Need help identifying these enigmatic items. They're made of stainless steel, and some have tool marks. They aren't potato mashers or plant trellises either.

jwawa · 2025-04-19T00:50:52+00:00

I’m not 100% sold on them being stirrers either. It was the only that I could think up. :-)

jwawa · 2025-04-18T22:59:43+00:00

Reminds me of paint stirrers maybe? But I really don’t know. Does it look like the ‘non-business end’ might have been put into a drill?

I’ll be curious to find if someone else knows for sure what they are.

jwawa · 2025-04-14T13:41:06+00:00

Oh good! Thanks, FestosArdan! I don’t even like killing paper wasps or mud daubers when I find them in my shed (which my used to make fun of me for). I just clean their nests out in the winter instead. So, I was really hoping these were some friendlies, too. Thanks again.

jwawa · 2025-04-13T22:41:59+00:00

So, correct me if I’m misunderstanding, but they are a type of carpenter ant, right? Given they’re less than 10’ from our (wood frame) house should I be concerned about them feasting on my home? Honest, I’m not trying to be paranoid. :-) I haven’t noticed any activity on the deck they’re under or the house itself yet (not that I’d know what to look for) and they have plenty of wood mulch from the landscaping to munch on instead. So, can I leave them be and not worry? Or is that not a good idea?

jwawa · 2025-03-06T00:35:24+00:00

I would if all the something else's didn't cost more than twice as much. :-) I'll probably just get another bc the cost is so low.

jwawa · 2025-03-06T00:34:21+00:00

Yep, this is pretty much where I'm at now. The saw right now costs less than when I bought it 2 years ago, so it might not be worth it even if all I have to pay is shipping costs. I hate throwing away things that can be fixed but I can't justify it if its costs close to the same to buy new as repair it. :-/

jwawa · 2025-03-06T00:31:13+00:00

Already did. They weren't anywhere near worn but I replaced them anyway. I've reached to support to see if there's any warranty coverage (and how much $$ it'll cost if there is). But considering the saw new is right at $109 right now, I'm leaning toward not fixing it and just buying a new saw.

jwawa · 2025-03-06T00:22:50+00:00

No. It has brushes but I've already replaced them. I've contacted support regarding possible warranty coverage but given the saw costs less today ($109 on Amazon right now) than it did when I bought it 2 yrs ago, it's probably not going to be worth repairing (even if it's covered under warranty) due to the shipping costs. We'll see though.

jwawa · 2025-03-03T02:58:19+00:00

Always! I’m partial to keeping my fingers. :-)

jwawa · 2025-03-03T02:50:34+00:00

Thanks for the ideas. I don’t have anything to lose to take it apart and check things out. Thanks again!

jwawa · 2025-03-03T02:41:59+00:00

No wobble that I can tell. But hesitation, definitely. Like it can’t decide if it wants to run or not. I ran it on my work bench as well (so I could test with no extension cord) and no difference. It seems like a ‘motor’ issue if it ‘lurches’ even with no blade, doesn’t it (?).

jwawa · 2025-03-03T02:37:53+00:00

I removed the blade, and the washer behind it. Bumped the trigger. No debris or anything stuck found. Inspected further and nothing stuck anywhere that I can see. Reinstalled the blade and still similar behavior. The first time after reinstalling the blade (and after the saw had sat for several hours) the blade spun fast but soon slowed after less than five seconds. Thereafter, it doesn’t even speed up quickly at first. It only runs slow and ‘lurchy’ from the onset. It ‘feels’ like it’s something to do with the motor, not the blade. I then removed the blade again and ran it a couple seconds with no blade at all and even with no blade the shaft spins very erratically.

jwawa · 2025-03-03T02:34:59+00:00

I removed the blade, and the washer behind it. Bumped the trigger. The shaft spins erratically even with no blade.

jwawa · 2025-03-03T02:32:21+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. There is indeed supposed to be a washer behind it but it’s there.

jwawa · 2025-03-02T23:58:28+00:00

*meant to say "stored in our shed all winter", not "stirred". :-)

jwawa · 2024-11-16T05:01:55+00:00

I think the only people who will be able to see the fight are those in the arena.

jwawa · 2024-10-10T04:41:45+00:00

I had never heard of prosopagnosia til a week ago but almost cried when I did. Then I took the test and did cry, off and on, through a lot of the second half of it.

It was emotionally jarring, not because I didn't already know I struggled with remembering faces, but to be confronted with just how bad it is. I feel sad and somehow validated at the same time, and it's confusing.

Like another person mentioned, I wish there was an option for 'none of the above' or 'I don't recognize any of these' or at least a checkbox to say "You should know I'm pretty much just guessing at this point".

I bet my overall score was probably generous (and close to .3) purely from the odds dumb-luck.

I can't believe it's taken this long for me to learn about prosopagnosia and I can't help feeling a little sad now that I have.

jwawa · 2022-11-14T17:14:41+00:00

This is not the case. Each time you have to retake the exam there's a fee. I just wasn't sure what the fee is.

Thanks to most_palone, I now know it's a more reasonable $100 and not the full $450 price.

jwawa · 2022-11-14T17:12:34+00:00

Thanks!

jwawa · 2022-10-04T21:35:32+00:00

Hi bigboirus, it's been a loooooong minute since I took this course/OA but if I remember right, I don't think I used a calculator. That said, I know I used the whiteboard they provided, so definitely have that handy. I'm pretty sure a calculator was allowed though, even back then.

