Question about post hole digging - neighbor said hand tools are better than auger?

Last weekend I was setting posts for a new boundary fence in my backyard here in Columbus. My neighbor Bill, who has been putting up fences for 30 years, told me to put away my gas auger and use a clamshell digger instead. He said augers just spin the dirt around and don't get you a clean hole, especially in clay soil. I tried it his way and got 6 holes done in about 4 hours, but I was beat. The holes did look nice and straight though. Has anyone else had better luck with hand digging over an auger for clay ground?

Hit 500 freewheel rebuilds at the shop last Wednesday

That time I realized I was haggling all wrong at flea markets

I spent three years paying sticker price at a flea market in Lancaster until an old vendor told me I should start my offer at half what they ask and work up from there. Has anyone else had a veteran seller give them a tip that changed how they shop?

My bank's mobile deposit randomly rejected a $1,200 check from my brother

It was a perfectly clear check written Friday, and the app gave me that 'could not verify' error with zero explanation. I had to drive 30 miles to a branch and wait 20 minutes just to have a teller manually accept it. Has anyone else's bank app been acting up like this lately?

Figured out I was running my cutterhead way too fast for 3 years straight

I was on a job near Baton Rouge last month dredging some pretty heavy clay, and the old guy who runs the barge next to mine just walked over and asked why I was trying to blend a milkshake. He showed me his tach was reading about 40% lower than mine for the same material, and the difference in load on the engine was night and day. Made me feel dumb but now my fuel burn is way down... anyone else ever get humbled by a random tip from a guy who's been at it 30 years?

My buddy told me to skip the switchbacks on the Rim Trail...

He said cutting straight down the ridge would save me 45 minutes. It was steep and loose, but I figured he'd done it before. About halfway down I hit a section of scree that just kept sliding under my boots, no footing at all. Took me almost an hour just to get past that part, and I rolled my ankle pretty good. Anyone else ever follow bad beta from a friend and end up regretting it?

Chef told me my knife grip was wrong after 8 years

Had a sous chef at a pop-up in Portland last month watch me break down a case of onions. He said I was holding the knife like a hammer and losing control on the tip. Switched to pinching the blade right above the bolster and my cuts are way more consistent now. Anyone else get basic technique feedback way later than they should have?

That time a guy at a con told me I was reading comics wrong

I was flipping through a back issue bin at a small show in Portland last year, and this older collector tapped my shoulder and said I was holding the book by the spine wrong. He showed me how to support the cover and pages with both hands instead, and honestly my old comics from the 90s have less creasing now.

Dropped $200 on an AI copywriting tool and it wrote better than my freelancer

I used it for 3 months on product descriptions and it saved me about $600 in freelance fees, but the stuff all started sounding the same after a while. Anyone else feel like these tools plateau hard after the first few weeks?

Got chewed out by a lead inspector over my safety wire twists

I had been doing safety wire the same way for years. 7 or 8 twists per inch, just like I learned in school. Then last month a lead from Delta came by our hangar and looked at my work on a fuel line. He said my twists were too tight and would stress the wire. He showed me his method - 4 to 6 twists max, and keep them loose enough to flex. Felt like an idiot but I've been doing it his way ever since. Anyone else ever get told they were over-tightening?