease. (A thought while working out today)


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## Illum (Jun 10, 2007)

for a useful...[and humorous] thread:naughty:


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## Leathermanwave (Jun 10, 2007)

Never ever ever shoot a yellow jacket nest with a slingshot:eeksign:. Don't lawn mower over a nest of yellow jackets. Just stay away from yellow jackets.The quote is off Flashlightreviews


> • Do not run with scissors.
> • Do not cross the street without looking both ways.
> • Do not play with matches.
> • Do not jog though grizzly country while covered with barbecue sauce.
> • Do not do anything that could be proceeded by the phrase "Hey! Y'all watch this!".


:lolsign:I have not learned not to do those yet but it is sure funny.:laughing: I have another one, the only time you forget to sight in the gun will be the time you see the biggest buck in your entire life.:shakehead


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jun 12, 2007)

Too much liquor won't necessarily make you drunk - it can just make you really, really, really sick. Seriously. The good news is that I learned my lesson.

Fire is hot. Objects that were in a fire for a few minutes are also hot.

Don't short SubC NiMH packs.

Stainless steel isn't.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Jun 12, 2007)

Because thet correct man didn't go to Brenham the first time I get to go there AGAIN today to hook the unit up correctly.

Thus proving yet again that there's not enough time to do it right, but ALWAYS enough time to do it over.


----------



## bitslammer (Jun 12, 2007)

Tincture of Iodine (the old kind, NOT Betadine) will stain and absolutely ruin a light colored bathroom sink counter top.


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Jun 12, 2007)

A "wow"-light with depleted cells is NOT impressive.

Murphy's Law is true.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Jun 12, 2007)

Yep. It was a SIMPLE slight rewire job to make the customer happy.

When I asked Dad why he didn't test he said "the machine worked at the shop, I just dropped it off." &*&&^^*@(&[email protected]&#^[email protected]&*#!(@*&#!


----------



## LukeA (Jun 12, 2007)

You get what you pay for.

Corollary: Life's too short to waste time messing with crap.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Jun 13, 2007)

You get what you pay for is correct maybe at least half the time. Sometimes you get MORE than you paid for when something cheap is better than the price.

And sometime you pay WAY too much for what you get.

Yeah. Life's too short for utter crap. But some semi-crap is useful....


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Jun 13, 2007)

That DealExtreme micro helicopter I got is kind of a POS, yet I continue to send them back for replacements instead of just asking for a ca$h refund.
So yes, it's kind of crap, but I still like it. 
I currently have one that functions, and have another (replacement for a returned unit - my second return) somewhere en route to me. And I bought one for my father for his birthday.


----------



## Lunal_Tic (Jun 13, 2007)

Never ever epoxy a heatsink into a Mag mod. It doesn't matter if the light worked before you put it together, during the Beta assembly, or even while the epoxy was curing. Once the epoxy sets the light will cease to function or have some other problem that will require disassemble that you can no longer accomplish because the set epoxy is now the hardest known substance on the planet. 

-LT


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Jun 13, 2007)

If you're using an old-style bumper jack to change a tire, make sure the car is parked on a level surface so it doesn't slip off the jack and get it's grille punctured by the stand.


Twice.


----------



## Lightfantastic (Jun 13, 2007)

No matter how many times I cut it off, it's still too short.


----------



## DaFABRICATA (Jun 14, 2007)

Women are crazy!


----------



## jnj1033 (Jun 14, 2007)

You can fix anything if you know the right swear words and how to combine them. Works really well for stuck bolts.

When multiple people who don't know each other tell you during different performances that you are playing too loud or out of tune with the rest of your ensemble, they are probably right.

If I am looking for something, I will usually find it as soon as I get tired of looking and start to ask my wife where it is. If I still can't find it, she will, and it will be in a place I have already looked. I still think she hides things from me.


----------



## Sarratt (Jun 14, 2007)

Don't let your mouth force you into anything.

Accept mistakes graciously .... "sheesh I fuc*ed up there" 

Don't accept mistakes like a superior --- do it honestly. 

Don't smoke

Don't smoke

and if you even think you might have a problem with alcohol don't test it. 

Listening is better than talking.

Never take your TV in to be repaired --- they are all crooks.


and a poem :

-----





_*Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story. 
*__* Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. 
*_ 
_* Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism. 
*_ 
_* Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass. 
*_ 
_* Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself. 
*_ 
_* You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. 
*_ 
_* Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. 
*_ 
_* With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy. 
*_
---------

funny how i enjoy this still


----------



## TedTheLed (Jun 14, 2007)

..ah yes, "Desiderata" -- famous words by Max Ehrmann..

here's my favorite version:


Deteriorata 

(You are a fluke of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
Deteriorata, Deteriorata) 

Go placidly amidst the noise and waste, and remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof. Avoid quiet and passive persons, unless you are in need of sleep. Rotate your tires. Speak glowingly of those greater than yourself; and heed well their advice, even though they be turkeys. Know what to kiss - and when. Consider that two wrongs never make a right, but that three do. Wherever possible, put people on hold. Be comforted, that in the face of all irridity and disillusionment, and despite the changing fortunes of time, there is always a big future in computer maintenance. 

(You are a fluke of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
Whether you can hear it or not,
The universe is laughing behind your back.) 

Remember the Pueblo. Strive at all times to bend, fold, spindle, and mutilate. Know yourself. If you need help, call the FBI. Exercise caution in your daily affairs, especially with those persons closest to you... That lemon on your left, for instance. Be assured that a walk through the seas of most souls would scarcely get your feet wet. Fall not in love, therefore, it will stick to your face. Gracefully surrender the things of youth: the birds, clean air, tuna, Taiwan - and let not the sands of time get in your lunch. Hire people with hooks. For a good time, call 606-4311, ask for Ken. Take heart in the deepening gloom that your dog is finally getting enough cheese. And reflect that whatever misfortune may be your lot, it could only be worse in Milwaukee. 

(You are a fluke of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
Whether you can hear it or not,
The universe is laughing behind your back.) 

Therefore, make peace with your god, whatever you perceive him to be: hairy thunderer or cosmic muffin. With all its hopes, dreams, promises, and urban renewal, the world continues to deteriorate. GIVE UP! 

(You are a fluke of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
Whether you can hear it or not,
The universe is laughing behind your back.) .


----------



## hank (Jun 14, 2007)

Red and amber Luxeon stars have the electrical ground to the heatsink, so if the heatsink is just pushed into a nice tight fitting metal flashlight head, it sure won't warm up at all. Nor light up.

SuperGlue, in desperation, is a tolerably good electrical insulator and can hold an amber or red Star in place while not shorting it out.

so far.


----------



## WhatMACHI (Jun 14, 2007)

Dont use a the point of a SAK blade or the point of any blade for that matter to unscrew a screw...its pointy...so it slips ...and cuts whatever is in its way namely fingers


----------



## UncleFester (Jun 14, 2007)

Check and verify the response of *ALL* control surfaces of *ALL* airplanes before *ALL* flights.
Edit: Ask me how I know this...............


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Jun 14, 2007)

I'll tell you how I know it Fester...


I flew an RC plane with the elevator operating with a LOT of up and VERY LITTLE down. It was a MIGHTY exciting flight!

I'll bet your example is more hairy...


----------



## Diesel_Bomber (Jun 14, 2007)

Things I've learned the easy way:

It's ridiculously easy to(reversibly) bypass the internal regulator in a Delco alternator for _full_ output all the time.

Such modified alternators, when coupled with your jumper cables and some welding rods, make surprisingly useful stick welders.

Such modified alternators have an external appearance EXACTLY the same as unmodified alternators.

Lessons learned the hard way:

Duct tape "labels" come off quite easily.

Cars *DO NOT* like such modified alternators.


----------



## UncleFester (Jun 17, 2007)

LOL Diesel, what else did you lose in the car besides the battery? 
PBJS, My experience was similar. I had flown a friend's Big Stick a few times that day and was familiar with the plane's handling. We parked it for a while while I flew my planes. My friend wanted me to fly his plane again so of course I accepted. I had gotten complacent because the plane was flying fine a half hour ago. Take off roll was fine, rotation was fine, but after getting off the ground I found out I had NO ailerons whatsoever. Fortunately I was able to herd the plane around using the rudder and got it back to the runway in one piece. Thankfully there was no crosswind that day. That first few seconds of flight was umm exhilerating....
The aileron reversal switch was halfway between normal and reverse.. in no man's land. I suppose that would be better than reversed.. We were lucky that day. Since then I always check control response.


