Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
1,214 comments
Coway AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier, based on Wirecutter reviews. Home ventilation isn't as good as the office, this makes a very noticeable difference with dust and cat hair. If needed I move it to the kitchen, it cleans up heavy smoke or odor from burgers/steaks/popcorn in about 45 minutes (for a ~6000 ft^3 volume)
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1. 2nd hand kayaks, cheap and great fun, good to recycle the used plastic!
2. Road bike, best exercise and stress relief process and I've got to know my local area up to a radius of 50 miles
3. Upcoming - new guitar to go with the bass guitar a few years back.
Amazing cost/return on these items!
2. Road bike, best exercise and stress relief process and I've got to know my local area up to a radius of 50 miles
3. Upcoming - new guitar to go with the bass guitar a few years back.
Amazing cost/return on these items!
oculus quest 2
which robovac u got ?
which robovac u got ?
I bought a Eufy 30C, recommended by Consumer Reports. Short enough to get under some of the furniture, quiet, does a great job.
Is the Facebook login requirement an issue? Do you worry about being dropped for wrongspeak and losing your purchases?
I have the quest 2 and the only app I bought for it is virtual desktop, so I can wirelessly stream VR games from my PC. All other purchases are in steam and would not be lost if I lose my fb account.
That said, fb is evil, but the quest is ahead of other headsets far enough that I can ignore it.
I too consider it one of the better purchases. Being able to travel in vr using Google earth, vr videos or own panorama pictures in these times is amazing.
I too consider it one of the better purchases. Being able to travel in vr using Google earth, vr videos or own panorama pictures in these times is amazing.
That seems like a good way to handle the issue.
Btw how do you view panorama photos with it?
Btw how do you view panorama photos with it?
My FB account is fake anyway
https://www.lupine.de/products/bike-lights which is the most luxury brand for bicycle lights. Got a model which is street legal but with a push of a (bluetooth) button on the handlebar I can ride at pitch dark through a forest. Funny enough at the highest setting the forest becomes so light it feels less adventurous so opt for the medium setting.
Maybe my FCC license and boafeng. I dont use it much now since it was mostly something for me to do on my commute.
Possibly the malts I buy for making my own beer. I would say the MM3 grain mill, but that was actually free. I just had to build a bracket and hopper for it. That thing flys through malt, which is good because I have about 60 lbs to go through.
Possibly the bass guitar and Rocksmith. I don't get much time to use it though.
Possibly the malts I buy for making my own beer. I would say the MM3 grain mill, but that was actually free. I just had to build a bracket and hopper for it. That thing flys through malt, which is good because I have about 60 lbs to go through.
Possibly the bass guitar and Rocksmith. I don't get much time to use it though.
How does the fcc lisence work exactly? Do you get the rights to broadcast at a certain spectrum or something? Does it work for space communication?
This is for a ham license. You can hit repeaters in space (call them OSCARS) or have a satellite that broadcasts images using one of the approved methods.
It doesn't allow for certain types of things. Usually you would need a different type of license for satellite control and communication. That one is usually a frequency allocated to you by the FCC/ITU.
It doesn't allow for certain types of things. Usually you would need a different type of license for satellite control and communication. That one is usually a frequency allocated to you by the FCC/ITU.
Third person here to mention guitars... Takamine TB-10
I'll join in then
1) Fender Squire Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster. I am amazed how good this range is now. Better than my old Mexican from the 90s. 2) Cheap 335 copy secondhand. I have never had a semi-acoustic and it added a new source for inspiration.
1) Fender Squire Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster. I am amazed how good this range is now. Better than my old Mexican from the 90s. 2) Cheap 335 copy secondhand. I have never had a semi-acoustic and it added a new source for inspiration.
I recently bought a Keychron K3 gateron brown keyboard. I'm really enjoying it because it's a low profile mechanical keyboard. Highly recommend it.
How is the rigidity/sturdiness? I am looking at the K2 hotswappable when it is available again, but the price is so low on these keyboards, I am a bit suspicious about quality.
My only mech keyboard so far is my DasKeyboard, but I want to get something tenkeyless for less reach to the mouse, and hot swappable to try different switches
My only mech keyboard so far is my DasKeyboard, but I want to get something tenkeyless for less reach to the mouse, and hot swappable to try different switches
It's pretty sturdy, although the K2 keys seem much more solid. I bought this keyboard because of the low key travel and tactile feel. Although it's low profile I still needed a wrist pad to enjoy it.
About the quality, they seem pretty decent. I haven't had any issues with it.
About the quality, they seem pretty decent. I haven't had any issues with it.
My Amiga 500 and my PinePhone. Neither are cutting edge tech. One might've been, over 30 freakin' years ago. But both are pieces of engineering that encourage exploration and are just what their particular niche needs.
My MacBook m1, a stretchy waist leash thing for running with my dog and really good running shoes (Vaporfly next%)
* Bluetooth bone conduction headset: perfect for the daily cycling workout
* Belka DX shortwave radio: one of the best shortwave radio on the market, with a small and portable form factor
* Belka DX shortwave radio: one of the best shortwave radio on the market, with a small and portable form factor
I can concur for the bone conduction headphones. Maybe I'm late to the party, but it is the most "mind-blowing" piece of tech I've tried in a very long time. I was skeptical that it would sound good or even work at all, but it does.
I'm using the Aeropex AfterShokz for reference (https://us.aftershokz.com/products/aeropex)
I'm using the Aeropex AfterShokz for reference (https://us.aftershokz.com/products/aeropex)
Theragun pro. It's a percussion massage gun and oh my does it make me functional again for all sorts of things.
Two things:
* Apple Watch
* Dynamax Running Pad (Light Run Treadmill)
I started to put more emphasis on my personal health as I noticed that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a lot of toll on both my physical and mental state.
The watch has been quite amazing in tracking my movement, heart rate, # of times standing up in a day and overall, has been quite influential in motivating me to do more physical related activities.
The WalkingPad allowed me to perform a lot of light exercises at home and it has been quite a handy companion in my journey to become a healthier person overall.
* Apple Watch
* Dynamax Running Pad (Light Run Treadmill)
I started to put more emphasis on my personal health as I noticed that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a lot of toll on both my physical and mental state.
The watch has been quite amazing in tracking my movement, heart rate, # of times standing up in a day and overall, has been quite influential in motivating me to do more physical related activities.
The WalkingPad allowed me to perform a lot of light exercises at home and it has been quite a handy companion in my journey to become a healthier person overall.
Yes, the Apple Watch was a fantastic purchase. I started noticing how much (or little) I was active some days. I started walking regularly the day after I got my watch, and it's been a slow build up since then. Obviously it wont' do the work for you, but it's a great tool if you're ready to get started.
I think Apple could do a lot of headway to trigger some neuro sensor motivation as wearing the watch throughout the day, then can likely get data and trigger when it knows you are more likely to do even a little exercise.
- Noise-cancelling headphones (Sony 1000X-M3) are totally saving the rest of my productivity in home office. (The bluetooth does not work with my current Linux version, but I will not update that until my work is done just in case something else stops working. It does however work with my 10-year-old Nokia phone. But hey, there is an audio cable which also works fine. The next time I will probably buy Bose, but only since they are smaller and would work better for my head. Long live noise-cancelling technology, especially if you live close to a road or have neighbours you can hear.)
- A nice shoji paravent to shield me from the room during work.
- A vase and regular flower updates that do wonders for keeping the place fresh and me in a mood for tidying and cleaning it up. (Single flowers from the flower shop nearby are quite cheap.)
- Some lamps to increase the cozy vibe for the evening (changing the light can change the room, and I need about 3 rooms right now where I have one).
- A nice shoji paravent to shield me from the room during work.
- A vase and regular flower updates that do wonders for keeping the place fresh and me in a mood for tidying and cleaning it up. (Single flowers from the flower shop nearby are quite cheap.)
- Some lamps to increase the cozy vibe for the evening (changing the light can change the room, and I need about 3 rooms right now where I have one).
Agreed. My Bose Noise Canceling 700 headphones have possibly been my favorite purchase ever in terms of day to day use and also quality of life increase. Absolutely essential while having a toddler and working on the road.
I also have these headphones.
Along with an 18-month-old who loves to hear how high his voice can be, and a cat that can be heard cleaning itself from half a block away, and a bad case of misophonia.
These headphones give me peace. Sometimes I'll even turn them on with just noise-cancellation and no music, just to concentrate.
Once I got the mic working properly on ubuntu, they improved my meetings considerably as well.
Along with an 18-month-old who loves to hear how high his voice can be, and a cat that can be heard cleaning itself from half a block away, and a bad case of misophonia.
These headphones give me peace. Sometimes I'll even turn them on with just noise-cancellation and no music, just to concentrate.
Once I got the mic working properly on ubuntu, they improved my meetings considerably as well.
Do you use them wired or wireless? I bought every Bluetooth dongle Microcenter offered and none of them worked with these headphones in Windows or Linux.
I’d love a recommendation for a compatible USB Bluetooth dongle.
I’d love a recommendation for a compatible USB Bluetooth dongle.
Have you tried a bluetooth headset dongle? NOT a general bluetooth dongle, but something specifically designed for headsets, e.g. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089PYFLBN
I had dramatically better luck with that, which AFAICT just presents to the OS as a USB-C headset, and has an entirely-internal bluetooth stack.
Or just try using your phone - I connect both phone and computer to zoom meetings for instance. For some reason, desktop OSes / bluetooth chip stacks are absolutely awful compared to the ones in iOS / Android devices. Nearly everything connects to my Pixel 4a just fine, while nearly everything stutters when connected to my MacBook, and often doesn't connect at all to my Dell.
I had dramatically better luck with that, which AFAICT just presents to the OS as a USB-C headset, and has an entirely-internal bluetooth stack.
Or just try using your phone - I connect both phone and computer to zoom meetings for instance. For some reason, desktop OSes / bluetooth chip stacks are absolutely awful compared to the ones in iOS / Android devices. Nearly everything connects to my Pixel 4a just fine, while nearly everything stutters when connected to my MacBook, and often doesn't connect at all to my Dell.
I've been using a dongle I found on Amazon in 2017 with the description "Plugable USB Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy Micro Adapter" [1]
Unfortunately, I don't remember if I've installed or adjusted anything on the OS.
One moderately annoying caveat is that I have to open the Settings / Sound panel every time I turn on the headphones, and while the Output Device is always automatically set to the headset, I have to explicitly set the Input Device to the headset as well. When I do I get an alert sound and a quickly cut-off moment (like the "Ca-" of "Call") in the bose-lady voice, as if something went wrong, but then it works correctly.
I imagine this can all be automated somehow, but I haven't had the time to figure out how and it's not _that_ big of a deal to go through the motions.
1: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ZIILLI/
Unfortunately, I don't remember if I've installed or adjusted anything on the OS.
One moderately annoying caveat is that I have to open the Settings / Sound panel every time I turn on the headphones, and while the Output Device is always automatically set to the headset, I have to explicitly set the Input Device to the headset as well. When I do I get an alert sound and a quickly cut-off moment (like the "Ca-" of "Call") in the bose-lady voice, as if something went wrong, but then it works correctly.
I imagine this can all be automated somehow, but I haven't had the time to figure out how and it's not _that_ big of a deal to go through the motions.
1: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009ZIILLI/
I bought Bose 700s a few months ago on the whim they might help my spouse deal with my terrible snoring without having tried any active noise cancellation headphones before.
I've had maybe twice since where she said she could kinda hear me a little bit versus her being livid at me for keeping her up all night. Really life changing.
I've had maybe twice since where she said she could kinda hear me a little bit versus her being livid at me for keeping her up all night. Really life changing.
If anyone else is looking for something to help block noise or relax while sleeping, I recommend also taking a look at the 2nd gen Bose sleep buds. They’re great if you’re a side sleeper and wouldn’t be able to wear headphones to bed. They fit quite well in my ears.
Now big caveat: they don’t stream audio and they aren’t noise canceling. They only play looping sounds that you download from the Bose sleep app. That said, I’ve found them to be helpful in staying asleep. Pricey also, but if it helps you sleep, it’s worth trying in my opinion.
Now big caveat: they don’t stream audio and they aren’t noise canceling. They only play looping sounds that you download from the Bose sleep app. That said, I’ve found them to be helpful in staying asleep. Pricey also, but if it helps you sleep, it’s worth trying in my opinion.
is your spouse sleeping with over ear headphones on?
I also bought the Sony 1000X-M3 headphones, and they have indeed been a game changer. My work puts me in "war room" situations several times a year, and having noise-cancelling headphones allows me to continue deep work even when there's a crowd of people.
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Can agree the Sony 1000X-M3 is fantastic - the most comfortable earphones I've ever had and sound great. And yes, critical part of home office with kids and other noises.
These headphones have been an amazing bump to quality of life. My neighbors have a new baby, the other neighbors are constantly yelling, and I live across a school that recently reopened. Can't recommend these enough. I also used them while traveling back in the before times, they're exactly what you'd want while traveling on a plane/train.
Second on the Sony 1000X-M3. Bought one on Black Friday couple years ago. It’s well worth the money.
Everyone once in a while I'll realise I've still not listened to some favourite song on my pair of WH-1000XM3s, and it brings me new joy every time.
I actually bought the Sony 1000X-M4 about 2 weeks ago. I love them and the noise cancelling is top notch. I figure why not since WFH could be much more common in the workplace. Should have made this purchase awhile ago.
I have them as well. Noise-cancelling is amazing, compared to another n-c headphones I had (large Jabra ones). However, the audio quality on bluetooth when connecting to my 2013 MacBookPro running Windows 10 is too bad to use it (it's totally fine when connecting to my iPhone SE2). Thank god for the audio jack, which I use every time I want to listen to something from my laptop - but it doesn't carry the microphone line, so it's not a solution for calls.
Another issue is microphone audio quality - it's worse than on headphones where microphone is on a boom.
Also, the switching between connected devices is a travesty (fails a lot of the time), I eventually turned it off altogether.
Another issue is microphone audio quality - it's worse than on headphones where microphone is on a boom.
Also, the switching between connected devices is a travesty (fails a lot of the time), I eventually turned it off altogether.
For everyone working from home without a dedicated office I can only recommend getting some lamps/LED stripes etc. A great method to effectively change the whole atmosphere of a room and distinguish between working place and living room.
Onewheel Pint! It was the ultimate quarantine toy. I saw so much of my city I hadn't seen before and it did a great job of getting me outside in general.
Anyone else wondering, click here:
https://onewheel.com/products/pint
https://onewheel.com/products/pint
How far does it go? How is the safety? Is it fun?
The safety is what put me off of those. Read a few too many stories about permanent, serious injuries to young people using them (relatively) safely. It does look like a ton of fun though.
On a charge, 15 miles but depends on your weight and the terrain. My son put 22 miles on one once on a single charge.
Safety wise, yeah wrecks on onewheels can be bad. If you are a speed demon you will break something. If you are careful you should be fine. A set of fangs on the board and a pair of wrist guards are highly recommended. And a helmet at all times.
Safety wise, yeah wrecks on onewheels can be bad. If you are a speed demon you will break something. If you are careful you should be fine. A set of fangs on the board and a pair of wrist guards are highly recommended. And a helmet at all times.
Super fun, but it will dump you at some point.
I sold mine and bought a better esk8, but will buy again if they ever release a new, improved model.
Same here. It's absolutely amazing for exploring an urban environment. Floating around in a large open space like a plaza is serene.
It's not too fast and it doesn't go very far, but this hasn't been limiting so far. My legs get tired before the battery runs out.
It's not too fast and it doesn't go very far, but this hasn't been limiting so far. My legs get tired before the battery runs out.
If you get calf pain, look into the kush foot pads. Worth every penny.
I'm a giant fan of robot vacuums. My Eufy Robovac died last year and decided to upgrade to a Roomba i3.
We've got a dog and my girlfriend has very long hair that we would have to cut strands out of the rollers every couple of runs. The new Roomba models have these rubber rollers doesn't catch hair. I'm not entirely what about the design prevents that, but it is fantastic!
The i3 is probably $100 more than you'd spend on a Robovac though. For us it has been worth every penny.
We've got a dog and my girlfriend has very long hair that we would have to cut strands out of the rollers every couple of runs. The new Roomba models have these rubber rollers doesn't catch hair. I'm not entirely what about the design prevents that, but it is fantastic!
The i3 is probably $100 more than you'd spend on a Robovac though. For us it has been worth every penny.
I’ve never seen a roller not wrap hair around itself. You sure it’s picking up the hair? Seems like this would be a big feature in and of itself that would be advertised if they managed to accomplish what you’re saying.
It picks up a ton of hair. I wrote a review about the vacuum earlier in the year if you want to see some pictures of the brush rollers.
https://productnotes.com/t/irobot-roomba-i3-review/722
Also, it does have a self-emptying dock if you want to spend an additional $100. It didn't make sense for my condo though.
EDIT: I ran the Roomba this morning and posted some additional pics with what it picked up and how the brush rollers look post-vacuum.
https://productnotes.com/t/irobot-roomba-i3-review/722
Also, it does have a self-emptying dock if you want to spend an additional $100. It didn't make sense for my condo though.
EDIT: I ran the Roomba this morning and posted some additional pics with what it picked up and how the brush rollers look post-vacuum.
Amazing. Thanks for the update.
I was super skeptical about getting a Roomba, but there was a great deal during around the holiday's last year, and we pulled the trigger.
I'm still 100% happy with the purchase. Does it vacuum as well as a person? No, absolutely not, but what it does do is remove 90%+ of the work.
My only suggestion is that you get one that has a self-emptying container. We have two kids and a cat, and we still only have to change the bag every few WEEKS.
I'm not going to tell you it's perfect. It will occasionally get stuck, or you have to clean it out, but boy has it removed a lot of work for my wife and I.
I'm still 100% happy with the purchase. Does it vacuum as well as a person? No, absolutely not, but what it does do is remove 90%+ of the work.
My only suggestion is that you get one that has a self-emptying container. We have two kids and a cat, and we still only have to change the bag every few WEEKS.
I'm not going to tell you it's perfect. It will occasionally get stuck, or you have to clean it out, but boy has it removed a lot of work for my wife and I.
I was also skeptical, but my sister in law talked my wife into it. I was expecting it to be one more thing around the house that I was always having to repair...
They've really dialed that design in. It does require a deep cleaning about once a month, but it's quite easy. Takes maybe a minute. And whenever we don't pick everything up, the Roomba will choke on things like bubble wrap, socks, towels (we often keep one on the floor by the door for the dog).
It's been a real workhorse.
They've really dialed that design in. It does require a deep cleaning about once a month, but it's quite easy. Takes maybe a minute. And whenever we don't pick everything up, the Roomba will choke on things like bubble wrap, socks, towels (we often keep one on the floor by the door for the dog).
It's been a real workhorse.
Do any robot vacuums work if you have rugs? The rug edge presents a 2 cm tall cliff; I don't see how the robot would even get onto it.
Just bought the Roomba i7 and that thing is seriously ambitious about the things it will climb over. Even the thickest rug would not be a problem
I've owned a couple of Roomba models and the Eufy Robovac I mentioned. None had issues climbing onto my rugs—granted I'm not sure if they are 2cm tall. I'm sure they won't work on any rug that has tassels though.
> The new Roomba models have these rubber rollers doesn't catch hair. I'm not entirely what about the design prevents that, but it is fantastic!
Ha, I wish that was universally true. My girlfriend's hair is long and insanely strong. It wraps around the rollers and cuts right through them.
Still love the Roomba, but often need to replace rollers. :)
Ha, I wish that was universally true. My girlfriend's hair is long and insanely strong. It wraps around the rollers and cuts right through them.
Still love the Roomba, but often need to replace rollers. :)
We all have the same problems! Roomba 765 (a bit old and noisy, there are quieter models) since two years here: cat and SO's long hairs so I regularly need to use scissors to "free" the rollers.
Thing with the robovacs here: when you empty their bin and see how much dust they catched, you know they're very useful. We buy (and I build) furnitures and arrange our home so that the Roomba can go underneath them. I wouldn't for example buy a sofa under which the Roomba couldn't vaccuum.
Thing with the robovacs here: when you empty their bin and see how much dust they catched, you know they're very useful. We buy (and I build) furnitures and arrange our home so that the Roomba can go underneath them. I wouldn't for example buy a sofa under which the Roomba couldn't vaccuum.
What model do you have?
Perhaps I should have clarified that only the newer i3, i7 and s9 are the models that use the new brushroller design. Otherwise you'll still be cutting hair out of the rollers.
Perhaps I should have clarified that only the newer i3, i7 and s9 are the models that use the new brushroller design. Otherwise you'll still be cutting hair out of the rollers.
I have the Amazon special i6+ (which is the same as the i7+, but sold by Amazon, similar to Costco's i8+).
Also, one of my favorite things about it is hearing the base spinning up like a jet engine to suck all the crap out of it, and hearing it go FOOMP.
Also, one of my favorite things about it is hearing the base spinning up like a jet engine to suck all the crap out of it, and hearing it go FOOMP.
Sennheiser HD 600 headphones. So comfortable and sound amazing.
Reebok Classic Nylon. Finally a comfortable every day shoe that looks good that I can buy over and over again.
iPhone 12 mini. So tired of ginormous smartphones. I wanted a small phone and Apple delivered.
Reebok Classic Nylon. Finally a comfortable every day shoe that looks good that I can buy over and over again.
iPhone 12 mini. So tired of ginormous smartphones. I wanted a small phone and Apple delivered.
Likewise with my HD58x. I also love small phones and want to switch to the 12 mini, but my SE 2020 works perfectly fine so it's hard to justify.
iMac 27" Retina, 7 cores, 32 gig ram, 2 TB drive.
This is, bar none, the best computer I have ever owned. Finally, a zippy and powerful workstation that is a pleasure to use.
My old Mac Mini served me well for 8 years, but after a couple of OS updates, it had become laggy and nearly unusable.
This is, bar none, the best computer I have ever owned. Finally, a zippy and powerful workstation that is a pleasure to use.
My old Mac Mini served me well for 8 years, but after a couple of OS updates, it had become laggy and nearly unusable.
1996 Honda CRF dirt bike
Beretta M9A3, shoots silky smooth
Tesla Model 3 Long Range
Been dreaming of being able to drive without using gasoline for decades, that dream is now a reality.
Is it a perfect car - nope, but there really isn’t another car like it right now.
Been dreaming of being able to drive without using gasoline for decades, that dream is now a reality.
Is it a perfect car - nope, but there really isn’t another car like it right now.
Same. It's the best thing I have ever owned, not just in terms of cars.
This is what I came here to post. :) They truly are the bleeding edge of the future of cars.
I hired a Tesla Model 3 for a week last summer and it was fantastic. But overkill for our needs: we've achieved that dream with a used Spark EV. Far less range than any Tesla (130 km EPA new rating), but more than adequate for our needs. We charge it once a week at home overnight and go about 30-60 km/week around town. Living in the Bay Area means we've got access to DCFC everywhere we want to go outside of SF as well.
Even inexpensive 1st gen EVs are more than ready for most people to use as a city car or second car, and most people would have no need for a petrol car at all if they had a Tesla or Bolt or any modern long range EV. I can see the lack of maintenance being very disruptive to car dealerships in the long term.
Even inexpensive 1st gen EVs are more than ready for most people to use as a city car or second car, and most people would have no need for a petrol car at all if they had a Tesla or Bolt or any modern long range EV. I can see the lack of maintenance being very disruptive to car dealerships in the long term.
You need to maintain an EV, just a bit less.
A Zebra Sarasa Dry pen. The ink always comes out smoothly but it is impossible to smudge.
Aeropress, coffee maker.
Me too! Hard to justify using my regular brewing machine anymore. Aeropress just makes a higher quality cup. Quantity be damned, I’ll make multiple cups on the aeropress all day.
Wow I’m tempted to order one. It almost looks like a gimmic but it would be cool to get the counter space back from the coffee maker.
How do you heat the water though? Does it taste like cold brew?
How do you heat the water though? Does it taste like cold brew?
It makes a great cup of a coffee with a bit of effort. I've had one for 10 years and it gets used often and brought on camping trips, but as another posted suggested, if you are making more than 1 cup it is best to use something like a Chemex. Making multiple cups of coffee with the Aeropress can be a little time consuming. Here is a how to video showing it being used for camping:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmjPjZZRhNQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmjPjZZRhNQ
I heat one cup of water at a time in a small stove pan. It's quicker for one cup than drip. It tastes a bit like espresso, but not quite as strong. Similar to cold brew in that it doesn't taste "acid-y" (like from when you heat the coffee pot to long), and is pretty smooth.
In the UK, electric kettles [0] are in every household, and even the puniest of ones boil 4 cups of water in about 3 minutes.
[0] https://www.dualit.com/products/lite-jug-kettles
[0] https://www.dualit.com/products/lite-jug-kettles
I like the Aeropress, but when making coffee for two, I use a Chemex jug, and Wilfa Svart grinder. Would recommend, gets used most days.
This was amazing until my nephew teleported it to another dimension
Stove top Bialetti is my sweet spot for coffee (price, taste, effort), honestly. But, I've tried Aero Press when friends have offered and they're a little better, for sure.
Is it really better than a small cafetière/French press?
I think what makes it so magical is that it's airtight and so the pressure inside goes up when you brew it, also most French presses I have used have just a steel mesh instead of a coffee filter so you get silt in it.
This is a great thing to bring along for backpacking trips. It barely takes up pack space and makes a great cup of black coffee.
I've been using an aeropress for years now. Makes a good coffee.
I went on a bit of a thing collecting manual brewers. I've got stove top vacuum pots, a french press, a delter press and a couple of coffee siphons (which are awesome because they make you feel like a mad scientist) but for ease of use and cleanup when making a single coffee, the aeropress beats them all.
I went on a bit of a thing collecting manual brewers. I've got stove top vacuum pots, a french press, a delter press and a couple of coffee siphons (which are awesome because they make you feel like a mad scientist) but for ease of use and cleanup when making a single coffee, the aeropress beats them all.
Kobo Forma. I'm an avid eBook reader so the little things add up. Going from the Kindle to the Forma was a huge upgrade. Font rendering, warm light, larger form factor, and Pocket integration amongst a host of other little niceties make it pretty much a perfect experience for me.
https://us.kobobooks.com/products/kobo-forma
https://us.kobobooks.com/products/kobo-forma
I love my kobo libra! I didnt buy a forma, which i regret, because that would have been even better. Was sceptical at first, because I thought kindle’s OS was better. Turns out: kobo’s OS is great!
Two other things i bought last year, use daily and really like:
- This santoku knife https://www.meesterslijpers.nl/takamura-vg-10-santoku
- Airpod pro’s
Two other things i bought last year, use daily and really like:
- This santoku knife https://www.meesterslijpers.nl/takamura-vg-10-santoku
- Airpod pro’s
Can the kobo's be rooted easily/at all? If not, can you sideload apps or books?
You can put epubs and pdfs on it using usb, but i never tried that. I just buy a ebook on my ipad (in kobo’s store, or bol.com) and then its available after syncing.
What you’re looking for is Calibre ebook. And for the kobo there is a plug-in that makes any ebook a kobo ebook so you get niceties on all sideloaded ebooks that only books from the kobo store get.
Loading [DRM free] books via USB using Calibre is super easy. No rooting required. Epub format works best. PDF can be so-so depending on the document.
That said, "rooting" does seem pretty easy. I use kobopatch for the sole reason of adding a button directly to the Pocket page on the home screen to save myself a "click".
https://github.com/pgaskin/kobopatch-patches/releases
That said, "rooting" does seem pretty easy. I use kobopatch for the sole reason of adding a button directly to the Pocket page on the home screen to save myself a "click".
https://github.com/pgaskin/kobopatch-patches/releases
You can definitely sideload books, and I was able to do so without loginning into an account by adding a fake user to a sqlite file on the device. I didn't see any upside to any of the tweak/custom firmware stuff I saw over just not connecting the device to the internet for my use case, but I think root access might be possible?
if you have a kindle library is it possible to import to use with Kobo readers? Calibre maybe helps?
I've haven't tried it myself but I believe you can using Calibre or other DRM stripping tools.
There is a DeDRM plugin for Calibre but it doesn't work very well on Amazon's KFX format. People get around that by getting Amazon to deliver the book in an older format but then you lose the typography improvements that come with KFX.
It feels like this is the beginning of the end for ebook DRM stripping.
It feels like this is the beginning of the end for ebook DRM stripping.
Just connect your Kindle with your PC via any ISB cable, and with little moving around you can locate the directory where your downloaded books dwell. Just copy it to your PC, and then tranfer to your Kobo reader.
The files will be in .mobi and .azw3 format.
The files will be in .mobi and .azw3 format.
Has anyone here tried both the Kobo Forma and the Kindle Oasis? The Forma is tempting, but apparently the lighting is more even on the Kindle, the fonts are better, and I think I’d even prefer the smaller size (more portable, fits in a jacket pocket.)
At the end of the day they're both good e-readers but for me the larger size Forma was actually the big reason I switched. Portability isn't a factor for me but if it was I'd go for their smaller Libra model. I find the Forma lighting considerably better and more even and the font rendering better as well. I'm also not a big fan of the Oasis cold metallic feel... much prefer the Formo plastic / rubbery feel. I think for most it's a preference thing.
+1, really good reader. I recommend installing KOReader, which is an alternative firmware with more customization options: https://koreader.rocks/
I like Plato, too. Plus it's written in Rust!
https://github.com/baskerville/plato
https://github.com/baskerville/plato
Yeah, I like Plato either! The UI is (IMO) way better/more pleasant than OKReader. I still tend to use OKReader more due to it having more customization flexibility but I'm tracking Plato development.
I have bought hundreds of Kindle books. Is there a (legal) way to read them on Kobo?
You can download the books on your PC and DeDRM them using Calibre. Not sure if its legal, but as far as im concerned i paid for those books and i should be able to read them wherever i like.
I’d love to be proven wrong, but you need an older version of the kindle desktop app that isn’t reliably available. By available I mean from a reputable source…
Yes, but it is available if you go looking. “Reputable source” is a matter of perspective.
Actually, you haven't bought any books for your Kindle. You've leased them.
I tried the Forma but found the power button was a bit spongy which drove me crazy trying to turn it on and off. Went with the Libra instead and very happy with it.
Kobo's in general are quite good I think. The Pocket integration is also really handy for reading all those Hacker News articles away from the computer. :-)
Kobo's in general are quite good I think. The Pocket integration is also really handy for reading all those Hacker News articles away from the computer. :-)
I started a job recently where I'm working for a company in a time zone 3 hours ahead of me. I bought some of the Hue bulbs and replaced my alarm with a gentle synthetic sunrise. My sleep habits have gotten much better since
old thinkpad as a plex server (mostly for watching animes). Love it
Which Thinkpad? I want to find a use for my old Thinkpad T42p, however its disk does not work or it's the IDE controller or the plug. I still wonder what to do with it.
* The Moonlander keyboard (https://www.zsa.io/moonlander/)
It's not without issues, but the firmware and configurability is so much better than what I was used to from Kinesis. It has made me excited to tailor my keyboard layout to how I'm actually using it day-to-day.
It's not without issues, but the firmware and configurability is so much better than what I was used to from Kinesis. It has made me excited to tailor my keyboard layout to how I'm actually using it day-to-day.
Thanks just got one! Been looking for a good ergo keyboard recently and this checks all the boxes.
1999 GMC Savanna passenger van (seats removed) for use as a farm truck. It’s huge inside and easily holds 4x8 sheets of ply. Here in Seattle it gets wet a lot so I never have to worry about transporting or storing in the rain. Has 8 cylinder engine that will last forever and is easyish to maintain. I get an surprising amount of sheepish interest/envy from dudes who had the same idea but who bought pickups (which seldom even have full size beds anymore) because the pickups look better.
Shark brand vacuum cleaner. Kind of self cleaning, and mandatory because my wife has thick hair. I have spent thousands on vacuums but this is the only one that lasts an entire floor of the house without stopping to cut out the hair, which I hate doing. Then a second shark vacuum cleaner at the office, which is large and 2 floors. I also like the shark because no bags. I am much more likely to do spot cleanups when I won’t waste time going to the other side of another floor.
Rolling wire laundry basket from the Container Store that we use for indoor trash cans. They look great and rolling them where needed is a huge plus. Bought a bunch of those for house and office.
Shark brand vacuum cleaner. Kind of self cleaning, and mandatory because my wife has thick hair. I have spent thousands on vacuums but this is the only one that lasts an entire floor of the house without stopping to cut out the hair, which I hate doing. Then a second shark vacuum cleaner at the office, which is large and 2 floors. I also like the shark because no bags. I am much more likely to do spot cleanups when I won’t waste time going to the other side of another floor.
Rolling wire laundry basket from the Container Store that we use for indoor trash cans. They look great and rolling them where needed is a huge plus. Bought a bunch of those for house and office.
Former '99 GMC Safari owner here.
Watch out for (common) front axle failures & other wheel problems. Replacements are near-unobtainium now and after two times having to do so in short succession we finally put ours in the junkyard.
Miss the hell out of that van though. Drove it fully loaded across the country 10 different ways a couple dozen times. Ran that thing to dust.
Watch out for (common) front axle failures & other wheel problems. Replacements are near-unobtainium now and after two times having to do so in short succession we finally put ours in the junkyard.
Miss the hell out of that van though. Drove it fully loaded across the country 10 different ways a couple dozen times. Ran that thing to dust.
Man, thanks for the warning. Bought off the city at auction with 100,000 miles. Hoping it will give me another few thousand; I only need it maybe 100 miles/week.
Great choice though. My thought processes for lumber hauling are a lot like yours. If it weren't for towing capacity I'd totally be looking at the longest Ford Transit I could find if I were buying new.
Of course the big Transit. That would be my preference. But it feels a little more sensible environmentally for me to keep an older truck going for my purposes. I am simply not that demanding a user.
I always say "the best compact pickup truck these days is a Grand Caravan"
You have fine taste, my friend. I felt a little bit like an idiot making this choice, but once I came out of the closet the number of people who thought it was a good idea was downright gratifying.
That's what we replaced the GMC Safari with but it really didn't hold up the same and the '12 Grand Caravan fell apart in just a few years.
the GMC Safari is a real body-on-frame truck, with a van body. I have seen Astrovans with half a million miles on them, going strong.
I agree that the Grand Caravan is a bit flimsier, but mine has been in the family since it was new and well-maintained. Still strong 12 years later
I agree that the Grand Caravan is a bit flimsier, but mine has been in the family since it was new and well-maintained. Still strong 12 years later
That's the reason why so few people buy pickups in Europe. Vans are better in many ways (you can transport 9 people; get more cargo, especially when you remove seats; better weather resistance, you can use it a storage when you live in a flat, better for transporting a dog)
"VW Transporter is not sold in the US market because it is classed as a light truck, accruing the 25% chicken tax on importation." - US is missing out on these.
"VW Transporter is not sold in the US market because it is classed as a light truck, accruing the 25% chicken tax on importation." - US is missing out on these.
Ditto on the large vehicle purchase. I've been spending more time out in the wilderness and my 2WD Volvo sedan wasn't cutting it on dirt roads and with little-to-no suspension, so I bought a 2005 Yukon from a good friend. He bought it from the original owner last year for $1100, used his employee discount at CarMax to fix a bunch of small issues, and I picked it up for $2000. It's a beast of a truck, has tons of options even with its age, and the V8 Vortec engines in these cars are known for their longevity. The Volvo has become the long-distance runner while the Yukon is more of a utility truck. With the used car market looking like it is, I could probably unload it for $5k-$6k. Right now it's basically a mini-shop/storage shed/camp site on wheels.
Nice setup you have going. Don’t think I wasn’t looking at the Yukons myself!
I bought a barely-used (2K miles, 35% off (year on lot)) high-roof Sprinter on a whim back in 2017 (was a PGA tour shuttle, apparently) and took out all 3 benches, for a truly wonderfully capacious, full-enclosed hauling and moving machine.
We've also used it as a great family country-touring machine with all benches in (8 kids), and the kids have taken it around the country a couple of times with friends.
Can't recommend them more. Just a basic V6 diesel, but Mercedes does build solid trucks.
(The only drawback being that the roof a/c gaskets always break on these things at great expense (1600usd), out of warrantee. They even settled a class action suit about that exact problem, but only up to 2015. I suppose we'll have to start another to cover 2016 and up...)
We've also used it as a great family country-touring machine with all benches in (8 kids), and the kids have taken it around the country a couple of times with friends.
Can't recommend them more. Just a basic V6 diesel, but Mercedes does build solid trucks.