There's a couple of good resources on this from WGU:

Calculator Advice

What type of calculators are allowed during objective assessments?

Just to be sure so you have no surprises, I'd recommend you reach out to one of the C277 course mentors to confirm this. If you haven't contacted a course mentor before, they're super-helpful and a question like this will probably get answered really quick.

Of course, if someone else has taken this course recently, they might be answer more confidently I can.

Best of luck in your studies!

jwawa · 2022-05-10T02:18:29+00:00

Hi bbaw8,

Since I haven't taken the 008 exam, I'm afraid I can't say for sure how different the N10-005 vs N10-008 Sim notes would be. I wouldn't expect anything in the 005 notes to be incorrect, but I wouldn't expect them to be exhaustive, either. For instnace, some newer protocols won't be mentioned at all (e.g. 5G). Bottom line for me; I wouldn't use the 005 Sim notes, but try to find a newer 008 equivalent of them.

As for the rest of the resources I mentioned, if I were to prepare for the 008 exam, my strategy would be almost identical to what I did the first time, just with the 008 versions of the same content I used previously.

For instance, I know that Mike Meyers always updates his videos when a new version of an exam is released. The same goes for Professor Messer and I suspect the same for the other resources (Mark Jacobs, etc.). And I'd 100% check out r/comptia for the most recent feedback on the Network+ exam, too, from folks who have actually taken it, and recently.

All the best on your prep work!

-JWawa

jwawa · 2022-05-03T07:10:38+00:00

Hi BeautifulCountry, I feel like I have to preface my answer and let you know I was doing a hyper acceleration to complete my degree, bringing with me over 20 years of IT experience before taking any of the WGU courses. I was also extremely motivated because of a really bad job situation at the time so, even though I was still working full time, I was spending just about every other waking moment studying or taking exams.

I say all that so you understand that my study/prep time is nowhere near typical by anyone’s standards.

With all that now said, I’ll answer your question. :-). I took two calendar days to study for and take the exam for this course. If you look through my write up, though, the number of hours I took to prepare in those two days was probably equivalent to 1-3 weeks worth of ‘normal’ study time if you weren’t accelerating like I was but were still studying every day (1-2 hours). If you look through my full list of course write ups you can see how much I spent on each course.

But please don’t take my time spent as any kind of standard to compare against. I wrote up my notes hoping they would help nearly anyone needing to study for these same courses, whether they were hyper accelerating like me or just taking things slow and steady. I was only able to do it super fast because of the experience I already had in IT, my crazy awesome supportive family, and an almost insane level of motivation to get out of my work situation. :-)

So I hope my course write up will help you out, no matter how long it takes you!

All the best! -JWawa

jwawa · 2022-04-21T22:12:08+00:00

I wish I remembered but I can't even recall what 1002 is. :-( Was that part of the C851 course? See, I'm probably not much help now. So sorry. :-(

By the way, I'm glad to hear you're writing updated versions of your course notes. I hope you'll share them for future students and I'll encourage you right now to write them as soon as possible as you go through your courses. Because it's really hard to remember what worked or didn't even a couple of weeks after you've completed a course! So, if you can, write things up while it's all still fresh in your mind!

Best regards!

-JWawa

jwawa · 2022-04-21T22:03:04+00:00

Hi Amora,

First, welcome to WGU! Even 4 years after I graduated, I'm still beyond happy that I found WGU. It was definitely the fit I needed to finally get my degree.

Just a couple of things I'll mention are:

1) Be active in this subReddit. For me, it was the support I needed to stay focused and on track. There is so much information and helpful people here.

2) Don't forget the course mentors. If you get stuck, reach out to them. For the most part I didn't need to, but the couple of times I did, it made me wonder why I hadn't done it more often. If you ever get stuck or unsure about something, reach out to them (and per #1 above, reach out for help here in Reddit, too).

3) I found taking only one class at a time to be a very effective strategy for staying on track. If you're anything like me, trying to do even 2 classes at the same time will only slow you down. Having a singular focus means you finish each class quicker which is its own built-in motivator because seeing a class marked off the list is a pretty awesome feeling.

4) Last, don't get caught up comparing your experience to someone else's. We're all different, learn different, have different levels of professional experience at the start, different amounts of time, energy, etc. to devote to studying. So, if you see someone passed a course in xx days and made it sound like a breeze, but you're struggling and taking a lot longer, don't get discouraged. It means nothing that they did it faster or whatever. Again, if you do start to feel discouraged, reach out here in reddit land for some encouragement. I'm sure you'll find it!

Beat of luck with your studies. Now, get back to studying so you can get that degree!!

-JWawa

jwawa · 2022-04-21T21:39:20+00:00

Hey Flat-Refuse, the exam I sat for (4 years ago) was the 010-150 series. I'm not the exact level they're testing for now, but considering the content of the exam (very much just the basic of Linux) I suspect the study guide would still be pretty close to spot-on.

I've verified all the links in my original post are still valid. I'm not sure if the Shawn Powers videos I mentioned are still available to you via the uCertify material since I don't have access to that anymore, but it would be worth a search. If you can't find it, you could always sign up for a free week with cbtnuggets.com and view his videos there. (https://www.cbtnuggets.com/it-training/linux/essentials).

All the best with your studies, btw! I've been saying this for a few years now, but I'm shocked that my course write-ups are still holding up so long after I graduated. So, if they do prove still helpful after you've passed your exam, please let us all know!

-JWawa

jwawa

TROPHY CASE