This is a lovely article about hotplates that won't kill you. I've had more than a few that go zappy zappy if you touch them wrong, but I'll also say they're an indispensable rework tool. A good read if you're in need of one.

https://hackaday.com/2025/12/10/cheap-10x10cm-hotplate-punches-above-its-weight/

Every time someone designs a #PCB and puts the whole #schematic on one sheet, the Universe ritually sacrifices the cutest #unicorn.

You've been warned, you heathens. Top-level schematic symbols show the logical relationships between your clusterf*ck of parts!

A good rule of thumb is that the thumb was the source of the blood.

-- me, right after reaching into a pick and place machine and discovering lots of blood

I am endlessly amused by the optimism baked into courier tracking systems.

Your package is scheduled for delivery to TORONTO CA by 10:00AM TODAY (it's 9:51AM).

Current package location: HONG KONG

Every once in a while I'm minding my own business on a quiet evening, arms-deep in some CAD program, and out pops a fundamental truth about the Universe.

Today's "discovery?" Accidental Archimedean spiral, reincarnated as a compliant mechanism.

Here's hoping it works, because I'm accumulating quite a pile of crap trying ideas that aren't working.

I love how in movies scientists and engineers are always making notes by video log. Like, so cool.

I'm pretty sure if I did that, someone might posthumously open my archives one day and find hundreds of hours of selfie videos of me cursing and swearing.

Like a more colourful version of my commit logs.