(The only drawback being that the roof a/c gaskets always break on these things at great expense (1600usd), out of warrantee. They even settled a class action suit about that exact problem, but only up to 2015. I suppose we'll have to start another to cover 2016 and up...)
Eight kids. What I would give to have eight kids. You’re a living life right, that’s all I have to say.
Apple AirPods Max headphones. It's been a long time since I was so pleased with a hardware purchase.
Raspberry Pi for me. Took me a long time to finally decide to get one, but I bought a house about a year and a half ago and I've been having a lot of fun messing around with home automation stuff via Home Assistant.
I got a Eufy RoboVac myself and it's not as great as I thought it would be. Although that's partially because of the layout of my home that I haven't found a good spot to put it that it can clean well without me moving a lot of stuff out of the way.
I got a Eufy RoboVac myself and it's not as great as I thought it would be. Although that's partially because of the layout of my home that I haven't found a good spot to put it that it can clean well without me moving a lot of stuff out of the way.
Robovacs with lidar are the real MVP. The ones that bounce are fine, but the lidar machine cleans efficiently, and it's magnificent.
I believe mine has LIDAR although it doesn't make it any easier for it to squeeze around furniture.
I've a Roborock S5(0) and, to my great surprise, always makes it way out of any place it managed to get into - where it physically fits through, it well get through - and out again.
Mine has gotten stuck under my couch on several occasions when I forget to properly block it off. It tries to push around for a while but eventually I have to reach under and pull it out.
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Anova Sous Vide. Cooking perfect Chicken or pork chops every single time is an absolute joy. I don't eat as many steaks but also cooks them just the same.
It's one of my go-to kitchen gadgets, and I cook most of my meals with it.
It's one of my go-to kitchen gadgets, and I cook most of my meals with it.
I have the Anova and it's a pain due to very flaky bluetooth support. As in, I have umpteen working bluetooth gadgets in the house that all work, but I couldn't get the Anova to work after two replacements.
If I didn't pay so much extra for the bluetooth it wouldn't bother me, since it works fine without it. But I prefer the Instant Pot sous vide, my daily driver, which doesn't attempt bluetooth.
If I didn't pay so much extra for the bluetooth it wouldn't bother me, since it works fine without it. But I prefer the Instant Pot sous vide, my daily driver, which doesn't attempt bluetooth.
After the first week or so I ended up ignoring the bluetooth, and liked cooking so much more without trying to connect to the thing. I got the newer version with Wifi which connects well every time, but I don't care about the connection at all, and so don't bother.
As for cooking, I absolutely love it. Even for things I can cook fine in a pan, I much prefer the low-stress of making a steak in the bath and then taking it out and finishing it in the pan whenever I'm ready.
On lazy/busy days, we'll fire up the sous vide a little after lunch time, and throw in something frozen, knowing that all we have to do for dinner is figure out a side.
As for cooking, I absolutely love it. Even for things I can cook fine in a pan, I much prefer the low-stress of making a steak in the bath and then taking it out and finishing it in the pan whenever I'm ready.
On lazy/busy days, we'll fire up the sous vide a little after lunch time, and throw in something frozen, knowing that all we have to do for dinner is figure out a side.
ah, I explicitly bought the anova because you don't need bluetooth to use it unlike the joule. I treat it like a toaster: plug it in, turn it on, cook. Never once tried the smart features cause I expect it to stink as you've seen.
Can you or someone explain to me why you need or want Bluetooth on a sous vide circulator?
You already have to be physically next to it put your food into the water bath. It makes no sense to pull out your phone and launch an app to turn it on and set the temp when you're already physically standing right next to it, and I've never heard of any sous vide recipes that require you to change the water temp partway through cooking, so there's no need to change the temperature remotely.
The only thing I could possibly see wanting a Bluetooth app for is monitoring the water temperature in case it's gone wonky, but in the 5+ years I've had my Anova, it's always been flawless.
You already have to be physically next to it put your food into the water bath. It makes no sense to pull out your phone and launch an app to turn it on and set the temp when you're already physically standing right next to it, and I've never heard of any sous vide recipes that require you to change the water temp partway through cooking, so there's no need to change the temperature remotely.
The only thing I could possibly see wanting a Bluetooth app for is monitoring the water temperature in case it's gone wonky, but in the 5+ years I've had my Anova, it's always been flawless.
My PSA for sous vide cooking: chicken breasts can actually be tasty! 153F is the perfect temp for me. Too much lower and its got that raw chicken texture to it, Too much higher and it gets stringy and dry.
Pork tenderloin gets the award for thing most-improved by sous vide. Cook it medium rare at 135F (I sprinkle with a little salt first). Then pat it dry, put a bit more coarse salt on the outside and sear it hard and quick.
Pork tenderloin gets the award for thing most-improved by sous vide. Cook it medium rare at 135F (I sprinkle with a little salt first). Then pat it dry, put a bit more coarse salt on the outside and sear it hard and quick.
Why sous vide? Does the food taste better or prepare faster or ...?
Another name for the gadgets is 'precision cooker'. You have perfect control over the temperature of the meat. So, you'll end up with perfectly tender meat, every time.
I don't use my sous vide often, but when I do the results are fantastic. I'm a bit of a BBQ purist, and will even confess that everything comes out better when I use the precision cooker then brown the meat on the grill.
I don't use my sous vide often, but when I do the results are fantastic. I'm a bit of a BBQ purist, and will even confess that everything comes out better when I use the precision cooker then brown the meat on the grill.
Definitely not faster, but as the other commenter said, it's far more precise. The result is exactly as you set it every time with no variation. It's also far more forgiving, which tends toward the lesser variation. It definitely takes longer, but there's far less pressure when it comes to planning and timing.
A thawed steak is done after about an hour, or frozen after about 80 minutes. But if I leave it in for another hour or two, there's no difference in quality - it's still perfect, with a minute to finish on a hot cast iron.
So if I'm cooking for a crowd or busy working on sides (or just plain busy or lazy) I can still get an absolutely perfect steak (or whatever) every time at exactly the time I need it.
I've also found it to be excellent for long-cooking like a Brisket or Pork Shoulder, where I'll cook it in the water bath for about 24-32 hours, and then smoke it low and slow on the grill for 3-4 hours.
A thawed steak is done after about an hour, or frozen after about 80 minutes. But if I leave it in for another hour or two, there's no difference in quality - it's still perfect, with a minute to finish on a hot cast iron.
So if I'm cooking for a crowd or busy working on sides (or just plain busy or lazy) I can still get an absolutely perfect steak (or whatever) every time at exactly the time I need it.
I've also found it to be excellent for long-cooking like a Brisket or Pork Shoulder, where I'll cook it in the water bath for about 24-32 hours, and then smoke it low and slow on the grill for 3-4 hours.
This is my standard routine:
- Grab my chicken cuts, and season them.
- Throw in a 2 days worth of meals of chicken into the sous vide and set the temp.
- let it cook for 45 min. (No need to monitor, it's a water bath -- nothing to flip or think about.)
- Even if it goes slightly over ( I once had it go for 90 min as I got trapped in a meeting) your meat stays at the perfect doneness. - I take out a meal's worth of chicken and Sear it in a pan for 5 or so minutes.
THE SECRET: Take the rest of the chicken and immediately ice it and get it in the fridge. Now, for the rest of those pieces, I take them out at meal time, and sear to heat and I get perfect chicken that you'd not even realize are leftovers.
Works same for pork and steak too, just cook that slightly less.
- Grab my chicken cuts, and season them.
- Throw in a 2 days worth of meals of chicken into the sous vide and set the temp.
- let it cook for 45 min. (No need to monitor, it's a water bath -- nothing to flip or think about.)
- Even if it goes slightly over ( I once had it go for 90 min as I got trapped in a meeting) your meat stays at the perfect doneness. - I take out a meal's worth of chicken and Sear it in a pan for 5 or so minutes.
THE SECRET: Take the rest of the chicken and immediately ice it and get it in the fridge. Now, for the rest of those pieces, I take them out at meal time, and sear to heat and I get perfect chicken that you'd not even realize are leftovers.
Works same for pork and steak too, just cook that slightly less.
Came here to say this as well. The original touch screens are garbage in the presence of high humidity, making me slightly hate Anova for such a terrible design decision (of course they will be exposed to high humidity!), but I still suffer through using it, basically keeping the temp locked on 130°F (because changing the temp is too risky to get it stuck with the flaky touchscreen).
Cooking with it though is great.
Cooking with it though is great.
Do you have to cook in plastic, or does it cook in a normal pan?
You do cook in a plastic bag, but I've seen people also use Silicone sous vide bags.
M1 Air. By far best machine I had
I got myself a road bike after a long wait because of the bicycle shortage, and a fatboy beanbag to enjoy the playoffs as lazily as possible.
Oculus Quest 2 - despite the whole Facebook thing, coupling it with awesome games and experiences, it saved me from going mental during the autumn-winter-spring lockdown in Europe combined with the depressing weather of that time. Worth its weight in gold for that.
Roborock Robovac - also worth its weight in gold since the whole lockdown WFH turned my apartment into a permanent office, kitchen, cinema and gym, the floors would get gross fast, full of dust, lint, hair, dead skin flakes, food crumbs and felt nasty rolling on it to do exercises in the morning.
Would have loved to get a new laptop/PC to replace my aging banger, but not in this market.
Roborock Robovac - also worth its weight in gold since the whole lockdown WFH turned my apartment into a permanent office, kitchen, cinema and gym, the floors would get gross fast, full of dust, lint, hair, dead skin flakes, food crumbs and felt nasty rolling on it to do exercises in the morning.
Would have loved to get a new laptop/PC to replace my aging banger, but not in this market.
+1 to the Quest 2. Despite Facebook, it's an incredible piece of hardware. We bought them for everyone in my distributed startup and the 8 of us hang out in VR together every week.
Virtual Desktop + Shadow PC on the Quest 2 is incredible. I played through Half-Life Alyx rendered on my cloud Shadow PC entirely wirelessly. It was a super smooth and responsive experience -- I didn't expect it to work at all when I first set it up.
Virtual Desktop + Shadow PC on the Quest 2 is incredible. I played through Half-Life Alyx rendered on my cloud Shadow PC entirely wirelessly. It was a super smooth and responsive experience -- I didn't expect it to work at all when I first set it up.
Wow, interesting suggestion with Shadow PC.
How does it work exactly?
Do you install Virtual Desktop on the shadow pc instance? Do I need any "interim" physical computer on my home network to proxy?
Yeah you install Virtual Desktop on the Shadow PC and then your Quest can connect directly to it.
You do need something other than the Quest to start up the Shadow PC and keep it running (it will shut down automatically if an official Shadow client is not connected for too long). I use my laptop or AppleTV for this -- both connected over ethernet so I save all my WiFi bandwidth for the Quest.
You do need something other than the Quest to start up the Shadow PC and keep it running (it will shut down automatically if an official Shadow client is not connected for too long). I use my laptop or AppleTV for this -- both connected over ethernet so I save all my WiFi bandwidth for the Quest.
Where/How do you hang out?
Probably Rec Room (https://recroom.com/) or VR Chat (https://hello.vrchat.com/). Both are popular ways to hang out in VR.
We've tried a handful of things: Rec Room, Population One, Spatial, Echo VR, Beat Saber, Bigscreen, and Immersed.
The last few weeks we've been playing Population One together since they have a very simple 6-digit-room-code way of creating private lobbies that can support > 8 people. They also have great team/voice configuration settings where you can set up who can talk to who. I worry a little about gun games and inclusivity, but it's the only app that's consistently allowed the 8 of us to get together without spending 30 minutes troubleshooting. Probably this is in part because they just avoid the quirks of the Quest party system altogether and use their own private lobby system.
Echo VR's private lobby system never worked for us (we were only able to get 2-3 people in the same private lobby at the same time).
Rec Room is nice and easy for new VR people, but when we've gone into the minigames it seems to split us up into different teams, with different team chats, and we can't talk to eachother anymore. We also couldn't figure out if it's possible to make private games. But this is one I'd like to investigate more.
Beat Saber works pretty well but maxes out at 5 people.
Spatial works well for meetings, but if you're just looking to hang out it gets kinda boring.
Immersed is super cool for coworking, but I think it costs monthly money if you want to cowork IIRC.
The last few weeks we've been playing Population One together since they have a very simple 6-digit-room-code way of creating private lobbies that can support > 8 people. They also have great team/voice configuration settings where you can set up who can talk to who. I worry a little about gun games and inclusivity, but it's the only app that's consistently allowed the 8 of us to get together without spending 30 minutes troubleshooting. Probably this is in part because they just avoid the quirks of the Quest party system altogether and use their own private lobby system.
Echo VR's private lobby system never worked for us (we were only able to get 2-3 people in the same private lobby at the same time).
Rec Room is nice and easy for new VR people, but when we've gone into the minigames it seems to split us up into different teams, with different team chats, and we can't talk to eachother anymore. We also couldn't figure out if it's possible to make private games. But this is one I'd like to investigate more.
Beat Saber works pretty well but maxes out at 5 people.
Spatial works well for meetings, but if you're just looking to hang out it gets kinda boring.
Immersed is super cool for coworking, but I think it costs monthly money if you want to cowork IIRC.
Thanks for these recommendations/descriptions/reviews.
>I worry a little about gun games and inclusivity, but it's the only app that's consistently allowed the 8 of us to get together without spending 30 minutes troubleshooting.
Interesting pivot/fork for them - spin out a vr-group-chat service. 'Population 8'? ha
>I worry a little about gun games and inclusivity, but it's the only app that's consistently allowed the 8 of us to get together without spending 30 minutes troubleshooting.
Interesting pivot/fork for them - spin out a vr-group-chat service. 'Population 8'? ha
Got the first quest and it was amazing. Now I’m wondering if I should hold out and wait for the quest 3 haha.
Getting an Oculus Quest 2 jumpstarted my workout regime after my gym closed during lockdown. I look forward to my workout time so much now. I got a $15 off brand silicon face cover to replace the cloth one to help with the sweat.
I've been considering a Quest 2 for exercise, but thought the sweat would be too much.
Any tips on the face cover and games/exercise apps?
Any tips on the face cover and games/exercise apps?
You see how everyone's talking about Beat Saber? That's not a coincidence :)
Seriously. What a fun game. And it scales really well -- I play most maps on Expert+ 120%, breaking into 150% speed. Here's a recent example (this one is just Expert though): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFCxrNS9GgY -- And one on Expert+: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdLZ6B2AB1Q
The only criticism I have of Beat Saber fitness-wise is that it doesn't train many muscles. It's mostly the shoulders, arms and a bit the wrists. Some songs train your core but you can't rely on that. It's awesome for rythm and reaction speed, however, so it's a good mental training too.
The sweat is a problem. The silicone masks are great (I use the VRCover ones -- https://vrcover.com/ -- Oculus sent me a pair because I had skin problems with the foam one), but they do not let my head breathe at all so I sweat even more. They're definitely less gross, though.
Seriously. What a fun game. And it scales really well -- I play most maps on Expert+ 120%, breaking into 150% speed. Here's a recent example (this one is just Expert though): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFCxrNS9GgY -- And one on Expert+: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdLZ6B2AB1Q
The only criticism I have of Beat Saber fitness-wise is that it doesn't train many muscles. It's mostly the shoulders, arms and a bit the wrists. Some songs train your core but you can't rely on that. It's awesome for rythm and reaction speed, however, so it's a good mental training too.
The sweat is a problem. The silicone masks are great (I use the VRCover ones -- https://vrcover.com/ -- Oculus sent me a pair because I had skin problems with the foam one), but they do not let my head breathe at all so I sweat even more. They're definitely less gross, though.
For exercise I recommend ring fit
I had it and didn't care for it, and sold it to a friend who couldn't find it in the stores.
Thanks, though!
Thanks, though!
What game do you usually workout with?
I personally started out with Supernatural, which is "Designed" for fitness and has classes with real instructors, but have since moved over to beat saber. They're similar, but whereas Supernatural still "feels" like a workout thanks to the coaches and stretching routines, beat saber just feels like a game but I still break a sweat.
I've played a lot Beat Saber, and ended up getting wrist weights. Very recently I've been spending time in Thrill of the Fight. I would never have expected myself to like it, but it's a fun workout.
Supernatural is my favorite and the one that I use most consistently.
Any Quest game recommendations?
I have one, but I barely use it right now.
I have one, but I barely use it right now.
In Death: Unchained is my favorite Quest game so far.
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2334376869949242/?l...
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/2334376869949242/?l...
Population: One is pretty great if you like online multiplayer. Superhot is an obvious classic, lots of replayability and one of the first things I put people new to VR into. I've heard great things about the Walking Dead game but haven't played it yet.
Demeo is a turn based D&D clone that is pretty fun.
I enjoyed Pistol Whip a lot, although I have stopped using my Oculus over time
Superhot
Red Matter
The Room
Half Life Alyx if your PC is powerful enough
Star Wars Tales from the Galaxy's Edge
I expect you to die
Pistol Whip and Crisis Vrigade are fun shooters that get you moving. Crisis VRigade in particular will have you do LOTS of squats, it's also hard as hell (I've played for hours and still haven't beaten the first 6 minute level on easy difficulty).
For a less physical game, I'm really enjoying Control Tower VR. If you remember when early touch screen games started coming out, there was a whole genre where you used the touch screen to fly planes around and safely land them at an airport without crashing into each other. Control Tower VR is like that, but in 3D. It isn't super polished, but the gameplay loop is fun enough that I don't mind.
If you're tethering to a computer or using something like Virtual Desktop, Half Life: Alyx and American Truck Simulator are both fun a lot of fun. ATS is great if you just want to put on a podcast and zone out, without having to worry about crashing your real car when you zone out too much.
Also seconding the recommendations here for Superhot. That's the game that convinced me that VR was the real deal.
For a less physical game, I'm really enjoying Control Tower VR. If you remember when early touch screen games started coming out, there was a whole genre where you used the touch screen to fly planes around and safely land them at an airport without crashing into each other. Control Tower VR is like that, but in 3D. It isn't super polished, but the gameplay loop is fun enough that I don't mind.
If you're tethering to a computer or using something like Virtual Desktop, Half Life: Alyx and American Truck Simulator are both fun a lot of fun. ATS is great if you just want to put on a podcast and zone out, without having to worry about crashing your real car when you zone out too much.
Also seconding the recommendations here for Superhot. That's the game that convinced me that VR was the real deal.
If you like Poker, I'd recommend Pokerstars VR. It's all fake money, so generally everyone's there to have a great time and it's fun to chat with the other players. I tend to play at around 11 PM to 2 AM Pacific Time, so I often find myself chatting with Australians, New Zealanders, and Europeans.
Eleven ping pong feels like the real thing.
Oculus provides replacement foam inserts for qualifying SKUs -- https://support.oculus.com/1504463656600795/?intern_source=b...
I feel like I'd love the Quest 2 for a month or two and then I wouldn't use it after the novelty wore off.
Are there any AR/XR applications for Quest? It'd be pretty interesting if I got multiple for the fam and we could all be in the same environment somehow. Even if I needed room reference / locator devices it would probably be worth it.
Are there any AR/XR applications for Quest? It'd be pretty interesting if I got multiple for the fam and we could all be in the same environment somehow. Even if I needed room reference / locator devices it would probably be worth it.
I personally feel like a lot of the fun in VR will come from multiplayer.
Quest 2 has been great. I’ve legit been getting daily exercise from playing ping pong (Eleven ping pong) during quarantine. It’s amazing.
Fender Player Series Strat & a little Orange Crush 35rt amp.
Getting back into playing after stepping away back in the late 80s has been a primary factor in keeping me sane and alive over the last couple years.
Getting back into playing after stepping away back in the late 80s has been a primary factor in keeping me sane and alive over the last couple years.
Logitech MX Master, I noticed wrist pain with the prolong use of the trackpad on my Mac. Instead of getting a generic mouse, I decided to take the leap and get the MX Master 2S.
The ergonomics alone is worth all the hype and money. The extra buttons, excellent tracking is cherry on the top for me.
I really like the 2s. Besides just being an all-around excellent mouse, the scroll-wheel that just spins forever is probably my favorite feature - sometimes to scroll a long page - sometimes just as sort of a fidget spinner.
I want the 3 for the USB-C but otherwise my 2s is still in excellent condition and I have a hard time justifying replacing it just for the USB port.
I want the 3 for the USB-C but otherwise my 2s is still in excellent condition and I have a hard time justifying replacing it just for the USB port.
I have a 3 that I'm not using, maybe we can work something out?
For those like me that love the mac trackpads, but experience wrist pain from the bad ergonomics I recommend a gel mouse pad.
The gel elevates the wrist to provide better ergonomics.
The gel elevates the wrist to provide better ergonomics.
I have the MX Master 2S as well. Recently my keyboard started getting flaky on me and I got the MX keys to go along with it and it is fabulous. I switch in between machines fairly often and the buttons to switch between computers are a life saver.
could be better. The scroll wheel is too far back. A pleasant surprise is the button on the flap.
- Arturia Keystep 37, excellent MIDI keyboard with many features
- Bafang 750W motor to transform a regular bike into an electric one
- Panasonic Lumix Gx80, small M43 camera with interchangeable lenses; super cheap now because it's already 4 years old, and still great; the basic lens that usually come with it is crap, go for either the Olympus 17mm 2.8 (used only, about $100-150) or the 1.8 (around $400 new)
- Bafang 750W motor to transform a regular bike into an electric one
- Panasonic Lumix Gx80, small M43 camera with interchangeable lenses; super cheap now because it's already 4 years old, and still great; the basic lens that usually come with it is crap, go for either the Olympus 17mm 2.8 (used only, about $100-150) or the 1.8 (around $400 new)
A friend converted his 26" bike with the Bafang 1KW motor, and that thing is a beast. Definitely not street legal, as it can reach speeds of 80km/h, but a lot of fun
Gorilla Glue! Jokes about using it as a hair product aside; this has saved me thousands of dollars. I recently used it to repair a wicker outdoor dining table that was fraying. I recently used it to fix the base of an expensive blender that has broken. Its about a $7 purchase at your local hardware store, but it will easily pay for itself.
- Zwift enabled bike trainer: This has enabled me to keep fit during the pandemic and also build up good gym habits. Coupled with strava to keep track of workouts its a pretty good exercise package. (I got this one: https://www.zwift.com/shop/wahoo-kickr-bike-learn)
I got some Glerup slippers and they are what I've been wanting all my life. Extremely warm and comfortable, wool means they never stink, and very stylish. I wore them every day throughout the winter.
My girlfriend also just got an inflatable stand-up paddle board (Roc, ~$400) and it's pretty fun. Don't know that I'd recommend this brand in particular but inflatable stand up paddleboards are pretty cool for a water conveyance that fits in your car and work great on lakes.
My girlfriend also just got an inflatable stand-up paddle board (Roc, ~$400) and it's pretty fun. Don't know that I'd recommend this brand in particular but inflatable stand up paddleboards are pretty cool for a water conveyance that fits in your car and work great on lakes.
I got some Glerups slippers last fall, since my WFH desk is in the basement and the floor is cold in winter. They are warm, but the sole stitching is already broken at the toes. (They also run a little large.)
I have a different brand of slippers (Giesswein), but needed to replace my liners and tried these (https://www.ugg.com/men/sheepskin-insole/1101442.html) for the heck of it. I will never, ever go back.
85” Sony TV
My mountainbike (cube reaction pro)
- Braun BC02BW alarm clock - I started to sleep more regularly since I use it (there is no snooze option).
- Trek FX 2 + lights + Thule pannier - Not so fast as I expected, but perfect for city commuting.
- Trek FX 2 + lights + Thule pannier - Not so fast as I expected, but perfect for city commuting.
> Braun BC02BW
I love this one, have been using it for a long time. I hope they never discontinue making them.
I love this one, have been using it for a long time. I hope they never discontinue making them.
Super cheap battery powered hot glue gun. It just charges with a micro usb.
The kids use it for all kinds of crafts and hot glue seems to be a fairly strong but generally removable bond. And no cord seems to remove a mental block on using it.
The kids use it for all kinds of crafts and hot glue seems to be a fairly strong but generally removable bond. And no cord seems to remove a mental block on using it.
3d printers are getting cheap and it’s a really fun hobby and just a generally useful item for random repairs and cheap items.
Any in particular you recommend? I played around with them in college, we had to spend months building one. I would love to get back into it, preferably without all the hard work of building the printer this time :)
I got the ender 5 kit. It took about two hours to put together. Just bolting the pieces together really. Not too technical.
I’ve heard the cheaper ender 3 is basically just as good plus there are more resources online for any issues.
I’ve heard the cheaper ender 3 is basically just as good plus there are more resources online for any issues.
This is what I came here to say. I got one for my son a year ago, and I've been surprised at how much use I've gotten out of it.
Things I've used it for:
- It's currently germinating seeds for the garden. Some people use Instant Pots, but ours doesn't have the Yogurt setting. The printer bed is our best way to keep the seeds at 31C for a week. - Custom Christmas ornaments for the extended family. - Hangers for ethernet cables in the crawl space and drywall grommets for passing through walls. - Headphone hangers. Could have bought on Amazon, but found a design on Thingiverse that I liked and 3 hours later I had it on my desk. - Extension to the hopper on my coffee grinder. It would hold around 3/4 of a 12oz bag, and I was like: I just want to empty the whole bag into the hopper. - Little coasters and trinkets for birthdays and Valentines.
Next thing is: My son got a Stirling Engine kit but lost a couple of the gaskets. We can model some molds and create replacement gaskets, they're fairly specialized, not sure if I can just buy them.
Plus, it's been kind of fun modifying the printer. Also kind of maddening at times. But it reminds me of the car mod scene when I was 18.
I got an Ender 3 Pro, upgraded the motherboard, added a bed leveling sensor, added OctoPrint and a camera, upgraded the extruder, trying out glass beds...
Things I've used it for:
- It's currently germinating seeds for the garden. Some people use Instant Pots, but ours doesn't have the Yogurt setting. The printer bed is our best way to keep the seeds at 31C for a week. - Custom Christmas ornaments for the extended family. - Hangers for ethernet cables in the crawl space and drywall grommets for passing through walls. - Headphone hangers. Could have bought on Amazon, but found a design on Thingiverse that I liked and 3 hours later I had it on my desk. - Extension to the hopper on my coffee grinder. It would hold around 3/4 of a 12oz bag, and I was like: I just want to empty the whole bag into the hopper. - Little coasters and trinkets for birthdays and Valentines.
Next thing is: My son got a Stirling Engine kit but lost a couple of the gaskets. We can model some molds and create replacement gaskets, they're fairly specialized, not sure if I can just buy them.
Plus, it's been kind of fun modifying the printer. Also kind of maddening at times. But it reminds me of the car mod scene when I was 18.
I got an Ender 3 Pro, upgraded the motherboard, added a bed leveling sensor, added OctoPrint and a camera, upgraded the extruder, trying out glass beds...
I purchased a standing desk (Uplift ~60in * 30in) and couldn't be happier with the purchase.
Main benefits is that I can actually adjust the height of my table to be actually ergonomic. My chair + table + monitors are all set right. I stand around 2-3 hours a day and that helps a lot.
This was an expensive purchase for me (Esp for a table) but well well worth the price.
extremely happy with it.
This was an expensive purchase for me (Esp for a table) but well well worth the price.
extremely happy with it.
Bungee cord rebounder (Trampoline). This is perfect for quick cardio while working from home. I've been feeling so much more energetic since I've started doing about 10 minutes a day. It feels effortless but after 10 minutes of this and getting off the trampoline you do feel it.
LG 38UC99-W 38-Inch 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD+ IPS Monitor with Bluetooth Speakers http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01LW54S4U/donhosek
It's amazing how much the extra screen real estate helps.
Other than that, I've bought surprisingly little in the last two years other than food, clothing and gifts.
It's amazing how much the extra screen real estate helps.
Other than that, I've bought surprisingly little in the last two years other than food, clothing and gifts.
$1K - Hard pass. I'll take two crappy IPS 24 inch monitors before I drop that kinda cash on a monitor.
Thing is I've seen co-workers with these, and buy call accounts they love them, but I've never really been blown away by them.
The 144hz refresh rate is nice, but wasted on someone who just writes code all day.
Thing is I've seen co-workers with these, and buy call accounts they love them, but I've never really been blown away by them.
The 144hz refresh rate is nice, but wasted on someone who just writes code all day.
Anything you're gonna interact with more than half your waking hours is worth spending lots of money on, to me. Over 4 years of daily use a monitor like that is something like 20 cents an hour. Seems worth it to me.
It looks to be 60Hz. I think 144Hz is nice even if you only write code. Everything is more smooth, like scrolling code or documents.
There are much cheaper curved widescreen monitors as well, I bought a 100hz AOC monitor for 360 dollars or so. That was more than worth it.
Oh yes. That's the screen I'm rocking. It's pure bliss.
For gamers I'm sure there's better but the 38UC99 is quite something. Now it's already three years old (or even older?) so there's probably better at the same price point now?
For gamers I'm sure there's better but the 38UC99 is quite something. Now it's already three years old (or even older?) so there's probably better at the same price point now?
I switched from a 38UC99 to a 43" 4K (16:9) display. For me, the extra vertical space (35% more) makes it much more useful for programming-type work. For example, showing many lines of code or logs at once.
Also got an ultra-wide curved. Work bought it. HP brand, 43”. Not my first choice but it’s where I work so that’s what we get.
I can say unequivocal that when I eventually have to take it back to the office, a) my non software developer team members will drool, b) I will buy myself something because gaming (and everything else) is fantastic on it.
I can say unequivocal that when I eventually have to take it back to the office, a) my non software developer team members will drool, b) I will buy myself something because gaming (and everything else) is fantastic on it.
That price! Omg
Eero wifi setup
DJI Mavic mini.
Forces me to visit all sorts of places, fun to drive and amazing videos as memories.
Same here, Skydio 2 (before the recent price hike).
I always liked photography and video but flying photography and video also unlock photogrammetry of large spaces and 3d scanning.
I always liked photography and video but flying photography and video also unlock photogrammetry of large spaces and 3d scanning.
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"Go equipment consists of the objects that are necessary in order to play the game of Go which originated in China"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_equipment#Board
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_equipment#Board
This game is so much better than chess in my opinion. Have fun!
Bonus: here’s a tutorial to learn the game https://online-go.com/learn-to-play-go
Bonus: here’s a tutorial to learn the game https://online-go.com/learn-to-play-go
Very nice. Where did you buy it?
Looks great! Where did you get it from?
A massage gun.
I got something called the LifePro Sonic Pro X or something like that, but it looks like the same gun is sold under different brands.
I have back issues (muscular, not skeletal thank god) and combined with a sitting-heavy job I can get really tight and wound up in a way that fucks up my posture, my walking gait, and my ability to get a good workout in at the end of the day.
The massage gun reallly lets you loosen up and focus on areas that are tough to stretch, and it’s a lot gentler and less stressful than stretching. It has made a huge difference for me, all over my body.
I massage gun while docker builds or CI tests are running, when my mic and camera are off during a meeting, etc. Great stuff.
I got something called the LifePro Sonic Pro X or something like that, but it looks like the same gun is sold under different brands.
I have back issues (muscular, not skeletal thank god) and combined with a sitting-heavy job I can get really tight and wound up in a way that fucks up my posture, my walking gait, and my ability to get a good workout in at the end of the day.
The massage gun reallly lets you loosen up and focus on areas that are tough to stretch, and it’s a lot gentler and less stressful than stretching. It has made a huge difference for me, all over my body.
I massage gun while docker builds or CI tests are running, when my mic and camera are off during a meeting, etc. Great stuff.
I bought the hypervolt hyperice. I was somewhat skeptical about massage guns in general until I started using it and it is amazing. It can really dig into hip flexors, legs muscles and the lower back where the old-style massagers are much more surface level.
I also got a tv with bluetooth so I can watch action movies full volume on the headset while people in the house sleep. It also makes up for the terrible acoustics in my bedroom which seems to dampen all sound (great for sleeping, bad for tv).
I also got a tv with bluetooth so I can watch action movies full volume on the headset while people in the house sleep. It also makes up for the terrible acoustics in my bedroom which seems to dampen all sound (great for sleeping, bad for tv).
There's good&cheap one from Xiaomi - YUNMAI. It's very quiet compared to one my wife has but a little weaker.
BMW K1200S, it's absurd you can buy something that fast with so little money
Tech: Dell U3219Q -- 4k 32" display, USB C power delivery, builtin KVM switch to go between HDMI/USB3 and USB C, running it at a 1x resolution for a 3800x2000 logical display. It's pricey, but I can do one monitor on this and be happy.
Not Tech: Rene Herse Rat Trap Pass/Nachez Pass super supple wide tires for my tandem. Boosted the average speed by ~1+mph (~16mph to 17+ mph) (with the same stoker) over 2-3 hr rides, and more comfortable, especially for the stoker.
Not Tech: Rene Herse Rat Trap Pass/Nachez Pass super supple wide tires for my tandem. Boosted the average speed by ~1+mph (~16mph to 17+ mph) (with the same stoker) over 2-3 hr rides, and more comfortable, especially for the stoker.
I bought the 34" curved Dell monitor (U3419W) with the KVM switch built in and I am very happy with it.
Dell's Mac support is pretty bad but being able to hook 3 computers upto the monitor works very well. I use usb-c, HDMI and display port.
I found a command line tool for mac that sends the correct command codes to the monitor to make it even easy to switch machines. My one laptop has the touchbar and it is easy to add buttons to it for monitor switching.
Dell's Mac support is pretty bad but being able to hook 3 computers upto the monitor works very well. I use usb-c, HDMI and display port.
I found a command line tool for mac that sends the correct command codes to the monitor to make it even easy to switch machines. My one laptop has the touchbar and it is easy to add buttons to it for monitor switching.
I've used Dell Ultrasharp monitors with Mac and Linux for more years than I care to remember, and I've never had any trouble with them. I'm not even clear what Mac support means in the case of a monitor.
(though, early on I had to configure modelines for the 20" widescreens on X. I think ubuntu 8.04 fixed that for good.)
(though, early on I had to configure modelines for the 20" widescreens on X. I think ubuntu 8.04 fixed that for good.)
I recall two things that people complained about with the Mac support
- the USB-C charging was terrible because if you turn off the monitor it stops charging the laptop. I believe the same happens when the monitor sleeps. There is also this weird connectivity issue that happens if the mac with USB-C goes to sleep and the monitor is in use with another port. It keeps detecting/undetecting the USB-C port. I think it basically comes down to a lack of consistent power connection from the monitor to USB-C port. I knew about this problem and I just make sure my mac has a power brick plugged in.
- the 2nd problem was that their isn't any Dell software for mac which means that all settings and switching is done through the buttons. Luckily, someone hacked this together.
https://github.com/kfix/ddcctl
Overall, the monitor is absolutely fantastic and I would buy it again. I spent at least 40 hours researching monitors and looking for a high resolution (4kish), 32" or larger, IPS monitor. Everything else was either super expensive, out of stock/no longer made or had major problems.
- the USB-C charging was terrible because if you turn off the monitor it stops charging the laptop. I believe the same happens when the monitor sleeps. There is also this weird connectivity issue that happens if the mac with USB-C goes to sleep and the monitor is in use with another port. It keeps detecting/undetecting the USB-C port. I think it basically comes down to a lack of consistent power connection from the monitor to USB-C port. I knew about this problem and I just make sure my mac has a power brick plugged in.
- the 2nd problem was that their isn't any Dell software for mac which means that all settings and switching is done through the buttons. Luckily, someone hacked this together.
https://github.com/kfix/ddcctl
Overall, the monitor is absolutely fantastic and I would buy it again. I spent at least 40 hours researching monitors and looking for a high resolution (4kish), 32" or larger, IPS monitor. Everything else was either super expensive, out of stock/no longer made or had major problems.
I haven't experienced the first, and .. I guess I never went looking for software for the second. That github link looks good though.
This drill. Got it at Christmas, used it lots and still haven't charged the battery.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/milwaukee-m18-cblpd-402c-18v-4-0a...
https://www.screwfix.com/p/milwaukee-m18-cblpd-402c-18v-4-0a...
Sometimes you can find the M18 Drill and Impact driver together on sale. The two of those and an extra battery are probably the most used tools in my house.
Can confirm, it's great. The 12 volt is pretty great too.
m18 tools I own:
1/2 impact wrench, impact driver 1/4" hex, 7-1/4 circular saw, 5" throat portaband, 4-1/2" angle grinder, Oscillator, jigsaw, Weedwacker/pole chainsaw, small vacuum, 1-9/16 SDS drill.
I also have an m12 screwdriver and m12 3/8 ratchet.