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Jun 17, 2007)

If you're going to be working with a lot of Arctic Silver Ceramique heatsink compound, don't wear dark pants. 


//Just learned yesterday


----------



## AlphaTea (Jun 17, 2007)

All cats like milk products. Some are lactose intollerant.
Cats can hear you open a bag of beef jerkey from across the street.
Never give a dog raw peanuts. It causes explosive diarhea.
Shih-tzu is pronounced sheetzu not shitzu.
A firecracker fuse will burn faster if hold it in your hand.
You can poke yourself in the eye when putting on safety glasses.
A 20oz soft drink always costs more than a 2 liter.
The drive thru at the bank will close after the car in front of you.
Fast food drive thru orders are always wrong, the speaker never works right and the menu always has some unknown substance splashed on it.
The series finale of your favorite show will be interupted by some family crisis that requires your immediate attention. I missed X-files, Babylon-5, Sopranos, Star Trek DS9 and Next Wave. Still haven't seen Next Wave.
If you bust your butt all day at work, you wont see your boss untill you sit down.
Unleaded and Super-Unleaded come out of the same tank.
All cereal boxes are only 2/3 full.
The top few olives in the jar are mushy.
Girl Scout cookie boxes are the same size and price as 10 years ago. Now they only have 12 cookies in them.
Coca-Cola classic IS NOT the same as the old Coke.
It aint bar-b-que if you use a gas grill (fact!)
Illegal immigrants who win the lotto get instant citizenship. So do their relatives.
Elvis is dead. So are Jim Morrison, Andy Kauffman, Marilyn Monroe, JFK, Jimmy Hoffa and Orville Reddenbacher.
If you buy tickets to "the concert of the decade" on Saturday (two months in advance), you will find on monday that you have to be out of town on that particular date.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Jun 17, 2007)

The chance for rain is tied directly to the need for the grass to be mowed.


----------



## Diesel_Bomber (Jun 17, 2007)

UF- Actually the battery was fine. The engine only ran for a couple seconds before the electronic ignition box and ignition coil were fried. Other casualties were the radio, the idiot lights in the dash, and the brake lights. I was stepping on the brakes when I started the car. Won't do that again; luckily it was an old car and there was no ECU to fry. 

Murphy has a sense of humor. :buddies:


----------



## Carabidae (Jun 18, 2007)

If it has anything to do with money, get it in writing.

Before moving into a place, document and photograph any little problem before it becomes a big problem.

Be wary of a job that has no job description.


----------



## Carabidae (Jun 28, 2007)

Allow more than 15 minutes to get there.

Always take toilet paper on a roadtrip.

Don’t tell anyone at work anything you wouldn’t want everyone to know.

Always ask for a receipt

Check your spare tire at least once a year.

When it says use a torque wrench, use a torque wrench.

Replace constant pressure plastic hoses, such as those on toilets, with metal braided hoses.

Your cell phone probably has a camera.

Always have more than one blank cd/dvd.


----------



## Illum (Jun 28, 2007)

PhotonWrangler said:


> If you're going to be working with a lot of Arctic Silver Ceramique heatsink compound, don't wear dark pants.
> 
> 
> //Just learned yesterday



pants...meh, not yet, ruined a few good shirts though...:candle:


----------



## zk188 (Jun 28, 2007)

That windex and bleach combined emit harmful fumes.


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Jun 28, 2007)

Carabidae said:


> Always take toilet paper on a roadtrip.



On a related note - you can never have too much toilet paper.


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Jun 29, 2007)

When you want to find out which lead of an SSC is positive and which negative, DO NOT stare intently into the emitter while touching the battery leads to the contacts.

Ouch.

The side with the notched piece is negative, BTW.


----------



## zpaulg (Jun 29, 2007)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

LMAO


----------



## Sarratt (Jun 29, 2007)

Choose not to pass when you know its risky. The answer is Is dead friends --- sadly.


----------



## Diesel_Bomber (Jun 29, 2007)

Sarratt said:


> Choose not to pass when you know its risky. The answer is Is dead friends --- sadly.



I hope you didn't actually learn this the hard way. My condolences to whoever did. :mecry:


----------



## chmsam (Jun 29, 2007)

Actually, that rings all too true for the families and friends of 5 recent high school graduates near here. The SUV in which these cheerleaders were traveling passed a car and then veered into the path of a tractor trailer. There was a head-on crash and the SUV and the truck both caught fire. The driver of the truck tried to rescue the girls from their burning vehicle but could not. There was a second vehicle behind the SUV that was carrying four of their friends, who were also recent high school grads and also cheerleaders, and while they were not envolved they did witness the wreck. 

There are reports that the young female driver was perhaps driving after the hours allowed by her license and if that is true she also would have had too many passengers in the vehicle. NY State vehicle and traffic laws limit the hours during which a young driver can be behind the wheel and how many non-family members can be in the vehicle with them.

So, it's a hard lesson to learn but maybe it pays to be tough on how your newest driver in the family behaves behind the wheel. This was a real nightmare for every parent that came true.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Jun 29, 2007)

PhotonWrangler said:


> On a related note - you can never have too much toilet paper.



Or Papertowels!

When you remove the chip (2GB!) from your cell phone to modify the songs on it you must go back and re-program all the individual ringtones!

A cheap 10 buck SD to USB adapter works just as well as the 30 buck one Cingular/ATT wanted to sell me!

And in my part of the world some kids were killed when the STOLEN vehicle they were JOYRIDING in hit a stopped train at an un-signalled crossing.

Very sad, but er. uh they SHOULD NOT have been doing it!


----------



## LuxLuthor (Jun 30, 2007)

Don't throw rocks at skunks.


----------



## LuxLuthor (Jun 30, 2007)

If you are stupid enough to buy a toilet plunger that has a hose attachment and ballcock valve where hose screws on, make sure to keep the valve closed.


----------



## DM51 (Jun 30, 2007)

LuxLuthor said:


> If you are stupid enough to buy a toilet plunger that has a hose attachment and ballcock valve where hose screws on, make sure to keep the valve closed.


LOL!!! I don't even want to think about what probably happened there.


----------



## Illum (Jul 1, 2007)

LuxLuthor said:


> If you are stupid enough to buy a toilet plunger that has a hose attachment and ballcock valve where hose screws on, make sure to keep the valve closed.



ouch.....hopefully the valves pointing the other way


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Aug 5, 2007)

When mounting a super-loud air horn, disconnect a wire before you mess with mounting the switch. In fact, keep it disconnected as long as you can.

When even a small section of a 43V, 10C-capable NiMH pack shorts, even for a fraction of a second, it's very impressive.

And painful.


----------



## jtr1962 (Aug 6, 2007)

1) Large potholes always come up during the 1% of the time you look elsewhere.

2) Crazy glue doesn't work for tire patches.

3) Do not charge primary lithium cells!

4) Use the longest available staples when putting up ceiling tile.

5) Bakery cord doesn't work for tying objects to car roofs.


----------



## jtr1962 (Aug 6, 2007)

PhotonWrangler said:


> On a related note - you can never have too much toilet paper.


Unless of course you try to flush it all down at once. Don't ask me how I learned that. :green:


----------



## Valolammas (Aug 6, 2007)

When you buy a new washing machine - nay, when you actually special order the good and expensive one your wife really wants - measure you bathroom door first! They make really BIG washing machines these days. Even if the old one fits through your door no problem, the new one may not.

Failing that, make sure you have an axe. Anyone want to see a pic of our modded door frame?


----------



## Sarratt (Aug 9, 2007)

..... I should have stuck with playing the viola --- Yes I know it's a dumb instrument but of the regrets in my life it's right up there. 
Generally speaking though I regret not learning another language and not learning to play a musical instrument. 


... there are no ''go overs" right ?


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Aug 9, 2007)

When I was a preteen to a mid-teen, I learned how to play the violin (yeah, an even dumber instrument than a viola)  after my big sister gave up on it. I inherited her violin and fairly quickly learned how to play it. I still have one of my "String Builder" music books that I used in the mid-1970s.
The violin itself was destroyed by other teens in ~1982 because they thought it was a whimpy instrument.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Aug 9, 2007)

I played the Cello when I was a pup. Not well mind you!!!

Time FLIES when you are online!


----------



## zk188 (Aug 9, 2007)

1.Not to give a cat a bath.

2.Make sure a rope is attached to something solid before you swing from it.

3.Flamingo's are mean.

4.Not to put 3.7V RCR123's in your friends very expensive camera.


