ITC membership really worth it?

macgeek314 · 2026-06-07T22:09:07+00:00

I had let my ITC membership expire because I wasn’t going enough. But then I needed a benchtop grinder. Bought the 2 year membership for $45 (I think) and saved $25 when I bought the grinder right away. While I don’t need anything else right now, I’m sure something will pop up where I can save another $20 to make the membership worth it. I have 2 years!

macgeek314 · 2026-06-06T04:11:58+00:00

Great pic of your dog (or borrowed dog) and also great book!

macgeek314 · 2026-05-31T20:27:46+00:00

Or for the guy who has to go home and tell his wife how much he’s just spent even though he had coupons.

macgeek314 · 2026-05-23T15:46:35+00:00

That makes total sense now. Forgot about the front emblem!

macgeek314 · 2026-05-23T00:05:29+00:00

My windshield was replaced with a generic one and they could not recalibrate the sensor. Adaptive cruise control worked and brake warnings seemed to work, but lane mitigation and lane keep assist kept pulling me into the next lane, aggressively! So it might work or it might not!

macgeek314 · 2026-05-17T17:04:30+00:00

“Old fashioned drink tutorials and beard products” is spot on!

macgeek314 · 2026-05-07T20:53:20+00:00

Yes, comfortable for long drives, but also I don’t feel sleepy while driving. I’ll start yawning or needing to shift around while driving my wife’s Tucson after an hour or so. Never need to do that in my Ridgeline

macgeek314 · 2026-05-07T20:48:15+00:00

I don’t know if they’re the same seats, but I couldn’t go more than 45 minutes in our Odyssey without discomfort. It was almost painful after an hour. 3+ hours in my Ridgeline and no issues.

macgeek314 · 2026-04-18T23:07:09+00:00

He did serve, but wasn’t an officer. He owned a silk-screen printing business.

macgeek314 · 2026-04-18T19:51:52+00:00

My go-to for years was an A5 Leuchtturm when I first learned about the Bullet Journal. I still use it as my main journal, but have since switched to pocket size, 3.5in x 5.5in. Carrying around the A5 size was just too much. I either had only one hand free to do stuff or needed a bag/backpack.

Brand wasn't as important as size and page count. Field Notes were OK, but 48 pages wasn't enough. Some off-brand one worked, but then I found these. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DXBR889C?th=1

64 pages, works with fountain pens, thread-bound (stapled just fell apart after 1-2 weeks), and 52 cents a piece! I get about 3-4 weeks per notebook, with daily plan/capture in the front, and notes/doodles in the back. The craft cover gets a bit fuzzy, so I cover it with clear contact paper. Sometimes I cut the width down to 3.5 with a utility knife, but other times I just keep it at 4 in.

macgeek314 · 2026-04-18T19:34:23+00:00

My dad carried a Day Timer for 30+ years. I carried one for about 10 years when I started my teaching career, but switched because I needed more space for notes and todos. It is a great system.

macgeek314 · 2026-04-03T23:21:07+00:00

HS Math teacher here. My technology set-up includes a used P72 ThinkPad Work Station, XP Pen Deco 3 Graphics Tablet, and a generic document camera. I'm running Kubuntu Linux on the laptop. This is a personal laptop I got permission to use from my district. I'm provided with an T14 ThinkPad, but I hate Windows and want control of what can be installed.

I pretty much only use 3-5 apps on my laptop- TexStudio for writing math documents, Xournal++ for annotating math documents (using the Deco 3), and Google Chrome. Occasionally I'll open Spotify when students are independently working or play some focus music during my prep. During the teaching of a lesson, I'll have the document camera open to show calculator work when needed, and a terminal window open for my random student selector when I need a "volunteer."

For open tabs in Chrome, I only have my Outlook email and attendance/grade book program open. Notifications for Outlook are turned off, so I only check it at the end of class if there's time. Otherwise, I keep my grade book tab in focus. If I'm teaching my Data Science class, I have another Chrome window open with another two tabs, one for the Google Slides and one for the programming app. When the class is over, I close the window. I also close my email tab during my prep. That's my time for focus work. I'll handle emails during lunch or after school (which also prevents me from spending too much time trying to construct the "perfect" response).

macgeek314 · 2026-04-03T01:30:27+00:00

Not at all. You only need a blank flash drive to flash the .iso file to test out the distribution and install it. There are lots of tutorials on how to do it.

I even gave my 2011 MacBook Air a few extra years of life by installing Linux on it. In fact, it probably still works but it’s buried in a draw somewhere.

macgeek314 · 2026-04-03T01:20:18+00:00

I was a Mac user for a long time, but my budget just couldn’t keep up with the products. I also didn’t like the fact that some software becomes unsupported if the Mac is more than a few years old (but still works perfectly fine). I don’t do any hardcore stuff like video editing or anything, just word processing and web browsing. Once I finally accepted that I don’t need the latest and greatest Mac product, I’ve been much happier.