Milwaukee is really killing it in this market. There are so many tools for the same batteries, and in almost all cases they are not just good cordless tools, but good in general.
Most impressive to me is their electric pole chainsaw. it has a 10" bar and with a bit of skill you can actually get it to plunge tip first. It wouldn't be my first choice for felling due to it's form factor, but I cut probably 50-60 3-6" dead branches on half an 8 amp battery a few days ago.
Side note: I really wish milwaukee made an adaptor from M18 batteries to USB-C 80W for a MacBook pro.
1/2 impact wrench, impact driver 1/4" hex, 7-1/4 circular saw, 5" throat portaband, 4-1/2" angle grinder, Oscillator, jigsaw, Weedwacker/pole chainsaw, small vacuum, 1-9/16 SDS drill.
I also have an m12 screwdriver and m12 3/8 ratchet.
Milwaukee is really killing it in this market. There are so many tools for the same batteries, and in almost all cases they are not just good cordless tools, but good in general.
Most impressive to me is their electric pole chainsaw. it has a 10" bar and with a bit of skill you can actually get it to plunge tip first. It wouldn't be my first choice for felling due to it's form factor, but I cut probably 50-60 3-6" dead branches on half an 8 amp battery a few days ago.
Side note: I really wish milwaukee made an adaptor from M18 batteries to USB-C 80W for a MacBook pro.
I'm on the deWalt 20/60 volt system, but everything you said applies to either, with trivial details as the difference.
When buying battery operated tools you need to decide in advance are you buying a single tool, or a battery system. If just a tool any mid-range drill/impact works (face it, that is what everyone is buying who isn't buying a system). If there is any chance you will buy any other tool it is either DeWalt flexvolt or Milwaukee m18 because both have a large catalog of tools that fit your one battery which is convenient because it means you will always have a battery charge to finish the task.
When buying battery operated tools you need to decide in advance are you buying a single tool, or a battery system. If just a tool any mid-range drill/impact works (face it, that is what everyone is buying who isn't buying a system). If there is any chance you will buy any other tool it is either DeWalt flexvolt or Milwaukee m18 because both have a large catalog of tools that fit your one battery which is convenient because it means you will always have a battery charge to finish the task.
Atomberg Efficio Low wattage BLDC ceiling fans
A pullup bar (door frame) and resistance bands. Exercising at home has kicked me off into being healthier.
Same. My favorite is the simple jumping rope. Never used one at the gym and simply forgot how much fun it is. (Can't use it in the living room though).
You can jump rope without the rope. I do this because I don't have much space in my garage for a rope to sling around, so I just pretend to hold the handles and skip rope that way.
Not as fun though. Using the rope adds challenge and builds/reinforces coordination among all four (usually) limbs
Could you do pull-ups before you bought the bar? I’m always so tempted to get one because I so badly want to be able to do a pull-up. I’d be so pumped if I could just do one. But I have no upper body strength to speak of and getting to a pull-up seems nearly impossible so I never pull the trigger on buying the bar.
Negatives can help get you there if you really want to pull the trigger. Just be careful - door frame pull up bars can ruin your door molding.
Buy the bar!
You can start by just hanging there or trying to do a pullup. Over time you'll get it!
Pushups also help to strengthen your back muscles, which helps with pullups.
You can start by just hanging there or trying to do a pullup. Over time you'll get it!
Pushups also help to strengthen your back muscles, which helps with pullups.
It took me a solid 6 months from "never worked out a day in my life" to "can do a pullup".
I started just hanging from the bar, then moved to using a stool to get above the bar and lowering myself as slowly as possible.
Eventually, with practice, I could start holding myself in place with arms bent, then finally start moving upward.
It was a journey, but I'm glad I did it!
I started just hanging from the bar, then moved to using a stool to get above the bar and lowering myself as slowly as possible.
Eventually, with practice, I could start holding myself in place with arms bent, then finally start moving upward.
It was a journey, but I'm glad I did it!
I had the exact same experience. Hanging, then slowly lowering, then eventually being able to do one! Then worked up to 3x sets of 5, then an unrelated injury has prevented me from working out. I really enjoyed doing pull ups and the strength I gained. I'd highly recommend getting a pull up bar and following the reddit body weight fitness recommended routine[1].
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/
Congrats! I've got a very strange pull-up anecdote. During quarantine last year I started working on the roof of my building. That meant climbing up a vertical fire escape ladder daily with 25+ lbs of clay and all types of gear. Months into going up and down the ladder 10-20 times a day I realized I could do more pull-ups than I could ever have done previously.
I'm still working on my roof and love it. Since last summer I made a pulley system to get my work up and down when it's too heavy or too big to fit on my back.
I'm still working on my roof and love it. Since last summer I made a pulley system to get my work up and down when it's too heavy or too big to fit on my back.
Look up "greasing the groove" for pullups. As others have said, an absolute beginner would start with negative reps - jump up to the top of the pull up, then let yourself down slowly.
There's lots of ways to get past the hurdle of the first pull-up! Don't psych yourself out, pull the trigger.
There are some training plans out there to get you from "couch to pullup". The trick, essentially, is to start from the top and lower yourself down as slowly as you can. After a while, you start to use resistance bands to reduce the weight you need to lift, and then you start doing assisted pullups. Over time, you drop the resistance until you can do a pullup! It does take some time (~6 week for me to my first good-form pullup).
I'm insanely jealous of the American Ninja Warriors who can do 30 pullups at once. I just don't see how that's possible. But maybe someday I'll get there...
I'm insanely jealous of the American Ninja Warriors who can do 30 pullups at once. I just don't see how that's possible. But maybe someday I'll get there...
Just a small tipp: Doing a pullup mostly depends on the latissimus dorsi muscle. It's about keeping a steady, stable body while pulling. Pull with your back, not only with your arms.
Another tip for getting started.
Start horizontal, with your feet supported on a box. You are really doing a 'row', not a chin-up, but since part of your body is supported, the weight is less.
The other tips (hang from the bar and slowly lower yourself) are also very good.
*
|
|
()-----------|-------/
/---\
The other tips (hang from the bar and slowly lower yourself) are also very good.
Bonus is that you can do this with a table - with body under the table.
When I started with my trainer 5+ years ago, one of my goals was being able to do a pullup. We never really focused on them specifically, I got up to 6, or so. The two things that really got me there, and they go together, were learning to activate my lats (pullups are as much a back exercise as an arm one), and deadlifts. They definitely don't work the lats directly, but you'll engage them when your form is good, training that activation under heavy load.
Problem is if you're thinking about a pullup bar, you probably don't have the equipment for deadlifts. Band deadlits can work, though.
You can also try a lat pushdown with a band to train lat activation. With pullups, it's easy to turn it into an arm exercise. It's harder to skip this with a lat pushdown.
Problem is if you're thinking about a pullup bar, you probably don't have the equipment for deadlifts. Band deadlits can work, though.
You can also try a lat pushdown with a band to train lat activation. With pullups, it's easy to turn it into an arm exercise. It's harder to skip this with a lat pushdown.
You could do Australian pull-ups (i.e. horizontal pull-ups) to start building your back, you just need two chairs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbBDBkkuNac
Or with a broom put down between two chairs to build your hands grip: https://homegym-exercises.com/inverted_row_between_two_chair...
Or with a broom put down between two chairs to build your hands grip: https://homegym-exercises.com/inverted_row_between_two_chair...
If you're worried about damaging your door frame, you can get a "power tower" for about $100. For some reason they seem to be mostly marketed toward women, but they're a great portable fitness solution.
This is the one I bought on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TLLS4BV?psc=1
This is the one I bought on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TLLS4BV?psc=1
Roost Laptop stand + bluetooth keyboard and trackpad
Enormous impact on my posture when I'm using my laptop away from my desk. The stand collapses into a stick so it's easy to toss in my backpack.
https://www.therooststand.com/collections/roost-laptop-stand...
Enormous impact on my posture when I'm using my laptop away from my desk. The stand collapses into a stick so it's easy to toss in my backpack.
https://www.therooststand.com/collections/roost-laptop-stand...
I did the same a few years ago and it's had a huge impact for me too. I use the Microsoft Sculpt ergonomic keyboard and a gel mousepad with my magic trackpad and love it.
The Roost Laptop stand is a must have! So portable and perfectly designed.
Just bought one with your recommendation - thanks!
Those things are going like hotcakes. Looks like they are perpetually sold out. Their "Limited Daily Stock" - released daily at 9am MTN time - went from 7 to 3 by the time I finished my purchase.
Those things are going like hotcakes. Looks like they are perpetually sold out. Their "Limited Daily Stock" - released daily at 9am MTN time - went from 7 to 3 by the time I finished my purchase.
Highly recommend the amazon knock off which is half the price and… well does the same job. It’s crazy how you don’t need anything fancy for a laptop stand :) been using it for a year and I’m happy I didn’t go full “let’s buy the most expensive thing just because”.
Some folks may want to pay more to support a small business that is manufacturing in the US (probably less of a sell if you're not American). Personally for something relatively low cost like this I'd happily pay double just to avoid buying it from Amazon. I think suggesting that it's "just because" is a very narrow view.
I don’t know what’s wrong about supporting Chinese businesses either. I’m not nationalist sorry.
Apple Watch for exercising. Paired with Airpods, it makes tracking workouts and listening to podcasts very enjoyable.
Airpods Pro.
Not traditionally an apple guy so didn't expect to like them, but the guy talked us into them while we were upgrading my wife's phone.
Wow. These things are just way better than any other earbuds and so much more convenient and comfortable than headphones. The Bluetooth just works even when switching between my Android and MacBook. The noise cancelling is great as well, way better than my Sennheisers.
Not traditionally an apple guy so didn't expect to like them, but the guy talked us into them while we were upgrading my wife's phone.
Wow. These things are just way better than any other earbuds and so much more convenient and comfortable than headphones. The Bluetooth just works even when switching between my Android and MacBook. The noise cancelling is great as well, way better than my Sennheisers.
I used to feel the same way, and still do about how good they are relative to my previous choice from 2005-2019 (wired Etymotic passive isolating buds). I bought them on day 1.
But I'm on my third pair of replacement buds now and still experiencing issues. They no longer have the random squeaking issue that the first two pairs had, but still have issues with Bluetooth connectivity, failing to connect 10-20% of the time, dropping their BT connection during Zoom calls, etc. I'm sure some of this had to do with BT itself, but I was hoping that I'd see no pairing issues at all due to the W1 chip.
I still use them all the time, and I presume I'd have way fewer issues if I used them with a single device. I'd actually buy a second pair if I only had a Mac and iPhone, but with work + personal Macs, iPhone, iPad, and HTPC Mac Mini I'd still be dealing with issues on most of my devices.
But I'm on my third pair of replacement buds now and still experiencing issues. They no longer have the random squeaking issue that the first two pairs had, but still have issues with Bluetooth connectivity, failing to connect 10-20% of the time, dropping their BT connection during Zoom calls, etc. I'm sure some of this had to do with BT itself, but I was hoping that I'd see no pairing issues at all due to the W1 chip.
I still use them all the time, and I presume I'd have way fewer issues if I used them with a single device. I'd actually buy a second pair if I only had a Mac and iPhone, but with work + personal Macs, iPhone, iPad, and HTPC Mac Mini I'd still be dealing with issues on most of my devices.
I have had each earbud replaced once under AppleCare. If I hadn't gotten AppleCare, I would probably be infuriated that I had spent money on them.
They were such a game changer for me. I used to be a big “audiophile” and spent more than I’d care to admit on headphones.
AirPod pros sound very good. Not as good as a really good audio setup, but good enough for pretty much everyone out there. The noise cancelling is really good. And best of all they are so comfortable.
Idk if I’m gonna have some weird cancer in 40 years from wearing these all the time, but I love them so much.
AirPod pros sound very good. Not as good as a really good audio setup, but good enough for pretty much everyone out there. The noise cancelling is really good. And best of all they are so comfortable.
Idk if I’m gonna have some weird cancer in 40 years from wearing these all the time, but I love them so much.
Can you elaborate on your previous auditory experiences? I'm checking for Steve Jobs/ Apple's reality distortion field. I've seen many recommendations from people who have upgraded to Apple from bad products (e.g. This iPhone 12 is so much better than the Android phone from 2017 which I paid $300 for), as opposed to a fair competitor. In this case, have you used other high-end headphones released recently?
Not OP but I have a pair of nice IEMs, open and closed back headphones and a headphone amp on my computer.
For serious listening sessions I will still plug my IEMs into my phone, but the Airpods Pro are just really convenient and sound good enough that at this point, 90% of my mobile listening is done through them. The sound cancellation is nice and better than my sennheiser momentum m2s (audio quality on those is better than the airpod pros but they have apt-x which is the difference maker, but does not exist on ios yet)
For serious listening sessions I will still plug my IEMs into my phone, but the Airpods Pro are just really convenient and sound good enough that at this point, 90% of my mobile listening is done through them. The sound cancellation is nice and better than my sennheiser momentum m2s (audio quality on those is better than the airpod pros but they have apt-x which is the difference maker, but does not exist on ios yet)
Same. 90% at ... 5x/10x the cost delta is more than good enough to prefer the AirPods.
I’ve owned and tried many headphones from different high end companies. Sennheiser HD800 were my staple for a while. But I’ve also had grado, Hifiman, and some “boutique” options.
Airpod pros don’t give you the same experience as a high end setup. But you come to realize you’re enjoying the headphones more than the music itself. Or at least I did.
With the airpod pros the quality and the overall experience is good enough that I don’t even think about them, just whatever music or audio I’m listening to.
Airpod pros don’t give you the same experience as a high end setup. But you come to realize you’re enjoying the headphones more than the music itself. Or at least I did.
With the airpod pros the quality and the overall experience is good enough that I don’t even think about them, just whatever music or audio I’m listening to.
Check out the frequency response curves yourself of the airpod pros [0] and say, an open-back sennheiser hd650 pair [1]. The airpods have a huge bump at about 1.5kHz to 3.5kHz (mids), while the sennheisers are more neutral in low frequencies but also have a bump at ~3kHz to ~7kHz.
Nothing will beat open-back headphones on a good system, but apple's stuff as of late is plenty good.
[0]: https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/apple-airp...
[1]: https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/sennheiser...
Nothing will beat open-back headphones on a good system, but apple's stuff as of late is plenty good.
[0]: https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/apple-airp...
[1]: https://reference-audio-analyzer.pro/en/report/hp/sennheiser...
I had a similar experience, having used EarSonics IEMs and own a pair of custom Noble Audio ones too, alongside Hifiman open headphones with a nice DAC/amp. The sound doens't compete at the same level, but it's so convenient, feels way more comfortable than any of the above, and quality is adequate for me to enjoy the music I listen to, so in practice I've barely touched all the other cool audio gear I have since I bought the Airpods Pro.
I was about to write the same thing. I actually didn't like the ANC I had tried with various over ear headphones. The APPs though are great though.
Second would be the M1 MBA. Much has already been written.
Third, I upgrade my home sound with KEF Q series for the L/C/R. Such a huge upgrade from an old set of speakers that were damaged from a move and rattled all the time.
Second would be the M1 MBA. Much has already been written.
Third, I upgrade my home sound with KEF Q series for the L/C/R. Such a huge upgrade from an old set of speakers that were damaged from a move and rattled all the time.
I am a traditionally an Apple guy. Sure some VMs for linux development, but the gear is all Apple stuff.
I had Beats Pro headphones that got damaged after a good amount of use so I replaced them with non-Pro Airpods and have hated it. I have to constantly worry about them falling out while I'm exercising and the case gets all gunky. The handoff between the MacBook Pro and iPhone isn't reliable enough for me to trust it, so I always have to reconnect it if I'm at a quiet place like a co-working space. Also, within the first year one of them just randomly died and I had to send the whole thing back to Apple. Apple care covered it, but still.
I miss being able to do more with what's on my head. With Beats I could easily change the volume, pause, skip, rewind and they almost never came off. The only thing that kinda sucked was in the summer the skin around them would sweat.
Shrug. At least my MacBook Pro has been great.
I had Beats Pro headphones that got damaged after a good amount of use so I replaced them with non-Pro Airpods and have hated it. I have to constantly worry about them falling out while I'm exercising and the case gets all gunky. The handoff between the MacBook Pro and iPhone isn't reliable enough for me to trust it, so I always have to reconnect it if I'm at a quiet place like a co-working space. Also, within the first year one of them just randomly died and I had to send the whole thing back to Apple. Apple care covered it, but still.
I miss being able to do more with what's on my head. With Beats I could easily change the volume, pause, skip, rewind and they almost never came off. The only thing that kinda sucked was in the summer the skin around them would sweat.
Shrug. At least my MacBook Pro has been great.
You may want to check if you are cleaning your ears properly. Getting AirPods was a wake up call for me to actually dig around my ears for the first time in my life. Went from falling out at first touch to staying in no matter what.
I started with the AirPods and upgraded to the Pro’s. having used both I find the pro models fit and stay in my ears much better.
You can also set each one to behave differently when clicked, which might help with all the play, pause, rewind etc. But I’ve gotten used to using Siri for anything more complex than play/pause.
The Shortcuts app also makes it relatively easy to add custom commands. “Hey Siri, silence” will pause, invoke noise cancelling, then play again. “Conversation mode” will pause and turn off noise cancelling.
Thanks for the reply. I do have each AirPod set to different things, but I find it just doesn't work as well as the interface that I had with the Beats headphones. The tap-tap on my ear is much more distracting than the click-click on the Beats, and so often I have to pause and think whether I can do something. For example, I used to be able to fast forward 30 seconds at a time through podcast ads then rewind 15 seconds once I went into the content. Now I can only do the fast forward part, since the other ear is set to pause. And of course I can't quickly turn up or down the volume.
I know the answer to this is "use Siri" but I dislike using Siri. Even if it worked perfectly, which it doesn't, it would still be annoying to be that guy in a coworker space or cafe that's talking to his phone.
Thanks for the feedback on the Pro's though. Maybe they will help, but I'd like to test them before I commit, which is admittedly a little difficult because of the yuck factor.
I know the answer to this is "use Siri" but I dislike using Siri. Even if it worked perfectly, which it doesn't, it would still be annoying to be that guy in a coworker space or cafe that's talking to his phone.
Thanks for the feedback on the Pro's though. Maybe they will help, but I'd like to test them before I commit, which is admittedly a little difficult because of the yuck factor.
I rarely jump back and forth when listening to audio.. so I went digging. In Apple's docs:
• To skip forward, double-press the force sensor on the stem of an AirPod.
• To skip back, triple-press the force sensor.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207010
So the only issue left is volume. Hey Siri.. how do we change the volume without talking to you?
So the only issue left is volume. Hey Siri.. how do we change the volume without talking to you?
Same here. I bought them and figured I'd use them occasionally, but in the past year, they've been used 8-12 hours per day.
From work to chores to workouts, they live in my ears. Incredible value for the use I get out of them.
From work to chores to workouts, they live in my ears. Incredible value for the use I get out of them.
[deleted]
They didn't work for me. I'm super sensitive to microphonics. With the Airpod Pros, every step I took sounded like someone banging a drum in my ear. It's not specific to Airpod Pro's, most headphones that plug into my ears I have that problem (though not all). I wouldn't have even tried the Airpod Pros except I figured if anyone was going to get that right it would be Apple.
Well, they didn't solve it, I sold them and went back to my non-Pro Airpods
Well, they didn't solve it, I sold them and went back to my non-Pro Airpods
I know this is stupid but use a lower volume?
Plus, they support "Hey Siri". I use that all the time while running with just my AirPods and watch: "Hey Siri, text $friend I'll be jogging past your house in 3 minutes" or "Hey Siri, remind me about this awesome idea I just had". Being able to do that stuff while on the move and without having to look at a phone is liberating.
Came here to say this too. My wife and I both got them and we've been 100% satisfied. Fantastic product.
The thing about the AirPods is that most people don't own a good pair of in ear or even over ear headphones.
Apple are a widely known brand and one of the first to release a product. In reality there are many other options each with different tradeoffs: https://crinacle.com/guide/tws/
Personally I find their battery life borderline, even with their rapid charge feature. Most of the time when the battery dies I'm in the middle of listening to something, instead of patiently waiting for it to charge I just grab some wired headphones instead.
Apple are a widely known brand and one of the first to release a product. In reality there are many other options each with different tradeoffs: https://crinacle.com/guide/tws/
Personally I find their battery life borderline, even with their rapid charge feature. Most of the time when the battery dies I'm in the middle of listening to something, instead of patiently waiting for it to charge I just grab some wired headphones instead.
I use mine a lot but have had to do two rounds of replacements due to hardware issues. The battery life is unsurprisingly short (right about 4 hours now) which only comes up on looong calls without a break.
They'd still be on my maybe top 5 list for recent purchases.
They'd still be on my maybe top 5 list for recent purchases.
I was super hesitant to order mine, but for the last year they’ve been in my ears virtually every day. They’re excellent. The sound quality is good, could be better, but the functionality and convenience is what makes them so usable.
Same, I've been android for 10 years but no other noise cancelling airbuds compare in size and performances.
All the android ones look massive in your ears.
All the android ones look massive in your ears.
- a mid-level road bike, Trek Emonda SL6. I'm lucky to live in a city that's really fun to bike in (Washington DC) and has a great community of athletes. I get out for multiple rides per week and am finding myself obsessed with cycling
- regular physical therapy. I've started marathon training again and while that in itself beats my body up, I feel like years of sitting at the computer building sites and playing games has really put my legs at a disadvantage. My PT provides manual adjustments, needling, and gives me expert feedback on my regular exercises. Going on a regular basis also helps me be mindful of how I'm treating my body and helps keep foam rolling, stretching, and yoga at the forefront of my mind since I'm regularly paying money for a specialist.
- regular physical therapy. I've started marathon training again and while that in itself beats my body up, I feel like years of sitting at the computer building sites and playing games has really put my legs at a disadvantage. My PT provides manual adjustments, needling, and gives me expert feedback on my regular exercises. Going on a regular basis also helps me be mindful of how I'm treating my body and helps keep foam rolling, stretching, and yoga at the forefront of my mind since I'm regularly paying money for a specialist.
How did you find a good PT? How does it work with insurance? I want to also establish a regular PT routine but I'm unsure how to start.
To be honest, I'm not working with my favorite PT. The benefits, in my mind, come from:
1. something is better than nothing
2. the sense of mindfulness. it seems that a lot of PT is getting the right exercises to do for whatever ails you. as a runner, I generally know what I need to work on but my PT has helped refine my list of things. By getting a shorter, focused list, I can think of my PT almost like a coach rather than trying to come up with my own workout plans.
In terms of insurance, I have a pretty standard high-deductible health plan and an HSA. I pay out of my HSA (and more recently out of pocket, since depleting the HSA) up to my deductible.
I want to run my marathon in the fall and I think of it so far like paying $X to be able to make it to that start line. I've told myself that I'm willing to do what it takes in terms of finances, training, and general suffering to make sure I can toe the start line.
In terms of insurance, I have a pretty standard high-deductible health plan and an HSA. I pay out of my HSA (and more recently out of pocket, since depleting the HSA) up to my deductible.
I want to run my marathon in the fall and I think of it so far like paying $X to be able to make it to that start line. I've told myself that I'm willing to do what it takes in terms of finances, training, and general suffering to make sure I can toe the start line.
> How did you find a good PT?
The poster unfortunately did not. "Needling" aka "dry needling" aka "Western acupuncture" is re-branded acupuncture. Like acupuncture, it is quackery and an unsafe scam. Even the acupuncturists agree: "Dry needling is acupuncture and physical therapists are practicing it without a license and putting patients at risk"
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/acupuncturists-declar...
Mark Crislip had a good podcast that covers acupuncture and other medical fraud:
http://quackcast.com/spodcasts/page6.html
If you feel like you need help for "years of sitting at the computer" I recommend Jolie Bookspan's books. The best, most effective information I have come across so far.
The poster unfortunately did not. "Needling" aka "dry needling" aka "Western acupuncture" is re-branded acupuncture. Like acupuncture, it is quackery and an unsafe scam. Even the acupuncturists agree: "Dry needling is acupuncture and physical therapists are practicing it without a license and putting patients at risk"
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/acupuncturists-declar...
Mark Crislip had a good podcast that covers acupuncture and other medical fraud:
http://quackcast.com/spodcasts/page6.html
If you feel like you need help for "years of sitting at the computer" I recommend Jolie Bookspan's books. The best, most effective information I have come across so far.
I found this reddit thread regarding running injury prevention and how foam-rolling and stretching may not be as beneficial as might seem interesting [0]. I also enjoy foam-rolling as it tends to alleviate soreness the day after a run/workout, but after seeing this I'm looking more into the evidence behind it.
[0] https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/nghttt/the_low_han...
[0] https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/nghttt/the_low_han...
Thanks for this. I'd agree that foam rolling has never been a huge win for me. It's a nice thing to add to my routine and it's super easy to do while watching TV, messing around on my phone, or having a work conference call with video off.
To be fair, that mentions stretching pre-exercise.
Static stretching (pre-exercise) before exercise has been known to be either negligibly beneficial or detrimental in many cases for years.
Active stretching (pre-exercise) like doing some unweighted squats, leg circles, etc. (or what most humans would call "warming up") has been shown to be beneficial in injury prevention.
Post-exercising stretching is linked to benefits such as injury prevention, increased range of motion, etc.
Static stretching (pre-exercise) before exercise has been known to be either negligibly beneficial or detrimental in many cases for years.
Active stretching (pre-exercise) like doing some unweighted squats, leg circles, etc. (or what most humans would call "warming up") has been shown to be beneficial in injury prevention.
Post-exercising stretching is linked to benefits such as injury prevention, increased range of motion, etc.
Secondhand iPhone 6s with a battery case, good enough for everyday usage.
Xiaomi aqara camera G2, as homekit hub and for the camera.
Xiaomi aqara camera G2, as homekit hub and for the camera.
I finally got a home espresso machine, after an HN recommendation. We got a Breville Barista Express. We'd been wanting one for years, but everything reliable seemed to be $1k+, and still seemed like more work than I wanted to put into coffee.
This one is simple, almost as easy as pour-over, and is simple to clean. We're making better coffee at home than we've ever had in a coffee shop. And I thought it would take a while to dial in, but the first shots were great and they've only gotten better.
It's a little spendy, but if you buy espresso-based drinks it pays for itself in no time.
https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes870.html
This one is simple, almost as easy as pour-over, and is simple to clean. We're making better coffee at home than we've ever had in a coffee shop. And I thought it would take a while to dial in, but the first shots were great and they've only gotten better.
It's a little spendy, but if you buy espresso-based drinks it pays for itself in no time.
https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes870.html
I also have a Barista Express. It's really the best value you can find in a home espresso machine, IMO.
Really great machine.
Really great machine.
Do you have to let it grind the beans for you or can you supply your own grounds?
I have a much cheaper machine ($70) and I always give it pre-ground Illy, largely because it doesn't make a decent espresso with anything lower quality like Lavazza.
Illy pre-ground is easy to get in bulk via Amazon, but not exactly sure how I'd get the unground beans
I have a much cheaper machine ($70) and I always give it pre-ground Illy, largely because it doesn't make a decent espresso with anything lower quality like Lavazza.
Illy pre-ground is easy to get in bulk via Amazon, but not exactly sure how I'd get the unground beans
any of the Breville machines will allow you to use pre-ground beans. They're all 'semi-auto' machines, where you fill the portafilter with grounds and then install it into the group head for extraction.
Automatic machines like the Delonghis or Juras you see in a lot of small offices don't allow for precise control over the grind fineness or volume.
Though, I wouldn't recommend anyone use pre-ground beans if they're getting into espresso. The off-gassing accelerates exponentially as soon as the whole bean is crushed, and within 30 minutes or so of grinding many of the subtle aromatics and flavors that make good coffee 'good' have disappeared.
I bought an espresso maker (Gaggia Classic Pro) last fall and a new grinder this spring.
Complete splurges/unnecessary purchases, but it's been a great purchase for us. I actually drink less coffee now (because I'm not brewing a full pot) and find the time to make a latte very peaceful and calming.
Complete splurges/unnecessary purchases, but it's been a great purchase for us. I actually drink less coffee now (because I'm not brewing a full pot) and find the time to make a latte very peaceful and calming.
We have the Breville Barista Express, but honestly if I had more counter space I would go for the Gaggia Classic pro or Rancilio Silvia plus grinder. The parts to repair are going to be a lot easier to find for the Silvia, and while harder for Gaggia it's still possible. The Breville models are a bit harder to repair simply because it's all enclosed and plastic.
seems like this machine is sold worldwide under different branding, but i got the same one for 5+ years and it's purrfect
> We got a Breville Barista Express.
Everybody who has one says it's so good. I wanted to buy one but then SO wanted a full-auto. So I bought a Delonghi full auto: apparently Delonghi's build quality went down a few years ago, they're letting the JURA brand the higher end market for full auto machines.
I may still buy a Breville Barista Express just for me.
Everybody who has one says it's so good. I wanted to buy one but then SO wanted a full-auto. So I bought a Delonghi full auto: apparently Delonghi's build quality went down a few years ago, they're letting the JURA brand the higher end market for full auto machines.
I may still buy a Breville Barista Express just for me.
The drip tray is the most annoying about it for me. Lots of corners that are hard to clean, and occasionally some of the "waste" water from steam or coffee seems to end up besides it.
Still very happy with it.
Still very happy with it.
+1 on this. My wife and I got one and it's absolutely fantastic.
A gravel bike. Being able to get serious but low-impact cardio, anywhere from sprints to long rides, is huge. Not only is it good for my physical health, it's a great boost to mental health. Exploring the areas around me on a bike is much more fun, environmentally friendly, and healthy than a car. It's also a great way to disconnect and give my eyes a break by spending some time looking at things that are far away. $1000 is a good target, with a couple hundred extra for pedals, helmet, other gear if you need it
If you like exploring, you should check out https://wandrer.earth
So interesting that this originated in Atlanta, which is where I currently live and grew up, would have never known!
Yes! I can recommend the Salsa Vaya.
Gravel bike was my favorite purchase in the last year too.
I was already mountain-biking for the last 15 years. Things got more and more gravity oriented, where rides mostly had been one long uphill and technical trails down. While this is pretty cool it got a bit monotonic over time.
With the Gravel bike I enjoy doing far longer rides and checking out places I hadn't been before. 70km flat on an enduro mountain-bike are rather cumbersome, but fun on the faster gravel bike.
I was already mountain-biking for the last 15 years. Things got more and more gravity oriented, where rides mostly had been one long uphill and technical trails down. While this is pretty cool it got a bit monotonic over time.
With the Gravel bike I enjoy doing far longer rides and checking out places I hadn't been before. 70km flat on an enduro mountain-bike are rather cumbersome, but fun on the faster gravel bike.
- Pitbull Skull Shaver.
I can shave my (partially) bald head without help from others.(You have to do it once in 3-4 days at least, otherwise the shaver doesn’t work well with long hair).
I can shave my (partially) bald head without help from others.(You have to do it once in 3-4 days at least, otherwise the shaver doesn’t work well with long hair).
I’ve never tried those round shavers, but I found that my regular 5-blades are faster and shave closer than my old electric razor, which often felt like it was pulling my hair. The crazy thing is that I last one blade for 4/5 months (although probably I could replace it a little earlier sometimes). Compared to the 3-blades I almost never cut myself.
My hairline hasn't got quite to the point where I look in the mirror and say, "Fuggit," and start shaving it, but good to know this is out there for when the time comes.
Looks like you can use it in the shower, too, which is what I'll probably do.
Looks like you can use it in the shower, too, which is what I'll probably do.
For anyone that is balding but wants to keep their hair very short, I have been rotating between 2 Panasonic wet/dry beard trimmers for the last 10 years.
It is wireless, adjustable and I shave my head in the shower.
I have this older model and it is great but I do not know about the newer versions.
https://shop.panasonic.com/personal-care/mens-shavers-and-gr...
It is wireless, adjustable and I shave my head in the shower.
I have this older model and it is great but I do not know about the newer versions.
https://shop.panasonic.com/personal-care/mens-shavers-and-gr...
Pair of 32" 4k screens.
As someone who programs a lot, it's worth it (and not that expensive, you don't need high refresh rate or anything). Being able to use spatial memory to navigate between most of the working set of windows, being able to show a lot of text on one screen, etc.
Only downside is that it's surprisingly hard to drive two 4k screens, laptops are likely not going to be happy (or have low refresh rates), even my 3700x/2070-super desktop doesn't like displaying youtube like videos on both at the same time.
As someone who programs a lot, it's worth it (and not that expensive, you don't need high refresh rate or anything). Being able to use spatial memory to navigate between most of the working set of windows, being able to show a lot of text on one screen, etc.
Only downside is that it's surprisingly hard to drive two 4k screens, laptops are likely not going to be happy (or have low refresh rates), even my 3700x/2070-super desktop doesn't like displaying youtube like videos on both at the same time.
Out of curiosity how do you position your screens?
I used to rock dual Thunderbolt displays, but my always felt awkward either turning to the left or turning to the right. Now I now just use monitor, because I like having whatever I'm working on directly in front of me.
I used to rock dual Thunderbolt displays, but my always felt awkward either turning to the left or turning to the right. Now I now just use monitor, because I like having whatever I'm working on directly in front of me.
Side by side, long side horizontally. I move my chair and keyboard around a bit depending on my mood, but typically one is directly in front of me, and the other is to my right.
The one directly in front of me is usually for the "primary task", e.g. my editor if I'm programming, usually with multiple files displayed side by side. Sometimes also a single documentation browser window (other times just more editing panes). The one to the right for all the supporting stuff, (more) documentation, stack overflow, github, terminals running scripts that rebuild stuff whenever it changes, etc.
The one directly in front of me is usually for the "primary task", e.g. my editor if I'm programming, usually with multiple files displayed side by side. Sometimes also a single documentation browser window (other times just more editing panes). The one to the right for all the supporting stuff, (more) documentation, stack overflow, github, terminals running scripts that rebuild stuff whenever it changes, etc.
Thanks! I'm gonna give this a try today.
I've always liked an asymmetric layout when working with two monitors such that I have one "main" monitor in front used for my main task (e.g. my terminal for work) then a secondary to the side that is used for supporting windows - browser, music, pdfs, or another terminal depending on the work. It helps keep an established hierarchy, and you basically just use your neck as a window switcher.
When I had two identical big monitors with thin bezels I placed them side by side vertically. Then I had one marvelously big almost square monitor. In Windows it was not ideal, but workable. It not always worked as a single stretched space for everything, i.e. I had two task bars. If I could run Linux then I imagine there would be no problems also tiling window manager could be perfect.
Philips Hue lights. I had wanted them for a little while for the novelty of it, but upon buying a couple my wife and I converted nearly all of our small apartment (except the bathrooms) to use their color-changing bulbs. Being able to change the light color and temperature has been surprisingly nice and has made our home much "cozier" under quarantine. We change the lights to dim reds and blues during movie nights or when we exercise or do yoga. It was a somewhat expensive shift, though I'd happily do it again. Being able to use Siri via our phones to control the lights by voice is also convenient as we head off to bed (as the light switches are across the room).
[Others have also said AirPods Pro. Spectacular little earbuds.]
[Others have also said AirPods Pro. Spectacular little earbuds.]
My roommate changed all our bulbs to Philips Hue. The connectivity was really nice at first but they are so dim! It completely changed the mood of the flat at night.
I'd advise people to check their current bulbs and make sure the lumen rating is the same before replacing them, if I recall correctly most connected bulbs are around 1000-1200 lumens, and top out at 1600.
I'd advise people to check their current bulbs and make sure the lumen rating is the same before replacing them, if I recall correctly most connected bulbs are around 1000-1200 lumens, and top out at 1600.
Dim? The Hue bulbs I used were a lot brighter than the 'dumb' bulbs I replaced. This was a couple of years ago (before they had Bluetooth), not sure if they've changed the specs in the meantime.
It depends what you start out with of course, if you had low wattage incandescent bulbs for example you can replace them just fine with connected ones.
But currently, commercially available dumb bulbs go into much higher lumen ranges than connected ones. Ours were in the 2600-3000 lumens range before the change if I recall correctly.
But currently, commercially available dumb bulbs go into much higher lumen ranges than connected ones. Ours were in the 2600-3000 lumens range before the change if I recall correctly.
> Ours were in the 2600-3000 lumens range before the change if I recall correctly.
Wow, that's very bright! IIRC ours were standard CFL's you'd buy at any store at the time (at least here in the Netherlands), but definitely nothing in the range you're stating.