----------



## UncleFester (Aug 10, 2007)

If this one has been mentioned before, I apologize.
After you weld steel, it's hot enough to burn skin... and then some.
Edit: ask me how I know this.


----------



## KC2IXE (Aug 10, 2007)

UncleFester said:


> If this one has been mentioned before, I apologize.
> After you weld steel, it's hot enough to burn skin... and then some.
> Edit: ask me how I know this.



OK - How do you know this?

(I do know how _I_ know this - multiple times. Sometimes in construction, you THINK you've waited long enough...)


----------



## Manzerick (Aug 10, 2007)

I can add..

After Arc welding.. Even when the steel is not amber red.. it can still burn your skin LOL


Ohh the high school shop memories!!! 



UncleFester said:


> If this one has been mentioned before, I apologize.
> After you weld steel, it's hot enough to burn skin... and then some.
> Edit: ask me how I know this.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Aug 10, 2007)

Freshly welded stuff even makes hand in welding gloves QUITE hot! And you don't even have to ask me how I know....


----------



## chmsam (Aug 11, 2007)

I have way too many instances of proving that trying to violate the laws of physics and of thermodynamics is a bad idea, so I'm going to shift gears.

Even more dangerous than that is giving the wife an honest answer to questions she asks about her fashion sense, hair styles, and weight. Trust me, even "It looks fine to me" is not a safe answer. Repeat after me... "Oh no you don't! Any answer I give will get me into trouble so never ask me stuff like that again. Ever! AND I MEAN IT!!" and maybe after about 20 years she might stop asking, but probably not, so buy a comfy couch to sleep on.


----------



## PEU (Aug 11, 2007)

Manzerick said:


> I can add..
> After Arc welding.. Even when the steel is not amber red.. it can still burn your skin LOL



I also learnt this the hard way, and I sell maintenance welding alloys for a living... 


Pablo


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Aug 11, 2007)

If you will do whatever it takes to get gas to the engine (25hp outboard in this case) it will in fact run.

In this case a new "squeeze bulb" was what it took.

And 80+ percent hummidity along with 95+ temp FEELS like 100+ well and truly!!!


----------



## gadget_lover (Aug 12, 2007)

Things get hot when you sand them. 

Corollary: If you sand a 1 inch long bolt down to 3/4 inch with a belt sander, then pick it up with thumb and forefinger, you will have perfectly matching "threads" on both fingertips. You may also lose the bolt as you fling it across the room.


Daniel


----------



## jnj1033 (Aug 15, 2007)

LuxLuthor said:


> If you are stupid enough to buy a toilet plunger that has a hose attachment and ballcock valve where hose screws on, make sure to keep the valve closed.



+1!

I once borrowed something similar to that. Bad experience. :green::sick2::hairpull:


----------



## Diesel_Bomber (Aug 15, 2007)

Don't run your ground path through a bearing while welding. 

Luckily I didn't learn this one the hard way, but I was there when someone else learned it the hard way. Glad I was leaving, there was a lot of yelling.

:buddies:


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Aug 15, 2007)

On a similar note to "ground path" NEVER EVER weld on a modern vehicle with the battery hooked up.

Ford truck got computer fried!


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Aug 16, 2007)

Fire is hot.

Oddly enough, many people fail to learn this, even the hard way. Camping at Pismo on Monday night, a couple of the guys in our group kept reaching into the fire to pick things up or put things in, and they acted surprised every time their nervous system reminded them that fire is indeed hot.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Aug 16, 2007)

How bad something NEEDS doing has a BIG effect on the weather!

We got washed out of Houston today due to the effects of Erin (sp?) a little storm with QUITE a lot of rain.


----------



## Burgess (Aug 17, 2007)

When it sez:


"Wear Eye Protection"


there's probably a pretty good reason to do so. 


_


----------



## Hikaru (Aug 17, 2007)

On asphalt at 25 mph, mountbike tires won't hold a corner as well as road bike tires before slipping out and dumping you on your face.

I found this one out yesterday.


----------



## Diesel_Bomber (Aug 17, 2007)

Learned just tonight-

When you lean down to pick up a kitty food dish, make sure your head isn't under the 10lb fire extinguisher mounted on the wall before you straighten back up quickly. Ow.

:buddies:


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Aug 17, 2007)

Cutting steel tubing with a mere hacksaw is very, very slow work.


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Aug 17, 2007)

When opening a fresh bottle of soda, make sure you haven't shaken it at all for at least 15 seconds.


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Aug 17, 2007)

PhotonWrangler said:


> When opening a fresh bottle of soda, make sure you haven't shaken it at all for at least 15 seconds.


If you literally mean the soda bottles, with the twist-off reclosable caps, here's a tip: Open it a little, and if it starts to fizz up, just tighten it back up. When the foam dies down, try again, and reclose if necessary. Repeat until open.


----------



## flash_bang (Aug 18, 2007)

do not explore how cool the streetlights look through an open mountain dew bottle, or the contents might spill out all over the gearshift and on you pants and stuff…


----------



## LukeA (Aug 18, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> Cutting steel tubing with a mere hacksaw is very, very slow work.



Corollary: the price of a quality angle grinder (with cutoff wheel) is quickly offset by the time it saves.


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Aug 18, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> If you literally mean the soda bottles, with the twist-off reclosable caps, here's a tip: Open it a little, and if it starts to fizz up, just tighten it back up. When the foam dies down, try again, and reclose if necessary. Repeat until open.



Yes, that's what I do now and it works. I _think_ I've cleaned all of the spots off the ceiling...


----------



## FILIPPO (Aug 19, 2007)

I learned this last night:

-you can't run your MTB with a 45Ah car battery in your hands :duh2:....
-it's a little bit heavy

PS: I think that I have got the most powerful bike light in my city...(12V 100W H3) I just need to find a good way to carry the battery
maybe I'll have to get a smaller battery


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Aug 21, 2007)

If you'er planning on dropping off a passenger at a stop light, make sure you're stopped in the curb lane. Also make sure to check for oncoming traffic behind you. Otherwise a car might pass you on the right and shear off your car door just as it opens. The other car, the one that crashes into your open door, might also be a police car. 

The more you know.


----------



## MacTech (Aug 21, 2007)

When repairing a laptop computer, do not put the case screws back in until you've *confirmed* the repair is actually working and holding, only put the screws back in when you are *sure* the repair is completed

if the laptop you're working on is known for a particular failure of a disposable part (AC adapter bricks, reed switches and DC-IN boards on the Apple iBook G3/G4 series), it's good to keep a few spares on hand for repairs, *especially* when the manufacturer discontinues parts for one of the models (iBook G3 series)

If the repair you're working on is going too smoothly, there's obviously something still wrong with it

the chances of a component part failing is directly proportional to how expensive/delicate/inaccesable it is

components that aren't supposed to fail (LCD display modules) have a surprisingly high failure rate

the customer will never admit they damaged their machine, even when provided with incontrovertible proof and evidence, they will always claim "it just happened" or it was a "manufacturing defect".....

....kinda' like a laptop with a cracked screen that "just happened", even though there's a clear impact dent on the back of the screen housing, or a clearly defined pressure point on the LCD panel itself

....or the laptop that still has liquid spill damage on the components, blackened and scorched components and surface-mount devices, and standing liquid still in the case, yet the customer "never drinks or eats by their computer..."


----------



## Illum (Aug 21, 2007)

never leave the electric tire pump running alone no matter how slow you think the pump is pushing:shakehead [I was using something intended to pump up basketballs]

bumped my rear bike tire to a swell before the 10 year old inner tube went _*ka-pow!*_ just short of 10 minutes in an effort to cap off the tires


when your flashlight falls into an anthill look around to make sure your not standing on one...the time it takes to reach down and pick it up, shake it, and inspect it is more than adequate time for ants to crawl over your socks and bite you as high as the back of your thighs


----------



## Burgess (Aug 22, 2007)

Yep --


I was in a bicycle shop a few years ago,

when they "over-filled" a bike tire. 



Was absolutely AMAZED how LOUD it was !


My ears were ringing from it, for quite a while.


_


----------



## stephenmadpotato (Aug 22, 2007)

Heres a good one-
There is a governer on that brand new, 50cc 1300 dollar honda dirtbike you just bought for a reason. In my case it prevented the piston from blowing a hole through the engine.


Heres another one-
Gasoline explodes, very quickly when you drop something that sparks in it. AKA a flashlight, that your holding and trying to see how much is in the tank. Luckily there was very little in the tank.


