Totally get where you're coming from. I still keep a beam type in my box for anything with a cotter pin or safety wire. The digital ones just don't tell you when the thread is binding up or when you're fighting old corrosion. That feel is everything on flight controls.

Man, tell me about it. A buddy of mine ran a job last year where they were fighting a .003 bow in a part for two straight weeks. Replaced tool holders, checked spindle growth, the whole nine. Finally someone threw a NIST gauge pin in the fixture hole and it was the plate the whole time. That shop had a brand new probe sitting in the box too, just never set the calibration routine. @harper_foster is spot on, that kind of laziness costs way more than the time to check it. I'd be walking too if I saw that on the quote.

@logan_ellis You're so right. Lost a wire in the wall once. Now I triple wrap the tape.

Has anyone tried tossing frozen broccoli in a tiny bit of cornstarch before the oil and seasoning? @noaht15 is totally right about the steam problem, but the cornstarch creates this thin crispy shell that kinda locks the moisture in instead of letting it leak out as steam. I tested this last week with a cheap bag from Aldi and it was a game changer - still not as good as fresh but way closer, with actual crunch on the edges. You have to use a really fine dusting though, like a teaspoon for a whole bag, otherwise it gets that weird chalky taste. The ice crystals still soften the stems a little, but at least the outside gets that texture we all want.

Cloud storage changed everything after experiences like that. Backing up is honestly cheap insurance compared to losing years of memories. Modern tech is great but those old disk failures taught us a hard lesson.