Wow, that's very bright! IIRC ours were standard CFL's you'd buy at any store at the time (at least here in the Netherlands), but definitely nothing in the range you're stating.
The good thing about wireless lights is you can get a lot of them in different fixtures without needing to run cables to switches.
I much prefer having an even light around the whole room rather than a couple bright ceiling lamps.
I much prefer having an even light around the whole room rather than a couple bright ceiling lamps.
I bought a few of them to try them out and I'm disappointed currently. I tried to make them switch temperature automatically through the day, and nothing is working. I've only found people saying that there's no way without custom scripts that attempt to change the temperature continuously, which is very surprising. (I've only done an hour of research and tried around 3 different methods).
Only one of the lights, which uses a dimmer switch, changes automatically, but only if I turn it off and on again.
Other than that, the quality of the light is good.
Only one of the lights, which uses a dimmer switch, changes automatically, but only if I turn it off and on again.
Other than that, the quality of the light is good.
Tis true. I use HomeAssistant with the f.lux plugin to do this, which wasn't too much work as I already used HomeAssistant.
Definitely a lot to set up though.
Definitely a lot to set up though.
I've had my Hue setup change through 4 color schemes based on sunrise/sunset and time of day for a good few years now.
I'm not aware of any automagic way to achieve this result. You'll need to use all4hue, which is basically a wrapper app around the Hue API, to set up rules by hand.
Basically, you'll have a set of rules which update a variable based on the time of day. Then use this variable as a condition in every rule that turns on a light, and have another set of rules triggered by changes to this variable when a light is on. Not complicated, just tedious to program as you'll need 4 rules per light(group) for each of these categories.
But the results work with lights that stay on, lights turned on by dimmers, as well as with motion sensors. And most importantly, the entire thing runs on the bridge so no HomeKit needed. Well worth the effort IMO.
I'm not aware of any automagic way to achieve this result. You'll need to use all4hue, which is basically a wrapper app around the Hue API, to set up rules by hand.
Basically, you'll have a set of rules which update a variable based on the time of day. Then use this variable as a condition in every rule that turns on a light, and have another set of rules triggered by changes to this variable when a light is on. Not complicated, just tedious to program as you'll need 4 rules per light(group) for each of these categories.
But the results work with lights that stay on, lights turned on by dimmers, as well as with motion sensors. And most importantly, the entire thing runs on the bridge so no HomeKit needed. Well worth the effort IMO.
The latest version of iOS/HomeKit has 'adaptive lighting'. You select that colour option and it will modify the temperature automatically throughout the day. You have very little manual control over it but sounds like what you might be looking for.
It’s nice but it quickly becomes gimmicky I found (besides the ability to easily say “hey google turn off the lights”)
I've had smart lights for a few years now, and I'm pretty happy with them. I can turn them off remotely, dim them as a group and change them to a soft red at night to not blind myself.
Of course this quickly escalated to maintaining a full blown Home Assistant installation...
Of course this quickly escalated to maintaining a full blown Home Assistant installation...
I recommend the Home Depot phillips color-changing lights instead. They're way cheaper, only like $20 per bulb. I love them because they're way brighter than most light bulbs but dimmable, let you choose a traditional color temperature, or let you do some fun colors. I don't use home assistants and using the Wiz app is fine.
[deleted]
I agree with this. I put Hue light bulbs in almost all of my rooms and a strip on my porch. I set them up with HomeKit and now I always come home to my lights on and they turn off automatically when they leave the house. I use the automatic color changing by time of day built-in to HomeKit and it definitely helps with warm colors at night but brighter and cooler during the day. And everything essentially has a dimmer now. And being able to control the lights from my phone or with voice commands is super convenient. I've got the full color lights, but realistically I really only need the shades of white and HomeKit connectivity to use the features that I regularly use.
In shops near me I can buy now pretty cheap led ceiling/wall lamps that come with a remote. You can change intensity and light temperature, but there are also full RGB models. I like it that it's dumb otherwise.
Similarly, I've been putting Lutron Caseta smart switches on some of my more frequently used light switches, and I use the convenience of turning the lights on or off from the couch or bed _way_ more than I thought I would.
- Apple Macbook Air M1.
- LIFX Color for putting my lights on a schedule and being able to set the mood.(https://www.lifx.com/collections/lamps-and-pendants/products...)
- LIFX Color for putting my lights on a schedule and being able to set the mood.(https://www.lifx.com/collections/lamps-and-pendants/products...)
Garmin Forerunner 245[0]
Got it as a birthday gift about a year ago and I have since finally moved on from struggling to get past 5Ks to running multiple 10Ks and now training for a half marathon. It has also helped me be more health conscious generally and I've lost 25lbs to get from high overweight to the top of end of normal (BMI-wise).
The Garmin ecosystem for workout planning/recording/stats/etc. is surprisingly nice and even though this watch is marketed to runners the weight training features are solid and useful as well.
[0] https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/628939/pn/010-02120-00
Got it as a birthday gift about a year ago and I have since finally moved on from struggling to get past 5Ks to running multiple 10Ks and now training for a half marathon. It has also helped me be more health conscious generally and I've lost 25lbs to get from high overweight to the top of end of normal (BMI-wise).
The Garmin ecosystem for workout planning/recording/stats/etc. is surprisingly nice and even though this watch is marketed to runners the weight training features are solid and useful as well.
[0] https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/628939/pn/010-02120-00
Just wanted to say well done on losing all that weight!
I bought the 235 a few years ago. Also an avid runner and great for hiking. Also used for cycling and swimming too!
Same here, it really put a spotlight on my mediocre endurance/general fitness level despite my best efforts to get out everyday for a bike ride.
Material goods:
Ear plugs (silicone). Don't waste your money on noise-cancelling headphones, I have $200 ones and they don't compare to simple ear plugs. If you live in a moderately noisy area and you want peace and quiet, get them. They basically just make everything quiet. 24 from CVS = $10.
OpenMove by Aftershokz - Bone-conduction headphones. Perfect for running and just good for listening to music. They work, they're way easier to wear and more comfortable than earpods, I haven't had any issues since I got them about 8-months ago. Plus, you can wear them with earplugs for music + noise cancellation. $99
Cast iron skillet. This is more of a personal preference. I hate getting new kitchenware and then worrying about breaking it or getting it all stained. But these are super easy to clean and AFAIK practically never wear out. Also very cheap (iirc $15).
Software:
JetBrains tools. Basically the only software I can imagine spending $250 a year on, and it actually being worth it.
Patreon and Github sponsors. Not much (I think $15 a month total). It's sad how few sponsors a lot of these projects have. I'm not rich, but I can afford donating $5/month here and there. I really think the world would be a better place if more people donate to open source and content creators they like.
Ear plugs (silicone). Don't waste your money on noise-cancelling headphones, I have $200 ones and they don't compare to simple ear plugs. If you live in a moderately noisy area and you want peace and quiet, get them. They basically just make everything quiet. 24 from CVS = $10.
OpenMove by Aftershokz - Bone-conduction headphones. Perfect for running and just good for listening to music. They work, they're way easier to wear and more comfortable than earpods, I haven't had any issues since I got them about 8-months ago. Plus, you can wear them with earplugs for music + noise cancellation. $99
Cast iron skillet. This is more of a personal preference. I hate getting new kitchenware and then worrying about breaking it or getting it all stained. But these are super easy to clean and AFAIK practically never wear out. Also very cheap (iirc $15).
Software:
JetBrains tools. Basically the only software I can imagine spending $250 a year on, and it actually being worth it.
Patreon and Github sponsors. Not much (I think $15 a month total). It's sad how few sponsors a lot of these projects have. I'm not rich, but I can afford donating $5/month here and there. I really think the world would be a better place if more people donate to open source and content creators they like.
What brand ear plugs do you recommend? I bought some just last week on amazon (some foam ones from Howard Leight) and it was a toss-up which were good and which were bad according to the reviews and descriptions.
Earplugs are fussy things. But usually as long as they're not 'corks'(the old yellow foam cylinders)you should be fine.
Least with Howard Light it's Greens<Pinks<Oranges. Greens should be more than enough and are 'softer' if you've got a smaller ear canal. All of them work well.
You have to ensure you're putting them in correctly. Read the box. Roll the plug in your fingers, reach your other arm over you head to grab the top of the opposite ear, gently pull on the top of your ear, and insert the plug. You should feel & hear it expand forming a seal.
You can reuse foam ones a couple of times(can even get them corded), but be very, very wary of infections. And always put the same earplug back in the same ear(thus you don't spread anything).
Least with Howard Light it's Greens<Pinks<Oranges. Greens should be more than enough and are 'softer' if you've got a smaller ear canal. All of them work well.
You have to ensure you're putting them in correctly. Read the box. Roll the plug in your fingers, reach your other arm over you head to grab the top of the opposite ear, gently pull on the top of your ear, and insert the plug. You should feel & hear it expand forming a seal.
You can reuse foam ones a couple of times(can even get them corded), but be very, very wary of infections. And always put the same earplug back in the same ear(thus you don't spread anything).
Thank you!
I love the Etymotic Research ER20
I also think they make the best earbuds on the market as well.
I also think they make the best earbuds on the market as well.
How easy are they to put in? Also are you meant to clean them from time to time?
As easy as any other ear plug; yes, you can and should clean them with a mild soap and water every so often.
The amazing thing about them is that they let you go to a live concert and hear all the music properly, without pain.
The amazing thing about them is that they let you go to a live concert and hear all the music properly, without pain.
Disclosure: I don't get "loud live concerts" really.
But your last sentence makes me wonder WTH is going on. Why would so many people want this experience?
But your last sentence makes me wonder WTH is going on. Why would so many people want this experience?
It's a complex answer, but I'll see what I can do to simplify it.
First, humans associate louder sound levels with higher quality, up to a point. Frequencies which can't be heard at lower levels become audible at higher levels.
Second, human ears adapt to a reasonably large range of sounds.
Third, sound levels decay with distance, which is why in ear phones use tiny amounts of power (a few milliwatts) and speaker systems for arena concerts can use megawatts. They also decay unevenly by frequency.
A classical Western concert with a full orchestra, unamplified, often has peak levels around 90 dB in the first few rows of seating. An amplified rock concert is trying to provide body-stirring levels of sound for people a hundred meters or more away from the stage.
That's the technical why. The personal why? Loud music literally moves you. It's not something I want every day, but it's fun on occasion.
First, humans associate louder sound levels with higher quality, up to a point. Frequencies which can't be heard at lower levels become audible at higher levels.
Second, human ears adapt to a reasonably large range of sounds.
Third, sound levels decay with distance, which is why in ear phones use tiny amounts of power (a few milliwatts) and speaker systems for arena concerts can use megawatts. They also decay unevenly by frequency.
A classical Western concert with a full orchestra, unamplified, often has peak levels around 90 dB in the first few rows of seating. An amplified rock concert is trying to provide body-stirring levels of sound for people a hundred meters or more away from the stage.
That's the technical why. The personal why? Loud music literally moves you. It's not something I want every day, but it's fun on occasion.
While I understand the other parts it is your last sentence that explains it really. People will go to great lengths for a moving/fun experience.
Thank you.
Thank you.
If you've got some money, get custom molded earplugs made for sleeping. Places selling hearing aids sell them. They spray some foam in your ear to take the print, and you get the custom plugs in the mail a few weeks later.
€140 is a lot for earplugs but it's amazing that they just slot into place in your ear, they're easy to pull out, and they're so small you don't feel them wether you're lying on them or wear headphones over them.
Plus you can adjust the sound absorption in some models and get specific decibel reduction out of the gate and overall it will be higher than foam.
Expensive but also helpful for in person concerts.
Expensive but also helpful for in person concerts.
I've tried just about every musician earplug on the market, including custom molded electric ones. For any amount of money, the best results I've had were with https://www.earasers.net/products/earasers. If I were to re-purchase these, I would consider the EU rated ones, which have a few extra DBs of protection.
If you aren't singing or don't need to hear your own voice as well, you can also get away with cheaper percussion earplugs like these: https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/vater-earplugs
I would say these are both good enough for the casual musicians / audience members. I would only upgrade back to electric ones if I were buying actual in ear monitors, but I doubt any of my bands will get to that point.
If you aren't singing or don't need to hear your own voice as well, you can also get away with cheaper percussion earplugs like these: https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/vater-earplugs
I would say these are both good enough for the casual musicians / audience members. I would only upgrade back to electric ones if I were buying actual in ear monitors, but I doubt any of my bands will get to that point.
I recommend etymotic research ones. They cut frequencies more uniformly. The typical foam ones are slightly better at noise reduction, but they make everything sound incredibly muffled. I haven't had issues with any particular brand of foam ones though, if just cutting out noise is your goal.
The best would be custom molded earplugs, but those are fairly expensive.
The best would be custom molded earplugs, but those are fairly expensive.
I'm glad you recommended them because if you hadn't, I would have. Like you said they're particularly useful for preserving your hearing at live music venues without muddling the audio. As someone who didn't have hearing protection and attended some really loud venues, the hearing damage I have is a real pain the backside. There's a deep notch in the middle of my hearing range so going to a pub means I hear shuffling of feet and clinking of glasses better than I hear people talking to me even though they're closer and louder. Similarly cranking up the audio on a conference line means getting a painful spike of noise from join/leave beeps when the levels are right to hear speakers clearly.
Can't recommend that people wear hearing protection enough in general and at least for me etymotic make for a pleasant experience.
Can't recommend that people wear hearing protection enough in general and at least for me etymotic make for a pleasant experience.
You could try using Equalizer APO and making a reverse of your notch for PC audio.
I’ve been extremely satisfied with Happy Ears. They are tiny and unobtrusive, and very comfortable.
I just get basic CSV silicone earplugs. Nothing special, but they work surprisingly well and only cost $10.
Foam earplugs are supposed to me more effective, but apparently harder to wear and sometimes less comfortable.
Foam earplugs are supposed to me more effective, but apparently harder to wear and sometimes less comfortable.
Check out the wax ones by Ohropax
I never heard of bone-conduction headphones. They seem very interesting and I'd love to try them. Are they OK for calls, or only music? And also - is there any health issue I should be aware?
They are better for calls than music. I didn't find any health risks when i looked into them. Anecdotally my ears feel better since switching to them
How do they work for audiobooks/podcasts in noisy environments? (traffic mostly)
Not always great. A good rule of thumb: could you easily hear someone talking next to you at a normal speaking volume? If so, you'll be able to hear with the headphones just fine. If not, you probably won't.
My Aftershokz are good for spoken word in noisy/trafficy environments unless I'm inside a car at freeway speeds, or operating a lawn mower. They could work in a car if they got a little louder.
Just be aware that they make it practical to tell that something is happening around you, but with spoken word you'll usually have to pause to tell what is happening around you. I.e., I can't understand what someone is saying to me if a narrator is already speaking into my ear.
Just be aware that they make it practical to tell that something is happening around you, but with spoken word you'll usually have to pause to tell what is happening around you. I.e., I can't understand what someone is saying to me if a narrator is already speaking into my ear.
Just in case the word "conduction" triggered the question about health risk: in this case it just means the sound is transferred by direct contact of the resonator on the speaker with your cheekbone (well, as direct as going through the skin can be). There's no electrical signal going into your body, just vibration moving through your skull directly to the inner ear, rather than via air into the air canal.
Music is actually pretty unsatisfying at any volume above background levels in an otherwise-quiet room, since any significant bass through the conduction 'phones actually makes them jump out of contact with your head, resulting in a buzz you can feel + hear. Calls, podcasts, YT videos, etc. all work great.
Music is actually pretty unsatisfying at any volume above background levels in an otherwise-quiet room, since any significant bass through the conduction 'phones actually makes them jump out of contact with your head, resulting in a buzz you can feel + hear. Calls, podcasts, YT videos, etc. all work great.
Yes, I understood that is through direct contact. My question is: doesn't the vibration affect your bones?
Bone conduction headphones are kind of like the opposite of noise cancelling. I like them primarily for sport use. Whether trail running, MTB, or in the gym, bone conduction headphones do not block outside noise. So wearing them I am more aware of my environment, which is important if people are coming up behind me on a trail.
[deleted]
How are they for tinnitus, I wonder. Tinnitus doesn’t really like closed back headphones, or generally pressure on your drums.
Got massively worse after a few days of use for me. I also used them with earplugs because I didn't understand tinnitus.
What do you do to listen to music? I try to use some Edifier desktop speakers during the day for most things, but seem to be okay with some airpod pro use. I kind of need that for walking the cat and sometimes to distract myself doing chores.
I sometimes allow APM's but I have to keep the volume really low and the duration short. I probably shouldn't use them at all but I miss the richness of music too much.
I sometimes allow APM's but I have to keep the volume really low and the duration short. I probably shouldn't use them at all but I miss the richness of music too much.
I really liked the Airpod Pros until I started to associate their use with worsening tinnitus. Now I'm trying big headphones with no ANC. But I definitely don't have any solutions.
Why was the earplugs + bone-conducing headphones bad for tinnitus? Sounds like a good combination on paper - block out external noises with the plugs and play white noise on headphones to cover tinnitus. I currently use noise-cancelling phones for that, but of course the earplugs will do better for noise cancelling.
This is just conjecture, but I think tinnitus is caused by vibration of the inner ear that doesn't come from the eardrum. The inner ear is designed to be resonant for audio frequencies, and the earplugs contain them, maybe too much. Just N=1 longitudinal study involving an early stage career and now way too much podcast listening. Covering tinnitus doesn't make it better. Covering the 'noise' is futile. The best you can do is try not to make it worse. You'll never get relief. But you can achieve surrender.
This was actually the intent of my question, my initial phrasing was confusing.
I was asking if by not exposing the inner ear to sound pressure, but instead vibration through the bone, it would do less damage.
I wasn’t looking to cover tinnitus, but to avoid making it worse.
I was asking if by not exposing the inner ear to sound pressure, but instead vibration through the bone, it would do less damage.
I wasn’t looking to cover tinnitus, but to avoid making it worse.
What I’m saying is that bone conduction, including tight seals of earbuds, or even use of earplugs in certain environments (roadies etc), might actually be far worse than the sound coming into the ear canal by air conduction. This seems to be my experience.
I have been (just barely) covering my tinnitus for the past ~9 years and I'm better off for it. The sound that I replace it is much less annoying than the tinnitus sound. I believe Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is about doing something like that.
Second cast iron. We use ours daily - and it's a handmedown from my grandmother who also used daily for 20+ years. Once seasoned properly, it is non-stick, cleans easy. We just be sure to put a little oil on it after each use. Really the only skillet you need.
I bought a cheapy Lodge skillet -- 12", I think? -- a while back because I succumbed to the cast iron craze and really wanted to try cooking on induction. I figured I'd just upgrade to a bigger skillet when necessary.
It's now like 7 years later and my skillet shows no signs of giving up, and I don't think buying yet another kitchen device would make my wife happy. Should have gone with a bigger skillet to begin with.
Also, induction cooktops are amazing.
It's now like 7 years later and my skillet shows no signs of giving up, and I don't think buying yet another kitchen device would make my wife happy. Should have gone with a bigger skillet to begin with.
Also, induction cooktops are amazing.
Also got a Lodge (two now, as you say, needed a bigger one as well). Took an angle grinder to it with an abrasive pad wheel installed. Smoothed it right up.
Why did you need to grind the Lodge?
I did the same thing to mine. They have a rough surface when you buy them unlike old cast iron pans, apparently - though I don’t know if they’re smooth from use or came that way.
In the glory days, cast iron pans were milled perfectly smooth on the cooking surface.
Lodge casts their pans without surfacing, so you have a porous surface. I have a lodge and it's okay, but I prefer my antique Wagner when I can. It sticks less and it also has been in my family a really long time.
Lodge casts their pans without surfacing, so you have a porous surface. I have a lodge and it's okay, but I prefer my antique Wagner when I can. It sticks less and it also has been in my family a really long time.
7 years? It's still brand new!
Just wait until your kids get their hands on it. Mine is literally inherited from somebody's grandmother and it's awesome. Though sadly, its sibling died doing what it loved -- making bacon.
Just wait until your kids get their hands on it. Mine is literally inherited from somebody's grandmother and it's awesome. Though sadly, its sibling died doing what it loved -- making bacon.
What do you like about induction cooktops?
I don't own one, but from what I've seen from friends the major benefit is safety.
Everything! Boiling a pot of water is twice as fast if not more. More control over temperature. No risk to burn yourself, kitchen towels or other unwanted items. They never need deep-cleaning due to spilled food being burned onto the glass, one wipe with a cloth and it looks like new.
One drawback is they are often bundled with ridiculous touch-controls rather than knobs, even though that shouldn't need to be the case. You can find those without.
One drawback is they are often bundled with ridiculous touch-controls rather than knobs, even though that shouldn't need to be the case. You can find those without.
I received a Griswold cast iron skillet from my grandmother, who received it from her mother (my great grandmother) many years ago. True heirloom, I cook with it nearly every day and it still looks and performs beautifully.
Youll probably want stainless steel or enamled cast iron for anything with fond.
Anytime you are cooking something acidic, tomatoes, vinegar, wine. I try not to deglaze meat brownings into sauce in cast iron.
A stainless steel dutch oven is a great universal pan as well. For a "first pan" I'd probably suggest tri ply stainless over cast iron. The main thing I like about cast iron more is the pan temperature not dropping when I put something on it, so its great for reverse searing baked steaks inside the house. Most other things I find functionally equivalent in stainless and cast iron, including browning meat before I cube it or break it apart. (brown cuts of meat and ground meat whole!)
https://www.target.com/s/tri+ply+clad?Nao=0
https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=tri%20ply%20clad
Anytime you are cooking something acidic, tomatoes, vinegar, wine. I try not to deglaze meat brownings into sauce in cast iron.
A stainless steel dutch oven is a great universal pan as well. For a "first pan" I'd probably suggest tri ply stainless over cast iron. The main thing I like about cast iron more is the pan temperature not dropping when I put something on it, so its great for reverse searing baked steaks inside the house. Most other things I find functionally equivalent in stainless and cast iron, including browning meat before I cube it or break it apart. (brown cuts of meat and ground meat whole!)
https://www.target.com/s/tri+ply+clad?Nao=0
https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=tri%20ply%20clad
I'm going to second this. I don't understand why people keep buying cast iron when steel has the same core traits(durability primarily) but so many more upsides. Thinner, lighter, heats faster. Steel is where it's at IMO. Enameled for anything acidic otherwise your seasoning is gone.
>otherwise your seasoning is gone.
And iron leached into whatever your eating. I know thats considered in the myth category, but I have at least one dish Ive prepared that ended up tasting pretty metallicy. Could be expectations manifesting reality.
I think people get turned off to steel when they put a new pan on the stove, dont let it heat up, bake something to it, and its an arm and a leg to clean the first time. Unlike nonstick, it has a bit of a learning curve. Cast iron doesnt show stains the same way, and you can use a chain mail scrubber. Scratching steel does slightly change its nonstick properties, so dont use steel wool.
And iron leached into whatever your eating. I know thats considered in the myth category, but I have at least one dish Ive prepared that ended up tasting pretty metallicy. Could be expectations manifesting reality.
I think people get turned off to steel when they put a new pan on the stove, dont let it heat up, bake something to it, and its an arm and a leg to clean the first time. Unlike nonstick, it has a bit of a learning curve. Cast iron doesnt show stains the same way, and you can use a chain mail scrubber. Scratching steel does slightly change its nonstick properties, so dont use steel wool.
I have a cast iron skillet and a stainless steel skillet, and I almost always use the stainless. The cast iron almost always only comes out when I need a second skillet.
When I'm searing something, I even prefer that it sticks slightly more to the stainless as it typically releases when it's done anyways -- and my anecdotal experience is that I get a better sear from the surface of the meat sticking to the skillet more firmly.
When I'm searing something, I even prefer that it sticks slightly more to the stainless as it typically releases when it's done anyways -- and my anecdotal experience is that I get a better sear from the surface of the meat sticking to the skillet more firmly.
Agreed on the stick, I prefer it.
Cast iron gives additional radiant heat because it's black, so if I am cooking steak in the oven I pretend like it gives me more uniform temperature increase than depending on conductive and convective heat. If I am browning meat and not baking it after, Ill use steel.
I like cast iron for potatoes too. Hashes. Not sure why. Holds temp better?
Cast iron gives additional radiant heat because it's black, so if I am cooking steak in the oven I pretend like it gives me more uniform temperature increase than depending on conductive and convective heat. If I am browning meat and not baking it after, Ill use steel.
I like cast iron for potatoes too. Hashes. Not sure why. Holds temp better?
> Anytime you are cooking something acidic, tomatoes, vinegar, wine. I try not to deglaze meat brownings into sauce in cast iron.
I wouldn't simmer an acidic sauce in cast iron for hours, but this is poor advice. Deglazing will not damage the seasoning on cast iron pan once it is properly seasoned (and maintaining that is easy, contrary to lots of what you hear).
Unlike to your experience, I don't find them functionally equivalent for a number of things, which is why I have both (and enamel cast, much better than almost all clad steel dutch ovens that aren't really expensive, as most of them don't clad far up the sides)
I wouldn't simmer an acidic sauce in cast iron for hours, but this is poor advice. Deglazing will not damage the seasoning on cast iron pan once it is properly seasoned (and maintaining that is easy, contrary to lots of what you hear).
Unlike to your experience, I don't find them functionally equivalent for a number of things, which is why I have both (and enamel cast, much better than almost all clad steel dutch ovens that aren't really expensive, as most of them don't clad far up the sides)
I've had one dish, with multiple deglazings, that tasted funny after. Ill admit it may have been in my head, or the pan was light on seasoning. Tasted almost like the metallic taste of Hoegaarden.
I have both, and I use 5-ply fully clad more than I use cast iron. My 9 qt is bottom clad only, but the lack of clad up the sides hasnt been an issue. The bottom surface is hot which is what needs to be hot on the stove. The sides arent getting hot spots in the oven, during brazing and stews.
https://www.calphalon.com/cookware/cookware-by-product-type/...
I have both, and I use 5-ply fully clad more than I use cast iron. My 9 qt is bottom clad only, but the lack of clad up the sides hasnt been an issue. The bottom surface is hot which is what needs to be hot on the stove. The sides arent getting hot spots in the oven, during brazing and stews.
https://www.calphalon.com/cookware/cookware-by-product-type/...
YMMV obviously. I've got a 12" cast skillet that has had literally many hundreds of deglazings done in it, never once an issue. I suspect mostly when people have a taste issue in a cast iron pan it's because they've read nonsense about never using soap on it or whatever, and haven't cleaned it properly.
I did once ruin a seasoning making a tomato sauce, which was a way to learn about acidic interactions - but that was over hours.
FWIW I had a 5 qt like that calphon but found I was always using my enamel cast one instead, so gave it away.
One thing I really like about the cast iron skillit is you can treat it roughly and use it anywhere. Mines been in fire pits, on bbq, stovetop, oven, even a bread oven. Handles temperature changes without issues (unlike enamel and some clad) is unbeatable to sear things. Doesn't care what tools you use in it. Nonstick property is pretty good (better than steel pan, worse than teflon) and will still be pretty good in 20 years.
I did once ruin a seasoning making a tomato sauce, which was a way to learn about acidic interactions - but that was over hours.
FWIW I had a 5 qt like that calphon but found I was always using my enamel cast one instead, so gave it away.
One thing I really like about the cast iron skillit is you can treat it roughly and use it anywhere. Mines been in fire pits, on bbq, stovetop, oven, even a bread oven. Handles temperature changes without issues (unlike enamel and some clad) is unbeatable to sear things. Doesn't care what tools you use in it. Nonstick property is pretty good (better than steel pan, worse than teflon) and will still be pretty good in 20 years.
It could have been over a long period of time, more than an hour. Im not trying to spread misinformation, ive just "ruined" (I still ate it) a dish before, or imagined it.
I'm not discounting your experience, I was pushing back on the idea that you shouldn't deglaze in a cast iron pan.
Deglazing itself is a very fast process, usually seconds. If you are doing something over an hour, it's likely simmering. If you did that in a sauce that was still acidic (rather than had some acid thrown in to deglaze or whatever) then I could see that being a problem.
Deglazing itself is a very fast process, usually seconds. If you are doing something over an hour, it's likely simmering. If you did that in a sauce that was still acidic (rather than had some acid thrown in to deglaze or whatever) then I could see that being a problem.
I gotcha. Honestly, I mostly like deglazing in stainless steel because I can see what I'm doing. I can tell I've scraped the brown off. And I prefer deglazing in stainless to enameled, because it feels like less effort.
I'm not super careful about not using acidic things in cast iron, and I do deglaze in it on occasion, it's just a little harder imho. I can see how my original comment reads.
I'm not super careful about not using acidic things in cast iron, and I do deglaze in it on occasion, it's just a little harder imho. I can see how my original comment reads.
Slightly off-topic, I’m very interested in your “metallic taste of hoegaarden” description.
Metallic taste/smell in beer is a pretty significant fault traced to untreated wwater, old equipment, or lipids in the malt.
There’s lots of stuff in Hoegaarden (and witbiers in general) that can be unexpected or off balance (e.g. coriander, lactic acid, orange zest).
Metallic, at Hoegaardens scale, would be quite unexpected
Metallic taste/smell in beer is a pretty significant fault traced to untreated wwater, old equipment, or lipids in the malt.
There’s lots of stuff in Hoegaarden (and witbiers in general) that can be unexpected or off balance (e.g. coriander, lactic acid, orange zest).
Metallic, at Hoegaardens scale, would be quite unexpected
I'd second this. I've never tasted anything metallic in a Hoegaarden
It has to be one of the ingredients. Maybe only cilantro people can taste it? It's a beer I like that leaves a strange taste in my mouth afterwards.
Professional cooks swear by carbon steel pans and they're surprisingly not that expensive.
Yeah I bought one during lockdown and it's great and lower-stick than stainless steel. Better in every way basically.
Professional cooks use a ton of stuff, and not all of it would be what they choose at home.
Carbon steel is great, requires a little upkeep, but part of what makes it great is how it works with a really high heat source; the stoves in a restaurant behave very differently than your home one.
An extreme case of this is woks. There is very little you can do at home to reproduce the effect of an 80k BTU burner and a carbon steel wok.
Carbon steel is great, requires a little upkeep, but part of what makes it great is how it works with a really high heat source; the stoves in a restaurant behave very differently than your home one.
An extreme case of this is woks. There is very little you can do at home to reproduce the effect of an 80k BTU burner and a carbon steel wok.
I agree, 15k BTU is not 80k, but with a little patience on preheating (I don't have waiting customers) I still enjoy working in the wok I own. Also, it is not a restaurant sized wok, but for flash frying chopped food, or getting a nice quick sear, it works great.
not a perfect solution but, https://www.wokmon.com/
I put quite a bit of effort into doing things "right" when I tried to board the cast-iron train. Pan was pre-seasoned, but I did one of those elaborate multi-step seasoning rituals online, using the expensive oil they recommended and everything, just in case. Horrible, smoke all over the house, smelled for a couple days. Everything sticks anyway, like I've never seen on any other kind of pan. Suitably-gentle cleaning (according to cast iron fans online) takes forever because there's so much crap on it after every use. Re-seasoned it again after a bit, thinking I'd screwed up. No improvement, everything sticks. My wife refuses to cook with it at all, and I'm pretty sure just seeing it in the drawer annoys her.
Oh, and if a tomato or anything else somewhat-acidic touches it then the entire dish will taste like blood. So that's fun.
It's alright for cooking steak (preheating for a few minutes on high is a must, though, it's gotta be terrifyingly hot or everything will stick, including steak), and if I drown things in scorching-hot oil or fat (say, from bacon) they they don't stick much, but that sure isn't healthy. The pan has zero inherent non-stickness, only what it acquires from whatever lake of oil I put in it.
Oh, and if a tomato or anything else somewhat-acidic touches it then the entire dish will taste like blood. So that's fun.
It's alright for cooking steak (preheating for a few minutes on high is a must, though, it's gotta be terrifyingly hot or everything will stick, including steak), and if I drown things in scorching-hot oil or fat (say, from bacon) they they don't stick much, but that sure isn't healthy. The pan has zero inherent non-stickness, only what it acquires from whatever lake of oil I put in it.
They never get as non-stick as a Teflon coating, but over time they’re usable for pretty much everything.
Screw babying it. Get a chain mail cleaner for it (and you definitely can use soap), use the pan often and especially when you’re doing something oily, and soon enough you’ll use it a lot.
Screw babying it. Get a chain mail cleaner for it (and you definitely can use soap), use the pan often and especially when you’re doing something oily, and soon enough you’ll use it a lot.
Staub iron cookware has an enamel, so it does not require seasoning nor does it have issues with tomatoes or other acidic things. I use their cocotte, since I often put things in the oven but it's also good for e.g. steaks at max temperature.
Same here. In addition I like the fact that if some of the materials get absorped in the food for some reason, it's just .. iron.
Contrast with fraying teflon (which you should immediately discard, of course) that we ought not ingest.
Contrast with fraying teflon (which you should immediately discard, of course) that we ought not ingest.
We have a couple cast irons. When I was first introduced to them I was pretty turned off by the idea of not doing the same soap and water scrub process I do with everything else.
But handling them now is just part of the ritual.
The biggest change I’ve had since starting using them a couple years ago is moving from the ball scrubby disposable two a Chainmaile ringlet style scrubby.
Using the chain mail has a different feel it slides easier and it washes clean much easier.
I recommend checking out the chain mail style scrubbers for cast-iron.
But handling them now is just part of the ritual.
The biggest change I’ve had since starting using them a couple years ago is moving from the ball scrubby disposable two a Chainmaile ringlet style scrubby.
Using the chain mail has a different feel it slides easier and it washes clean much easier.
I recommend checking out the chain mail style scrubbers for cast-iron.
> I was pretty turned off by the idea of not doing the same soap and water scrub process I do with everything else.
You can mostly do the same soap and water scrub as everything else. Assuming you use a reasonably modern dish soap an not something harsh, if you don't leave it soaking in the soapy water it will be fine.
You can mostly do the same soap and water scrub as everything else. Assuming you use a reasonably modern dish soap an not something harsh, if you don't leave it soaking in the soapy water it will be fine.
Yep the “don’t use soap on cast iron” is a holdover from older soaps that had lye in them that could strip the seasoning (hence why you can use lye to reseason your pan).
If your seasoning is perfect (it isn’t) you could in theory leave it to soak too since it would be completely encased in the polymerized fat.
If your seasoning is perfect (it isn’t) you could in theory leave it to soak too since it would be completely encased in the polymerized fat.
I would like to throw in a strong rec for carbon steel.
I was (and to a degree still am) a big cast iron guy, but I find that these days I use my carbon steel pans much, much more frequently. They share many of the benefits of cast iron in terms of durability, oven safety, high temp cooking, natural non-stick, etc. However they can be much, much lighter and their heating properties make them superior for many, and I would argue most (but not all!), applications.
These days if someone said they needed 1 quiver killer pan, I would unquestionably recommend a carbon steel skillet over a cast iron one.
If you're someone who likes using cast iron, I think you are doing yourself a major disservice by not trying carbon steel.
I was (and to a degree still am) a big cast iron guy, but I find that these days I use my carbon steel pans much, much more frequently. They share many of the benefits of cast iron in terms of durability, oven safety, high temp cooking, natural non-stick, etc. However they can be much, much lighter and their heating properties make them superior for many, and I would argue most (but not all!), applications.
These days if someone said they needed 1 quiver killer pan, I would unquestionably recommend a carbon steel skillet over a cast iron one.
If you're someone who likes using cast iron, I think you are doing yourself a major disservice by not trying carbon steel.
I bought a set of carbon steel pans and my cast iron ones fell into complete disuse.
Especially carbon steel crepes pans (https://www.debuyer.com/en/poele-a-crepes-mineral-b-1472.htm...) are completely unbeatable. I have two of them and I can feed a small crowd of family and friends faster than they can eat. Nothing sticks if you take proper care.
The best thing, they are dirt cheap.
Especially carbon steel crepes pans (https://www.debuyer.com/en/poele-a-crepes-mineral-b-1472.htm...) are completely unbeatable. I have two of them and I can feed a small crowd of family and friends faster than they can eat. Nothing sticks if you take proper care.
The best thing, they are dirt cheap.
Same here. After getting rid of our scratched teflon pans, we bought large and small de Buyer carbon steel pans. We have 2 cast iron pans also, but barely use them anymore. The lighter carbon steel ones are much more versatile.
We do, however, still use our cast iron griddle for making bacon in the oven. Comes out perfect every time.
