Trades & Careers

Electrician, lineman, welder, plumber. How to get in, get certified and get paid what the work is worth.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Nobody walks into the plumbing aisle on purpose

Ten lines from the busiest aisle on a Saturday morning, and the fix behind each one, so you're not the next guy holding a wet sandwich bag.

StoryTools & OrganizingDean ShawOct 7, 20265 min

What Gets Said in Aisle Nine Before the Coffee Kicks In

A breaker labeled with a question mark, a paint chip called "wall color," and the real lessons hiding behind every line at the Saturday counter.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuideCarsDean ShawOct 7, 20265 min

How to jump a dead car, in the order it really happens

Red to dead, black to metal, and the one cable you'll swear you put in the trunk last winter. A correct jump start with the honest parts left in.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

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Home6 min read

Getting the lights on the roof and yourself back off it

Every step is correct. The asides are what really happens. Holiday lights on the roofline, done safely, with only one trip back to the store.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarOct 6, 20266 min

The Doorknob Hole in the Hallway, Fixed the Way It Really Goes

A patch nobody can find later takes three coats, two days and one door stop you should've installed in April. Every step, honestly.

GuideGarden & YardWes DunbarOct 6, 20265 min

Your Mower Sat All Winter and Now It Has Opinions

The box says pull the cord. The box hasn't met your shed. How to wake a hibernating mower without wrecking your Saturday or your shoulder.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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GuideTools & OrganizingDean ShawOct 6, 20265 min

How to Build Flat-Pack Furniture and Still Be Speaking Afterward

The box says two hours and one person. It's wrong about both, and the argument usually starts at step one, not step nine.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideCarsDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

Changing your own oil in the driveway, the way it really goes

The video says twenty minutes. Plan on ninety, a shower and one trip back to the parts store. You'll still come out ahead.

GuideHomeWes DunbarOct 6, 20266 min

Hanging a heavy picture straight on the first try

One frame, two hooks, zero extra holes. The way it really goes, plus the bathroom scale trick nobody mentions.

Ask BRO

Build me a revision plan that I will actually stick to

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GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarOct 6, 20265 min

Replacing a Toilet Flapper Takes Ten Minutes and Two Trips

The cheapest plumbing fix in the house, written the way it really goes, including the second trip to the store nobody plans for.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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ReviewBRO SeniorsCal BrennanOct 6, 20266 min

I told a frozen grandson the whole carburetor story

Video calling the grandkids is free, wonderful and mildly ridiculous. Grandpa sorts out what's worth it and how to stop the freezing.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

ReviewTools & OrganizingDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

The Battery Shuffle, and the One Drill Grandpa Still Plugs In

Cordless wins the ladder, the yard and the attic. But there's one job where Grandpa's old cord still earns its keep.

GuideCan You Fix ItWes DunbarOct 6, 20266 min

The Bathroom Sink Clog Is Always Hair, and It's Always Gross

Skip the bottle of drain cleaner. A plastic strip, a bucket and twenty patient minutes clear almost every slow bathroom sink in the house.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

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ReviewGadgetsDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

The watch that keeps telling Grandpa to stand up

It buzzed while he was flat on his back under the sink. He has complaints, a few good jokes, and one concession that matters.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

Cars7 min

The new truck tugged the wheel and Grandpa checked the tie rods

Community6 min

Be the Other Grown-Up a Kid Can Count On

Ask BRO

What should I wear to this?

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ReviewGadgetsDean ShawOct 6, 20266 min

A desk with a motor, and a chair that never needed one

The standing desk has presets, sensors and an app. Grandpa's old chair has a squeak he fixes with a wrench. They both stayed.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

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Family6 min read

The twenty-minute Sunday meeting that runs the whole week

Five items, a kitchen timer and a spiral notebook. Hold it when nothing's wrong, and it'll still work when something is.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

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