----------



## chmsam (Aug 22, 2007)

Of course we all know that gasoline fumes combust at a much greater rate than liquid gasoline. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME, but I have seen gasoline used to put out a flame. It usually goes along with the phrase, "The departed's last words were, 'Hey! Watch me do this...' "

Fumes, however, go BOOM! very easily and in a big way (but isn't that why Southern women used to say they had "the vapors"? Sorry).

In short (pardon the pun), gas tank welding or exposing it to any heat source, even when a tank is filled with water, can be exciting for all sorts of reasons. And loud, too. If you survive, however, it does make for some stories to tell in your hard won old age. Usually, the type were your grandkids say, "Was everybody so dumb back then?"

Want to know how I know?


----------



## FILIPPO (Aug 22, 2007)

your mag 6D may frighten someone...


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Aug 22, 2007)

That particular flashlight wouldn't frighen anybody with its light output, but yes, the size of the unit itself might make it appear imposing to some.


----------



## FILIPPO (Aug 23, 2007)

The_LED_Museum said:


> That particular flashlight wouldn't frighen anybody with its light output, but yes, the size of the unit itself might make it appear imposing to some.


 
especially for an old (70+ y.o.) woman walking with his minute dog...
but I didn't want to frighten her... I was just walking with my dad


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Aug 23, 2007)

Put off ANY job until the next day and watch the amount of work SKYROCKET!

I have what very well might be the Friday from HE77 coming tomorrow!


----------



## was_jlh (Sep 3, 2007)

Don't marry a *****.


----------



## Burgess (Sep 3, 2007)

Don't even DATE one !




_


----------



## Carabidae (Sep 4, 2007)

Stay away from women who have license plate frames with any reference to being a *****. 

Also watch out for women frames with reference to any of the following:

Princess
Daddy's girl
_____ paid for it, but I got it
My Ride, _____'s payments
Spoiled

Consider those a warning


----------



## DM51 (Sep 4, 2007)

Go to a dentist at the first sign of any problem, or you will end up needing root canal work (I've just learned that one the hard way).


----------



## Carabidae (Sep 4, 2007)

DM51 said:


> Go to a dentist at the first sign of any problem, or you will end up needing root canal work (I've just learned that one the hard way).


 
+1 on that, what I thought was no big deal turned out to be an $800 mistake after waiting too long when it could have been a $40 fix.


----------



## Illum (Sep 5, 2007)

something tells me I need to have my wisdom teeth pulled...I've been waiting that out for years...its only recently beginning to hurt oo:


----------



## matthewdanger (Sep 5, 2007)

Illum_the_nation said:


> something tells me I need to have my wisdom teeth pulled...I've been waiting that out for years...its only recently beginning to hurt oo:


 
After having your wisdom teeth pulled, follow your dentist's orders EXACTLY! Dry socket is no fun.


----------



## brightnorm (Sep 5, 2007)

Check for toilet paper before you sit down.

Brightnorm


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Sep 7, 2007)

Don't leave the shop without parts that you don't even know you'll need!

Only good that came of that is a 21.xxx fill up in my Ram. Slightly over 725 miles on a tank.

Also check the SIMPLEST thing first when they say it has low pressure. Ultimately a tip made the biggest difference!


----------



## Diesel_Bomber (Sep 7, 2007)

1. Furniture moves itself around at night.

2. Band-aids hurt like #%$$&!!!! when they rip hair off your favorite little toe.

I regularly speed, and I point out attractive women to my wife. I leave my dirty laundry on the bathroom floor and laugh at my wife when she screams for me to come kill a spider. I peed in the shower ONCE when the rest of the bathroom was occupied.*

But admit I was** walking around the house at night without a flashlight?* That's the one that shames me.

:buddies:


----------



## gadget_lover (Sep 8, 2007)

The definition of shopping:

When you are shopping, you buy what they want to sell. This captures the TV home shopping racket pretty well.

A wise person makes a list before going to the store, and buys only what's on the list. If you really need a new gizmo/product/snack food it goes on the NEXT list.

(I am NOT a wise person)

Daniel


----------



## Illum (Sep 9, 2007)

when your doing a load of laundry, during the draining process your washing the dishes, if the water suddenly appear to go down slower than usual STOP WASHING AND PAUSE THE CYCLE. Don't expect the water pressure from the drain tube to flush it out...it will cause every toylet in the house to overflow.....and even after a good week of cleaning...the smell of the bathroom carpet is still unbearable:shakehead


----------



## MarNav1 (Sep 10, 2007)

When you jumpstart somebodys car make sure you know how. Years ago tried to help a lady out and hooked the negative cable on the post instead of the body. Batteries really do explode, guess how I know that? Oh and while i'm on batteries always use the holdown for it. Drove my car to Sears (6 blocks away) to buy a new battery. Didn't have a holdown so drove it home. Saw something dripping on the driveway and opened the hood and VIOLA! The battery slid over and the alternator ground a hole in the side of the case. Was about 20 at the time. DUH!!


----------



## Illum (Sep 10, 2007)

MARNAV1 said:


> When you jumpstart somebodys car make sure you know how. Years ago tried to help a lady out and hooked the negative cable on the post instead of the body. Batteries really do explode, guess how I know that? Oh and while i'm on batteries always use the holdown for it. Drove my car to Sears (6 blocks away) to buy a new battery. Didn't have a holdown so drove it home. Saw something dripping on the driveway and opened the hood and VIOLA! The battery slid over and the alternator ground a hole in the side of the case. Was about 20 at the time. DUH!!



I've never clipped the negative on to the body and always on the terminals....never had the experience of one poppingoo:

I've had the privilege to jump everything from a lawnmower to diesel cereal trucks to sea bass....so far so good 
[the sea bass was cooked to well done and a bit charred but that was an accident]


----------



## MarNav1 (Sep 10, 2007)

Sucker exploded like a hand grenade, somehow acid didn't get all over me. All that was left of the battery was the case and the plates, top was missing. I never hook it up that way anymore.


----------



## BIGIRON (Sep 10, 2007)

Don't go to the grocery store drunk and hungry.


----------



## Diesel_Bomber (Sep 10, 2007)

MARNAV1 said:


> Sucker exploded like a hand grenade, somehow acid didn't get all over me. All that was left of the battery was the case and the plates, top was missing. I never hook it up that way anymore.



Good ole hydrogen gas going  !

Lesson learned the hard way: Sugar and salt look identical under casual inspection.

:buddies:


----------



## Burgess (Sep 10, 2007)

Years ago . . . .


Boss sent one of our workers to connect the rubber hose of our jackhammer to a *compressed-air* line.



However . . . .


Worker somehow failed to realize that *oxygen* is not the same as compressed air. :shakehead ___ 



Interesting results.

But no one was hurt.


:sigh:

_


----------



## Radio (Sep 10, 2007)

DON'T EVER use Laundry detergent in the Dishwasher  Don't ask.:sigh:


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Sep 10, 2007)

Witnessed a battery  once.

Jumper ALWAYS goes to the block somewhere away from the battery!

Don't put bleach in the washing machine... ask me how I know!!!


----------



## geepondy (Sep 10, 2007)

Make sure you clear your pants of ink pens before washing and drying. I've actually had one make it thru ok but the other melted in the dryer, leaking and staining my clothes with the heat permanently locking in the stains and hence three pairs of pants and a couple of shirts were ruined. I also spent a bit of time with cleaning fluid and a scrub brush removing what got stuck inside the dryer wall.


----------



## Illum (Sep 10, 2007)

geepondy said:


> Make sure you clear your pants of ink pens before washing and drying. I've actually had one make it thru ok but the other melted in the dryer, leaking and staining my clothes with the heat permanently locking in the stains and hence three pairs of pants and a couple of shirts were ruined. I also spent a bit of time with cleaning fluid and a scrub brush removing what got stuck inside the dryer wall.



didn't have pens....I had two packs of Orbitz gum.....theres a good layer of that mixed in with colored cotton threads on the tumbler

yeah...that sucked


----------



## aussiebuddha (Sep 10, 2007)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*



AJ_Dual said:


> The dial tone in live phone wire is about 45 volts. The ring signal depending on the REN rating of your home's service drop, could be as high as 90 volts.
> 
> Both have the potential to create a very interesting sensation when you're stripping phone wire with your teeth because you were in too much of a hurry to go get a wire stripper from the basment.



haha!
happened to me.
got a ring when i was stripping it, and with the shock i hit my head in the bathroom door i was leaning.

ended up with sore tongue and head, no good, but funny story to tell.