For anyone reading who is new to carbon steel, the trick to non-stick cooking is making sure the pan gets hot. And if something does stick? It pretty much wipes right off while the pan is still hot.
We do, however, still use our cast iron griddle for making bacon in the oven. Comes out perfect every time.
For anyone reading who is new to carbon steel, the trick to non-stick cooking is making sure the pan gets hot. And if something does stick? It pretty much wipes right off while the pan is still hot.
Another trick is to use sharp metal utensils. If you use wood it will just smear stuff on the pan, not helping at all.
By complete accident my spatula is also from DeBuyer (https://www.debuyer.com/en/flexible-turner-slotted-fkofficiu...). It is very sharp and it easily scrapes anything that dares to stick (due to my mistake of not getting it hot enough), without smearing it.
By complete accident my spatula is also from DeBuyer (https://www.debuyer.com/en/flexible-turner-slotted-fkofficiu...). It is very sharp and it easily scrapes anything that dares to stick (due to my mistake of not getting it hot enough), without smearing it.
I am not very experienced in the world of cooking but don't most chefs recommend _not_ using metal utensils on metal pans? I've never heard of carbon steel prior to today so is it special in some way?
I've always heard to not use metal on Teflon. I think metal on metal is OK.
Almost all woks and sometimes flat top grills in restaurants are made from carbon steel. Flipping burgers with metal spatulas has never been a problem for cooks. Same thing here. Although I've never really had to scrape mine with a metal utensil before. Just turn food. Seriously things rarely stick, unless I'm impatient about preheating.
Pros are they can take very high temperatures, you can be rough with them, are non-stick when seasoned and at a proper temperature (like cast iron), and much lighter than cast iron.
Cons are you don't want to cook liquidy acidic foods in them that often (removes the seasoning off the pan), they can rust easily if not seasoned, and require slightly more maintenance then stainless steel or Teflon pans. Basically you're not washing these with dish soap. Just a rinse, maybe some scrubbing with kosher salt, and heating it on the stove to dry and sterilize it.
Keeping it lightly oiled when cooking or storing it helps too. They're a great work-horse pans. We got ours after having to throw out our last scratched Teflon pans. Making scrambled eggs in carbon steel was hard at first, but over time as a better seasoning developed and figuring out the right temperatures to use, I now get the same results as I use to in Teflon.
Pros are they can take very high temperatures, you can be rough with them, are non-stick when seasoned and at a proper temperature (like cast iron), and much lighter than cast iron.
Cons are you don't want to cook liquidy acidic foods in them that often (removes the seasoning off the pan), they can rust easily if not seasoned, and require slightly more maintenance then stainless steel or Teflon pans. Basically you're not washing these with dish soap. Just a rinse, maybe some scrubbing with kosher salt, and heating it on the stove to dry and sterilize it.
Keeping it lightly oiled when cooking or storing it helps too. They're a great work-horse pans. We got ours after having to throw out our last scratched Teflon pans. Making scrambled eggs in carbon steel was hard at first, but over time as a better seasoning developed and figuring out the right temperatures to use, I now get the same results as I use to in Teflon.
This sounds good, but I think I need to recalibrate my cheapness scale. $75 for an 8" fry pan isn't what I'd call cheap.
Maybe this one? https://debuyer-usa.com/collections/blue-steel/products/blue...
Aha. Thanks.
The big win for cast iron is its higher heat capacity. It takes longer to heat up, but once hot, the temperature drops much less when you add cold / room temperature food to fry, resulting in crisper and less soggy output.
Heat capacity is not a straight win, it's a double edged sword. Like you said temp drops less when food goes in, and that can be great in certain applications. However, you also lose a lot in the way of temperature control. The slow rate at which it heats up and cools down means finer temperature adjustments are much harder to do.
In my experience the searing/frying performance of carbon steel is not an issue for the overwhelming majority of things I cook, ergo I don't really care that cast iron has a higher capacity. The tighter temperature control, on the other hand, is always nice.
I still use my cast irons sometimes for things where that heat capacity is really nice (searing a huge steak or something like that), but I use carbon steel much more frequently.
In my experience the searing/frying performance of carbon steel is not an issue for the overwhelming majority of things I cook, ergo I don't really care that cast iron has a higher capacity. The tighter temperature control, on the other hand, is always nice.
I still use my cast irons sometimes for things where that heat capacity is really nice (searing a huge steak or something like that), but I use carbon steel much more frequently.
It also depends on your stove. Mine’s electric and alternates the heating element on and off to try to maintain the desired temp. The heat capacity helps to smooth out temperature fluctuations but if I had a nice gas stove I’d probably switch to carbon steel.
Which is also why a good carbon steel wok is a nive tool to own. My son bought me one a couple years ago, it gets used for more than just stir fry.
I'm a recent member of the carbon steel club, and I like it so far. I'm really loving the carmelization on my cheese omlette!
They also have better compatibility with glass cooktop’s as they are much smoother and less likely to scratch.
Alright, just got some of these cast iron skillets from costco. How am I supposed to use (or not use) them?
I tried cast iron but gave up on it. Too bulky and heavy to lump around and a pain in the ass to clean.
Food stuck to the (Lodge) pan no end as well, even when I spent money on all the seasoning oils and seasoned it.
I'd rather just buy a new cheap modern pan every year. Chuck them in the dishwasher, job done.
Food stuck to the (Lodge) pan no end as well, even when I spent money on all the seasoning oils and seasoned it.
I'd rather just buy a new cheap modern pan every year. Chuck them in the dishwasher, job done.
> cast iron skillet
Personally I think these are a waste of money unless you live in a house. Trying to season one of these smoked up our apartment for hours. Apparently we didn't do it right because it's still sticky even with oil, but there's no way we're going through the headache again until we have a house.
Personally I think these are a waste of money unless you live in a house. Trying to season one of these smoked up our apartment for hours. Apparently we didn't do it right because it's still sticky even with oil, but there's no way we're going through the headache again until we have a house.
You can just use it like a normal, heavy duty pan. The difference in use and flavor between seasoned and unseasoned is pretty minor, IMO.
The real advantage is that they're so cheap relative to their utility. They heat evenly and stand up to incredible abuse at a fraction of the cost of a normal pan.
The real advantage is that they're so cheap relative to their utility. They heat evenly and stand up to incredible abuse at a fraction of the cost of a normal pan.
Note that seasoning cast iron has nothing to do with flavor. It refers to the coating that develops after seasons of use. The primary benefit is that it prevents rust. A very nice side effect is that food tends to stick to it less. Seasoning is best accomplished in a controlled environment, but it's also fine to just start using it (with oil) and lightly clean without soap after use. Eventually, it might start to develop a useful coating in key areas.
I steam clean it (hot water + hot pan + stiff brush), then back on the stove to dry off and apply a light layer of avocado oil.
Leave it shiny on your stove and ready for next use.
The important thing with cast iron is to clean it immediately, before you've started eating. But this is actually pretty easy because steam cleaning is so effective and cast iron is really durable.
It takes about 30 seconds to clean it and rub with oil.
Leave it shiny on your stove and ready for next use.
The important thing with cast iron is to clean it immediately, before you've started eating. But this is actually pretty easy because steam cleaning is so effective and cast iron is really durable.
It takes about 30 seconds to clean it and rub with oil.
Or let it cool down, and use chain mail.
For seasoning to form the oil needs to turn into plastic. A wet layer of oil that isnt heated wont do that.
For seasoning to form the oil needs to turn into plastic. A wet layer of oil that isnt heated wont do that.
Heating evenly is a benefit of aluminum not iron.
Clad steel is a nice middle ground, either with aluminum or copper. More even heat distribution, long lasting without the care regimen of cast iron. They arent expensive either.
Clad steel is a nice middle ground, either with aluminum or copper. More even heat distribution, long lasting without the care regimen of cast iron. They arent expensive either.
Huh, TIL. I had assumed the thickness of the iron would have lead to better heating, but it looks like both aluminum and steel heat much more evenly.
I still argue that the care regimen is overblown, you can scrub with soap and a sponge and as long as you're not just grinding at the surface it will be fine. You can soak it, it's fine. We treat our cast iron like any other pan and it's really not a big deal - we just add appropriate oil if we took off too much of the bonded oil the last time we cooked.
I still argue that the care regimen is overblown, you can scrub with soap and a sponge and as long as you're not just grinding at the surface it will be fine. You can soak it, it's fine. We treat our cast iron like any other pan and it's really not a big deal - we just add appropriate oil if we took off too much of the bonded oil the last time we cooked.
Totally agree. They are not easy to clean and need to season properly with a bit of oil and mine always smells of cooking oil that is stuck on it and never comes off how much I wash it.
Edit: The cooking oil we mostly use is Ghee (clarified butter) to cook vegetarian dishes on our cast iron skillet.
Edit: The cooking oil we mostly use is Ghee (clarified butter) to cook vegetarian dishes on our cast iron skillet.
Baking soda will remove the polymerized oil. What type of oil you use is important. Animal fats don't polymerize like most vegetable oils do. If your pan smells like the last thing you cooked wash it, dry it with heat, and wipe a thin layer of oil to store it.
A metal spatula is necessary as well. Plastic and rubber aren't stiff enough to scrape the cook surface smooth.
A metal spatula is necessary as well. Plastic and rubber aren't stiff enough to scrape the cook surface smooth.
I also use salt as an abrasive for stubborn bits.
I am about to move into a new-construction apartment in California which means no gas stove.
Ditched my cast iron in anticipation because the one I have has a rough bottom that would definitely scratch up the glass cook top of the electric stove.
Since I ditched the cast iron, honestly haven't seen much of a difference in how well I can cook things using a regular nonstick pan - my main use is cooking/frying up chicken thighs so the skin is nice and crispy.
Buying the cast iron did give me the original inspiration to start making these recipes though.
Ditched my cast iron in anticipation because the one I have has a rough bottom that would definitely scratch up the glass cook top of the electric stove.
Since I ditched the cast iron, honestly haven't seen much of a difference in how well I can cook things using a regular nonstick pan - my main use is cooking/frying up chicken thighs so the skin is nice and crispy.
Buying the cast iron did give me the original inspiration to start making these recipes though.
> would definitely scratch up the glass cook top of the electric stove.
I'm imagining the size of your phone case right now.
I'm imagining the size of your phone case right now.
Really the only advantage of cast iron is it is cheap, lasts forever, and you can bake with them. Other than that any pan works about the same. Your choices are about a compromise of weight, how long it lasts, and price. I do once make in my cast iron once in a while, but other than that any pan I have works. I keep the cast iron on the stove though because it is my favorite.
Regular non-stick works just as well for about 3 years or so (very much depends on how much you use it, and how careful you are), then the non-stick wears out and they stick worse than anything else.
I have stainless pans that work just as well as cast iron, but they cost more. They end up spending most of the time hidden away but I do use them and won't get rid of them.
Regular non-stick works just as well for about 3 years or so (very much depends on how much you use it, and how careful you are), then the non-stick wears out and they stick worse than anything else.
I have stainless pans that work just as well as cast iron, but they cost more. They end up spending most of the time hidden away but I do use them and won't get rid of them.
Yeah—-I bake sourdough and cornbread in our skillets, sometimes one upside down over the other for steaming.
I cant recommend this enough for great heat in small spaces. Extremely portable as well.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/tillreda-portable-induction-coo...
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/tillreda-portable-induction-coo...
We use a couple cast-iron skillets on our glass-topped electric-coil stove (likely from the 90s?). One skillet has a bump on the bottom that I haven’t filed off yet. The glass surface seems fine, but if you’re renting it makes sense to be cautious.
You can get enameled ones you don't need to season. Le Creuset makes expensive examples. I love mine. I like that works well in both the oven and stove.
I'm guessing it is a vent hood over the stove you are missing in the apartment? That allows us to season our cast iron skillets without any headache.
Picked up a chainmail-like "dish rag" (it is truly just a swatch made up of links of metal) that beautifully cleans the skillet after meals but preserves the seasoning.
Yeah, iron skillet is our go-to now.
Picked up a chainmail-like "dish rag" (it is truly just a swatch made up of links of metal) that beautifully cleans the skillet after meals but preserves the seasoning.
Yeah, iron skillet is our go-to now.
I love my cast iron skillet for some things (and have a house), but I can’t see how having a house made the seasoning process any different than if I’d done it it my old apartment. It smoked the same and the kitchen exhaust fan did an OK-not-great job of pulling it outside, just like it would have in my old apartment kitchen which also had a range vent that went outside (and frankly worked better than my house one which is downdraft due to fancy-kitchen design shenanigans).
I think the main difference might be that in your house, if you season a pan and end up with lots of lasting smoke everywhere, or even an errant fire alarm, you own it so you can elect to not care. In an apartment, neighbors might complain.
> my old apartment kitchen which also had a range vent that went outside
Not everyone lives in an apartment with a range vent that goes outside. I've personally never seen that in my life.
Not everyone lives in an apartment with a range vent that goes outside. I've personally never seen that in my life.
Not everyone’s house does either, though (making it not a house vs apartment thing).
> Personally I think these are a waste of money unless you live in a house
They’re not, and if seasoning is a concern, you can get preseasoned; you should almost never need to reseason with proper care.
They’re not, and if seasoning is a concern, you can get preseasoned; you should almost never need to reseason with proper care.
Do you not have a standard hood over your stove? Seasoning has never caused issues for me in the 4 or so places I've lived and done this. Usually keeping the oven door shut fixes 98% of the issues, and the fan above on high sucks up anything else.
How does the ownership structure of your residence affect your ability to clear smoke from a room, or your ability to effectively season a cast iron skillet?
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If they do this again they might risk someone calling the super or the landlord. I have heard it's pretty easy to get evicted in the US, even using a loud blender can get you in trouble.
No it's not. It's not that easy. It's actually hard and annoying to evict someone. You can stay in an apartment for months in California while paying no rent.
Depends on the state
Three days of non-payment does it in Iowa. Not suggesting it's right, but that's how it is.
Some apartments you can't open the front door or the smoke will set off the whole building. You also have a harder time turning off fire alarms since the building doesn't want people disabling them as they are all entwined.
The apartments that my friends and I live in have small windows and only on one side, and one door. Not to mention that venting smoke out into a hallway can just trigger hallway smoke alarms.That's not really a scenario where I want to deal with a lot of smoke.
In houses (notice I never said anything about ownership, don't know why you brought that up), you can open up windows on all sides and generally have at least two doors, which allows for much better ventilation than what's possible in the apartments that I've been in recently.
In houses (notice I never said anything about ownership, don't know why you brought that up), you can open up windows on all sides and generally have at least two doors, which allows for much better ventilation than what's possible in the apartments that I've been in recently.
Apartments are leased - this is what I was responding to. You're right that I created a false duality of apartment=lease vs house=owned.
Animal fats are better than vegetable oils. Vegetable oils polymerize into a sticky substance. You don't really need to season a cast iron pan. Just keep it oiled, use a metal spatula, and wash after use(deglaze if needed). The metal spatula helps keep the cook surface smooth.
Flax seed oil works great for seasoning. http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-te...
There's unfortunately no published scientific research on what oil should be used for seasoning, but this source is pretty convincing to me that flaxseed is bad:
https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/5owtnm/why_i_dont...
https://www.reddit.com/r/castiron/comments/5owtnm/why_i_dont...
Live in an apartment and it’s not been a problem, if it was still sticky you probably used too much oil. And once seasoned you can just quickly wash with soap, dry, very lightly coat and with oil and toss on the burner till it starts to smoke.
I used cast iron in my apartment for five years. My range was even electric.
The cast iron community of the internet overthinks its care and usage. To season, just use it. To use it, don't restrict yourself (some recommend against tomato sauce because of the acidity, for. example). To clean it, get yourself as scrubber [1] to remove the high spots and wipe the remaining residue with a paper towel. Done.
It's a hearty hunk of metal that's been in kitchens for generations. It can withstand a lot.
[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Cleaner-Stainless-Chainmail-Scrubber-...
The cast iron community of the internet overthinks its care and usage. To season, just use it. To use it, don't restrict yourself (some recommend against tomato sauce because of the acidity, for. example). To clean it, get yourself as scrubber [1] to remove the high spots and wipe the remaining residue with a paper towel. Done.
It's a hearty hunk of metal that's been in kitchens for generations. It can withstand a lot.
[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Cleaner-Stainless-Chainmail-Scrubber-...
This is so true. I guarantee my ancestors out in the woods of Pennsylvania didn't spend any time deliberately seasoning their skillets. They were tools to be used, not decorations to be delicately and painstakingly maintained.
So much this. Forget all the weird voodoo rituals and what-not. Clean the skillet, and fry a pound of bacon (or two) in it. Now it's seasoned. It isn't much more complicated than that.
A pleasant property of the cast iron skillet is that I can preheat it to an exact temperature in the oven. To make popcorn I drop some ghee in it and put it in and set the preheat to 450. The second the oven comes to temperature I pull it out, put it on medium high add the corn and cover and shake occasionally. Usually have from zero to at most five unpopped kernels this way.
The preheat in the oven trick is good for steaks too.
The preheat in the oven trick is good for steaks too.
I used to think noise-cancelling headphones were a gimmick. I'm also pretty indifferent to audio quality, so I never expected to buy expensive headphones. But I had an opportunity to try out one of the best options available right now, and the noise cancelling performance blew me away.
With the closed-back cups sealing over my ears, and the noise cancelling active, I can only just hear normal-volume conversation next to me. When also playing music, I can't hear any normal sounds around my house. With white noise and earplugs as well, I literally can't hear a baby screaming.
With the closed-back cups sealing over my ears, and the noise cancelling active, I can only just hear normal-volume conversation next to me. When also playing music, I can't hear any normal sounds around my house. With white noise and earplugs as well, I literally can't hear a baby screaming.
Which headphone did you try? That sounds amazing
Can't speak for OP, but I recently bought a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones and I'm pretty impressed. They don't make me feel the pressure in my ear like some do, and the noise suppression is just about magic. My wife has to text me from downstairs to tell me my kids are fighting even when it's just outside the door to my office, because I can't hear them at all (and I don't turn up the volume on my music). Just turning them on without any music makes it hard to understand someone talking in the same room.
I have these same ones and AirPod Max as well. Both really amazing for focus, deep thought and traveling.
> traveling
For sure, that moment when you power them up on the airplane it's heavenly.
For sure, that moment when you power them up on the airplane it's heavenly.
Which do you prefer? I’ve been rocking the Bose QC35 II’s for years but am wondering if in-ear solutions can compete now for commuting on foot (metro, buses, etc.)
I loved my XM3. They eventually broke, and I replaced them with the AirPod Max as I’m all-in on Apple gear. Returned those within a week. The weight, the size, and the ANC side effects made it unusable for all-day wear. Some people love them, but I was disappointed. I’m back to XM, with newfound appreciation.
You can try both for a week, and return the set that doesn’t fit into your life. Both Apple and Sony can handle a refund.
You can try both for a week, and return the set that doesn’t fit into your life. Both Apple and Sony can handle a refund.
What's the magnitude of improvement over the standard option (bose quietcomfort)?
AirPod Max noise cancellation is pretty stellar.
XM3, my understanding is that the noise cancelling performance is similar to the XM4.
5 years ago, I got a pair of Sennheiser over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones for long flights after realizing how loud I had the volume turned up on earbuds. I'm happy enough with them, but they're too plasticy for the price and rather bulky for traveling (so I'm considering Airpods Pro), but on a flight, noise canceling is absolutely not a gimmick.
I wouldn't give up on Sennheiser without looking at their new offerings just quite yet. I just bought a noise cancelling over the ear pair from them (after returning my XM4s) and their build quality is excellent - metal, leather, high quality plastic.
Just an FYI here for those unaware, but Sennheiser recently sold off their consumer headphone division [0], so the future of Senn's great headphones is very much a mystery at the moment
[0] https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/7/22424367/sonova-buys-sennh...
[0] https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/7/22424367/sonova-buys-sennh...
The model I have is the PXC 450. It does look like recent ones have gotten better.
Have you looked at Audio-Technica noise-cancelling headphones? Better sound than the popular Bose ones, but with a cheaper price tag.
I had AKG headphones. I noticed a difference when noise cancellation was on, but there was a weird humming sound and they didn't work very well for me. Also, they're very bulky and you can't wear them while sleeping.
> With white noise and earplugs as well, I literally can't hear a baby screaming.
That's one benefit of headphones: if the earplugs aren't enough, you can do earplugs + headphones for ultimate noise-cancellation.
> With white noise and earplugs as well, I literally can't hear a baby screaming.
That's one benefit of headphones: if the earplugs aren't enough, you can do earplugs + headphones for ultimate noise-cancellation.
Got some Sony XM4 noise cancelling. Totally worth the $200 for them and they work great with zoom.
That kind of headphones really was a significant upgrade for me. Being able to listen to something while still having environmental awareness is awesome.
I do wish the max volume for the aftershokz where higher, and they didn't have the play/pause button trigger a redial when double pushed. I've accidentally done that multiple times (Including scaring my parents with a middle of the night call, due to 9 hours time difference.)
I do wish the max volume for the aftershokz where higher, and they didn't have the play/pause button trigger a redial when double pushed. I've accidentally done that multiple times (Including scaring my parents with a middle of the night call, due to 9 hours time difference.)
If you never use them for calling, you can go into Bluetooth settings and disable Calls/Phone access for that device. At least, this is possible on Android.
> I hate getting new kitchenware and then worrying about breaking it or getting it all stained.
Cast iron is awesome but I now have the reverse problem, constant fear I’m going to crack my counter top.
Cast iron is awesome but I now have the reverse problem, constant fear I’m going to crack my counter top.
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Ear plugs are really important for being a nomad and traveling. You never know how noisy a place might be and the noise level could actually change during your stay. I typically bring 30. But more is always better.
FWIW noise-cancelling headphones and earplugs are not mutually exclusive, and are actually a pretty good combo for living next to a train track.
I did ear plugs for a long time but really disliked the discomfort (to me at least) of inserting them in my ears. I found hearing protectors, typically made for industrial purposes, to be much more comfortable and effective.
Just do a search for "noise reduction earmuff" for this option. They're obviously not a good solution for sleeping but work well for working.
Just do a search for "noise reduction earmuff" for this option. They're obviously not a good solution for sleeping but work well for working.
There are also my favorite, which go over the ear canal rather than inside: Mack's Pillow Soft Silicone Earplugs
I think some people have narrow or more sensitive ear canal. Give a try to kids' ear plugs and also see instructions how to insert them correctly (effortlessly by pulling the ear up). I had a issue with foam ear plugs due to the pressure, but kids' foam ear plugs are perfect for me, even for side sleeping.
Aftershokz have transformed my relationship with cycling. I've always been hesitant to cycle with in ear headphones for safety reasons.
Aftershokz are perfect.
Aftershokz are perfect.
I agree. Aftershokz changed my running completely. I pair them with my garmin fenix and no longer have to deal with wires or being isolated from my environment.
I got some bone conducting ear phones lately and really hate them ... both the 30€ and the 120€ versions I tried.
Super cheap sound ... basically no bass response.
My brain got used to it thou and I still use them daily, listing to (mostly speech) podcasts on the (bike) commute.
Super cheap sound ... basically no bass response.
My brain got used to it thou and I still use them daily, listing to (mostly speech) podcasts on the (bike) commute.
tbh the sound quality is not the best. Although it is a lot better (especially bass) if you wear earplugs or you're in a quiet area.
It's the comfort + durability + awareness + good price + still decent sound quality imo, which makes them worth it to me.
It's the comfort + durability + awareness + good price + still decent sound quality imo, which makes them worth it to me.
Yeah ... but if I wear earplugs I prefer my 5-way [1] in-ears ... ;-)
No idea why people need noise-canceling, those (and my drumming headphones) seal pretty well against the outside ... once I put music on I don't hear a thing anymore.
That said ... I use the bone-conducting ones pretty regularly on the bike and while running.
[1] Not really 5 way ... 1x low, 2x mid, 2x high balanced amatures.
No idea why people need noise-canceling, those (and my drumming headphones) seal pretty well against the outside ... once I put music on I don't hear a thing anymore.
That said ... I use the bone-conducting ones pretty regularly on the bike and while running.
[1] Not really 5 way ... 1x low, 2x mid, 2x high balanced amatures.
> Patreon and Github sponsors.
This was a big one for me. I donate ~2 to not just projects I happen to like, but to ones that I've used and have given me a good return on investment.
Honorable mentions: Vuejs, Bootstrap Vue
This was a big one for me. I donate ~2 to not just projects I happen to like, but to ones that I've used and have given me a good return on investment.
Honorable mentions: Vuejs, Bootstrap Vue
For sleeping or other extended use at home, wax earplugs like those from Ohropax work well and are more comfortable than other materials.
You really liked the OpenMove for running? I've been struggling to find really stable BlueTooth phones. (I liked the Pixel-branded wired phones, actually, but for stupid reasons they no longer seem to work with my phone.)
I run a whole bunch, so it matters a lot. My favorite thus far have been surprisingly cheap ($20) "retro" JLab phones that look like the kind I used to run with before everybody switched to earbuds. Build quality is mediocre but I just want to be able to hear stuff.
I'd be willing to spend $79 on the OpenMove (that's what I see on their web site), but it's a very different approach so it's good to know that it works for you.
I run a whole bunch, so it matters a lot. My favorite thus far have been surprisingly cheap ($20) "retro" JLab phones that look like the kind I used to run with before everybody switched to earbuds. Build quality is mediocre but I just want to be able to hear stuff.
I'd be willing to spend $79 on the OpenMove (that's what I see on their web site), but it's a very different approach so it's good to know that it works for you.
my iPhone 6S+ Bluetooth works well with the headphones. Although it has a different problem, it's very bulky when I run.
I'm looking into getting a new watch, so maybe I'll get one that can play bluetooth audio to fix the bulkiness.
I'm looking into getting a new watch, so maybe I'll get one that can play bluetooth audio to fix the bulkiness.
Fun fact, you can put bone conducting headphones on your mouth and hear through your teeth :)
Cast iron is so extremely versatile and durable. I’ve had this one iron skillet for 23 years and it just seems to get better with age. I would also highly recommend enameled iron cookware like pots and pans from Le Cruset (it doesn’t have to be that brand though, there are plenty of excellent off-brand alternatives that are just as good and a lot cheaper).
As for headphones, I obsess over the Sony MDR-7506s, which to my ears are the best sounding headphones ever made. These are old-school wired studio monitors and they outperform any hyped “high-end” overpriced headphones. They have a neutral, accurate sound and are surprisingly inexpensive. You can still get then new for about $100. They are my secret audio weapon.
Oh and I love Jetbrains tools. I specifically use RubyMine quite a bit. VSCode (with the Ruby and Rails plugins) is great, but RubyMine is just very mature and polished, and it feels professional.
As for headphones, I obsess over the Sony MDR-7506s, which to my ears are the best sounding headphones ever made. These are old-school wired studio monitors and they outperform any hyped “high-end” overpriced headphones. They have a neutral, accurate sound and are surprisingly inexpensive. You can still get then new for about $100. They are my secret audio weapon.
Oh and I love Jetbrains tools. I specifically use RubyMine quite a bit. VSCode (with the Ruby and Rails plugins) is great, but RubyMine is just very mature and polished, and it feels professional.
If you're a regular ear plugs user, look into getting audiophile noise dampeners.
They're designed to be reusable and tend to be really comfortable. Some of them don't stick out of your ears like the plugs.
They're designed to be reusable and tend to be really comfortable. Some of them don't stick out of your ears like the plugs.
Can you give some suggestions?
"audiophile noise dampeners" googled just give speaker isolation products, etc.
"audiophile noise dampeners" googled just give speaker isolation products, etc.
I dislike the ear plugs that I bought. I really like my noise cancelling heaphone and use it most of the day but unfortunately they are not ergonomic for sleep. 1- headphone plastic rubbing against cloth is noisy; 2- I sleep on my side and that puts unbearable pressure on the head.
Yeah I order 100pc boxes of Howard Leight’s for iirc $50 or so once a year. They are awesome.
[deleted]
Hawthorne Chukka from Soft Star Shoes:
https://www.softstarshoes.com/adult-hawthorne-chukka.html
A few years ago somebody mentioned Soft Star Shoes on Hacker News. Later I bought a pair of these shoes and use them for almost everything from daily wear to formal events to hiking.
https://www.softstarshoes.com/adult-hawthorne-chukka.html
A few years ago somebody mentioned Soft Star Shoes on Hacker News. Later I bought a pair of these shoes and use them for almost everything from daily wear to formal events to hiking.
Yes, yes and yes! Soft Star shoes are amazing (and one of the few 'barefoot' shoemakers that sell north of US size 13)
Easy:
* Oxo Compact Cold Brew Maker[0]
* Rad Power RadWagon[1]
[0] https://www.oxo.com/categories/coffee-tea/brew/coffee-makers...
[1] https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radwagon-electric-car...
* Oxo Compact Cold Brew Maker[0]
* Rad Power RadWagon[1]
[0] https://www.oxo.com/categories/coffee-tea/brew/coffee-makers...
[1] https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radwagon-electric-car...
$30 for the cold brew machine seem reasonable, but I’ve been pouring coffee in plastic bottles to make my cold brew. $0, I don’t even filter it as it just deposits at the bottom, but I don’t know whether the machine is somehow better.
I've found using a french-press with luke-warm water for about 12 hours works great. Probably not as strong as the cold-brew machine, but perfectly fine for my needs in the summer time.
I can safely say that my investment has amortized down to something very close to $0...
Older Nissan Leaf. Great deal and never going back to gas. Gas cars feel "steampunk" now, and this older wimpy EV out-accelerates higher-end ICE cars easily.
- Realforce R2 Mac Keyboard (I first thought a 300 dollar keyboard was bonkers, but typing on this keyboard gives me so much joy and makes me look forward to sitting down at my desk still after a year of use).
- BMW X5 with CarPlay (just a great car and CarPlay makes life so easy)
- Therapist (my wife has talked therapy up for a while and I finally tried it and I don’t want to give it up. It’s great to be able to talk things through and reflect on myself including my goals and my actions. It’s making me a stronger person for sure.)
- BMW X5 with CarPlay (just a great car and CarPlay makes life so easy)
- Therapist (my wife has talked therapy up for a while and I finally tried it and I don’t want to give it up. It’s great to be able to talk things through and reflect on myself including my goals and my actions. It’s making me a stronger person for sure.)
If you spend any time in a car, having CarPlay (or Android Auto) is just _so much better_ than the default experience. I've a VW with Android Auto, and it's a complete game changer.
Absolutely agreed. Just got the AA Wireless dongle a couple weeks ago via an IndiGogo campaign and absolutely love it.
The music is a bit choppy using the dongle, so for long trips, I still plug the phone in. But when out running errands where I'm in and out of the car often, having Android Auto loaded by the time the car turns on with my phone still in my pocket is a game-changer.
The music is a bit choppy using the dongle, so for long trips, I still plug the phone in. But when out running errands where I'm in and out of the car often, having Android Auto loaded by the time the car turns on with my phone still in my pocket is a game-changer.
My Specialized Diverge Comp Carbon gravel bike I'd say - I only purchased it at the start of the year, after riding a MTB for a considerable amount of time.
I've already put 1000km of riding into it - it's an absolute pleasure to ride and always puts me in a much better mood in the days after having ridden it.
I've already put 1000km of riding into it - it's an absolute pleasure to ride and always puts me in a much better mood in the days after having ridden it.
A Sigma 600mm lens. It has made bird photography much, much easier.
* Shoes: VivoBarefoot Magna Trail II FG (https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/magna-trail-ii-fg-mens). If you enjoy barefoot shoes, these things are fantastic.
* For the table saw, this sawdust bag (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-Table-Saw-Dust-Collector-S...) does a surprisingly good job for $11, and this set of Dado blades (https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-8-in-x-12-Teeth-Stacked-D...) has saved me a ton of time with tongue-and-groove work.
* For the table saw, this sawdust bag (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-Table-Saw-Dust-Collector-S...) does a surprisingly good job for $11, and this set of Dado blades (https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-8-in-x-12-Teeth-Stacked-D...) has saved me a ton of time with tongue-and-groove work.
I'm on the market for a pair of decent camping/hiking shoes/boots. I had been planning on getting some REI pair, but you've got me curious about these. It seems odd to me that something that claims to be thin and let you feel things would be good for hiking. Can you elaborate on that? I think I would want protection from rocks and stuff, so it seems bad for that?
I hike regularly with Vivo's - Also the Lems Boulderboot when the temperature permits.
Your feet take a beating in the first few weeks but you will build a tolerance.
In my opinion, they're fantastic for hiking as you feel the ground beneath you. Being more aware of the ground surface increases your step precision as well as your balance.
I highly recommend giving a pair a go!
Your feet take a beating in the first few weeks but you will build a tolerance.
In my opinion, they're fantastic for hiking as you feel the ground beneath you. Being more aware of the ground surface increases your step precision as well as your balance.
I highly recommend giving a pair a go!
I've got the same exact pair - they are awesome, super comfortable and flexible.
It's important to note that as for any thin-sole shoe, it takes time to get used to what is much more like walking barefoot - your foot placement and posture changes, as you use the ball of your foot and your calf more. Think of it as the difference between running with a heel/neutral strike with padded running shoes and a toe-strike when running barefoot.
Re. longer hikes and rocks, the sole is well protected and quite tough - they are indeed built for hiking; consider walking briefer hikes in them for a while so that your foot / calf muscles to get used to the difference before taking on long and more exhausting hikes that increase the chances of a twisted ankle.
It's important to note that as for any thin-sole shoe, it takes time to get used to what is much more like walking barefoot - your foot placement and posture changes, as you use the ball of your foot and your calf more. Think of it as the difference between running with a heel/neutral strike with padded running shoes and a toe-strike when running barefoot.
Re. longer hikes and rocks, the sole is well protected and quite tough - they are indeed built for hiking; consider walking briefer hikes in them for a while so that your foot / calf muscles to get used to the difference before taking on long and more exhausting hikes that increase the chances of a twisted ankle.
Occasionally I'll be walking and step on a single pebble on the sidewalk in just the right place and I can feel that for sure, but on a trail that's less of a problem because you're not pressing that pebble against pavement, and the shoes aren't so thin that it's like there's nothing there – they definitely provide some protection. For larger rocks, like a rock scramble, I find it's nice to be able to feel it a little more – I'm not sure if it's true, but it makes me feel I have more control and better balance. Thus far the rare "single pebble on the sidewalk" has been the only issue.
I'm not exactly a shoe wonk, but I think the idea of barefoot shoes is to encourage you to put more force on the ball of your foot as opposed to the heel, which I think is meant to be better for posture and your knees. All I know is I love them, and I think I'd have trouble going back to shoes with thick outsoles.
If you're thinking of trying a pair, Vivobarefoot has a pretty good return policy (100 days no questions asked) so it might be worth giving it a shot. That said, it's definitely an acquired taste and I don't think they're better for everyone. My partner hates minimal shoes and just bought for herself a pair of Hokas, which to my eyes have a comically large outsole. Ultimately it's about finding the best match for your body.
I'm not exactly a shoe wonk, but I think the idea of barefoot shoes is to encourage you to put more force on the ball of your foot as opposed to the heel, which I think is meant to be better for posture and your knees. All I know is I love them, and I think I'd have trouble going back to shoes with thick outsoles.
If you're thinking of trying a pair, Vivobarefoot has a pretty good return policy (100 days no questions asked) so it might be worth giving it a shot. That said, it's definitely an acquired taste and I don't think they're better for everyone. My partner hates minimal shoes and just bought for herself a pair of Hokas, which to my eyes have a comically large outsole. Ultimately it's about finding the best match for your body.
I am genuinely curious about these shoes but cautious as my left ankle gives me problems and I find that I'm most comfortable when I'm wearing my thick Merrel hiking books. I use insoles in all my shoes because of it and I feel like it would defeat the purpose if I used insoles in these.
Their Tracker II Fg Mens looks good too
Their Tracker II Fg Mens looks good too
Ankles can be tricky. Most "barefoot" style shoes have essentially zero ankle support. What ends up happening for most people is that if you ease into them, and use them regularly, you end up building up substantially more muscle in your foot and lower leg which ends up being the "thing that gives you ankle stability".
If you've got really serious ankle problems / past injuries / etc, that might not be a plausible approach for you. But if it's just a case of your ankle being a little unstable every so often, it might be worth trying the barefoot shoe approach, and treat it like building up new muscles in any other context: start slow and easy and try to be consistent about it.
If you've got really serious ankle problems / past injuries / etc, that might not be a plausible approach for you. But if it's just a case of your ankle being a little unstable every so often, it might be worth trying the barefoot shoe approach, and treat it like building up new muscles in any other context: start slow and easy and try to be consistent about it.
