The wall rail systems all seem derivative of Slatwall, commercial product, which is what I installed. When garage-branded systems came out, I remember thinking they were expensive compared to what I'd used, but I haven't compared prices recently.

The idea of a 52W headlamp gave me pause. Turns out the model number is "H52W" and it is a AA headlamp, so not 52W. Was thinking the batteries might be kind of a PITA to lug around. Or the battery life would suck.

Getting an American Express card that had to be paid off every month.

You realize this article is five years old, right?

While the article notes that 2x lumber hasn't been actually 2" thick in a long time, they should also note that the nominal plywood sizing is overstated as well. 3/4" plywood used to be shy of that dimension by 1/32", but these days seems shy by 1/16" or more.

You can also simple triage access in your kitchen like I do—keep the tools you use most often in a bain marie on the counter, and relegate things that are lesser used to less accessible storage. I have a tupperware cupcake transporter filled with my cake frosting/decorating items, since I don't bake a lot of cakes. …

Actually, the issue isn't really pain. My lack of desire to tattoo myself has more to do with my inability to find an image I'd like permanently attached to my skin. Every time I think "that would be cool," I ask myself if I would have thought it was cool 5 years ago and whether I think I'll think its cool 5 years…

Since there are no spots colored "no pain," it reaffirms my current thinking on where to get a tattoo.

My dad used to do that with car inspections. Adjust the headlight beam on one side all wonky so the shop would charge him $10 to fix it instead of deciding he needed a new catalytic converter or something.

A 5-3/8" blade will be big enough to do a straight cut on 2x lumber, but you won't be able to cut a 45 degree miter. They may have to do that b/c it takes more torque to get a bigger blade to cut, but that's a pretty big disadvantage in my book.

Where I am on the East Coast, prices are probably 40% higher—figure $2.50 for a 8' 2x4 and $8.50 for a sheet of OSB. And that is with shitty warped 2x4s. So I'm guessing $70 is probably a better estimate.

I'm with you. My keyring, a simple Atwood Chigger, has a car key and my house key. Money clip and wallet are similarly trim—ID, transit card, ins. card, ATM, credit. Most emergencies these days require a cell phone, not a knife. My briefcase bag has a laptop and other shit in it, but even with that space, the…

I think jacks of all trades have learned that basic competence in most things is a pretty easy learning proposition. The mastery of a skill, however, typically takes repetition and practice. But it is remarkable how far you can get with competence in skills, and how there is a synergistic effect that having…

How often do you need heat shrink tubing?

Sort of the same theory, but taken to the next level: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/101724…

Oh yes. Asked for his manager, explained that I didn't appreciate being lectured by his bartender, especially when he was wrong. I was going to storm out, but the manager started laughing at his bartender and poured us each a vintage port on the house. So we stayed for the drink and the bartender spent his time at…

Reminds me of the time I stopped at a self-declared wine bar one evening with my then girlfriend and decided I wanted a port. Mind you this was a reasonably well regarded establishment in the Old Town section of Alexandria, Virginia, so not really backwoods or anything rural. I asked whether they had any vintage…

I was iffy about parchment paper (I used to use silpat) until I discovered pre-cut parchment (I esp. like King Arthur's) sized for half sheet pans and pre-cut sheets for my 8" and 9" cake rounds. Now I use them even for roasting veggies and stuff just to avoid washing crusty stuff off pans. I also cut them in half…

You need a butter boat. See http://www.amazon.com/Trudeau-096070…

I'm totally in agreement that is the wrong tool for an avocado. On the other hand, it's a bread knife, so do you really care if it is optimally balanced? You are never going to wield a bread knife with the speed you would use a chef's knife, bread is a fairly forgiving medium to cut, and the shape does give you some…