----------



## mossyoak (Sep 11, 2007)

If you want a highend knife, or light, or whatever. You're best off just saving for it. Because buying anything else thats cheaper is just delaying the inevitable. You'll save cash in the long run if you buy "the one" first.


----------



## MarNav1 (Sep 11, 2007)

Don't forget to tighten the lug nuts on your car. I forgot on one of my first cars and I made it a mile or so and the steering got very loose. Got out and checked and two nuts on one side and three on the other side were missing. The rest were about 1/2 unscrewed.


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Sep 16, 2007)

A DMM dropped in a sink full of water, even for a fraction of a second, WILL get water inside and blow its fuses.

...Which leads us to my second lesson...

Only lend loaners.

:hairpull:


----------



## Illum (Sep 16, 2007)

PlayboyJoeShmoe said:


> Don't put bleach in the washing machine... ask me how I know!!!



you bleached your grandmothers hand painted dishes?


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Sep 16, 2007)

Right after you buy some replacement fuses for your supposedly water-damaged DMM, it'll have dried off sufficiently and function normally again.


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Sep 16, 2007)

Right after a music CD has been missing for weeks and you purchase a replacement, the "lost" one will turn up.
Yes, this has happened to me...more than once. :green:


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Sep 16, 2007)

After making a backup of your PC, check it and make sure it's good before you need it.


----------



## LEDAdd1ct (Sep 16, 2007)

1) Making fishsticks in a toaster oven with slide-out tray *without* a shirt on, in the event the tray slides out, may result in a very painful burn.

2) Glasses are an incredible piece of technology. When driving at night, leaving them at home offers no benefit to the house.

3) Had a friend in high school who did this, so this is his "learned-this-the-hard-way", not mine. Back in high school, we thought it was really cool to split water into its components, oxygen, and hydrogen. My friend split water, filling up an old coffee can with the gaseous product. Then he brought it to school. Now, mind you, most of the gas probably escaped- coffee containers are *not* scientifc containment vessels. Anyway, my friend went around telling people about his flammable creation, except, instead of telling other kids how he "split water," he went around telling everyone he made a "hydrogen bomb." Yup, *that* went well...


----------



## mossyoak (Sep 18, 2007)

buy the best you can afford.


----------



## Diesel_Bomber (Sep 18, 2007)

This was an interesting day. Many of these I already knew, but seemed to need restating:

1.) Just because you tightened the setscrews on your soldering gun tip fifteen seconds ago does not mean they are tight now.

2.) Often times the MOST powerful soldering implement that can be effectively controlled is the best tool for the job, as it heats what needs to be heated in the shortest amount of time, not giving surrounding items that shouldn't be heated too much time to heat up.

3.) Always slide the shrink tube on first.

4.) Always have extra connectors and leave yourself extra slack in the wires so you can clip off the connector you crimped on without sliding the shrink tubing on first.

5.) A vise makes a dandy heat sink when you're soldering connectors on to short wires and don't want the shrink tube you slid on earlier to shrink in the wrong spot

6.) It doesn't matter that you've used the remaining heat in a connection you just soldered to start the shrinking process on shrink tubing by sliding the tubing quickly and perfectly into position and letting the heat do it's thing a million times before. The ONE time you will get it wrong is when the connection will be in full view and the electrical tape you have to use to make up the gap will be enormously obvious. This will, invariably, be with the last connector you have or the last of the correct-size shrink tubing you have, and stores will be closed or you won't have time, so that clipping off the connection and starting over won't be an option.

7.) Burning insulation sets off smoke detectors. The smoke detector and/or the ceiling move on their own so that the smoke detector is always six inches out of reach, no matter what you're standing on or poking up towards the ceiling to push the "hush" button with.


:buddies:


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Sep 18, 2007)

A corollary to DieselBomber's rules - 

The sturdier you make your solder connection, the more likely you'll need to remove it again to correct a mistake.


----------



## brightnorm (Sep 18, 2007)

PhotonWrangler said:


> After making a backup of your PC, check it and make sure it's good before you need it.


And make sure it and your PC are connected to a high quality UPS/surge protector. I lost my HD and HD backup due to a fatal flaw in a cheap surge protector. I lost EVERYTHING. Both HDs were complete losses, even after I sent them to one of the top data retrieval companies using a clean room-the whole nine yards. Four years of work totally lost. 

I now run a two disc RAID setup in my PC, along with a 500GB external HD, both connected to an excellent APC UPS with on-screen monitoring. I also make CDs/DVDs of critical files.

One other thing I'd suggest. For those living in likely terrorist target locales it's a good idea to duplicate critical files and send them to a family member or someone you trust who lives in a "safer" area. Folks living in the Midwest or other relatively non-threatened areas may find this alarmist, but for those of us who experienced 9/11 first-hand it is simply being realistic.

Brightnorm


----------



## brightnorm (Sep 18, 2007)

Deleted duplicate post


----------



## Bruceter (Sep 18, 2007)

The_LED_Museum said:


> Right after a music CD has been missing for weeks and you purchase a replacement, the "lost" one will turn up.
> Yes, this has happened to me...more than once. :green:



On a related note. Before giving away your old CD player, make sure your favorite Santana CD isn't in the player.

Bruceter


----------



## The_LED_Museum (Sep 18, 2007)

I left behind a 3-CD carousel type stereo when I moved in late-2004, and wouldn't you know it...three of my favourite CDs at the time were still in it. :shakehead :green: :shakehead


----------



## Burgess (Sep 19, 2007)

Ouch !

:mecry:

_


----------



## Diesel_Bomber (Oct 24, 2007)

Lessons learned this morning:

All jars in the kitchen should be labeled.

Beef bullion and brown sugar look identical under casual inspection.

Eating oatmeal with beef bullion instead of brown sugar because you don't want your wife to find out what you've done and tease you mercilessly for months about it will give you a stomach ache. :sick2:

:buddies:


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Oct 24, 2007)

Don't weld the brackets up until you KNOW you can then get the object up on to the brackets!!! In this case a tank for an air horn. I had to take the bolt out that steadies the fender but everything worked out ok in the end.

Just have plumbing and wiring to go!


----------



## Illum (Oct 24, 2007)

after a hard rain no matter whether you see water in the yard or not go outside ONLY WITH GALOSHES and not the usual shoes, the surface of the yard floats an amazingly thick layer of ants...

from the house to the mailbox and then return takes over 200 feet of walking, I daresay I've used a tub of anti-itch cream....and its still itches


----------



## DM51 (Oct 25, 2007)

Illum_the_nation said:


> I've used a tub of anti-itch cream....and its still itches


LOL!!


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Oct 31, 2007)

Don't short SLAs.

Don't let SLAs short.

Make absolutely sure that you aren't doing anything that could lead to SLAs shorting.

Don't make it at all possible for SLAs to short.

SLAs shorting is bad.

In a nutshell, for the love of God, keep SLAs from shorting.

See all the little bits of red and black goop on the floor? They used to be insulation. See the wires that look all gnarly on the lower right? Those used to look fine.

Got a nice cloud of weird-smelling smoke from the plastic insulation melting.


----------



## mossyoak (Oct 31, 2007)

when a woman says that her and her boyfriend are in an "open relationship" make sure that the boyfriend is aware of this.


----------



## Illum (Nov 1, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


>




then what are you doing leaving that dumbbell in such close proximity with your SLAs? never heard of "the tendency to sprout legs":laughing:


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Nov 2, 2007)

Illum_the_nation said:


> then what are you doing leaving that dumbbell in such close proximity with your SLAs? never heard of "the tendency to sprout legs":laughing:


No, it wasn't the steel section of the dumbbell that caused the short. I attached some wires to the terminals and let the ends trail off (to the upper right in the pic). They started out fine, but I must have nudged them with my foot while at the computer, causing the other ends to contact each other.

I won't be doing that again.  Now I keep all the terminals nice and covered with their plastic caps when they're not being charged.


----------



## Illum (Nov 2, 2007)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> No, it wasn't the steel section of the dumbbell that caused the short. I attached some wires to the terminals and let the ends trail off (to the upper right in the pic). They started out fine, but I must have nudged them with my foot while at the computer, causing the other ends to contact each other.
> 
> I won't be doing that again.  Now I keep all the terminals nice and covered with their plastic caps when they're not being charged.



it would be a good idea to buy resettable breakers and mount them to something you can hold the battery in. what on earth were you experimenting with this high gauge of wiring?

