Skip the level for a second and think about the deck's post holes themselves. Even with the laser, if you don't check that the concrete is mixed and poured at the right slump, your posts will still shift when you set them. Most guys I know focus on the string line and forget the ground underneath is soft or wet in spots. That cheap laser only tells you where the top should be, not whether the base is stable. So yeah, prep matters, but so does checking the soil and the mix before you commit.

Man I feel you on that overheating thing. I had a billet of 1095 and 15N20 that I left in the forge too long while I was answering the phone and the whole thing started to look like it was raining silver all over the anvil. Had to grind off almost half of it just to get back to solid steel, and the pattern ended up all wonky on that end.

Having a phone hold a charge after 15 years is a neat party trick, but let's be real, it's not like you'd use it for anything today. Those old bricks couldn't even send a text message without taking ten button presses. It's just not that impressive when you remember what they were actually capable of.