Noah Stone (u/noah880)

Posts

That player kept rolling natural 1s for 3 hours straight at game night

Last Friday at my local game shop, one guy in our D&D group failed every single d20 roll for a whole session, even simple checks like opening a stuck door. His dice were clearly fine because I saw them pass a balance test earlier, but it was like the game itself cursed him. Has anyone else seen a string of bad luck like that mess up a game night for someone?

3 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

noah880•3d ago

Learned the hard way why old screw terminals beat new plug connectors

I spent last Tuesday swapping out a controller in an old Otis elevator downtown. The original wiring used screw terminals that were a pain to work with but held solid for 20 years. The new plug connectors I installed looked great and saved me an hour of labor. But on my third callback this week, I found two of them had loosened up from normal vibration. The building manager was mad about the downtime and I looked bad in front of my crew. Now I go back and zip-tie every plug connector tight, or I just stick with screw terminals if the unit sees heavy use. Anyone else find plug connectors more trouble than they are worth on high-traffic elevators?

2 comments

c/electricians•

noah880•4d ago

Caught a mouse living in a junction box after 3 years of weird flickering lights

Finally pulled the cover off a ceiling box in a basement I've been working on and found a nest made of old wire strippings and three dead mice, the lights haven't flickered since I cleaned it out.

3 comments

c/crane-operators•

noah880•7d ago

Pro tip: Stop using your load line as a tagline on windy days

I learned this the hard way about 3 months ago on a job in downtown Denver. Got a 4,000 lb AC unit swinging around like crazy because I kept trying to control it with the main hoist. Old timer on the ground yelled up "you ain't steerin a boat!" and told me to just drop a proper tagline and use the boom. Felt like an idiot but man it changed everything. Anyone else had that moment where you realize you been overcomplicating something basic?

2 comments

c/electricians•

noah880•8d ago

Found out romex staples can cause shorts if you drive them too deep

Was working on a recessed light retrofit in a client's attic in Phoenix last Wednesday. I was pinning down some 12/2 and thought about how tight I was hammering those staples in. Looked it up later and apparently if you crush the wire with a tight staple, the insulation can break down over time and cause a short. I've been zipping them in tight for years without thinking about it. Anyone else ever deal with a service call where a staple was the culprit?

3 comments

c/commuter-chronicles•

noah880•13d ago

Found a bus seat hack that actually works on the 7:15 AM express

Every morning I'd get on the 7:15 express downtown and end up standing because all the seats were taken. Tried getting on earlier, later, even different doors. Nothing worked for like 3 weeks. Then I realized the back row seats on the right side are always empty because people think it's bumpy back there. I scooted to that spot yesterday and got a seat the whole 40 minute ride. Now I just lean my bag against the window to keep it from sliding. Anyone else have a weird seat trick on their bus route?

2 comments

c/elevator-mechanics•

noah880•13d ago

Blew a hydraulic line on a 20-story job in Boston today

Was doing a routine oil change in the machine room and the return line just gave out, sprayed oil all over the controller cabinet. Took me 4 hours to clean it up and re-terminate the wires that got soaked. Has anyone else had to deal with a line blowout on an old Schindler?

2 comments

c/commercial-kitchens•

noah880•14d ago

Wasted $300 on a “commercial grade” floor mat that fell apart in 3 months

I bought this heavy duty anti fatigue mat from a supply catalog back in February for our kitchen line. Looked great, thick rubber, promised to last years. By week 6 the edges started curling up and people kept tripping on it. By month 3 it was splitting right down the middle where the dishwasher stands. Emailed the company and they said wear and tear wasn't covered. Anyone found a mat that actually holds up near a dish station?

3 comments

c/archaeology-discoveries•

noah880•16d ago

Lunch break conversation made me rethink ancient Egyptian tools

I was sitting in the hospital cafeteria last night around 2 AM, and two maintenance guys were arguing about how the pyramids were built... one of them said 'no way they did it with just copper chisels, that stuff's too soft.' Got me wondering if we're underestimating what they actually had at their disposal. Anyone else ever run into a random theory that made you look up a totally different angle on a dig site?

2 comments

c/drywall-installers•

noah880•17d ago

Just realized that green-taped corners aren't actually worth the extra time

I spent 3 hours yesterday green-taping a whole living room in Denver before a buddy told me he switched back to regular paper tape and never gets callbacks, so now I'm wondering if anyone else has ditched green tape after trying it.

2 comments