I've been in the high school robotics for 3 years and have seen gel cells short through 22-24 gauge wiring normally used to hook up cooling fans accidentally spliced into the gearbox and shorted [I'm in chassis assembly, not the electrical/logistics, but I was blamed for it because I didn't inform the electronic guys that the transmission drill motors are too close to the bus bars they installed AFTER I completed the transmission assembly] 
the insulation instantly disappeared and the copper wounds lite up like a bright bulb and _*evaporated.*_ the cell was toast, and I didn't need a multimeter to figure out [it was hot for one thing], the mentor said we were lucky the cell didn't "fart"

wires just evaporated....it was amazing, and terrifying at the same time


----------



## Burgess (Nov 3, 2007)

Gee . . . .


Next time, have a video camera recording. 


That'd be a *great* Training Video !



Also sounds like something i'd like to see on MythBusters !

:twothumbs

_


----------



## gadget_lover (Nov 3, 2007)

On a related note....

Take extra caution as you jump a car battery when you are tired, sleepy and late for work. The + and - look similar at 0-dark-thirty.

The auxiliary lesson? When you hook up the battery backwards the arc CAN weld the jumper cable to the lead post. The 8 gauge wires DO heat enough to melt the insulation off the wire in less than a second. Always make that last connection to the car's ground.

Daniel


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Nov 3, 2007)

When it rains it tends to pour...

Our approx. 2 year old Cub Kadet 1042 busted the bolt that holds all the pulleys and magnets etc. I have managed to break a back out bit off in it.

At nearly the same time the Craftsman mower busted the blade drive belt.

ARGH!

Buddy thinks he can get the bolt/back out tool out of the crankshaft....

We shall see!


----------



## TorchBoy (Dec 4, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*



Valolammas said:


> 230 Volts is not that bad, but once is enough.


I've learned that once is more than enough.



LuxLuthor said:


> If you are stupid enough to buy a toilet plunger that has a hose attachment and ballcock valve where hose screws on, make sure to keep the valve closed.


... when the hose is not attached?



Diesel_Bomber said:


> Eating oatmeal with beef bullion instead of brown sugar because you don't want your wife to find out what you've done and tease you mercilessly for months about it will give you a stomach ache. :sick2:


But it's worse if she actually does know and is just seeing what you'll do.



Illum_the_nation said:


> after a hard rain no matter whether you see water in the yard or not go outside ONLY WITH GALOSHES, the surface of the yard floats an amazingly thick layer of ants...


No matter how I read that it's not a pretty picture. Put some clothes on next time!



mossyoak said:


> when a woman says that her and her boyfriend are in an "open relationship" make sure that the boyfriend is aware of this.


Perhaps she should also make sure he thinks "open relationship" means the same thing she thinks it means.

I've also learned:

Paper towels in the glovebox are _really_ handy.

Spare spectacles in the glovebox are *really* handy.

Some toilets are designed to block.

When welding, don't let hot stuff drop into your shoes.

When cutting open a bag of milk don't hold the bag by the bottom.

When opening said bag of milk and holding it by the bottom, move away from the open full cutlery drawer you found the scissors in.

Enough sleep makes a world of difference.


----------



## Illum (Dec 6, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*



TorchBoy said:


> No matter how I read that it's not a pretty picture. Put some clothes on next time!





 dunno why but I found that comment Hilarius  



TorchBoy said:


> Some toilets are designed to block.


"true-flow" only works when whatever you dump in has a viscosity coefficient lower or equivalent to water. and "low-flow" usually means you'll have to flush twice two times more if you put too much @#$% in it....I'm surprised theres no maximum weight standard written on toilets:laughing:



TorchBoy said:


> When welding, don't let hot stuff drop into your shoes.



neither will to do you any good soldering on a narrow bench while standing barefoot...so far it hasn't bothered me as much as the time I was soldering a heater pipe while lying back down under it with no shirt on.....you'd be surprised the difference in solder applied when your looking down on the solder gun and looking up on the solder gun


----------



## Valolammas (Dec 7, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*



Illum_the_nation said:


> neither will to do you any good soldering on a narrow bench while standing barefoot...so far it hasn't bothered me as much as the time I was soldering a heater pipe while lying back down under it with no shirt on.....you'd be surprised the difference in solder applied when your looking down on the solder gun and looking up on the solder gun



Ouch! That reminds me, when you are painting a ceiling, it's a good idea to wear a cap or something. And not your favorite one.

After chopping and handling some chili peppers (even mild ones), don't pick your nose.


----------



## Secur1 (Dec 7, 2007)

Sometimes it's best to keep your big mouth shut, as honesty isn't always appreciated or even welcomed....


----------



## TorchBoy (Dec 7, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*



Valolammas said:


> After chopping and handling some chili peppers (even mild ones), don't pick your nose.


Reminds me of a friend who had been rubbing linament on his leg, then went to the toilet before washing his hands.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Dec 7, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*

Alkaline batteries are crap!

Now I've almost lost a Streamlight Twin Task 3C to leaky alkalines, this time my prefered Rayovac Maximum Plus.

Which reminds me to answer a PM about something.


----------



## stephenmadpotato (Dec 9, 2007)

It is a BIG rip off to snort bacon bits then chug a bl for a 30 dollar bet.


----------



## Diesel_Bomber (Dec 11, 2007)

stephenmadpotato said:


> It is a BIG rip off to snort bacon bits then chug a bl for a 30 dollar bet.



What's a "bl"?


----------



## Crenshaw (Dec 13, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*



Valolammas said:


> After chopping and handling some chili peppers (even mild ones), don't pick your nose.


 
Ever seen those really tiny ones? not sure if they are available in other countries...but imagine all the heat of a regular sized one, packed into one 2cm by 5mm 

1)anway, never, EVER rub your eye after picking up a few to put in your soup..EVEN if youve washed your hand.

2)Carry eyedrops

3) Pre-perforated for eassy tearing type of packaging NEVER tears along the perforated line

4)the modded light will never work the first time, until you take it apart, and put it back exactly the same way after spending an hour trying to figure out whats wrong.

5) never throw a soldering iron from one hand to another

6) keep some sort of burn treatment near by when soldering.

7) heatsinks don just heat sink the led

8) check if the connection board/heatsink is hot before picking it up

9) use tweezers

10)alluminium cans CAN cut you

Crenshaw


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Dec 13, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*

If you store liquids in little plastic dispenser bottles, make sure they're labelled according to what's currently in the bottle.


----------



## Illum (Dec 13, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*



Crenshaw said:


> 3) Pre-perforated for easy tearing type of packaging NEVER tears along the perforated line



Same with letters or paper....sometimes everything tears except the areas close to the perforated region



Crenshaw said:


> 6) keep some sort of burn treatment near by when soldering.


I carry a cup of ice for this purpose....[okay I lied, but I have a tendency to chew ice while soldering and it comes in handy....including cooling heatsinks that heated itself to the point of untouchable after sanding/drilling/soldering]


----------



## PhotonWrangler (Dec 13, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*

When soldering, wear crummy pants.


----------



## TorchBoy (Dec 14, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*



Illum_the_nation said:


> Same with *letters* or paper....sometimes everything tears except the areas close to the perforated region


And on that topic, I've learned that a paper cut while licking an envelope is not nice.


----------



## DM51 (Dec 14, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*

When photographing the LED battery-status display on the tailcap of a Polarion PH40, do not stand the PH40 head down on your mouse-mat, even for the ~5 seconds that the display is on…









… unless you don’t mind the stink of burning rubber, and you need a new mouse-mat anyway.


----------



## Crenshaw (Dec 14, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*



Illum_the_nation said:


> Same with letters or paper....sometimes everything tears except the areas close to the perforated region
> 
> 
> I carry a cup of ice for this purpose....[okay I lied, but I have a tendency to chew ice while soldering and it comes in handy....including cooling heatsinks that heated itself to the point of untouchable after sanding/drilling/soldering]



Yup,damn those fake perforations....

and ice is not actually the best solution, it supposedly sticks to your hand...running water is thought to be the best. Also, aparently if you slather your burn with Aloe Vera Gel/Jelly, what ever you want to call it,before you do anything else, it prevents blisters...

Torchboy, i guess everything tears, including skin huh...:shakehead

Crenshaw


----------



## TorchBoy (Dec 14, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*



Crenshaw said:


> Torchboy, i guess everything tears, including skin huh...:shakehead


Er, yes, but a paper _cut_ on the tongue is especially unpleasant.


----------



## jzmtl (Dec 14, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*



Crenshaw said:


> and ice is not actually the best solution, it supposedly sticks to your hand...running water is thought to be the best. Also, aparently if you slather your burn with Aloe Vera Gel/Jelly, what ever you want to call it,before you do anything else, it prevents blisters...