I've been looking into minimalist/barefoot shoes lately and one thing that I found interesting is that, even though the plains First Nations of old (think Apache) wore thick, hard-soled moccasins, the woodland nations always preferred the soft, thin-soled pucker style.
The forest floor is littered with sticks, rocks, and other things, but clearly there was still some benefit derived from wearing what would now be termed "barefoot" shoes in the bush.
The forest floor is littered with sticks, rocks, and other things, but clearly there was still some benefit derived from wearing what would now be termed "barefoot" shoes in the bush.
Check out wolverine boots, depending on your needs you could get a slip on with a composite toe, they're much lighter than steel toes and waterproof
I wanted something more minimal than conventional boots but I knew I didn't want to go as far as Vivos. I settled on these Solomons[0], and they're possibly the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. Not waterproof, no real ankle support/bracing, but very light with plenty of shock absorption and sole stability. I do have minimalist sandals from Xero[1], which are great for camp shoes.
0. https://www.rei.com/product/122170/salomon-x-ultra-3-low-aer...
1. https://xeroshoes.com/shop/gender/mens/ztrek-men/
0. https://www.rei.com/product/122170/salomon-x-ultra-3-low-aer...
1. https://xeroshoes.com/shop/gender/mens/ztrek-men/
Thanks for that bag link! I bought one that doesn't have a zipper and I hate it.
I'm always very hesitant to recommend "barefoot" shoes since everyone's feet are different and I know some people who have had horrible experiences with them. They definitely are not a magic solution for everyone, and for some people they'll be actively harmful.
But for whatever it's worth, switching to VivoBarefoot (Primus Lite) resulted in a massive decrease in foot pain for me. My shin splints basically vanished. I've had them for maybe a year and a half, and I am never going back to traditional shoes.
But for whatever it's worth, switching to VivoBarefoot (Primus Lite) resulted in a massive decrease in foot pain for me. My shin splints basically vanished. I've had them for maybe a year and a half, and I am never going back to traditional shoes.
> I know some people who have had horrible experiences with them.
I'm getting mine in in a couple days. What issues have you seen people have most with them, out of curiosity? (I'm assuming the use case was for running and not the hiking stuff in one of the sibling threads)
I'm getting mine in in a couple days. What issues have you seen people have most with them, out of curiosity? (I'm assuming the use case was for running and not the hiking stuff in one of the sibling threads)
If your feet need support, they don't provide support. So pretty much what you would expect: ankle pain, shin splints, soreness, etc...
My problem was the opposite: I got shin splints even after spending a ton of time stretching my legs before and after long walks, running. But I started to notice that my feet felt a lot better whenever I was barefoot in my house, and that I had fewer problems during the summer when I was more likely to take long walks in low-support footware like sandals or flip-flops. So when I noticed that the support was the problem and got rid of the shoes that had thick heels and lots of cushioning, that pain went away.
Basically, if normal shoes hurt your feet, there's a reasonable chance (but not a guarantee) that barefoot/low-support shoes will be a big improvement. If you normally prefer lots of support to feel comfortable, there's a reasonable chance that these will hurt your feet.
There's also a bit of an adjustment period. You do feel more of the ground, and it takes a little while to get used to that. If I step on a really sharp rock, it won't puncture my foot or anything, but I feel it. Your walking/running style ends up changing a bit as well to accommodate less cushioning, you spend more time on the balls of your feet instead of your heels.
I haven't taken them hiking, but if I was a hiker I probably would at least consider wearing them over normal boots (or more likely, I'd get an equivalent low-support hiking shoe). I like that my feet are more flexible, I like that I can feel the texture of the ground, it makes me feel more confident and secure when I'm walking over rough terrain -- the same way that I feel more confident manipulating something with my hands if I'm not wearing very thick gloves.
But all of that is just me, your results might vary.
My problem was the opposite: I got shin splints even after spending a ton of time stretching my legs before and after long walks, running. But I started to notice that my feet felt a lot better whenever I was barefoot in my house, and that I had fewer problems during the summer when I was more likely to take long walks in low-support footware like sandals or flip-flops. So when I noticed that the support was the problem and got rid of the shoes that had thick heels and lots of cushioning, that pain went away.
Basically, if normal shoes hurt your feet, there's a reasonable chance (but not a guarantee) that barefoot/low-support shoes will be a big improvement. If you normally prefer lots of support to feel comfortable, there's a reasonable chance that these will hurt your feet.
There's also a bit of an adjustment period. You do feel more of the ground, and it takes a little while to get used to that. If I step on a really sharp rock, it won't puncture my foot or anything, but I feel it. Your walking/running style ends up changing a bit as well to accommodate less cushioning, you spend more time on the balls of your feet instead of your heels.
I haven't taken them hiking, but if I was a hiker I probably would at least consider wearing them over normal boots (or more likely, I'd get an equivalent low-support hiking shoe). I like that my feet are more flexible, I like that I can feel the texture of the ground, it makes me feel more confident and secure when I'm walking over rough terrain -- the same way that I feel more confident manipulating something with my hands if I'm not wearing very thick gloves.
But all of that is just me, your results might vary.
A big warning that should probably come with all barefoot / no-padding shoes is: walking habits that are normal with padded shoes can cause pain and damage. And feet heal slowly, so that can take a long time to recover from.
Shift your weight forward, watch some barefoot running / walking videos, and switch shoe-styles SLOWLY. Going out for a moderate run immediately might give you heel bruises, micro-fractures, and pain for a month or more. Knee and hip pain/injuries are also somewhat common, repeated jarring impacts on joints adds up FAST.
Obviously this all depends on your normal gait now. Some people are pretty close to it by default. Some are extremely far. Be careful and you'll be fine. But it'll take a while to re-train walking habits to the point that they're subconscious.
---
That said, I'm a convert. I grew up on the edge of needing custom arch inserts. Within a couple months of going barefoot-style I stopped needing them, and in less than a year I basically stopped having foot pain at all, and continuing for ~15 years now. (it did take ~2 years to be able to walk around comfortably on concrete all day though, prior to that I'd be a bit sore after N hours)
Shift your weight forward, watch some barefoot running / walking videos, and switch shoe-styles SLOWLY. Going out for a moderate run immediately might give you heel bruises, micro-fractures, and pain for a month or more. Knee and hip pain/injuries are also somewhat common, repeated jarring impacts on joints adds up FAST.
Obviously this all depends on your normal gait now. Some people are pretty close to it by default. Some are extremely far. Be careful and you'll be fine. But it'll take a while to re-train walking habits to the point that they're subconscious.
---
That said, I'm a convert. I grew up on the edge of needing custom arch inserts. Within a couple months of going barefoot-style I stopped needing them, and in less than a year I basically stopped having foot pain at all, and continuing for ~15 years now. (it did take ~2 years to be able to walk around comfortably on concrete all day though, prior to that I'd be a bit sore after N hours)
Awesome, glad to hear good things
I think that for walking, you won't find many people who experience negative effects. But if you're a runner, and you go straight from big cushy shoes to barefoot, you might be in for a world of hurt for a while. Easing into it tends to be good advice.
I've been a bit disappointed with the newer VivoBarefoot models, the toe boxes seem to be getting progressively narrower (going for a more mainstream look, I guess?), which was one of the main reasons why I switched to them back when they were still called Terra Plana.
I've been a bit disappointed with the newer VivoBarefoot models, the toe boxes seem to be getting progressively narrower (going for a more mainstream look, I guess?), which was one of the main reasons why I switched to them back when they were still called Terra Plana.
Plane tickets to see my family for the first time in ~2 years!
Quarantine was not a lot of fun.
Quarantine was not a lot of fun.
Sheesh this should be the top comment. Love it.
More RAM. I've got 20GB now (4+16) and it's just never an issue anymore no matter how much I've got open. Sure, I can fill it up if I tried but... if I'm not purposefully trying, it doesn't happen. Previously on 8GB I'd have to quit a few applications to run a big Factorio map, or my browser might run out if I didn't restart for browser updates in a few weeks.
It's one of the few nonessentials I've spent more than a few tenners on (I actually initially bought 2x16, but asshole lenovo decided it was a good idea to fixate one of the two slots to 4GB...). It was fairly cheap, not sure if that's still the case or if you need to wait another six years until prices reach 2020 levels again (iirc in 2013 you needed to wait five more years to get the same amount and speed for 2012's prices).
It's one of the few nonessentials I've spent more than a few tenners on (I actually initially bought 2x16, but asshole lenovo decided it was a good idea to fixate one of the two slots to 4GB...). It was fairly cheap, not sure if that's still the case or if you need to wait another six years until prices reach 2020 levels again (iirc in 2013 you needed to wait five more years to get the same amount and speed for 2012's prices).
These days, I'd recommend a 16 gig minimum if you game at all, with 32 gig recommended if you play RAM intense games.
Yeah I was going to go for 16G in 2018 but then didn't find a laptop I actually liked, everything was disappointing (turns out computers just don't get faster anymore, at least not per core, and some of the higher-end stuff didn't have Linux support at all, and not only WiFi drivers or so but actually unbootable or major issues on the latest kernel), so this was kind of an in-betweener while hoping to find something nicer in 3-5 years depending on how well I'd end up liking this one.
Naim Uniti Atom streamer/amp combo. Great sound, good looking, good app. Removed a lot of clutter from my living room.
Philips Hue, been using them for more than two years but finally bought like 14 of them for all around the house and can’t imagine living without them.
Biggest impact is an height adjustable desk. Got 4 heavy duty legs and rigged an IKEA top plate for a 3m long, 1.2m corner desk which has both my workstation and electronics (oscilloscope etc). I spend most my day standing and it changed my life.
Fox Flexair shorts. Got them for mountain biking but they were so comfortable that I have a few and practically live in them.
Philips Hue, been using them for more than two years but finally bought like 14 of them for all around the house and can’t imagine living without them.
Biggest impact is an height adjustable desk. Got 4 heavy duty legs and rigged an IKEA top plate for a 3m long, 1.2m corner desk which has both my workstation and electronics (oscilloscope etc). I spend most my day standing and it changed my life.
Fox Flexair shorts. Got them for mountain biking but they were so comfortable that I have a few and practically live in them.
It's got to be my Apple Watch (S5). Since I bought it the gamification of closing the rings and monthly challenges has definitely improved my physical health. It also keeps sending those nudges during the day to stand or to go out and finish the rings etc. Which I feel are helpful in reminding me not to keep sitting for longer and move around. I definitely would like folks to try an Apple Watch to track and improve their fitness.
iPad Pro 12.9” 2020 model, and moving completely to #iPadOnly way. Do not own any other device, and ditched my MBP after buying iPad. Do not miss anything as a designer/developer and I’m happy as hell now. :-)
can you talk about the developer experience on iPad Pro?
I’m enjoying it.
As a VIM user I use Blink Shell connected to EC2 instance running Ubuntu. If you’re used to macOS/Linux environments you‘ll not miss anything, and with Mosh support you will be always connected. Users that don’t use VIM or want to use different approach also have an option to do so with code-server, Coder or by using native editors(Textastic, Pythonista or play.js).
In addition to Blink Shell I also use Inspect Browser, Rest, Jayson, TLS Inspector, and native GitHub client.
I recommend this podcast: https://www.workbeyondmac.com/1637893/8226779-luis-alcaraz-a... to learn more about developing on iPad. :-)
As a VIM user I use Blink Shell connected to EC2 instance running Ubuntu. If you’re used to macOS/Linux environments you‘ll not miss anything, and with Mosh support you will be always connected. Users that don’t use VIM or want to use different approach also have an option to do so with code-server, Coder or by using native editors(Textastic, Pythonista or play.js).
In addition to Blink Shell I also use Inspect Browser, Rest, Jayson, TLS Inspector, and native GitHub client.
I recommend this podcast: https://www.workbeyondmac.com/1637893/8226779-luis-alcaraz-a... to learn more about developing on iPad. :-)
- barefoot shoes (brands: vivobarefoot and mukishoes). I could write a long rave now about barefoot shoes but I'll try to keep it short: No more knee pains after long walks, every time I go out the amount of sensations is pure joy and a powerful mindfulness experience.
- A used Garmin Forerunner 920XT. It's a pretty old model but it still works well for many different sport types. That was great when I did triathlons, then focused on running with the advanced HR and now I mostly use it as an alarm clock that doesn't wake the kids. Battery lasts forever.
- Kindle. I'm a "physical book" person and I'm not a fan of the Amazon lock-in but I got one for my birthday and my reading has exploded. It makes my reading just so much more accessible.
- A used Garmin Forerunner 920XT. It's a pretty old model but it still works well for many different sport types. That was great when I did triathlons, then focused on running with the advanced HR and now I mostly use it as an alarm clock that doesn't wake the kids. Battery lasts forever.
- Kindle. I'm a "physical book" person and I'm not a fan of the Amazon lock-in but I got one for my birthday and my reading has exploded. It makes my reading just so much more accessible.
My girlfriend got me a refurb Paperwhite last fall and I didn't put it down for about 4 months. It's been great for my reading habits!
For barefoot shoes, my absolute favorite is Tade Evo. I destroy a pair in about a year, but I have happily continued to destroy pairs for quite a few years now. After them, Feelmax. I have not yet been able to destroy my boots from them.
a 21:9 ultrawide monitor. Never going back to a 'normal' monitor again.
Kettlebells and specific simple work program (The book "Simple and Sinister" by Pave Tsatsouline). I've never been much to exercise. No nonsense - only TWO different movements. I'm 40 and getting visible muscles first time in my life.
Yeah. 100 kettle bell swings and 10 get-ups, in 20 minutes, sounds pretty brutal.
I would rather call it effective than brutal. The intent is not to kill oneself with the exercise, but to do "just enough" and let the body tell you how much further you can go. Kettlebells are quite nice in that way - they strain you enough, and if it get's too heavy you quite quickly realize a lesser weight is the better option.
ErgoDox EZ. I got one at the recommendation of a friend who has battled serious carpal tunnel over the last five years. He said this keyboard changed his outlook and made him a solid 2x faster when developing in vim.
Relatively high learning curve when you first get started. You have to get used to a split keyboard and all of the custom modifier keys you have added alongside the bezel.
But once you spend some time with it: it's incredible. You can customize the entire keyboard layout and add multiple layers on top of the default one. Pressing different modifiers can change your whole keyboard layout - I have a separate one for my IDE, browser, etc. After a few weeks, my posture improved and I was much happier with the mechanical keys.
Relatively high learning curve when you first get started. You have to get used to a split keyboard and all of the custom modifier keys you have added alongside the bezel.
But once you spend some time with it: it's incredible. You can customize the entire keyboard layout and add multiple layers on top of the default one. Pressing different modifiers can change your whole keyboard layout - I have a separate one for my IDE, browser, etc. After a few weeks, my posture improved and I was much happier with the mechanical keys.
I'd agree with that, but my Ez predates the time period of this question. :-)
I was a fairly good touch-typist before the Ez, but it did take me about 3-5 days of feeling like I was learning to type all over again. Some of that was the thumb clusters, some of that was getting rid of some bad habits. I used to type the "b" key with the wrong hand, which isn't a good option on a split keyboard. I also used to always look at the numbers when I typed them, and I got blank keycaps on the Ez to break myself of the habit. Oh, and I used to always press shift with my right pinky only, and I wanted to break myself of that.
I also switched to i3wm tiling window manager at the same time, so I customized the keymap for that.
Love the Ez. Though, I did go through quite a phase of "Surely the perfect keyswitch is on the other side of this fence... I'd tried Gaetron Brown, Cherry Blue, Cherry Brown, Kailh Box White. At the office, the blues were just too loud, but I loved the feel. The Cherry Browns were fine. The Kailh I currently have in around 1/3 of the switches in my home keyboard, where I'm not as noise constrained, and they feel fine, and they're probably quiet enough for the office. They feel good, but I honestly have a hard time telling which has it and which has the Cherry Brown.
If at all possible, don't go down the "which switch is right for me" rabbit hole...
I was a fairly good touch-typist before the Ez, but it did take me about 3-5 days of feeling like I was learning to type all over again. Some of that was the thumb clusters, some of that was getting rid of some bad habits. I used to type the "b" key with the wrong hand, which isn't a good option on a split keyboard. I also used to always look at the numbers when I typed them, and I got blank keycaps on the Ez to break myself of the habit. Oh, and I used to always press shift with my right pinky only, and I wanted to break myself of that.
I also switched to i3wm tiling window manager at the same time, so I customized the keymap for that.
Love the Ez. Though, I did go through quite a phase of "Surely the perfect keyswitch is on the other side of this fence... I'd tried Gaetron Brown, Cherry Blue, Cherry Brown, Kailh Box White. At the office, the blues were just too loud, but I loved the feel. The Cherry Browns were fine. The Kailh I currently have in around 1/3 of the switches in my home keyboard, where I'm not as noise constrained, and they feel fine, and they're probably quiet enough for the office. They feel good, but I honestly have a hard time telling which has it and which has the Cherry Brown.
If at all possible, don't go down the "which switch is right for me" rabbit hole...
A guitar. And then three more guitars. Never having held a guitar in my life before, I picked one up last September as a way to help keep me sane over Minnesota COVID winter, and I've completely fallen in love with playing guitar. I have played literally every day since I purchased my first guitar and I spend most of my workday excited to get home and play more.
Any recommendations for how to learn if you've never touched a guitar before?
JustinGuitar.com! Really excellent beginner course, took me about six months to go through. I'm now moving into the intermediate stuff, and also branching out on my own into learning classical guitar.
The main key of course is to play and practice a lot. Like any other skill, you really have to put the hours in.
The main key of course is to play and practice a lot. Like any other skill, you really have to put the hours in.
Check out JustinGuitar.com - tons of free lessons, songs, etc from beginner to advanced and lots of extra, extremely good paid content as well.
After you've learned the basics on how to fret a note and use a pick, I'd highly recommend Rock Smith. It's basically Guitar Hero/Rock Band, except you plug in a real guitar. It gamifies learning guitar, so it doesn't feel like homework. It doesn't just have you play songs, it also has mini-games that get you to practice specific techniques such as sliding, hammer-ons/pull-offs, string skipping, and proper note fretting.
The difficulty adjusts dynamically. When you first start playing, it doesn't make you play all the notes. Over time, as your scores get better, it introduces more notes until eventually you're playing the song as-written.
If you explore this route, then I'd highly recommend the PC version (Distributed on Steam) over the console version, especially if your home theater setup has any sort of audio latency. I bought the console version at first, and my stereo has about 200 ms of latency, which made it incredibly distracting when I'd strum a note, but I wouldn't hear it until 200ms later. My PC, on the other hand, has zero latency, or at least, the latency is noticeable at all.
The difficulty adjusts dynamically. When you first start playing, it doesn't make you play all the notes. Over time, as your scores get better, it introduces more notes until eventually you're playing the song as-written.
If you explore this route, then I'd highly recommend the PC version (Distributed on Steam) over the console version, especially if your home theater setup has any sort of audio latency. I bought the console version at first, and my stereo has about 200 ms of latency, which made it incredibly distracting when I'd strum a note, but I wouldn't hear it until 200ms later. My PC, on the other hand, has zero latency, or at least, the latency is noticeable at all.
Will probably get hated on but I bought a dog (yes not adopted, there wasn't this breed available).
Made WFH much better.
As for material things: * 4K monitor (BenQ PD2700U) makes everything much sharper and my eyes are less tired.
*Ergonomic chair (Steelcase Leap) my back definitely appreciates it.
Made WFH much better.
As for material things: * 4K monitor (BenQ PD2700U) makes everything much sharper and my eyes are less tired.
*Ergonomic chair (Steelcase Leap) my back definitely appreciates it.
You gave a dog a home. That's an overall net good. It's not like all breeders are puppy mills. Sometimes specific breeds have specific temperaments, and that's a reason to specifically look for one.
Nah you're gonna be supporting a creature for 10 years plus, get what you want. It's no one else's business. Adopted dogs aren't automatically more deserving of a home than pure bred bought dogs. I've done both and each has pros/cons.
You don't know what you're getting if you get an adopted dog a lot of the time. It can be unpredictable. It still costs a decent amount of money to adopt from a good shelter.
Whereas, if you buy a breed you generally know what its personality is going to be and what health problems it'll encounter. You just have to make sure it's from a legit breeder.
You don't know what you're getting if you get an adopted dog a lot of the time. It can be unpredictable. It still costs a decent amount of money to adopt from a good shelter.
Whereas, if you buy a breed you generally know what its personality is going to be and what health problems it'll encounter. You just have to make sure it's from a legit breeder.
BIG fan of the PD2700U. I also have their SW2700PT. Just great monitors.
I got my dog last summer, I noticed my mood improve immediately.
Remarkable 2. It does what it says and does it well.
What other devices would you compare the pen latency for?
There is no noticeable latency. You will notice it even if you are looking for it and you will need to really concentrate and draw lines very fast to see the difference.
In general writing and even drawing latency is not something to worry at all. You can write and draw naturally.
In general writing and even drawing latency is not something to worry at all. You can write and draw naturally.
Polyend Tracker - I'd used tracker software on and off for over 20 years to make music, but the tactile experience and second duty as a midi sequencer makes it a total joy.
Mod Duo X - Super versatile and has become an essential part of my workflow. I find myself using it more than my AxeFX for guitar lately as well.
Mod Duo X - Super versatile and has become an essential part of my workflow. I find myself using it more than my AxeFX for guitar lately as well.
Cafelat Robot - a manual espresso maker (despite the name "robot", it's not electronic at all, it just uses pressure). It makes awesome shots, it's super easy to clean, and it's just really fun to feel the tactile feedback you can get when you're brewing a shot manually, because you can re-adjust your pressure on the fly to make the shot come out how you want it.
My husband must have watched every James Hoffman video on youtube before picking it out, but it's been an awesome tool for getting into the world of espresso. We've probably been using it every day for the past 6 months, and it's probably the main reason we were able to break our former addiction to sugary, expensive espresso drinks. Turns out that well-made espresso is actually amazing on it's own, with tons of variance between different beans - but a lot of coffee shops ruin it.
It did take a month or two to get consistently good at pouring shots (again James Hoffman videos were a huge help), and having a good grinder and beans is supposedly another a important factor. We used a LIDO hand grinder at first, which was awesome because it was relatively cheap, but it takes a bit to grind - so we did recently invest in a nice electric grinder. Now that we're able to have friends come over again, that makes it a lot easier to pour a bunch of shots back to back. If you're just making one at a time, a manual grinder is not so bad.
My husband must have watched every James Hoffman video on youtube before picking it out, but it's been an awesome tool for getting into the world of espresso. We've probably been using it every day for the past 6 months, and it's probably the main reason we were able to break our former addiction to sugary, expensive espresso drinks. Turns out that well-made espresso is actually amazing on it's own, with tons of variance between different beans - but a lot of coffee shops ruin it.
It did take a month or two to get consistently good at pouring shots (again James Hoffman videos were a huge help), and having a good grinder and beans is supposedly another a important factor. We used a LIDO hand grinder at first, which was awesome because it was relatively cheap, but it takes a bit to grind - so we did recently invest in a nice electric grinder. Now that we're able to have friends come over again, that makes it a lot easier to pour a bunch of shots back to back. If you're just making one at a time, a manual grinder is not so bad.
I had a similar experience but went with the Flair (cost and compactness being major factors), been a lot of fun getting into coffee generally over the last year and was something my mother and I bonded over when I had a long visit. I was not previously a coffee person before this, mostly preferring tea but trying to nail that perfect shot of espresso can be the most rewarding and frustrating thing on the planet.
We got a Breville Barista Express when the pandemic started, and while the grinder leaves something to be desired, it pours consistent shots that still taste great for beginners.
Couple tips to future owners: 1. You can make the grind size more fine by taking the bean hopper off, and changing the dials on the burr(?) itself. Theres a couple of videos on YouTube that explain it better.
2. Buy a bottomless portafilter. Makes coffee a bit messier if things aren't tamped right, but the actual portafilter is way easier to clean, and it's a lot easier to troubleshoot shots (you can more easily tell if there's channeling or something else going on).
3. Let the machine run once or twice before pulling your shot, get everything warm.
Couple tips to future owners: 1. You can make the grind size more fine by taking the bean hopper off, and changing the dials on the burr(?) itself. Theres a couple of videos on YouTube that explain it better.
2. Buy a bottomless portafilter. Makes coffee a bit messier if things aren't tamped right, but the actual portafilter is way easier to clean, and it's a lot easier to troubleshoot shots (you can more easily tell if there's channeling or something else going on).
3. Let the machine run once or twice before pulling your shot, get everything warm.
Got I hate my Cafelat Robot. I never use it. I feel like you really have to be a hobbyist coffee drinker to appreciate this thing... Not only did I need to buy a gazillion dollar grinder to get it to work, I almost always spill the water trying to jigger that pot thing into the bottom of it. Each to their own I suppose. :D
> I feel like you really have to be a hobbyist coffee drinker to appreciate this thing...
That's the lesson I've learned years of trying to improve my brewing skills and watching James Hoffman videos. I just want a decent espresso or regular coffee. I do not want another hobby, especially one I'd have to do before my morning coffee.
It took a long time, any many expensive espresso related products, but come to the realization that I can be happy with the kind of coffee I can make with a minimum of fuss, and that feels good.
That's the lesson I've learned years of trying to improve my brewing skills and watching James Hoffman videos. I just want a decent espresso or regular coffee. I do not want another hobby, especially one I'd have to do before my morning coffee.
It took a long time, any many expensive espresso related products, but come to the realization that I can be happy with the kind of coffee I can make with a minimum of fuss, and that feels good.
My parents got a Breville Barista express system and are happy with it. It makes good, consistent shots. All in one. No special plumbing. You just fiddle a bit with the grind settings so that your water pressure remains in red band, and if that happens you get a consistent shot. $700.
Yeah, the hobby is definitely half the fun for us. We haven't had an issue with the water spilling, but maybe we're using a different model or something. The good news is that if you decide it sell it, the used ones seem to hold their value pretty well!
To be fair, you need a good grinder to get any espresso to work well; can't fight physics.
I own a La Pavoni Europiccola, and it is likely the most cost-effective purchase I ever made.
It's slightly more advanced than the Robot, but only just. Pavoni have been making them for 60 years or so, and they haven't fundamentally changed at all during that time. The thing is built like a tank, too; it'll likely outlive me if taken care of.
It's slightly more advanced than the Robot, but only just. Pavoni have been making them for 60 years or so, and they haven't fundamentally changed at all during that time. The thing is built like a tank, too; it'll likely outlive me if taken care of.
I've been using an aeropress for years now. Not espresso, but makes a good coffee.
I went on a bit of a thing collecting manual brewers. I've got stove top vacuum pots, a french press, a delter press and a couple of coffee siphons (which are awesome because they make you feel like a mad scientist) but for ease of use and cleanup when making a single coffee, the aeropress beats them all.
I went on a bit of a thing collecting manual brewers. I've got stove top vacuum pots, a french press, a delter press and a couple of coffee siphons (which are awesome because they make you feel like a mad scientist) but for ease of use and cleanup when making a single coffee, the aeropress beats them all.
I just got a ROK Espresso (also a manual espresso machine) and I love it.
The good thing is that this summer I can take it with me on vacation and I don't have to drink my awful in-laws coffee.
The good thing is that this summer I can take it with me on vacation and I don't have to drink my awful in-laws coffee.
I got a Uniterra Nomad—a different take on a manual espresso maker. The website looks like a fake store, but I found enough reviews on blogs to convince me it was legit.
It's really hard to make a bad espresso with this thing. I sometimes hand-grind but mostly have been using pre-ground espresso in cans from Lavazza, Illy, and (latest discovery, cheaper and surprisingly good) Medaglia D'Oro.
It's really hard to make a bad espresso with this thing. I sometimes hand-grind but mostly have been using pre-ground espresso in cans from Lavazza, Illy, and (latest discovery, cheaper and surprisingly good) Medaglia D'Oro.
What grinder did you end up getting?
Noise cancelling headphones: I didn’t know about them, they’re a game changer in so many situations (office, home when there’s noise around or construction, airplane). I got the qc35 and it’s great.
Plants. I didn't have many before covid/wfh, but they really make the place more liveable/ejoyable by just being there and this became increasingly important as i spent so much more time at home
Plants are amazing. I have created a small garden all using plants in the pots in my front patio at my apartment and have grown veggies such as tomatoes, bell peppers and lime along with flowering plants. I also keep a bird feeder and a bird bath nearby the bushy plants. Totally worth it as it keeps my and my wife's mood cheerful just by looking at bees, butterflies and hummingbird coming to flowers and birds coming to feeder and bath. It also keeps my engineering mind occupied with processes such as watering, fertilizing, weeding and pruning etc every few days to see outcome of more flowers and more veggies growing from well taken cared plants.
Same here. My better half got into it and now it's green everywhere with so many different species (some images: https://twitter.com/LaurasGarten) including various veggies like salad and tomatoes. Add the birds that visit the feeder I can see from my work desk and it's perfect. In general hiking though nature, which I've never really done before, has probably been the best activity I've picked up during covid.
Recently, I did too. Being trapped at home during Covid, I wanted to pick up a new hobby. I was looking at fish tank, because while beautiful, they are also very geeky, researching plants and fishes. All those gadgets that go in the aquarium to maintain equilibrium sounded to me like setting up servers and loadbalancers. But margin of error is very small in fish tanks and upfront cost is huge.
So we decided to buy one plant per month instead. Plants are great, they look nice, can turn any boring room into a cozy space, and there is also a lot of geek factor when researching plants, maintaining proper watering and feeding routines but unlike fish tank, plants can survive when you are on vacation or accidentally over-water.
So we decided to buy one plant per month instead. Plants are great, they look nice, can turn any boring room into a cozy space, and there is also a lot of geek factor when researching plants, maintaining proper watering and feeding routines but unlike fish tank, plants can survive when you are on vacation or accidentally over-water.
I got dwarf tomato plants this year, my very first attempt at growing tomatoes or any other vegetables for that matter. I'm growing them in containers on my patio. So far, they have sprouted two tiny green tomatoes each and, for now, they don't need a cage to support the growth.
Bonnie Plants Organic Husky Cherry Tomato Dwarf Indeterminate https://bonnieplants.com/product/husky-cherry-red-tomato/
Bonnie Plants Organic Globe Tomato Compact Determinate https://bonnieplants.com/product/organic-globe-tomato/
I also got a Serano Hot Pepper plant https://bonnieplants.com/product/serrano-hot-pepper/.
All three starter plants were about $4 at my local big box store.
Apart from these, I planted some green bean seeds and one of them has sprouted.
Last year, I bought a dwarf Meyer lemon tree which has lived up to its promise of growing well in a container and providing abundant fruit year-round.
I also bought solar-powered garden decor. These stakes look pretty during the day but at night they are absolutely magical. https://www.target.com/p/gerson-international-43-inch-high-s...
Bonnie Plants Organic Husky Cherry Tomato Dwarf Indeterminate https://bonnieplants.com/product/husky-cherry-red-tomato/
Bonnie Plants Organic Globe Tomato Compact Determinate https://bonnieplants.com/product/organic-globe-tomato/
I also got a Serano Hot Pepper plant https://bonnieplants.com/product/serrano-hot-pepper/.
All three starter plants were about $4 at my local big box store.
Apart from these, I planted some green bean seeds and one of them has sprouted.
Last year, I bought a dwarf Meyer lemon tree which has lived up to its promise of growing well in a container and providing abundant fruit year-round.
I also bought solar-powered garden decor. These stakes look pretty during the day but at night they are absolutely magical. https://www.target.com/p/gerson-international-43-inch-high-s...
Fungus gnats and aphids and making this hobby a living hell for me right now. I’ve been watering my veggies with BTI and spraying aphids with Spinosad(sp?), any tips on ending this infestation nightmare? I’m so close to calling it quits. Have about 12 different veggies going in raised planter boxes.
I had a really bad fungus gnat infestation. I tried sticky traps, BT, and water with Fels Naptha soap. In the end, drying out the soil was the only thing that worked for me. I did it two different ways, but not sure if this is doable in your situation with veggies and planter boxes. For an avocado plant, I let the soil dry completely and then some before watering the plant again. The other was a money tree where I couldn't get the soil to dry fast enough, so I ended up repotting it with cactus mix. Once deprived of water, the fungus gnats disappeared.
Neem oil mixed with warm water and sprayed on the plants works pretty well.
Ladybirds (you can buy larvae which you can release in about 10 days) also works for aphids, they gobble them up.
Ladybirds (you can buy larvae which you can release in about 10 days) also works for aphids, they gobble them up.
Monthly subscription with Classpass (App). Discovered several new workouts I really like, HIIT and spinning classes in particular. Did them almost daily before lockdown happened here. Can't wait to get back at it.
Their subscription model is really fair as well, at least from the customer side. No dark patterns, and automated account freezes during the lockdowns so I'm not accidentally paying without using any in-app credits.
Their subscription model is really fair as well, at least from the customer side. No dark patterns, and automated account freezes during the lockdowns so I'm not accidentally paying without using any in-app credits.
Moccamaster. Both my partner and I are both working from home these days, I'm not returning to an office and she's likely to be here 1-2 days a week even in a post-covid world. I used to use a chemex, and while I do prefer the coffee from the Chemex, making a batch in the Moccamaster is so much more convenient, and makes enough for us both for the entire morning.
Many of the Moccamasters can be used with a Chemex. I haven't tried it, but I recall seeing different ones listed as working with the Chemex. I think this was even on the manufacturer pages.
Mines unfortunately the one with the glass jug and hot plate, so no room for a chemex. The thermos one would work though!
Headphones:
While Working at My Desk: Bose Noise Cancelling 700. Life-changing for me.
While Working with Powertools: The ISOTunes SafeMax. Absolutely excellent for protecting my ears and they sound great when playing music through them.
Slippers: Gecko-Man. The arch-support was very necessary. Turns out spending an entire year in regular slippers was bad for my feet.
Bread Book: "Flour Water Salt Yeast". I've baked everything in this book at least twice and some things tens of times. Almost every loaf and pizza pie has been excellent and my sourdough is going strong at around 2.5 years old.
Chair: Herman Miller Embody. High Quality, super-comfortable, with a 12-Year Warranty - costs about the same as buying a new chair every two years.
Mouse: Logitech MX Master 2S. Excellent all-around. The scroll-wheel is my favorite part
Keyboard: WASD with the Cherry MX Brown switches. Never a problem, always great.
Office Fan: Vornado. Tiny and powerful. A bit loud, but for the price, it's excellent. Great as an outdoor fan as well.
Slippers: Gecko-Man. The arch-support was very necessary. Turns out spending an entire year in regular slippers was bad for my feet.
Bread Book: "Flour Water Salt Yeast". I've baked everything in this book at least twice and some things tens of times. Almost every loaf and pizza pie has been excellent and my sourdough is going strong at around 2.5 years old.
Chair: Herman Miller Embody. High Quality, super-comfortable, with a 12-Year Warranty - costs about the same as buying a new chair every two years.
Mouse: Logitech MX Master 2S. Excellent all-around. The scroll-wheel is my favorite part
Keyboard: WASD with the Cherry MX Brown switches. Never a problem, always great.
Office Fan: Vornado. Tiny and powerful. A bit loud, but for the price, it's excellent. Great as an outdoor fan as well.
Bread Book...which one? Or is the name of the book "Bread Book".
I have been making sourdough for about 2 years as well, but I am looking to expend to more baking using my starter.
I have been making sourdough for about 2 years as well, but I am looking to expend to more baking using my starter.
the book is called "Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast" — it's my first foray into bread-making, and it's very well-written! It gets a bit into starters, but you might be too advanced for it
Reading comprehension failure. I read it as using only four ingredients, not as a title. I have "Tartine Bread" that I've been using, but like I said I was looking into expending my baking abilities. Thanks for the recommendation.
I should have added quotes for clarity. Just edited my comment.
I definitely learned quiet a bit from that book, and every recipe is written as if you've never read the others, so it's easy to jump around.
I've been baking bread for about 3 years now, and I still use that book pretty regularly.
I definitely learned quiet a bit from that book, and every recipe is written as if you've never read the others, so it's easy to jump around.
I've been baking bread for about 3 years now, and I still use that book pretty regularly.
It arrived yesterday. Seems pretty good.
[deleted]
It's also funny because "the bread book" may refer to "the conquest of bread* which is a seminal tome if anarcho-colletivism
I'd like to recommend "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" as a next-level bread book. Full of recipes, techniques, photos, and history.
> Chair: Herman Miller
Has anyone done a blind test between a genuine Herman Miller and a knock off or another similar chair. I suspect people say its good just because of the brand name.