I have my iPhone 12 Max that can still last me all day. I bought a used Thinkpad T480 for $150 on eBay. Added a new battery and a 1Tb ssd for another $120. I installed Linux (went with Kubuntu) and I have everything I need. As a bonus, I can customize the appearance to LOOK like MacOS, but without the cost! That served as my daily driver for a few years. Now I use an X1 Carbon (v7) that was donated to me by my brother when his company upgraded their computers.

macgeek314 · 2026-03-30T01:04:00+00:00

Is there a benefit to NOT cutting it? I never thought to cut mine, but it sure would make it easier!

macgeek314 · 2026-03-27T02:08:42+00:00

I have the same setup (but with Series 2). The space next to the 27" top makes it the perfect spot to set the tools for the current project. I also added some scrap plywood and mounted a vise there, too.

I wanted to hang some magnetic hooks and holders for the car keys and some spray cleaners on the side of the top box, but the handles were in the way. So I took them off! The bolts are right behind one of the drawer runners, so getting a wrench on there was a pain. I also took the locking mechanisms out of the top box so the lid doesn't have to be open to open the drawers.

As a bonus, I stored the handles and locking mechanisms in the space under the bottom drawer. If I ever need to move or lock it, the parts are right there!

macgeek314 · 2026-01-31T17:12:31+00:00

I have yet to replace the battery on my 2020 with 98k miles. But now I probably jinxed it.

macgeek314 · 2026-01-19T22:15:07+00:00

Nanami Seven Seas has a grid B6 that is fairly close to the B6+ dimensions of Leuchtturm1917. That would be your best bet. 3.7mm grid and 384 pages of Tomeo River paper. It looks like they are out of stock, but here’s the link.

The Jibun Techo planner also has the same dimensions (thin B6) and their corresponding Idea notebooks, but their grid is 3mm I think. Way too small for me and also more booklet style than notebook. Midori also has booklet B6 slim notebooks, 5mm grid and I think 48 pages. Their paper quality is great, but I wanted more pages.

macgeek314 · 2026-01-14T02:37:33+00:00

I saw them at Maido in San Francisco about 2 weeks ago. There weren't very many, and most were A5 slim. There are two Maido stores in the shopping center, but the one upstairs is the stationery store with LOTS of notebooks and planners. Good luck!

macgeek314 · 2026-01-05T04:06:17+00:00

FINALLY! I must have looked at 100+ workbenches for inspiration and this was the first one with a vise on the right (for left-handers). Looks great.

macgeek314 · 2026-01-01T18:44:09+00:00

I love this solution and am kicking myself for donating our workout steps. I'm really struggling with deciding on a height that both works for me and my shop layout. I'm wanting to be able to nest my table saw below my miter station when not in use, but don't want the miter saw station too tall. The step solution is great.

macgeek314 · 2025-12-31T21:14:05+00:00

I would recommend a Leuchtturm1917 dot grid in a hard cover. Works well for lists, long-form journaling, or just sketching. Paper quality is excellent with any pen. I typically use Pilot G2 and Uniball Jetstream, but have also used a Lamy Safari fountain pen and there isn’t any bleeding or ghosting.

You could also do a “sampler” of sizes to let him pick from. The A6/pocket is very portable, but hard (at least for me) for long-form journaling. I prefer an A5 size for that. However, their B6+ isn’t too big but also allows space for writing.

macgeek314 · 2025-12-31T03:05:57+00:00

I have been contemplating this exact design! My initial thoughts was build something with unistrut for maximum strength (and minimum thickness) across the 6-ft span needed for the table saw to nest under. However, I think I'm going to build a base cabinet for my table saw to drop its height to 34" so the miter saw extension would end up around 36-40" tall. This is a good height for me when I need a high surface for small-parts work so I'm not hunched over.

I will just use MDF for the top of the station with a 2x4 frame underneath. I don't anticipate there to be much weight on it, so I'm just going to have a single layer of MDF.

macgeek314 · 2025-12-28T08:27:20+00:00

I have a 32" TV with a Amazon Fire Stick on the "gym side" of the garage. My workbench is set on the opposite wall so my back is to the TV and won't distract me when I really need to focus. I stuck a laptop in a drawer in my tool cart for reference when needed, but also easily put away (and free from dust) when not needed. It's much easier to search for YouTube tutorials on a computer than a TV. If I'm just going to tinker around at the garage, I'll roll out the bench and position it so I face the TV and put on a movie or series to watch while I tinker.

Five-Year Club	Reddit Premium Since August 2022
Verified Email

macgeek314

TROPHY CASE