An old folk remidie for burn is bear fat, I guess they are somewhat similar.


----------



## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Dec 14, 2007)

*Re: Things I've learned the hard way ...*

Bend over backwards for a customer and find out it doesn't mean ANYTHING.

There are many who DO appreciate it. But the few who don't make me wonder why I try.


----------



## TigerhawkT3 (Dec 14, 2007)

Firing lots of big rounds makes a rifle really hot.

Especially the metal parts.




(That's my forearm.)


----------



## Burgess (Dec 15, 2007)

Yep ! Been there . . . .



And the *instant* you touch it, you think to yourself:


"Yes, of *course* it's gonna' be HOT ! Why didn't i realize this *One Second sooner* ? ? ?"






Or watching someone, who's about to make a similar "error in judgement". 


So i say to them: "It's gonna' be *Hot*. Better use a Pot-Holder."


But they completely disregard my suggestion.


They pick it up, and then _*rather quickly come to the conclusion that i was correct, after all.*_

:sigh:


_


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## V8TOYTRUCK (Dec 15, 2007)

*Re: Things I\'ve learned the hard way . . .*

1) Do the job right the first time around..so it doesn't become a bigger problem later.
2) Use the right tool! Rounded nuts, striped bolts, rounded screws, are a PITA! ( A leatherman can only do so much!)


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## StandaT (Dec 16, 2007)

Other peolpe NEVER think the way you think they do.


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## TorchBoy (Dec 16, 2007)

StandaT said:


> Other peolpe NEVER think the way you think they do.


I don't think you think you know you think what I think you think.


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## Crenshaw (Dec 17, 2007)

hot glue melts...not just in the gun...

Crenshaw


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## The_LED_Museum (Dec 17, 2007)

Never, ever, *EVER* pick up a soldering iron by its "business-end", even if you think it's unplugged...chances are, it won't be.


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 17, 2007)

The_LED_Museum said:


> Never, ever, *EVER* pick up a soldering iron by its "business-end", even if you think it's unplugged...chances are, it won't be.



I did that once. It was, uh, memorable...


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## TorchBoy (Dec 17, 2007)

I realised on Sunday while swapping hands with my soldering iron that it would be very easy to grab it in the wrong place with the new hand while not paying attention (all concentration on the project of the moment). Should they come with warnings or should the users?


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## flash_bang (Dec 17, 2007)

with all this talk of soldering irons, I was wondering what they actually look like and what parts of them heat up to, I suppose, hot temperatures…

Thanks much,
Flash


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## TorchBoy (Dec 17, 2007)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldering_iron has a pic of a typical soldering iron, while http://images.google.com/images?q=soldering+iron has lots of pics of a good range.


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 17, 2007)

I grabbed the "business end" of one back when I was a teenager. I was looking around in my neighborhood hobby shop and I saw this odd-looking thing sitting on the countertop. It was plugged in and I was curious to see what it was and what it was for. So I picked it up. By the wrong end. 

Maybe they should have warnings on them. McDonald's coffee comes with a warning. Or maybe they shouldn't leave them out in the open, unattended, where a dumb teenager can pick them up! :laughing:


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## gadget_lover (Dec 17, 2007)

I almost posted this the other day, and decided that it was too dumb. Oh, what the heck.



"Never try to catch a falling soldering iron."


Just step back, shield your eyes and let it fall. That little drop of solder on the tip is likely to go fkying, and the part you will catch it by will almost never be the handle.

Daniel


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## 65535 (Dec 17, 2007)

Nothing is softer than a reflectors coating, nothing won't scratch it, especially if it is nice new and irreplaceable. Anyone got an E1e head? 
(it's not ruined but it does have some very mild scuffs from washing it.


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## TorchBoy (Dec 17, 2007)

gadget_lover said:


> "Never try to catch a falling soldering iron."


And if you did manage to catch it, it would a fluke on the order of the karate kid catching a fly with his chopsticks. Not gonna happen in my workshop.


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## Burgess (Dec 17, 2007)

Here's one for ya' . . . .


When you're changing a car tire.


Removed all the lug nuts, but *still *can't get the wheel off. 


It's STUCK ! :hairpull:



What to do . . . .


What to do . . . .



Well, whatEVER you do, *don't* attempt to loosen it
by smacking the tire sidewall with a SLEDGEHAMMER !


Not unless you happen to be wearing industrial-grade SHIN-GUARDS !


(ask me how i know . . . .) :mecry:


_


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## wmpwi (Dec 17, 2007)

I feel your pain, or almost. I did just about the same thing, but with a
2-pound rubber mallet. With all my youthful strength, I hit the rim, the
head flew off and knocked out the customer standing behind me. He woke
up a few minutes later to the screams of his girlfriend, but he didn't 
remember anything. Insurance covered the broken jaw.



Burgess said:


> Here's one for ya' . . . .
> <snip>
> (ask me how i know . . . .) :mecry:
> _


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## yuandrew (Dec 18, 2007)

I couldn't get my "experimental" propane fueled lawnmower started so I decided to check the spark plug which looked well used (original). After cleaning and re-gapping the spark plug, I decided to attach it to the spark plug wire but leave it resting against the head of the engine (so it would ground) and spin the flywheel while watching it closely to see how good a spark I was getting. 

However, there was still a sufficient amount of fuel in the hose leading from the tank to the engine and sitting in the carburetor plus the end of the plug happened to just be resting right next to the spark plug opening. Well, you've guessed it, the remaining fuel was injected into the cylinder then pushed out through the spark plug opening on the compression stroke only to be ignited when the spark plug fired at TDC. 

An impressively sized flame shot out of the spark plug hole at my face. At least I now know that the ignition system is working.


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## DM51 (Dec 18, 2007)

That lawnmower story reminds me of what happened to a friend of mine. He was cleaning compacted grass clippings from his rotary mower blades, and made the mistake of turning the blades to deal with each one. The mower was still hot, and it caught. He lost 3 fingers. 

Moral of this story: Take out the spark plug before cleaning mower blades, so you can't get any compression.


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## Burgess (Dec 18, 2007)

OUCH !


A* really* important safety tip there !


_


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## lctorana (Dec 22, 2007)

(I've been restoring Eveready Big Jim's. A Modded Big Jim is one of life's pleasures. A standard, original one is another.)

GE 4547 bulbs are really bright.

GE 4547 bulbs are very delicate

GE 4547 bulbs do NOT tolerate overdrive

GE 4547 replacement bulbs are really, REALLY expensive.

Postage from the US is expensive.

H4515 bulbs from Jaycar are cheap Asian knockoffs that do not fit the Big Jim housing. Genuine GE 4515 do.

Postage of GE H4515, Q4509 and H7604 from the US will be expensive.

Modern lantern switches are shorter than old ones.

The white button can jam if the switch is too short.

The terminal spacing on 6V and 12V 8F lantern batteries is different!

Starting from scratch with a new battery shell is time-consuming.


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## Diesel_Bomber (Dec 23, 2007)

After I got the mess cleaned up my sense of the absurd got the better of me and I had a good laugh, but I sure am glad there were no children around and I could swear when it actually happened.

Lessons learned today:

Powerex 4xAA battery cases from Thomas Directory will pop apart at the slightest fall.

When Powerex battery cases pop apart due to a fall, they send the individual batteries flying in wildly varying directions at speeds that, when compared with the velocity of the fall, are downright ridiculous.

Cats like chasing little bright colored objects streaking across the floor at ridiculous speeds.

Cats chasing bright colored objects streaking across the floor at ridiculous speeds don't watch where they're going.

The average Christmas tree stand will not hold up a 7 foot tree that's been struck by a 12 pound cat traveling at Mach 2.

There's no need to yell "Timber!" for the safety of your cat, they're quite capable of staying out of the way of a falling Christmas tree.

Christmas trees that have fallen create LOTS of bright little objects streaking across the floor at ridiculous speeds, teaching that cat that once you've got the tree picked up and the ornaments salvaged, it can create that fun again by picking off an ornament whenever it feels like.

Christmas will never be the same again. :buddies:


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Dec 23, 2007)

I got a REAL good chuckle out of that one DB!!! We have two cats that haunt us at work and a nice stack of envelopes doesn't stay a nice stack of envelopes when "spooky" is around!

"tigger" on the other hand just wants a warm lap!


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## DM51 (Dec 23, 2007)

Lol DB, I know how you feel - I heard a yell and a crash yesterday, and went in to find the Dear Wife sprawled in an armchair with the Christmas tree on top of her and stuff scattered everywhere. 

