Seeing the exact thousandth on the dial is a whole different world. I had a similar moment with an old straight six, but it was with timing. Used a timing light for years, then a friend showed me how to read the actual marks on the crank pulley with a simple pointer. Felt like I'd been doing it blind.

My shop floor is covered in PDF printouts and coffee stains. The idea that paper makes you smarter is just nostalgia for a slower time. A good tech follows the fault path in their head, not with their fingers.

My old Maglite died in the Starlight Drive-In projection booth once. Always carry a backup headlamp now.