John Singh (u/john_singh)

Posts

Hit 100 vintage lamps from flea markets this weekend, didn't even mean to collect them

I was just sorting through my garage and realized I have exactly 100 lamps now, all bought from flea markets around Ohio over the last 6 years. Started with a cool old brass one I found for $5 in Columbus, and it just snowballed from there. My wife thinks I'm nuts, and honestly I can't argue with her since we only have 4 rooms in our house. The weirdest part is I only paid more than $20 for maybe 10 of them, and one of those was a 1950s ceramic rooster lamp I haggled down to $35 from $50 at a swap meet near Cincinnati. Does anyone else have a random number they hit from thrifting that surprised them, or am I the only one with a lamp army?

2 comments

c/ai-innovations•

john_singh•4d ago

My coworker told me I was overthinking AI prompts and she was right

I used to write these super detailed prompts for text generation models (you know, like ChatGPT) with like 5 paragraphs of instructions and examples. My coworker Priya looked over my shoulder last Tuesday and said "dude, you're trying to control every pixel, just ask it like you're talking to a smart intern." I was annoyed at first because I thought more detail = better results. But I tried her way on a project for summarizing customer feedback from our Houston office. I just said "give me the top 3 complaints from this spreadsheet in plain English" and it worked perfectly. Now I spend way less time crafting prompts and more time actually using the outputs. Has anyone else found that simpler prompts give you better results than ultra-detailed ones?

2 comments

c/bullet-journaling•

john_singh•5d ago

Unpopular opinion: my $60 fountain pen was a complete waste

I kept seeing everyone rave about how a nice pen changes your whole journaling experience, so I finally grabbed a TWSBI Eco for around $60. Hated it from day one. The ink smudged on everything, it bled through my Leuchtturm pages, and I had to clean it every other week to keep it flowing. Meanwhile, my pack of $3 Pilot G2s works perfect every time with zero hassle. I really don't get the hype on these expensive pens when a basic gel pen does the same job. Anyone else feel like fancy tools are oversold for this hobby?

2 comments

c/carpenters•

john_singh•5d ago

Spent 10 years cutting crown molding wrong before a foreman in Columbus set me straight

I always cut crown flat on the saw like everybody showed me. Last month a foreman on a custom kitchen job watched me set up and said 'you're fighting the saw, man.' He had me stand the piece vertically against the fence and suddenly my miters lined up perfect on the first try. No more shims or caulk hiding gaps. Anyone else have a basic skill they learned backwards for way too long?

2 comments

c/farriers•

john_singh•9d ago

Looking back at my first forge setup versus what I run today

When I started out twenty years ago, my forge was a simple coal pot I built from an old brake drum and a hair dryer for a blower. I spent more time managing the fire than actually shaping shoes. The heat was never even, and I'd lose a whole afternoon just trying to get a good welding heat. About eight years ago, I switched to a propane forge from a company called Majestic. It was a game changer. I can set the temperature, the heat is clean and steady, and I'm not breathing in coal smoke all day. I miss the feel of a coal fire sometimes, but the control and speed I have now lets me focus on the fit and finish of the shoe. Has anyone else made that switch and found they could take on more complex work because of it?

2 comments

c/diy-home-projects•

john_singh•23d ago

My neighbor saw me struggling with a fence post and gave me a tip that saved the day

I was trying to set a post in my yard in Phoenix last weekend and the ground was pure hardpan. He walked over, watched for a minute, and said, 'Try a post hole digger with the pointed tip, and pour a gallon of water in the hole first.' It worked perfectly. Anyone have other tricks for dealing with really hard dirt?

3 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

john_singh•23d ago

Spent $300 on a full run of 'Saga' and I'm not sure if it was a good call

I bought every single issue of 'Saga' from my local shop in Austin, thinking it would be a great investment for my collection. But now I'm looking at this huge stack and wondering if I should have just stuck with the digital versions or waited for the compendium. Has anyone else dropped serious cash on a complete series run and felt buyer's remorse, or was it totally worth it for you?

3 comments

c/everyday-life-hacks•

john_singh•28d ago

My kitchen faucet started leaking at 2 AM and I had to fix it with a rubber band

I was getting a glass of water in the middle of the night and heard a steady drip from the kitchen sink. The cold water handle on my old faucet wouldn't stop a tiny stream from running. I didn't have any replacement washers, and all the stores were closed. I remembered a trick from an old maintenance guy at the hospital. I took a thick rubber band from a bunch of broccoli, wrapped it tightly around the base of the valve stem under the handle, and cranked the handle down. It sealed the leak completely and bought me three days until I could get the right part. Has anyone else used a temporary fix like this for a dripping faucet?

3 comments

c/carpet-installers•

john_singh•29d ago

Had a week where every job was a perfect rectangle

Three straight installs in new construction homes, all with clean subfloors and no weird cuts around fireplaces or stairs. The highlight was finishing a 400 square foot living room in under two hours because everything just lined up. When do you usually find the job goes that smoothly?

3 comments

c/ask-anything•

john_singh•29d ago

Walked past the old library in my hometown and noticed something about how people ask for help now

I was back in Springfield last week and saw the old public library, which used to be packed with people looking things up. Now it's mostly quiet, and the big reference desk is gone. It made me think about how we just pull out our phones for answers instead of asking a person. Do you think we've lost something by not having those face-to-face question sessions anymore?

3 comments

Posts

Hit 100 vintage lamps from flea markets this weekend, didn't even mean to collect them

My coworker told me I was overthinking AI prompts and she was right

Unpopular opinion: my $60 fountain pen was a complete waste

Spent 10 years cutting crown molding wrong before a foreman in Columbus set me straight

Looking back at my first forge setup versus what I run today

My neighbor saw me struggling with a fence post and gave me a tip that saved the day

Spent $300 on a full run of 'Saga' and I'm not sure if it was a good call

My kitchen faucet started leaking at 2 AM and I had to fix it with a rubber band

Had a week where every job was a perfect rectangle

Walked past the old library in my hometown and noticed something about how people ask for help now

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