She claims she was standing on a stepladder to put an ornament on the top of the tree when the tree fell on to her, and luckily she fell back into the armchair. I reckon she was trying to climb the tree, lol


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 24, 2007)

Glass is a little spooky and will shatter at unpredictable moments. oo:


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## Diesel_Bomber (Dec 24, 2007)

PhotonWrangler said:


> Glass is a little spooky and will shatter at unpredictable moments. oo:



Still trying to get the metal base off an incan bulb, eh?


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 24, 2007)

Diesel_Bomber said:


> Still trying to get the metal base off an incan bulb, eh?



Bingo, DieselBomber. Just wrecked another incandescent today. 

However I did manage to get one of them off. I wound up buying a glass cutter at HarborFreight and carefully scored around the bottom of the bulb where the glass meets the base. This has the added benefit of leaving the filament stem intact, which will improve the visual impact of the finished product.

So I'm making progress after a few rookie mistakes.


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## TigerhawkT3 (Dec 28, 2007)

Here's something my older sister recently learned the hard way: when buying jewelry, beware of getting ripped off.


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## LukeA (Dec 28, 2007)

When the girl you like who lives very far away gets back together with her ex, don't ask how long it will be before she realizes he's still the same guy she broke up with before. :shakehead


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## PhotonWrangler (Dec 28, 2007)

If you have a paper cut on your finger, avoid getting acetone on it.


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## prof (Dec 29, 2007)

Never take your 5-year-old daughter to a nice men's store and give the 20-ish clerk permission to help her pick a tie for Daddy for Christmas.

She *usually* has really good taste. Now I have a $60 Italian "one of a kind concept tie."

I love my daughter!


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## mossyoak (Dec 29, 2007)

LukeA said:


> When the girl you like who lives very far away gets back together with her ex, don't ask how long it will be before she realizes he's still the same guy she broke up with before. :shakehead



thats 
a) some balls 
b) awesome 
c) the best way to make sure you never get her on her goodside again


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## LukeA (Dec 30, 2007)

mossyoak said:


> thats
> c) the best way to make sure you never get her on her goodside again



Thanks for that. Inspires real confidence.


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## flash_bang (Dec 30, 2007)

EDIT: meh, my bad

Don't post things when you haven't properly edited them


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## mossyoak (Dec 30, 2007)

LukeA said:


> Thanks for that. Inspires real confidence.



sorry man, but i learned something like that the hard way to, it doesnt work like it does in the movies. trust me. 

women...


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jan 21, 2008)

Heatsinks should be purchased, not handcrafted.


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## lctorana (Jan 22, 2008)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> Heatsinks should be purchased, not handcrafted.


OK, I'll bite.

What burned up?


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## Illum (Jan 22, 2008)

TigerhawkT3 said:


> Heatsinks should be purchased, not handcrafted.



something tells me you bought a chunk of aluminum, started milling ridges on it, with all the aluminum dust thats floating around...having the pyrophoric properties it does in damp humidity and started a thermite reaction when it touched the spark gap of your miller's motor and 

really, what exactly happened?


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## AlphaTea (Jan 23, 2008)

Dont cook bacon in the nude...


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## Crenshaw (Jan 23, 2008)

1.always (ALWAYS GDI) click the "safely remove hardware" icon before un-plugging your external hardrive. 

2.dont use your external hard drive with vista, because safely remove in vista, isnt

Crenshaw

EDIT: woah, i wonder how long that * beside my flashaholic status has been there...


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## PhotonWrangler (Jan 23, 2008)

AlphaTea said:


> Dont cook bacon in the nude...


 oo:


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Jan 23, 2008)

Don't EVER expect a small man with a Napoleon complex will ever change. In fact he will get worse!


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## TigerhawkT3 (Jan 25, 2008)

lctorana said:


> OK, I'll bite.
> 
> What burned up?


Nothing - it just takes longer.

A lot longer.


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## Jay R (Mar 24, 2008)

AlphaTea said:


> Dont cook bacon in the nude...


 
And don't iron in it either. 

P.s. Foreskin burns heal up really quickly. Bet you didn't know that.


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## kongfuchicken (Mar 24, 2008)

When parking your car in that spot that looks like a tight fit, don't take that chance! It IS too small...


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## TorchBoy (Mar 24, 2008)

Jay R said:


> P.s. Foreskins heal burns up really quickly. Bet you didn't know that.


 Can't say that I did. Do you mean "burns heal" (in that order)?


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## Jay R (Mar 25, 2008)

TorchBoy said:


> Can't say that I did. Do you mean "burns heal" (in that order)?


 
Yup, that's what I meant. Changed.

I guessed you yanks won't know it, what with most of you having the snip at birth. Perhaps a topic of conversation best left to the underground...:naughty:


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## PhotonWrangler (Mar 25, 2008)

1) If you're deploying a new type of software on a short timeline, try to find out where the bugs are first.


2) It's impossible to find all of the bugs beforehand. :duh2:


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Mar 25, 2008)

The jobs one most fear are usually pretty easy.

The jobs I think will be easy are usually a B*tch! 

Two examples of the latter are all I got ALMOST done today.


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## Illum (Mar 26, 2008)

DM51 said:


> Moral of this story: Take out the spark plug before cleaning mower blades, so you can't get any compression.



I think this is why some push mowers come with a fuel cut off valve on the side of the engine

when my mowers in storage, whether its been used or not, has the throttle set on choke and valve closed.


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## AlphaTea (Mar 26, 2008)

You can't trust a dog to guard a ham sandwich while you go for a refill on your iced tea.


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## AlphaTea (Mar 26, 2008)

You wife will not always tell you (right away) when the "Check Engine Light" comes on in her car, but she will call you right away if she forgot to fill up with gas or has a flat tire.


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## PhotonWrangler (Mar 26, 2008)

AlphaTea said:


> You can't trust a dog to guard a ham sandwich while you go for a refill on your iced tea.



:laughing:


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Mar 26, 2008)

There are some people in this world who are COMPLETE MORONS and have no idea that this is so.

And I can't shoot them.... 


This makes me irritable!


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## PhotonWrangler (Apr 5, 2008)

If you're carrying aerosol cans of stuff in the back of your vehicle and they're rattling around with other heavy items, make sure you have the caps on the cans. Now the whole vehicle smells like brake cleaner.
:sick2:


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## PlayboyJoeShmoe (Apr 6, 2008)

Similar note to above....

A Spray Bomb carried in the back of my truck  and put black specs all over my tool boxes!

None of the starting fluid, WD40 or other areosols I carry inside the toolbox have


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## TigerhawkT3 (Apr 6, 2008)

Thumbnails are not flathead screwdrivers.


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## TorchBoy (Apr 6, 2008)

My version of the spray can story: A few years ago I was travelling and had an aerosol deodorant can in my carry-on luggage when making my way from my hotel to the airport. At some point mid-trip the cap came off and covered everything in smelly white stuff. The security people at the airport thought it was quite funny, and I was still finding the smelly white stuff a couple of weeks later.


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## Crenshaw (Apr 6, 2008)

isnt deoderant suppose to smell nice albeit overpowering?

Crenshaw


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## Illum (Apr 6, 2008)

TorchBoy said:


> The security people at the airport thought it was quite funny, and I was still finding the smelly white stuff a couple of weeks later.



your lucky they didn't find it suspicious and question you on what your trying to hide from the dogs


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## PhotonWrangler (Apr 6, 2008)

Yeah, weapons of mass deodorization :laughing:


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## Burgess (Apr 7, 2008)

Just checked my list of "subscribed threads".


The *two top lines* were:



_*Things I've learned the hard way . . . .*_

_*Just had my first baby ! ! ! !*_





_


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## TorchBoy (Apr 7, 2008)

Illum_the_nation said:


> your lucky they didn't find it suspicious and question you on what your trying to hide from the dogs


No, they just thought it was funny when I pulled out the very empty antiperspirant can and looked sad. They actually wanted to have a look at a butter knife shaped thing that was in the bag that they'd seen on x-ray. (They laughed when they saw how undangerous that was too.)

At my next stop, a transit through another country, thanks to a schedule change I only had 30 minutes to get around the airport instead of two hours. Airline staff took it in turns to run around the various checkpoints I had to go through, and when I got on the plane quite out of breath and sat down (mine was the only empty seat left) I remember thinking that the poor guy next to me must have thought I had really overdosed with the deodorant. :sick2: It was pretttty strong.


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## Sigman (Apr 7, 2008)

Closing this part & continuing in Part 2...


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