Has anyone done a blind test between a genuine Herman Miller and a knock off or another similar chair. I suspect people say its good just because of the brand name.
I've used quite a few office chairs over the years - mostly in the $200-$300 range, and before I decided to buy the Embody, I went to the Design In Reach store to try it out. I'm 6'6", so making sure I could actually fit in the thing was essential. I tried out the Embody and the Aaron and a few others.
It is legitimately a high-quality chair. I've had mine for three years now and it's absolutely solid. By this time with other chairs I'm generally starting to shop around again due to discomfort, or pieces falling off, or the hydraulics not working as well, or squeaks and creaks.
When it arrived there was no need to put it together. It just rolled out of the box fully assembled. The arm rests and back still adjust as smoothly as the day it arrived. No squeaks or creaks. And that warranty is hard to beat.
I'm not one to chase brands, by a long shot. But HM absolutely nailed it with this chair (imo).
It is legitimately a high-quality chair. I've had mine for three years now and it's absolutely solid. By this time with other chairs I'm generally starting to shop around again due to discomfort, or pieces falling off, or the hydraulics not working as well, or squeaks and creaks.
When it arrived there was no need to put it together. It just rolled out of the box fully assembled. The arm rests and back still adjust as smoothly as the day it arrived. No squeaks or creaks. And that warranty is hard to beat.
I'm not one to chase brands, by a long shot. But HM absolutely nailed it with this chair (imo).
I've got my Aeron since ten years and use it daily. It's still like brand new. I don't think I could sit in any knock off and not immediately notice the difference. It took 30 minutes to set up (ten years ago) and I haven't changed anything since then. I put my hands behind my head and the chair slowly leans back: that's the "easy" trick to configure it properly.
The one main complain I see about it is the frame hurting people's legs / preventing proper blood flow but I think that's people sitting in Aeron chairs not configured properly.
I don't just like the "pellicle mesh" (no sweating) and how great it feels, I also like that it's ten years old and is basically like new despite daily use.
As a funny sidenote: during the first covid lockdown I got stuck for three months not at my home and had to use a really crappy chair (as in: an old chair, not meant for office work at all) and within weeks I developed terrible back pain. It was so bad I had someone lend me one of his Aeron.
The one main complain I see about it is the frame hurting people's legs / preventing proper blood flow but I think that's people sitting in Aeron chairs not configured properly.
I don't just like the "pellicle mesh" (no sweating) and how great it feels, I also like that it's ten years old and is basically like new despite daily use.
As a funny sidenote: during the first covid lockdown I got stuck for three months not at my home and had to use a really crappy chair (as in: an old chair, not meant for office work at all) and within weeks I developed terrible back pain. It was so bad I had someone lend me one of his Aeron.
I got one at home about 5 years ago, and have sat in it every day. I'm not sure if it's heavenly (or what that would mean for a chair), but I've never once felt uncomfortable sitting in it. It's firm (but not hard), breathable, and very well built. I'm generally not conscious of how much the chair I'm sitting in costs, so I'm not sure how other chairs that cost this much (or even a third as much) feel. If the bar is 'never uncomfortable while sitting in it', then it's absolutely worth it.
> Chair: Herman Miller Embody. High Quality, super-comfortable, with a 12-Year Warranty - costs about the same as buying a new chair every two years.
I really like some of the Herman Miller chairs, and I plan on buying one when my current one breaks, but I don't get this: why would you need to buy a chair every two years?
My IKEA Markus ($200) is older than that (I think 5 years?) and it's still fine.
I really like some of the Herman Miller chairs, and I plan on buying one when my current one breaks, but I don't get this: why would you need to buy a chair every two years?
My IKEA Markus ($200) is older than that (I think 5 years?) and it's still fine.
Never tried the IKA Markus, but I've had quite a few office chairs quickly go downhill at the 2-3 year mark.
I'm pretty big at 6'6" / 275lbs, and I am legitimately in my chair for 50+ hours per week, so that may have something to do with it. But this is the first chair I've owned that, after 3 years of constant use, is still in excellent condition.
I'm pretty big at 6'6" / 275lbs, and I am legitimately in my chair for 50+ hours per week, so that may have something to do with it. But this is the first chair I've owned that, after 3 years of constant use, is still in excellent condition.
Therapy.
Air fryer, Fuse Reel, Leatherman
An OLED TV. I work in computer graphics and the image quality of my TV makes me smile every day. HDR is a much bigger deal than 4K. The pure blacks of OLEDs make them hard to beat. Not only for the global contrast level. The pixel by pixel contrast level and absence of light leaking at bright edges greatly improves the clarity of the image.
I picked up an LG C9 a while back. There have been two more generations since then. Not really big differences between them. So, go with what’s cheapest (currently them middle gen).
Other OLEDs are just as pretty. But, some other brands have obnoxious ads in their UI. And LG has good support for 120Hz and other gaming features. So, I’m still happy with my pick.
I picked up an LG C9 a while back. There have been two more generations since then. Not really big differences between them. So, go with what’s cheapest (currently them middle gen).
Other OLEDs are just as pretty. But, some other brands have obnoxious ads in their UI. And LG has good support for 120Hz and other gaming features. So, I’m still happy with my pick.
> some other brands have obnoxious ads in their UI
Can anyone explain this? Are TV manufacturers now dishing out ads themselves and not the cable company?
I have a not-so-good dumb TV and have not bought a new one for a long time. I'm completely out of the loop here.
Can anyone explain this? Are TV manufacturers now dishing out ads themselves and not the cable company?
I have a not-so-good dumb TV and have not bought a new one for a long time. I'm completely out of the loop here.
> Are TV manufacturers now dishing out ads themselves
Yes. They have built-in OSes with Netflix, etc apps. They ship ads for the UI to display. It's as ridiculous as it sounds. The best solution is to never allow the TV onto the Internet and use some external device that doesn't hate you.
Yes. They have built-in OSes with Netflix, etc apps. They ship ads for the UI to display. It's as ridiculous as it sounds. The best solution is to never allow the TV onto the Internet and use some external device that doesn't hate you.
Light Dims! http://www.lightdims.com/index.php
Little sticky cellophane pieces, that you can put on the little LED lights on all modern electronics, so that you can still see them but they're not so bright.
Because I hate being surrounded by blinkenlights that are a bit too bright and hurt my eyes in the dark.
Little sticky cellophane pieces, that you can put on the little LED lights on all modern electronics, so that you can still see them but they're not so bright.
Because I hate being surrounded by blinkenlights that are a bit too bright and hurt my eyes in the dark.
Nice. I had an idea about making the same sort of product but with gels to change the color of the LED and dim it as well. Haven't gotten around to testing it out but might do it now that I see this.
You can also use nail polish - will block some of the light and change the hue. As many different shades of polish available as you can imagine. Some shades block more light than others
Huh. I hadn't thought of this before. I'll have to give it a try, thanks! That's a super flexible and cheap option, and I imagine some of the opaque nail polishes would probably nearly block it.
No worries! Nail polish is one of my favourite "hacks", quite durable so it's good for touching up bike frames (especially chainstays, which easily chip), aside from blocking excess lumens from LEDs.
I had some old theater gels around and cut them up for this purpose.
Such a simple solution... I have some aggressive LEDs covered in black tape around the home. Especially terrible if you have electronics in the bedroom before sleep
Wow, cool product!
I mostly resort to poorly applied swatches of electrical tape (black) all over the place.
My current nemesis is the PS5 in "rest mode", bright orange/yellow glowing all the time!
I mostly resort to poorly applied swatches of electrical tape (black) all over the place.
My current nemesis is the PS5 in "rest mode", bright orange/yellow glowing all the time!
Heh. For that price I may get some - personally I've just stuck a few post-its (maybe taped in place) onto these LEDs. Electrical tape is very effective too.
It's kinda fun to look at them a couple weeks later, and see how they get completely bleached by the light.
It's kinda fun to look at them a couple weeks later, and see how they get completely bleached by the light.
A https://newsasfacts.com subscription. I start my day with their daily email digest. Only $1.25/m right now.
Thanks for the recommendation! I purchased a yearly subscription as well.
This was three years ago so a bit of a cheat, but I bought a motorcycle. It was life changing and I highly recommend it.
I bought a house with a chunk of land attached to it, and one of the best things I added to it immediately was a stone fire pit. It’s been a fantastic way to relax at the end of the day and to socialize.
A 3D printer to pass the time during the pandemic.
An air purifier and a humidifier. Air you breathe is important. Get it right. Related to this I got a neti pot. Ever get a tension headache after mowing the lawn or working with anything involving dust? For me rinsing out my sinuses afterwards really helps, even with using masks/respirators.
Good face and body lotion with sunscreen. Also good shampoo/conditioner. It really does make a difference in how you look and feel.
Plants. At least three potted plants per person per household.
A miter saw because wood working is both fun and a great way to same some money. Ditto plumbing supplies.
Got my girlfriend a bartending course through Bar Smart. What a great program. Combined with Smuggler’s Cove, a book on classic tiki drinks, it’s been a great way to bond over our love of craft cocktails.
I bought a house with a chunk of land attached to it, and one of the best things I added to it immediately was a stone fire pit. It’s been a fantastic way to relax at the end of the day and to socialize.
A 3D printer to pass the time during the pandemic.
An air purifier and a humidifier. Air you breathe is important. Get it right. Related to this I got a neti pot. Ever get a tension headache after mowing the lawn or working with anything involving dust? For me rinsing out my sinuses afterwards really helps, even with using masks/respirators.
Good face and body lotion with sunscreen. Also good shampoo/conditioner. It really does make a difference in how you look and feel.
Plants. At least three potted plants per person per household.
A miter saw because wood working is both fun and a great way to same some money. Ditto plumbing supplies.
Got my girlfriend a bartending course through Bar Smart. What a great program. Combined with Smuggler’s Cove, a book on classic tiki drinks, it’s been a great way to bond over our love of craft cocktails.
have you got a good non-alcoholic cocktail recommendation?
Unfortunately I don’t but I am sure a subreddit on mixology can help!
+1 for the air purifier. I got a unit that I keep in my bedroom and my sleep quality has improved massively.
+1 for a motorcycle. What do you ride? I love my BMW S1000R. Lane splitting is a game changer for commuting in the city as well as for quickly escaping the city no matter how bad traffic happens to be.
* A Junghans Max Bill watch : its a bit noisy, but everytime I look at it it makes me happy. That sweeping hand, the dome crystal, the thin case.. Very solid (saphir version) as well, bumped it a few time, and nothing.
* A WBS pedal steel, got into it recently, and it's a beautiful instrument. A bit finicky to tune, but that might be my novice ears and not the instrument itself. Wolfgang seems very nice. Lead time is around 8 months.
* A Lewis Leather Jacket. Very heavy (horsehide), but that is some incredible craftmanship. Every detail is thought of, it's made in England, just be ready to wait a bit for them to make it.
Disposable income from the pandemic, a bit of consumerism ! I also Patreon the Aquarium Drunkard music blog, at least once a month they make me discover an incredible contemporary artist.
* A WBS pedal steel, got into it recently, and it's a beautiful instrument. A bit finicky to tune, but that might be my novice ears and not the instrument itself. Wolfgang seems very nice. Lead time is around 8 months.
* A Lewis Leather Jacket. Very heavy (horsehide), but that is some incredible craftmanship. Every detail is thought of, it's made in England, just be ready to wait a bit for them to make it.
Disposable income from the pandemic, a bit of consumerism ! I also Patreon the Aquarium Drunkard music blog, at least once a month they make me discover an incredible contemporary artist.
The ipad pro. It’s just my favorite device, and has been for the last 2-3 years. I draw and take a lot of notes on it, I read a lot of pdfs and epubs, I watch movies and videos, etc. I like that it allows me to focus, as the os is limiting, and I like that it’s so portable that I can easily take it with me anywhere. I can also hold it well when I’m in bed, in the plane, etc.
Seconded. I got one of these and was surprised at how much I love it. The input latency is unnoticeable. I intentionally don't connect my email, calendar, or anything interruptible to it and it is a wonderful notepad, reader, etc.
Not connecting email, calendar, social media, or anything else that produces notifications is the best thing I ever did with a tablet.
Email, social media, etc. is a productivity black hole due to notifications. At first I tried disabling notifications but it isn't enough. I had to remove the accounts as I just can't be trusted to not check manually.
I used to hate my iPad because I never got anything done on it but since removing all that crap it is a fantastic device for when you want to focus on one task and not be distracted.
Email, social media, etc. is a productivity black hole due to notifications. At first I tried disabling notifications but it isn't enough. I had to remove the accounts as I just can't be trusted to not check manually.
I used to hate my iPad because I never got anything done on it but since removing all that crap it is a fantastic device for when you want to focus on one task and not be distracted.
Do you know of a way to take notes _on_ a ePub book? I’d love to buy a new iPad just for this if there was a way to do it. As far as I have tried, Apple Books, or Kindle don’t allow markup on ePub books.
I use Lithium in Android. Has this feature.
I mostly use Apple Books (formerly iBooks) for this. Can highlight, add text notes, and bookmark pages. Syncs those and reading progress across devices. Also somewhat works for PDF books. Sometimes the sync screws up but mostly works.
Google Books can also do this and notes go to an associated Google Doc.
Google Books can also do this and notes go to an associated Google Doc.
Chromebook C423NA - for writing. I intentionally bought the lowest end model I could find at Walmart. I wanted it for a single task - writing - and it's perfect for that. It is terrible at most everything else.
Softball glove - my kid has been playing softball and asked me to help work on some of their skills. I'm not into baseball/softball AT ALL, but I've very much enjoyed my time outside passing the ball. It's a very relaxing activity.
EXIT games - a series of tabletop "escape rooms" that kept me and the kids occupied many days over the past year indoors.
Biscuit Joiner - I've long wanted this "luxury" tool for helping keep things aligned when gluing planks for panels... it has become one of my favorite assembly tools in conjunction with pocket holes to make butt join assembly as easy as Lego.
Softball glove - my kid has been playing softball and asked me to help work on some of their skills. I'm not into baseball/softball AT ALL, but I've very much enjoyed my time outside passing the ball. It's a very relaxing activity.
EXIT games - a series of tabletop "escape rooms" that kept me and the kids occupied many days over the past year indoors.
Biscuit Joiner - I've long wanted this "luxury" tool for helping keep things aligned when gluing planks for panels... it has become one of my favorite assembly tools in conjunction with pocket holes to make butt join assembly as easy as Lego.
I'm at a similar decision point. What software are you using to write on the Chromebook?
Just Google Docs. I made a template for novel writing and copy it when I start something new.
2nd on the EXIT games
I love biscuit joiners. What model do you have? I wish I could get a Lamello but they are insanely expensive. I have a Porter Cable that is actually pretty good, but I want something cordless.
Open back headphones, Hifiman HE400i (2020). It's really cool to discover more details in my favourite songs. I think I paid ~€200 for it. My previous headphones were the Audio-Technica ATH-M40x ~€100, and you can definitely hear the difference in quality, but I think it is probably past the point of diminishing returns.
Synthesizer: Sequential Prophet REV 2 (8 voice). I have it for 1.5 years now and I still feel like there is a lot left to explore for me in the synth, cool sounds to discover/create, I think I'm gonna buy the expansion board (+8 voices) as a birthday gift to myself
Synthesizer: Sequential Prophet REV 2 (8 voice). I have it for 1.5 years now and I still feel like there is a lot left to explore for me in the synth, cool sounds to discover/create, I think I'm gonna buy the expansion board (+8 voices) as a birthday gift to myself
Instant pot. This thing is magical, everything taste so fucking good in it. I bought a crockpot and never used it, but the instant pot was a game changer for me: ramen, couscous, stews, etc. The meat tastes so good when cooked there, vegetables are the same.
My partner got an Instant pot but I don't like the meat that is made in it. Maybe it's overcooked? Tomato-based ground meat (e.g. ground lamb) sauces are tolerable.
I generally prefer my meat fried (seared) in a cast iron pan and finished in an oven (if necessary, e.g. a big piece of beef).
I generally prefer my meat fried (seared) in a cast iron pan and finished in an oven (if necessary, e.g. a big piece of beef).
The thing about pressure cookers is that they are basically a time saving device; what you get out of them is similar [1] result to what a long, slow cook in the oven would have been. They cook at higher heat without boiling.
You aren't going to roast in them, or anything like it. But a stew that would have taken 3+ hours can be done in less than 1. Typically you should be using different cuts of meat for these applications.
[1] the big caveat is you don't lose moisture, so liquid amounts all need to be adjusted
You aren't going to roast in them, or anything like it. But a stew that would have taken 3+ hours can be done in less than 1. Typically you should be using different cuts of meat for these applications.
[1] the big caveat is you don't lose moisture, so liquid amounts all need to be adjusted
^ this. Throw some bony meat and some bones and you’ll get an amazing soup, I also did a lot of: 15-min vegetable and chicken.
Pork shoulder, garlic, cumin, onion, thyme, oregano, olive oil, 1C water, salt, pepper.
Close the lid, seal the vent.
Press meat. Wait for the beep.
Close the lid, seal the vent.
Press meat. Wait for the beep.
Try an air-fryer.
Steaks or hamburgers are surprisingly amazing.
Steaks or hamburgers are surprisingly amazing.
Yes! I couldn't get into the instant pot either but the air fryer changed my life. I eat so much meat and vegetables now.
If it had been called a "high-speed toaster oven" or maybe a "digital grill" I probably would have bought one sooner.
If it had been called a "high-speed toaster oven" or maybe a "digital grill" I probably would have bought one sooner.
Check witecutter’s video on it. They basically say to use a convection oven instead.
Look up/try 'reverse sear': slow/low cook in oven. Finish in cast iron. I don't eat meat but I've had a few friends rave about it.
I'd only recommend the Instant Pot for fatty, braise-friendly meats. It can be difficult to get lean meats/fishes right because of how intensely it's cooking.
Yes! It’s also brilliant for stocks. You can make a deep rich chicken stock or beef bone broth in 2 - 3 hours instead of all day, and using lots less energy.
Hard disagree. I was recently gifted an instant pot and it's a glorified rice cooker at best. Everything else I've tried in it, from steaming vegetables to various meats have been of significantly inferior quality (if admittedly faster cooking) than their non-instant pot variants.
Interestingly, I’ve Never used it for steaming or doing rice. I guess you need to like stews to enjoy an instant pot.
They are awesome for cooking rice too! Use the Bain Marie method so it doesn't stick to the bottom:
https://www.copymethat.com/r/xCCh2x0Bi/pip-pressure-cooker-s...
https://www.copymethat.com/r/xCCh2x0Bi/pip-pressure-cooker-s...
electrical piano with headphones: nobody can hear me, the quality of a simple roland is stunning, connects me to the time when I had more time and could play music, and finally, I thoroughly enjoy rather stupid and repetitive finger drills which put me in a trance far away.
Newspapers.com subscription. Great for research on my house, my property, my family.
- A New Model M keyboard from Unicomp. I was initially skeptical of spending >$100 on a keyboard but those doubts quickly evaporated, typing on this keyboard is true bliss.
Every keystroke has excellent auditory and tactical feedback.
- Uniball Jetstream: One of the best pens that I have used, extremely smooth and smudge resistant.
- A Kindle, renting books through Overdrive saves a physical trip to the library and makes reading books so much easier. I also downloaded the kindle app on my phone, which syncs the book position and helps ease the habit of checking social media in my down time.
Personally I find these to be my favorite purchases because they improve what I was already doing each day (typing, writing, and reading). Mundane workflows like essay writing is far more enjoyable when there is a good pen in the drafting stage, and a good keyboard to type on.
- Uniball Jetstream: One of the best pens that I have used, extremely smooth and smudge resistant.
- A Kindle, renting books through Overdrive saves a physical trip to the library and makes reading books so much easier. I also downloaded the kindle app on my phone, which syncs the book position and helps ease the habit of checking social media in my down time.
Personally I find these to be my favorite purchases because they improve what I was already doing each day (typing, writing, and reading). Mundane workflows like essay writing is far more enjoyable when there is a good pen in the drafting stage, and a good keyboard to type on.
I've had a Kindle (the proper one I mean, not the "Kindle" Fire) since early days and its been genuinely life-transforming.
I still use my Kindle paper white from 2013 daily. The battery life is pretty bad now, but otherwise, I'm very happy with it and see no reason to update.
I also have a relatively old kindle(the voyage) replacing the battery is easier than newer models due to the lack of waterproofing. It only took me a few minutes to do, I really recommend it as batteries are cheap and my battery life woes are now gone.
FWIW, Amazon will trade in your old Kindle, give you a credit and a discount on a new one: https://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Trade-In/b?ie=UTF8&node=108250...
On a related note for pens, we recently tested through a series of numerous thin-tipped gel pens and found that the Pilot Juice Up 0.3 had the smoothest writing and best combination of ink visibility and lack of smearing (due to later water damage).
I've been a fountain pen user for years but in the last few years have found gel pens to be a good compromise for their relative reliability. The Uniball Signo 207/307 gives a clean line without much pressure, on par with some of my favorite fountain pens, plus I've been impressed with the waterproofness of the ink. (My overall favorite has to be the Parker 21, if only they didn't crack so easily!)
I'll have had my Kindle for ten years this fall and I still don't use it as much as I'd hoped or expected, but it's always been extremely handy to read a bunch of books from Project Gutenberg on vacation. My favorite part is definitely the screen, unlike most others I can read on it for hours without getting a headache.
I'll have had my Kindle for ten years this fall and I still don't use it as much as I'd hoped or expected, but it's always been extremely handy to read a bunch of books from Project Gutenberg on vacation. My favorite part is definitely the screen, unlike most others I can read on it for hours without getting a headache.
> Uniball Signo 207/307
The signos are pretty good pens. I especially love the flow as it compares to Fountain, but the stroke width could be a bit less.
The signos are pretty good pens. I especially love the flow as it compares to Fountain, but the stroke width could be a bit less.
They seem to be harder to find, but I much prefer the 0.5mm signos over the 0.7mm when I can get them. Anything larger than 0.7 just swallows my small handwriting.
Unicomp makes some great keyboards. Think I'll splurge and get myself another one.
As long as we are talking pens, I'll throw in a recommendation for buying a 12 pack of Skilcraft U.S. Government ballpoint pens and spreading them throughout your home and workspace.
They are designed to US mil spec to write a mile continuously from temps ranging from -40 to 160F, and are manufactured by the blind/non-profits helping the blind.
They are designed to US mil spec to write a mile continuously from temps ranging from -40 to 160F, and are manufactured by the blind/non-profits helping the blind.
Adjustable standing desk. Was a complete game changer for me. Before getting one I had regular shoulder pain (and had to even go to a PT few times). Now that I alternate between standing and sitting the shoulder pain is gone. One of the best ROI for a ~$450 purchase.
An Instant Pot.
I use the yoghurt program and the manual pressure mode. The other programs I don't need and wouldn't miss.
It's a game changer for beans, especially, but there are lots of good Indian recipes on the Internet.
I use the yoghurt program and the manual pressure mode. The other programs I don't need and wouldn't miss.
It's a game changer for beans, especially, but there are lots of good Indian recipes on the Internet.
I moved from SF to CO. In the process I bought a JLG drop deck trailer to move heavy machines between my SF workshop and my new house near boulder.
If you are like me and a. have very heavy tools. (e.g. Lathes, Milling machines, etc) b. don't have a forklift
check out drop deck trailers. I didn't know they existed before, and can often be rented in addition to bought, and are really a game changer. You can roll pallets right on, or winch very heavy things onto them without ever needing to pick them up.
If you are like me and a. have very heavy tools. (e.g. Lathes, Milling machines, etc) b. don't have a forklift
check out drop deck trailers. I didn't know they existed before, and can often be rented in addition to bought, and are really a game changer. You can roll pallets right on, or winch very heavy things onto them without ever needing to pick them up.
Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker. So far I've only had it for ~2 months, but I really enjoy it. Although rice is a big part of my diet, I didn't know a "high-end" rice cooker existed until I wanted to upgrade the tiny 3-cup Imusa cooker I've had through college. I suppose I'll have to see if the thing stands the test of time (the reviews suggest it should!), but for now, the consistency and quality it provides has made me really happy.
Rice cookers save SO MUCH TIME and produce perfect rice every time!
I'll second this. I got the zojirushi induction model a few years back and it's been pretty fantastic. Almost embarrassingly so, since rice is so basic.
I would have probably put my Zojirushi but I got it seven years ago (and am in awe at that fact now that I've typed it). And it's worked more or less flawlessly that whole time, it failing only due to user error. Just if you lose the rice cup and are an American remember that it is ~3/4 cup of uncooked rice is equal to the rice cup.
I've bought loads more Zojirushi things in the meantime and have loved every one, but none except the water boiler (a recent addition) get near the same amount of use as the rice cooker.
I've bought loads more Zojirushi things in the meantime and have loved every one, but none except the water boiler (a recent addition) get near the same amount of use as the rice cooker.
Which model? Unfortunately Europe doesn't get their pressure models.
I've heard many things about how their keep warm feature is far, far superior with some quoting up to one week. What's been your experience with the keep warm? Most other rice cookers I've used are okay at keeping things warm but struggle with not drying out the rice in contact with the bowl.
I've heard many things about how their keep warm feature is far, far superior with some quoting up to one week. What's been your experience with the keep warm? Most other rice cookers I've used are okay at keeping things warm but struggle with not drying out the rice in contact with the bowl.
The code is NS-ZCC10/18 I believe.
The keep warm feature is pretty great. I've never done anything as crazy as a week, but the most I've gone is 7 hours and it was basically indistinguishable from freshly cooked!
The keep warm feature is pretty great. I've never done anything as crazy as a week, but the most I've gone is 7 hours and it was basically indistinguishable from freshly cooked!
I'll also mention the Taiwanese competitor: Taitung. I've not tried it but I'm very curious of their traditional model TAC-20S (http://www.tatung.com/Product/Consumer/258) that looks very simple but it's supposed to prevent burning food as opposed to the basic rice cookers.
I've been "cooking" all food with extremely basic rice cookers for the last years. More advanced ones are tempting but Joshirushi looks a bit complicated, I have a taste for dumb appliances.
Also, under these brands I don't find rice cookers small enough. My current one (3 cups, I guess) is perfect for rice and vegetables for one meal.
I've been "cooking" all food with extremely basic rice cookers for the last years. More advanced ones are tempting but Joshirushi looks a bit complicated, I have a taste for dumb appliances.
Also, under these brands I don't find rice cookers small enough. My current one (3 cups, I guess) is perfect for rice and vegetables for one meal.
The AirPods Max have been incredible for music and Zoom calls.
The Tesla Model 3 is an amazing car that completely ruins all other cars for me. I can't imagine driving anything else right now.
The MacBook Air M1 really does live up to the hype. You can do all-day Zooms on this thing and still have battery to spare. This was impossible on my Intel MacBook Pro. The Air is also insanely fast. It's literally the perfect laptop.
I bought this granite-looking coffee tumbler from Starbucks. It gets a lot of compliments and is really good at heat retention. It's also vacuum-sealed and doesn't leak, ever. It's great.
I also bought a bunch of merino wool shirts from Woolly. They were about USD$60 each. I LOVE travelling with these. They don't smell, are comfortable in cold and hot weather, and are very easy to hand wash.
The Tesla Model 3 is an amazing car that completely ruins all other cars for me. I can't imagine driving anything else right now.
The MacBook Air M1 really does live up to the hype. You can do all-day Zooms on this thing and still have battery to spare. This was impossible on my Intel MacBook Pro. The Air is also insanely fast. It's literally the perfect laptop.
I bought this granite-looking coffee tumbler from Starbucks. It gets a lot of compliments and is really good at heat retention. It's also vacuum-sealed and doesn't leak, ever. It's great.
I also bought a bunch of merino wool shirts from Woolly. They were about USD$60 each. I LOVE travelling with these. They don't smell, are comfortable in cold and hot weather, and are very easy to hand wash.
Solid picks but I just can't justify 650€ for headphones that are arguably worse than a midrange Sennheiser. If you want to enjoy lossless audio just grab a HD58X for 160 bucks (re-run of the mighty Sennheiser HD580 from 1995).
Agree - the Max are an embarrassment in terms of pricing, whatever their usefulness in plugging the NC/Apple integration gap.
Expensive? Sure. Apple products come at a premium. But embarrassing? I'm not sure what that's even supposed to mean.
Relative to the headphone space, the Airpods Max are a comedy routine from a different planet. For nearly 5 years now, you could buy noise cancelling headphones for ~$300, and get a relatively nice package. Certain manufacturers like Sennheiser cut corners, and they released subpar ANC headsets in the $150 range, but $300 was the standard for Good Headphones. Then Apple enters the arena at the $600 price point. Feature-wise, it's a bit on the lacking side: it basically has ANC, Bluetooth, Transparency and... that's it. Not even a power button or an AUX jack, both of which are pretty big pressure points from what I've ascertained from other owners. The aluminum enclosure was a catastrophic mistake from an aesthetic standpoint, and I can only assume it will look like a used Macbook (if not worse) after a few months of casual use. So what's the value proposition here? They don't sound any better than my wired cans, and they certainly don't look or feel any better either. Maybe it's the half-second less it takes to auto-switch to my nearby devices? I may never know what cost so damn much...
So yeah, I think you do have a right to feel a little bit embarrassed if you spend $600 on headphones that is literally incompatible with analogue mediums.
So yeah, I think you do have a right to feel a little bit embarrassed if you spend $600 on headphones that is literally incompatible with analogue mediums.
Come on, there’s ways to achieve that connection, even multiple, and this is coming from a CIEM user.
This gearslutz level of (forgive me) elitism is a bit annoying. People seem to like them for better or worse.
This gearslutz level of (forgive me) elitism is a bit annoying. People seem to like them for better or worse.
People who buy these don't care about wired usage. You're entirely missing the target audience.
1. They look great.
2. They sound great (compared to similar wireless options).
3. They're fully integrated with all my other Apple devices, switching devices is super easy (I have a mac, iphone, and ipad).
4. The noise canceling is great.
5. They have features like spatial audio and possibly other updates coming down the line.
6. A power button isn't needed because of how it's designed.
7. The microphones are great - which make this a great device for taking calls.
1. They look great.
2. They sound great (compared to similar wireless options).
3. They're fully integrated with all my other Apple devices, switching devices is super easy (I have a mac, iphone, and ipad).
4. The noise canceling is great.
5. They have features like spatial audio and possibly other updates coming down the line.
6. A power button isn't needed because of how it's designed.
7. The microphones are great - which make this a great device for taking calls.
Having just tried them: I'd put the noise canceling at "a solid contender for second-tier". Not great, but substantially above the comparative-trash that is "everything but Sony and Bose".
Like, if I had to put it on a graph, from the dozen-odd sets I've tried (most ~$300+):
Airpod Max's "hear your surroundings" mode is stellar though, I'll definitely give them that. It sounds much more natural / "real".
Like, if I had to put it on a graph, from the dozen-odd sets I've tried (most ~$300+):
silent notice conversations reduces low frequencies noticeably no effect
------1--2-------------3-----------------------4------------------------------------------5---------
Airpod Max's "hear your surroundings" mode is stellar though, I'll definitely give them that. It sounds much more natural / "real".
Unfortunately Sony ANC depends heavily on the firmware lottery - if you get it with 4.x it's garbage. It just doesn't work. There are ways to downgrade it though.
Plus the WH-1000XM is just outright uncomfortable. I couldn't wear it for more than 30 minutes whereas I can wear my Sennheiser HD580 all day. It was the first product I returned in my life.
Odd that the ANC would get worse... but yea, I do totally believe it. Especially situationally, I imagine it goes up and down.
Comfort-wise I found them fine, but the ear-cups are definitely small compared to giant audiophile over-ear ones :) I love the giant ones, I have no idea why companies make these tiny things (e.g. M&D MW65 is absurdly narrow, V-Moda is absurdly shallow). I can only guess it's some weird sense of fashion.
If you don't mind noticeably worse microphone and ANC, the Shure Aonic 50 pads are quite a bit larger and very comfy.
Comfort-wise I found them fine, but the ear-cups are definitely small compared to giant audiophile over-ear ones :) I love the giant ones, I have no idea why companies make these tiny things (e.g. M&D MW65 is absurdly narrow, V-Moda is absurdly shallow). I can only guess it's some weird sense of fashion.
If you don't mind noticeably worse microphone and ANC, the Shure Aonic 50 pads are quite a bit larger and very comfy.
> 1. They look great.
Not after you own them for a few months. You really ought to look at some of the scuffs these things are picking up.
2. They sound great (compared to similar wireless options).
At it's price point? It honestly sounds "competitive", and that's putting it nicely. It stands toe-to-toe with the other headphones in it's category, but I feel like it should be demolishing them for costing twice as much. I honestly have no preference between the QuietComforts and the Airpods Max in terms of sound quality. That's really disappointing for $600.
3. They're fully integrated with all my other Apple devices, switching devices is super easy (I have a mac, iphone, and ipad).
I haven't had Bluetooth switching issues in ages. I've owned a few pairs of wireless audio headsets (Galaxy Buds, Surface Headphones) over the years, and I haven't had to manually switch devices in months.
4. The noise canceling is great.
The noise cancelling is good. Remember our friend the Quietcomforts? They cost half as much as the Max, sound just as good, and the noise cancelling on the QCs makes the Max sound like a pair of aluminum open-backs.
5. They have features like spatial audio and possibly other updates coming down the line.
Not lossless audio, apparently. I wouldn't be too confident in how much Apple cares about these headphones.
6. A power button isn't needed because of how it's designed.
Several early reviews said they would have preferred a power button to it's strange case, and some even reported that the case wouldn't properly put the unit into sleep mode when stowed. As far as I know, this is still an issue, and could have been fixed by engineering a $0.30 button on your six-hundred dollar headphones.
7. The microphones are great - which make this a great device for taking calls.
The microphones sound pretty standard for the Airpods range, which is to say middle-of-the-road. I've only heard the mic in action a few times, but it's lack of a conductive/internal microphone means that the audio comes off as distant and compressed. Even worse is that you can notice the software raising the noise floor (!!!) on the mic so you can hear the other person better. Besides that though, I don't have much to say on the topic. They're microphones. Apple's been doing this for decades, am I supposed to act surprised?
Not after you own them for a few months. You really ought to look at some of the scuffs these things are picking up.
2. They sound great (compared to similar wireless options).
At it's price point? It honestly sounds "competitive", and that's putting it nicely. It stands toe-to-toe with the other headphones in it's category, but I feel like it should be demolishing them for costing twice as much. I honestly have no preference between the QuietComforts and the Airpods Max in terms of sound quality. That's really disappointing for $600.
3. They're fully integrated with all my other Apple devices, switching devices is super easy (I have a mac, iphone, and ipad).
I haven't had Bluetooth switching issues in ages. I've owned a few pairs of wireless audio headsets (Galaxy Buds, Surface Headphones) over the years, and I haven't had to manually switch devices in months.
4. The noise canceling is great.
The noise cancelling is good. Remember our friend the Quietcomforts? They cost half as much as the Max, sound just as good, and the noise cancelling on the QCs makes the Max sound like a pair of aluminum open-backs.
5. They have features like spatial audio and possibly other updates coming down the line.
Not lossless audio, apparently. I wouldn't be too confident in how much Apple cares about these headphones.
6. A power button isn't needed because of how it's designed.
Several early reviews said they would have preferred a power button to it's strange case, and some even reported that the case wouldn't properly put the unit into sleep mode when stowed. As far as I know, this is still an issue, and could have been fixed by engineering a $0.30 button on your six-hundred dollar headphones.
7. The microphones are great - which make this a great device for taking calls.
The microphones sound pretty standard for the Airpods range, which is to say middle-of-the-road. I've only heard the mic in action a few times, but it's lack of a conductive/internal microphone means that the audio comes off as distant and compressed. Even worse is that you can notice the software raising the noise floor (!!!) on the mic so you can hear the other person better. Besides that though, I don't have much to say on the topic. They're microphones. Apple's been doing this for decades, am I supposed to act surprised?
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Yep. You're welcome to own anything you want, and form any kind of opinion you want on it, but defending Airpods Max is like trying to tell Mormons about the glory of God. Having tried the Max's for myself, I must have missed what justified their price point...
What do you like about the AirPod Max’s that stands out against other higher end headphones?
I remember seeing the reviews come out as the UX was kind of strange and the audio wasn’t as high end as the price.
It was the only time I wasn’t totally sold on an Apple product.
Never met someone who has a pair, what do you think?
