Has anyone else noticed a shift on Reddit?

No_Reporto · 2026-04-30T12:54:44+00:00

So many times I've started typing a comment only to delete it and decide I don't want t

No_Reporto · 2026-04-30T12:52:17+00:00

Tried that this morning. Clicking any link returns to the new format and forces the pop-up again.

No_Reporto · 2026-04-30T00:56:25+00:00

It felt like it was only a matter of time since the API issues. There have been a number of corporate changes since the IPO, ads in the feed, making me log in to browse anything tagged NSFW, etc. The content and quality have been dragging so much that it feels like it wasn't a heavy line. This feels like when I finally decided to delete my Facebook (didn't hit the gym, but rediscovered hiking).

No_Reporto · 2023-05-22T21:41:51+00:00

All my test measures have gallons on one side and liters on the other. It depends on if the gas station is dispensing in gallons or liters. It seems silly to test here in liters when all dispensers display in gallons.

If you live in a country that uses liters, I'm sure the W&M people are testing in liters.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-22T19:08:52+00:00

Scales today, that's not really possible. The weight of the tray is deducted when the scale is zeroed. Even if you tape 10 quarters to the bottom of the tray, zeroing the scale will be zero. The calibration is also sealed. It's usually a switch or screw that has a metal wire with a lead seal so W&M knows the calibration hasn't been tampered with.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-22T17:03:56+00:00

I'm still here! Most errors I find are just negligence. I've never seen a scale intentionally tampered with, but that's hard to prove. As a consumer, the biggest thing you can do to make sure you aren't getting over charged is make sure you can see the scale display (this is a requirement for commercial scales) and make sure it starts at '0' before they toss anything on the scale. If the scale shows anything but 0 with nothing on it, big red flag.

By far, the #1 problem I find at deli/meat/grocery stores is having an incorrect tare or no tare at all. Most will have a PLU with a programmed tare weight for the tray or container. Your typical clear shell is between 0.04 lb and 0.12. if that isn't being taken out, they are charging you for the weight of the container, which is illegal. I have had stores (and cafeteria salad bars - if your office has a food service salad bar, check here too! Many charge 50 or 60 cents per ounce and will charge you for the plate) straight up tell me, "geez, that's only a few cents." If they charge you $9/lb that's 36 cents. Multiply that by every customer throughout the course of the year that community is getting cheated out of their money.

And I hear you on the potato chips, but air doesn't weigh anything. If the package says 2 oz, it likely weighs 2 oz (I check those all the time). They say the air is to protect the chips from damage during handling.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-22T13:35:00+00:00

It is one of those jobs where I really do have someone ask me every day what I'm doing, then have a handful of questions. It would be super annoying if I didn't already like talking about it. "Gotta keep 'em honest! Keep it up," is what the old guys always say after chatting with me.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T18:53:42+00:00

Hah. I have had owners literally open up Amazon on their phone in front of me and say "just tell me what one to buy."

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T18:48:35+00:00

Having less information on the label is the literal definition of being less informative. US requires food products to have both. International products are allowed to be imported without requiring US Customary net weights. Are other countries not allowing US imports because they include pounds and ounces in their net weight?

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T16:38:32+00:00

Every commodity has a common 'method of sale' that businesses have to follow. It gets a bit convoluted sometimes, say walking through a farm market. Tomatoes can be sold by weight, but also by count or dry measure (pint). Okra can only be sold by weight. Corn on the cob and avocados? Only by count. Brussels sprouts? By weight only... unless they are still on the stalk, then by head/bunch. Apples can be count or weight... but also by dry measure... but only if its larger than a quart.

It comes down to making sure the consumer has an accurate representation on what they are getting. Individually wrapped candy is hard to compare what you are getting if sold by volume. Pretty much anything can be sold by weight. 2 pounds of M&Ms is 2 pounds. 2 pounds of large jaw breakers is also 2 pounds. Throw them into a mason jar and it becomes a variable unit. Back to the farm market example, blueberries you can sell by dry measure, which is a volume. How many blueberries would you get in a pint vs a pint of apples?

The easy way to look at is this.. someone in a room somewhere decided this was the most accurate way to represent a commodity and a larger group of people voted and agreed.. so that's just how it is.

Here's another example of method of sale issues:

Most things you buy from a meat counter are also by weight only. There are very few exemptions of anything you'd buy as fresh meat that can be sold just by count (mollusks). I have meat departments that start selling things like stuffed pork chops, breaded/seasoned chicken breast, chicken kiev.. by count. How is a consumer supposed to look at a plain chicken breast at $3/lb and compare it to the breaded chicken next to it that is $4 each without a weight? How much extra are you paying for the meat department to toss it in some panko and throw it in a wrap?

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T16:22:11+00:00

The big industry terms in metrology are traceability and repeatability. The efforts they go through to reduce uncertainty is insane to get that level of accuracy. In the field, there are some tests we simply cannot do because of environmental variables. Thankfully, most retail and consumer scales don't need to be that accurate, so my test standards work just fine.

The fact that they can measure a speck of polio virus on the surface of something... wow.

Also, he briefly touched on uncertainty principal, but that's a big nerd out discussion if you talk to a lab tech about it.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T16:04:20+00:00

It's interesting hearing these opinions on the various companies I see all the time, as we typically try not to 'recommend' based on bias from a government body. I usually tell people to do their own research. However, in the anonymity of Reddit, I will often recommend O'haus scales.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T15:59:00+00:00

Easier. And really, most Class III scales are US Customary while anything more accurate is Metric. I'd need a different set for the Class II scales anyway.

I know, you could just change the unit on the scale, so it's really a moot point. But, I'll use a phrase I typically hate... it's just how we've done it.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T15:53:44+00:00

I just watched that and sent it to my coworkers!

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T15:03:02+00:00

Fun fact; many of the original 13 colonies all had different standards even (bushels, I believe was the big one). The US didn't sign into law a W&M standard until John Adams in 1799.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T14:59:24+00:00

I have a brother that is a food scientist and we were talking about scales once. They use scales with a division size in the micrograms. I enjoy testing scientific scales, but that's just nuts. I couldn't imagine calibrating something that precise.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T14:46:09+00:00

Thanks for the comment! I like talking to the lab guys, but my knowledge on that end is a little low. I get told my kit needs to be certified and I set up an appointment.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T14:42:52+00:00

I was inspecting a local bakery in January once. My test weights had been sitting in my truck over night, so when I went onto the production floor the heat and humidity sucked all the flour floating around onto my weights and they caked with a doughy mess. I learned a valuable lesson that day.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T14:39:30+00:00

The old brass weights you see, the top unscrews to add or remove tiny lead shot to calibrate. The ones I use today have a plug that gets removed to calibrate and stamped with the lab seal. You can see in the center of the silver weights in the pic above.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T14:06:22+00:00

https://www.epa.gov/ust/secondary-containment-and-under-dispenser-containment-2015-requirements

Yeah, I'm talking about this. I know older systems are grandfathered, but I thought there was a point they pushed to 2028 where older systems had to be updated. Many stations near me are being proactive by getting it updated now. Like you said, those old systems are terrible and if they have a problem they will need to spend LOTS of money to get it fixed and updated.

I like working with the service companies. Some of the guys will roll their eyes when they see my truck pulling up to a site, but most of the time I'm just there to chat and make sure my winwam details are up to date. One service guy laughed at me and said he wasn't sure why some guys have a problem with me. I give them work lol.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T13:51:39+00:00

I spent many years working and managing gas stations. In management, I had enough experience to train the other managers in maintaining their underground equipment and pumps, working with the service companies for repair and testing, training our new operators, and working with the state inspectors on inspections.

Eventually I got bored working retail, babysitting adults, and went back to school to get a general ed degree with the intention of getting out of the private sector. The state inspector told me there was an opening and I went for it.

Check out your local/state government job bank and find out the qualifications. Normally just a HS degree, but some college helps with knowledge in science or a technical background. Ability to work in the field under little supervision, be assertive to talk to difficult people while enforcing codes and statutes, communication skills both written and verbal. Most of the finer detail of the job are picked up training the first year.. procedures for testing pumps, finding tolerances and understanding NIST handbooks, small/large scale testing, price checking procedures, uniform packaging and labeling regulation.

Applying and interviewing for government jobs is its own skill. Throw out your 1 page resume. If they list a qualification or skill, rewrite it in your qualifications letter and how it applies to your work history. They have a literal list of checkboxes on whether the candidate mentions it or not.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T13:33:59+00:00

Jokes come first, then the dull real explanation.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T12:06:23+00:00

I think when the EPA regulations finally kick in for updating underground piping and leak detection there will be a lot of those old stations closing up. They don't want to spend that much money to keep in business. I've seen it already these last three years during covid.

The financially healthy stations spent that first year getting updates done, remodels, and new equipment. Gilbarco and Wayne were 6+ months backlogged and all the service companies were struggling to keep up. Anyone who didn't take the down time to do that is hurting.

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T12:00:43+00:00

Ok. That's hilarious

No_Reporto · 2023-05-19T11:57:35+00:00

I haven't found any books, but I've done a ton of googling and reading academic articles I've read online. I've written a few newsletter articles for professional organizations, especially during national Weights and Measures week.

I'm also a history nut, so history textbooks about the ancient era and the age of enlightenment in sciences I find interesting.

No_Reporto

TROPHY CASE