I remember seeing the reviews come out as the UX was kind of strange and the audio wasn’t as high end as the price.
It was the only time I wasn’t totally sold on an Apple product.
Never met someone who has a pair, what do you think?
not OP but so far these are the first pair of over the ear headphones that dont hurt my ears after extended use. That to me is a huge win.
Have you ever used Beyerdynamic headphones?
Cosign on the AirPods Max. I'll easily use them daily for 4 years, and then someone else will enjoy the hell out of them.
It makes music even more beautiful.
The noise cancelling is absurdly good.
Mic quality is great.
They're incredibly comfortable for long work sessions.
The little buttons and dial are a joy to click and press.
The case everyone made fun of? It's awesome. By being forced to put them away, it always shuts off when not in use. The mic doesn't drain like every Bose I've ever ad. Fantastic product.
It makes music even more beautiful.
The noise cancelling is absurdly good.
Mic quality is great.
They're incredibly comfortable for long work sessions.
The little buttons and dial are a joy to click and press.
The case everyone made fun of? It's awesome. By being forced to put them away, it always shuts off when not in use. The mic doesn't drain like every Bose I've ever ad. Fantastic product.
Can I use the included cable to play lossless audio over the headset, or will it only receive audio input over Bluetooth?
I’m in need of an electric car that has no touchscreens or any displays whatsoever. Just knobs, buttons, toggles, dials, gauges and levers. Why do electric cars have to look like something out of fricking Tron?
You can buy an used Mitsubishi i-Miev for almost nothing and it fits your criteria.
Ebike!
> The Tesla Model 3 is an amazing car that completely ruins all other cars for me. I can't imagine driving anything else right now.
Imagine having the money to buy one of these.
Imagine having the money to buy one of these.
$40K isn't that expensive for a good portion of HN. You can usually get them used for even cheaper, though I'd always be weary about buying from a used car dealership, as they're often clueless about Teslas and will claim a car has FSD when it doesn't. I've also seen them try to sell a used Model 3 Standard Range (The $40K base model) for $60K, which is more than the Performance model.
> The Tesla Model 3 is an amazing car that completely ruins all other cars for me. I can't imagine driving anything else right now.
I bought a Model 3 Performance back in November 2019 and I have recalibrated what "normal" acceleration feels like.
It's not that I'm flooring it at every red light, but without an engine making noise and giving me audible feedback on how much fuel I'm using, I do find I give it a little more punch than most other drivers.
So then when I sit in my wife's Honda CRV, it feels so slow unless I'm giving it a lot of gas.
I bought a Model 3 Performance back in November 2019 and I have recalibrated what "normal" acceleration feels like.
It's not that I'm flooring it at every red light, but without an engine making noise and giving me audible feedback on how much fuel I'm using, I do find I give it a little more punch than most other drivers.
So then when I sit in my wife's Honda CRV, it feels so slow unless I'm giving it a lot of gas.
Fire TV 4K. It is the overwhelmingly most common source for our TV and has a good remote and excellent playback, including H.265. I bought it without research as a “why not?” sized purchase and it surprised me pleasantly.
Soda stream machine .. I love fizzy water.
A BIDET attachment for my toilet.
I bought this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A0RHSJO/
But there are many different models.
I bought this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A0RHSJO/
But there are many different models.
Three things specifically (though one is a two-parter)
1. Nanch micro screwdriver / bit kit. I had one previous and I rather liked it but I gifted it to my brother who was just starting out with DIY maker stuff, so I replaced my old magnetic kit with one that has the bits lock into place with a collar. I love the quality on it and I'm glad I'll probably never need to buy another one again.
2. Lutron Caseta switches for my house. I haven't replaced the lot, but I've replaced the most commonly used ones and it's so nice being able to stagger to bed after a movie and just tell siri to turn all the lights off in the house.
3. The last is a two parter; dewalt makes a little cordless screwdriver (not really a drill). That has a ton of utility, but what I like best is that I can combine it with a cordless drill "cleaning attachment" kit that you can get off amazon (or probably other places). Put the two together and you can save so much time and effort scouring things - you still have to manually do some nooks and crannies, but you can get the vast bulk of it out of the way and let technology work for you. A regular drill would work, but it goes too fast and flings shit everywhere, while the screwdriver has a much lower RPM. This combo is just my favorite.
1. Nanch micro screwdriver / bit kit. I had one previous and I rather liked it but I gifted it to my brother who was just starting out with DIY maker stuff, so I replaced my old magnetic kit with one that has the bits lock into place with a collar. I love the quality on it and I'm glad I'll probably never need to buy another one again.
2. Lutron Caseta switches for my house. I haven't replaced the lot, but I've replaced the most commonly used ones and it's so nice being able to stagger to bed after a movie and just tell siri to turn all the lights off in the house.
3. The last is a two parter; dewalt makes a little cordless screwdriver (not really a drill). That has a ton of utility, but what I like best is that I can combine it with a cordless drill "cleaning attachment" kit that you can get off amazon (or probably other places). Put the two together and you can save so much time and effort scouring things - you still have to manually do some nooks and crannies, but you can get the vast bulk of it out of the way and let technology work for you. A regular drill would work, but it goes too fast and flings shit everywhere, while the screwdriver has a much lower RPM. This combo is just my favorite.
+1 on Lutron Caseta. Another plus with them as that you can get the remote and create a 3-way switch for your lights if you don't have one. I had the living room switch at the front door only. I changed the two gang wall plate at the kitchen to a three gang wall plate and mounted the remote in the wall plate. It is so thin that it can just set against the dry wall and no hole is needed.
I wanted to add 3-way switches to a few poorly-designed circuits in my house. I dislike the design of most smart switches, but this is what I went with after looking at a lot of options.
Cold climate mini-split heat pumps
* I live in northern New England and used to heat exclusively with wood in the winter time. Very cozy, but hard to maintain a consistent temp throughout the house. The new cold-climate models can operate at 100% capacity down to an ambient temp of -13F outdoors. One in each bedroom, the living area, and home office makes it easy to dial in the optimal temp for the space. No more loading the woodstove overnight when everyone is in a bedroom with the door closed!
For the summer, the heat pumps have replaced our terribly inefficient whole-house central AC. We have a PV solar electric system, so we can use the electricity we produce to run them, and once I started paying attention to energy use in our home it was clear that the old central AC had to go.
The modern mini-splits are pretty much maintenance-free, and are warrantied for 12 years. Best off all? The compressors are very quiet. You can have a normal conversation standing right next to them.
For the summer, the heat pumps have replaced our terribly inefficient whole-house central AC. We have a PV solar electric system, so we can use the electricity we produce to run them, and once I started paying attention to energy use in our home it was clear that the old central AC had to go.
The modern mini-splits are pretty much maintenance-free, and are warrantied for 12 years. Best off all? The compressors are very quiet. You can have a normal conversation standing right next to them.
A word of warning, though: Get someone to install them that is used to installing minisplits.
We didn't know the AC company we chose didn't normally do them. They told us about it, sold us on it, and then royally screwed up the installation. We had them fix it a few times, then they had to basically replace all the inside heads. And even after that, they still aren't right. Some of it is simple incompetence, but some of it had to do with knowing how to install a minisplit in particular.
We're now paying another company to completely replace it, just 2-3 years later. The manufacturer's warranty is gone (Don't buy Lennox! 2 year warranty and garbage hardware!) and the free (warranty) labor from the AC company isn't worth the time and hassle.
We didn't know the AC company we chose didn't normally do them. They told us about it, sold us on it, and then royally screwed up the installation. We had them fix it a few times, then they had to basically replace all the inside heads. And even after that, they still aren't right. Some of it is simple incompetence, but some of it had to do with knowing how to install a minisplit in particular.
We're now paying another company to completely replace it, just 2-3 years later. The manufacturer's warranty is gone (Don't buy Lennox! 2 year warranty and garbage hardware!) and the free (warranty) labor from the AC company isn't worth the time and hassle.
We went the Mitsubishi units (I see these and Fuji everywhere) and a certified installer. They add two years to the warranty if you have one of their certified installers do the work. I have high confidence in Mitsubishi being around to honor the warranty.
Same here - Mitsubishi Diamond installer for mini splits that do heat and A/C. Almost two years in and still working perfectly. I believe I have a ten year warranty against most issues.
We're getting Mitsubishi this time, so I'm glad to hear that.
I recently installed two MrCool DIY minisplits which worked out great. They come with pre-charged quick connect coolant lines so you can install them without the need for flushing coolant or soldering the lines.
If you're comfortable putting a hole in your house for the line and running power, it can really save a lot of money.
If you're comfortable putting a hole in your house for the line and running power, it can really save a lot of money.
I installed my own import brand dual minisplit vacuum pump and all. Sounds like you just got a terrible HVAC co the first go round.
I researched the heck out of this before getting one for a rental. Mitsubishi is the way to go if money is no object and you want the most reliable/lowest hassle system.
If you want to save a little money, Daikin is almost as good and a little cheaper. Below that you’re rolling the dice on service calls.
If you want to save a little money, Daikin is almost as good and a little cheaper. Below that you’re rolling the dice on service calls.
Glad to hear you say that. We're getting Mitsubishi this time. It's actually going to replace our downstairs AC and the minisplit.
Plus, the mini-split recessed in-ceiling cassettes from Mitsubishi are wondrous. No goofy unit hanging on the wall.
So the heat pumps can also do cooling during the summer? What was the ballpark range for three of those, installed?
Not the OP, but we had 5 installed last May for $15k US, and they are awesome. Also a big chunk of our cost was due to the fact that two of them required a lot of exterior piping work because they were on the opposite side of the house from the base unit.
Work fantastic in the summer, quiet, work really fast, and pull humidity out as well. In the winter they are great because they allow each room to be its own temp, key for pandemic months where my wife, son, and I all like specific temps.
Work fantastic in the summer, quiet, work really fast, and pull humidity out as well. In the winter they are great because they allow each room to be its own temp, key for pandemic months where my wife, son, and I all like specific temps.
We had three 6k BTU units, one 12k BTU unit, and one 18k BTU unit and the total cost was ~$18k. We got $1,600 in rebates from the utility for the energy efficiency program.
I am very impressed with how little electricity they use!
I am very impressed with how little electricity they use!
> So the heat pumps can also do cooling during the summer?
Here's a pair of really great videos about heat pumps and what they can (and could, in the future) do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J52mDjZzto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zrx-b2sLUs
Here's a pair of really great videos about heat pumps and what they can (and could, in the future) do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J52mDjZzto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zrx-b2sLUs
Can't stress this enough, especially the hyper heat models: caulked compressors (very high pressure) with phase control injector, not only it runs at very low temps but the performance and COP is linear down to -15C.
Insulation matters more with heat pumps, especially ceiling for cold starts (for descending heat build up from the top) as low temp air heating is not as radiative as IR from traditional heating appliances, or the conventional oil radiators that move air passively.
CO² heat pumps are less impacted due to the much higher air temperature but they are very uncommon for split system (dangerous), and usually used for water heating in AIO unit in a basement.
Had a house electrical failure recently with solar, ran one 18k BTU unit for 60m² on a tiny 5hp Diesel generator sipping 0.4L/hr. (2-4L for Diesel burner in comparison)
These models need proper installation as they use a synthetic proprietary lubricant compared to the commonly used mineral oil, moisture or contamination during tubing installation is a big deal for twin rotary compressors which may reduce service life.
Insulation matters more with heat pumps, especially ceiling for cold starts (for descending heat build up from the top) as low temp air heating is not as radiative as IR from traditional heating appliances, or the conventional oil radiators that move air passively.
CO² heat pumps are less impacted due to the much higher air temperature but they are very uncommon for split system (dangerous), and usually used for water heating in AIO unit in a basement.
Had a house electrical failure recently with solar, ran one 18k BTU unit for 60m² on a tiny 5hp Diesel generator sipping 0.4L/hr. (2-4L for Diesel burner in comparison)
These models need proper installation as they use a synthetic proprietary lubricant compared to the commonly used mineral oil, moisture or contamination during tubing installation is a big deal for twin rotary compressors which may reduce service life.
This is the first time I've heard that CO2 heat pumps might be dangerous. Can you elaborate on why that is?
Whole-house centralized variable speed heat-pump with zones is actually the most efficient way to heat/cool your home. Also better at circulating air, filtering, dehumidifying, etc.
HVAC companies push multiple mini-splits these days because they're faster to install, and have better margins, even though they're technically not the best solution versus centralized air.
HVAC companies push multiple mini-splits these days because they're faster to install, and have better margins, even though they're technically not the best solution versus centralized air.
What do you use for heating water? I'm tempted to switch to mini-split heat pumps for heating, but I'd also like to have hot water. My house is very small and there's basically no room a big hot water tank.
I have a heat pump (Fujitsu Waterstage) that does central heating via hydronic radiators and can also heat hot water. Annual heating costs are a lot lower than when we had oil based heating. You can also just get hot water heat pumps that are basically heat pumps integrated into a big tank of water.
Ooh which mini-split heat pumps did you end up getting?
Robot Vacuum (Roborock S6): I always thought they were some gimmick. No. Should have bought one much earlier.
M1 MBA: I ditched Apple hardware a year ago after their pretty crappy macbook pro lines. This thing is great and the hype is real.
OneWheel: Always wanted to try. It is extremely fun but I’m too old to recover broken bones fast so I got rid of it.
M1 MBA: I ditched Apple hardware a year ago after their pretty crappy macbook pro lines. This thing is great and the hype is real.
OneWheel: Always wanted to try. It is extremely fun but I’m too old to recover broken bones fast so I got rid of it.
Try an electric unicycle; similar but so much safer. I bought a Kingsong 18xl two years ago with no experience riding one. Taught myself to ride it in about 3 hours across about 8 sessions. No crashes! Took a few more hours to get really comfortable traveling at 20mph. Still no crashes.
Peloton bike+ - I got suckered into the hype but 84 rides in 9 weeks and it truly does live up to it
Garmin Fenix 5 - Ok this was actually 4 years ago but still it was first to mind
Hive heating - Again, 6 years ago, but my partner and I use this all the time through the colder months. Being able to control the heating from your phone when you're an hour away from home is delightful
Garmin Fenix 5 - Ok this was actually 4 years ago but still it was first to mind
Hive heating - Again, 6 years ago, but my partner and I use this all the time through the colder months. Being able to control the heating from your phone when you're an hour away from home is delightful
Walkman-style over-ear headphones, except of course wireless with Bluetooth and USB-C. Clamshells are too big, and in-ear are always uncomfortable and precarious for me.
Futon, for sleeping on. Used to wake up in the middle of the night with agonising cramp in my back, it reduced it by maybe 95%. Granted a new good bed might have achieved the same but I don't think I'd ever go back to a bed at this point.
What futon?
I found the same effect just by giving up spring beds. I now sleep on latex, but did the foam thing for a while (T&N used to have an 8" bed I loved).
I found the same effect just by giving up spring beds. I now sleep on latex, but did the foam thing for a while (T&N used to have an 8" bed I loved).
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QJ26FRK/ref=ppx_yo_dt...
Honestly, mostly I was just so fed up with my bed at the time I actually started sleeping on the floor with a duvet for padding. I chose that one because it would arrive the quickest at the time.
I got the idea from travelling, in Japan and staying with a friend in Thailand who just had this rubber/latex pad on the floor. Slept really well so I decided to give it a try at home.
Honestly, mostly I was just so fed up with my bed at the time I actually started sleeping on the floor with a duvet for padding. I chose that one because it would arrive the quickest at the time.
I got the idea from travelling, in Japan and staying with a friend in Thailand who just had this rubber/latex pad on the floor. Slept really well so I decided to give it a try at home.
Most people think im nuts but i sleep really well on a futon
1. MacBook Pro 13" M1. Fast, quiet.
2. Streamlight pocket flashlight. Tiny, USB rechargeable.
3. A decent drill and impact driver. (Dewalt Brushless)
4. A cordless/battery string trimmer. No more messing with gas/oil mixtures or lugging an extension cord around.
5. AirPods
2. Streamlight pocket flashlight. Tiny, USB rechargeable.
3. A decent drill and impact driver. (Dewalt Brushless)
4. A cordless/battery string trimmer. No more messing with gas/oil mixtures or lugging an extension cord around.
5. AirPods
I purchased a battery powered hedge trimmer and edger. Things work great! Still on a gas powered trimmer though, is your 18v?
I bought a pack of 52 ring-spun cotton towels from Costco that I now use for everything. Automotive oil changes, baby diapers/spit up , juice spills, cleaning surfaces.
My enthusiasm for these towels is unparalleled. I’m a parent, though, so ymmv.
My enthusiasm for these towels is unparalleled. I’m a parent, though, so ymmv.
If you know anyone that works in or around the operating room (surgeons, techs, nurses, etc), ask them to bring some of the blue OR towels with you. So many of those just get thrown away cause you can't use them once opened (supposed to be sterile).
OP-Z as well as a few other teenage engineering devices. Never ending musical fun. Learning curves such that you'll never get bored. Also an OB-4, lots of people say it's an over priced toy, it's not.. it. sounds. Incredible. Incredible! I love Teenage Engineering.
Also my Wabi bike, if you're into bikes, get a Wabi (trust me). It's an extremely well thought about bike, the geometry is perfectly between track and road, weight is amazing, just generally an absolute pleasure to ride.
Also my Wabi bike, if you're into bikes, get a Wabi (trust me). It's an extremely well thought about bike, the geometry is perfectly between track and road, weight is amazing, just generally an absolute pleasure to ride.
TE hit the nail on the head with their designs, don't quite know what's about them that makes them so fun.
On the contrary, my serious musician friends have little appreciation for their products, gave some PO as gifts and they've been gathering dust since.
Amusing about your musician friends, I've had similar experiences. I think it's one of those things where you give it to James Murphy and he loves it and played with it every day, you give it to Stephen Hough he'll roll his eyes and never touches it.
A friend and I bought one and… it’s too limiting. We wish we had bought the op-1. We also got the pocket operators and these were fun.
Interesting, I have an OP-1 and an OP-Z and the OP-Z is for sure less limiting than the OP-1. That said they're not really the same device for the same thing, so I'd say it might not be that it's too limiting and more you bought the wrong thing for what you wanted to do?
Less limiting really? What makes you say that?
I was hoping you'd reply because I thought about this quite a lot today! Basically, I like to DJ/perform music vs make music, and so for me, not being a musician, the OP-Z limits me less, I can get more done and faster, especially in the more recent firmware versions that enable you to swap out a lot of preinstalled sound/function with custom. i suppose if you're looking to make music, OP-1 is considerably less limiting. However, I do think a lot of the recent OP-Z update makes it an all around more useful device than the OP-1
Ah yeah that might make sense. I’m definitely trying to make music. That being said, I haven’t touched the op-z in a long time and I think I only ever installed the first update, so a lot might have changed!
Fractal Audio FM3: endgame for superb guitar amp modeling and multi-effects in a single portable unit. Incredible tone and feel. I smile everytime I play guitar. Also appreciate it has an audio interface built-in so I can easily record with it, or play along to backing tracks.
Sodastream
Herman Miller chair
Philips Hue lights
Herman Miller chair
Philips Hue lights
My desktop PC (Ryzen 3700x + RX5700 GPU), which replaces Macbook Pro for coding and video editing. It's last gen CPU/GPU, but I'm lucky to get it at all at Costco for $1000 during GPU shortage. After using the beefier desktop, I cannot go back to using a laptop again (with hot 80+'C temp and loud whining fan). I'm not a gamer but it can also game and fantastic for video editing. Also love the RGB LED lighting in the case.
Boox Note3 -> it is brilliant. Works so incredibly well and fact it runs Android helps enormously.
? Is there a reason you chose the Boox over the ReMarkable? How are you finding the pen latency?
More memory, more model choices, company with more experience, android (remarkable is more open, but android allows using Kindle, Pocket, evernote etcetc). I used it for reading books (mostly technical) and writing on everything is perfect (really fully replaced paper for me) and I do not really notice any latency for my purposes. Never tried remarkable so cannot compare that point really.
A small collection of mechanical wristwatches. There is something very appealing about rejecting the wearing of a screen on one's arm. Not to mention they are beautiful.
For tech, a Nintendo Switch.
For tech, a Nintendo Switch.
In the last year:
Sennheiser 660s and a Schiit Stack (I wear headphones almost constantly while working and this was more than worth it).
iMovr sit stand desk, at the start of the pandemic I was using the desk built into my apartment wall that was probably fine for the occasional use at the family computer when this house was built in the 90s but was causing me a lot of pain using day to day.
Over Two Years, stupidest thing that has probably brought me the most happiness is a yutanpo I bought off of Amazon (also called hot water bottle?). There is something so satisfying about jumping into a nice pre-warmed and cozy bed at the end of a cold winter's day. (Though technically it was a gift so I don't know if it counts).
iMovr sit stand desk, at the start of the pandemic I was using the desk built into my apartment wall that was probably fine for the occasional use at the family computer when this house was built in the 90s but was causing me a lot of pain using day to day.
Over Two Years, stupidest thing that has probably brought me the most happiness is a yutanpo I bought off of Amazon (also called hot water bottle?). There is something so satisfying about jumping into a nice pre-warmed and cozy bed at the end of a cold winter's day. (Though technically it was a gift so I don't know if it counts).
Tesla Model 3 AWD is the best thing I’ve ever bought.
Good, sharp kitchen knives are very very nice
Brooks running shoes
Good, sharp kitchen knives are very very nice
Brooks running shoes
- Apple Magic Touchpad. I used to use a wired mouse and the flexibility of a wireless touchpad (and gesture support) is much nicer.
- Dyson V7 Vacuum. Having a wireless vacuum has been great.
- Motobecane Gravel X-PRO HD (gravel bike). I'd never heard of a gravel bike until it was recommended to me, but I've gotten a ton of use out of it.
- Dyson V7 Vacuum. Having a wireless vacuum has been great.
- Motobecane Gravel X-PRO HD (gravel bike). I'd never heard of a gravel bike until it was recommended to me, but I've gotten a ton of use out of it.
Hand woodworking tools. There are so many wonderful facebook groups and I get to go antique mall hunting. It's great. If there's something. Very satisfying and therapeutic to work. I have power tools, but there's something about the serenity of being able to hear the birds chirp while I am working on a piece of furniture.
I bought a Wahoo Kicked Core two years ago. I only use it in the winter as riding outdoors is far superior. I Zwift pretty much every night.
Onewheel XR. Thought they were dumb when I first saw them. But they are super fun and anytime I can go out and ride it makes me smile. I have ridden 300 miles already. In snow, dirt, sand and streets.
Unlikely to get upvoted here but a used Porsche Panamera with an extended bumper-to-bumper manufacturer warranty. As Doug Demuro says it's cheap, really cheap.
There's not a single brand new car costing, say, 75 K EUR or less that I'd have rather than that because the quality simply ain't there.
The ride comfort, soundsystem, sound insulation, interior quality, how it drives superbly (and can yet be used for some spirited drive if you fancy that), etc.
Best car I ever had. Next one is going to be another used Panamera, probably the plug-in hybrid. I tried the Porsche Taycan (their 100% EV) and it's amazing but I'll wait a bit until you can find used ones at bargain prices.
I'm a big fan of Tesla but, to me, the build quality simply ain't anywhere close: as in... It's not even remotely comparable. They are worlds apart. And as I don't rice at the greenlight, I don't care about the 0-60 perfs.
There's nothing better to cruise at 110 mph on the autobahn or to go pick up the kid at school.
It's high-end luxury with quality materials for less than the price of a new Camry.
https://youtu.be/EAezax2ugQU
By very far my favorite purchase of the last two years+.
There's not a single brand new car costing, say, 75 K EUR or less that I'd have rather than that because the quality simply ain't there.
The ride comfort, soundsystem, sound insulation, interior quality, how it drives superbly (and can yet be used for some spirited drive if you fancy that), etc.
Best car I ever had. Next one is going to be another used Panamera, probably the plug-in hybrid. I tried the Porsche Taycan (their 100% EV) and it's amazing but I'll wait a bit until you can find used ones at bargain prices.
I'm a big fan of Tesla but, to me, the build quality simply ain't anywhere close: as in... It's not even remotely comparable. They are worlds apart. And as I don't rice at the greenlight, I don't care about the 0-60 perfs.
There's nothing better to cruise at 110 mph on the autobahn or to go pick up the kid at school.
It's high-end luxury with quality materials for less than the price of a new Camry.
https://youtu.be/EAezax2ugQU
By very far my favorite purchase of the last two years+.
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You paid less than $30K? I've owned used-luxury cars before and everything's wonderful until you have to get it repaired. I guess with a warranty it might make sense, but what's that payment?
The video he linked was from 2020 and reviewed a 2012 Panamera. The title of it is "Here's Why a Used Porsche Panamera Is a Sub-$30,000 Bargain" and he says that it's cheaper than a Camry within the first 60 seconds.
my bad, I didn't realize OP was actually Doug Demuro.
maintenance on a used Porsche can easily cost more than the car over its lifetime. I remember going in for an oil change and finding out I needed new breaks. That was a mortgage payment.
Best thing you can do is to source the parts yourself, from Pelican or other online stores. Get an invoice, then you can find the exact parts online. Very easy for consumable parts like brakes, rotors, oil filters, etc. Mobil 1 is super cheap at Wal-Mart. To be honest, once you look serious about sourcing yourself, lots of mechanics will lower the price so the parts are at/near wholesale.
Biggest Porsche ripoff is the brake pad sensor - $70-80 that you can buy for about $8. It's just a sensor, doesn't affect brake performance.
Biggest Porsche ripoff is the brake pad sensor - $70-80 that you can buy for about $8. It's just a sensor, doesn't affect brake performance.
The wear sensor? My car (a VW) has that. It's literally just a loop of wire embedded in the pad that wears through and breaks the connection once the pads get too thin. I would hesitate to even call it a sensor, because that implies some level of sophistication.
Yes exactly. I have very, very few negative things to say about Porsche but the price they charge for that dumb loop is one of them. I'm sure VW, Audi, BMW etc also overcharge for the same part but likely not to the same extent.
It's not a separate part, it's part of the pad itself with a 2-pin connector. I've never bought brake pads from the dealer, but aftermarket pads include it, effectively for free. And it's a pretty useless feature that my old car didn't even have (same model), so I just cut the plug off before installing the pad. You can just manually close the circuit if you don't want the dash light to light up.
I did not know about Pelican, thank you. My tail light just went out, the parts are very reasonable.
new Camrys cost 75k in Europe?
You joke but I’m with you. A solid Toyota does the A to B thing in reasonable comfort! Not sure why I need a Porsche.
I had a Porsche Cayenne S for a while. It was a great SUV. Fun to drive and could actually get 31 MPG on long highway trips.
I bought a second hand Tuareg which is pretty similar under the covers. Nicest car I've ever owned and it makes me happy to be in it.
Is there any way to figure out what the maintenance costs of a car is? For example, for an 8-year-old Porsche Panamera? Otherwise, I've always just come across anecdata on message boards.
Edmunds has a "Cost to Own" calculator here: https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html
Sadly it does not go back 8 years. You could check the numbers on a 6-year-old Panamera vs a new Camry though: https://www.edmunds.com/porsche/panamera/2015/cost-to-own/?s... https://www.edmunds.com/toyota/camry/2021/cost-to-own/?style...
Sadly it does not go back 8 years. You could check the numbers on a 6-year-old Panamera vs a new Camry though: https://www.edmunds.com/porsche/panamera/2015/cost-to-own/?s... https://www.edmunds.com/toyota/camry/2021/cost-to-own/?style...
Interesting you say that. Used Panameras in my area are more expensive than Cayennes.
Similar story here! Got a used 1987MB R107 560 SL. Paid slightly under $20k with less than 80k miles on it with only one previous owner. It’s mechanically in excellent condition with not so great interior. But hey, it’s totally fun to cruise around top down, and can be serviced in a variety of places at somewhat reasonable rates. And when you pull up to Alice’s Restaurant (well haven’t since last spring...) on Skyline blvd, it gets almost more attention than those Lambos and Teslas that ‘everyone’ is taking there! See son, that is class! ;)
Anyways - your mileage may vary, but I’ve been totally happy with this purchase. And driving and tinkering with it has offered great distractions from the otherwise gloomy year.
Anyways - your mileage may vary, but I’ve been totally happy with this purchase. And driving and tinkering with it has offered great distractions from the otherwise gloomy year.
no way this is cheaper than a used prius
Similar, I got 2014 BMW 535i Touring. With everyone buying EVs and nobody wanting wagons, it was a steal. I haven't had many cars in my life, but this thing is just astounding, and I'm always afraid when I take it in that BMW is going to try to upsell me on something or tell me something is broken, but everytime I go in they just say "oh my god! we never see these. You're cars in perfect shape!".
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I bought a FlexiSpot standing desk a few months ago since I'm increasingly working from home: https://www.amazon.co.uk/FLEXISPOT-Standing-Height-Adjustabl...
I'm enjoying it so far. I recommend it.
I'm enjoying it so far. I recommend it.
I've been improving my desk accessories since the COVID breakout.
Aeron Chair + IKEA IDÅSEN electric standing desk. With perfect height combination finally, I don't feel shoulder pain when typing. Unlike most standing desks, IDÅSEN is not wobbly at all.
A double-decker book stand. I sometimes get distracted when I use the computer so I started to spend more time on paper-based workflow. I have serious back pain when I am writing, and taking notes from textbooks is not pleasant because books are not only too far but tend to close themselves from time to time. The double-decker book stands[0] solved both problems perfectly.
Mac Pro. I used to have a PC and Macbook Pro and switch back and forth because I want Windows to play video games and macOS for the rest of the tasks. It was a mess. I also tried Hackintosh it was not good. With Mac Pro, I can reboot to Bootcamp pretty fast. TBH it's not a good deal but it did reduce the hassle so there's no regret. M1 is good and all but there's no Bootcamp and the GPU is not as powerful.
What didn't meet the expectation are the monitor mounts. Not only they didn't add any value for me, but also the maximum height is too low for me. Eventually, I go back to the old solution: Just put several thick textbooks under the monitors. (my personal choice: CLRS + CSAPP + HTDP + Computer Networking + Algorithms 4th :))
[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nice-Bookstand-Desktop-Cookbook-Adj... (I couldn't find a purchasable link but the picture shows the idea, and there should be plenty of similar products on the market)
Aeron Chair + IKEA IDÅSEN electric standing desk. With perfect height combination finally, I don't feel shoulder pain when typing. Unlike most standing desks, IDÅSEN is not wobbly at all.
A double-decker book stand. I sometimes get distracted when I use the computer so I started to spend more time on paper-based workflow. I have serious back pain when I am writing, and taking notes from textbooks is not pleasant because books are not only too far but tend to close themselves from time to time. The double-decker book stands[0] solved both problems perfectly.
Mac Pro. I used to have a PC and Macbook Pro and switch back and forth because I want Windows to play video games and macOS for the rest of the tasks. It was a mess. I also tried Hackintosh it was not good. With Mac Pro, I can reboot to Bootcamp pretty fast. TBH it's not a good deal but it did reduce the hassle so there's no regret. M1 is good and all but there's no Bootcamp and the GPU is not as powerful.
What didn't meet the expectation are the monitor mounts. Not only they didn't add any value for me, but also the maximum height is too low for me. Eventually, I go back to the old solution: Just put several thick textbooks under the monitors. (my personal choice: CLRS + CSAPP + HTDP + Computer Networking + Algorithms 4th :))
[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nice-Bookstand-Desktop-Cookbook-Adj... (I couldn't find a purchasable link but the picture shows the idea, and there should be plenty of similar products on the market)
In April, 2020, I got an Aeron chair, Uplift standing desk, 30"+ monitor, and after wrist fatigue, the same MS Sculpt ergonomic keyboard and Evoluent mouse I have at work. I essentially recreated my work setup at home. I thought I might have overdone it, but a year later, zero regrets.
For me the Aeron chair. When you're working from home for a year, shelling out a few hundred dollars for a nice chair is worth it. I bought mine from a chair repair shop which usually deals with commercial clients, it is a refurbished chair with some gratis extras added by the owner after we agreed on a price ($450). I like that I bought it from a chair repair shop because I can always go back there if there is a problem but I have not had a problem.
> Aeron Chair + IKEA IDÅSEN electric standing desk.
A good chair is a must-have for any office worker or PC gamer.
And as a gamer, I tell fellow gamers to avoid "gaming" chairs and instead opt for a high-end office chair. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Aeron, but I have a nice Steelcase Think.
Last year around this time, I also upgraded from a 9 year old $200 Ikea Fredrik desk to an electric Fully Jarvis.
A good chair is a must-have for any office worker or PC gamer.
And as a gamer, I tell fellow gamers to avoid "gaming" chairs and instead opt for a high-end office chair. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Aeron, but I have a nice Steelcase Think.
Last year around this time, I also upgraded from a 9 year old $200 Ikea Fredrik desk to an electric Fully Jarvis.
Been looking for a new chair for a while - and I really like that Aeron allows you to NOT get the fully adjustable arm rests. All I did all day on my current chair (Arozzi) is accidentally move them when I get up from the chair - to the point where I took the arm apart and put a bolt in it.
The anxiety of this image: https://www.btod.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/steelca...
The anxiety of this image: https://www.btod.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/steelca...
I have a small standing desk that is really a bar table and a monitor mount is a space saver.
> Just put several thick textbooks under the monitors. (my personal choice: CLRS + CSAPP + HTDP + Computer Networking + Algorithms 4th :))
It always makes me chuckle inside when a company is too cheap to buy people proper stands for monitors and instead you see people use textbooks from the office reference library… and when you add up the cost of the actual books, it costs an order of magnitude more than the actual made for the purpose stand would cost. Computer networking and algorithms 4th alone already bring you in the 200$ territory if I’m not mistaken.
Not a dog at you in particular, just an observation.
It always makes me chuckle inside when a company is too cheap to buy people proper stands for monitors and instead you see people use textbooks from the office reference library… and when you add up the cost of the actual books, it costs an order of magnitude more than the actual made for the purpose stand would cost. Computer networking and algorithms 4th alone already bring you in the 200$ territory if I’m not mistaken.
Not a dog at you in particular, just an observation.
Haha, this is so true. Good observation! With that said, I live in China so most of the books are translated versions so:
1. They're substantially cheaper, the total of those books should be around $100 while the monitor mounts me more than $140
2. Those classical tech books are usually translated by the same publication so the design and size are satisfyingly the same.
It is one of the small things I feel grateful for. Books in China generally cost like $6 ~ $18. The first time I see the price tag of English books it was just jaw-dropping.
1. They're substantially cheaper, the total of those books should be around $100 while the monitor mounts me more than $140
2. Those classical tech books are usually translated by the same publication so the design and size are satisfyingly the same.
It is one of the small things I feel grateful for. Books in China generally cost like $6 ~ $18. The first time I see the price tag of English books it was just jaw-dropping.
Just got the idasen and it’s really good! Ikea’s chairs are sold out though :( I never got the aeron personally, the ikea hattefjall is dope though.
I bought a Pioneer DJM-750MK2 (a 4-channel mixer). I'm super happy with it.
Also bought a second 27-inch monitor to have a 3-monitor setup (macbook + 2x 27' monitors), which is fantastic, especially when using Ableton Live on two screens.
COVID made me spend less in general, so I invested in music. Made lockdown more bearable. Quality music gear usually doesn't lose it's value.
Other recent purchases I'm very happy with: - Roland TR-8S - Ableton Push 2 - Tascam 16x8 multitrack interface - Jomox T-Resonator MK2 and Jomox M-Resonator - Quality cables - New earpads for my AIAIAI TMA-2 headphone
Music and programming is a good lockdown strategy for me.
Also bought a second 27-inch monitor to have a 3-monitor setup (macbook + 2x 27' monitors), which is fantastic, especially when using Ableton Live on two screens.
COVID made me spend less in general, so I invested in music. Made lockdown more bearable. Quality music gear usually doesn't lose it's value.
Other recent purchases I'm very happy with: - Roland TR-8S - Ableton Push 2 - Tascam 16x8 multitrack interface - Jomox T-Resonator MK2 and Jomox M-Resonator - Quality cables - New earpads for my AIAIAI TMA-2 headphone
Music and programming is a good lockdown strategy for me.
A bug net backpacking hammock!
I love to backpack, but have never, ever found a good solution for comfortable sleep, so I dread the nights. A hammock setup changed all that. Sleep better out there than at home, in some cases.
The model I have is a Hammock Gear Zippered Bug Net Hammock for $129. Basic and functional. I think with all the clips and slings, etc. it probably set me back $200 in total. Saved money on the underquilt by repurposing an old sleeping bag or using an insulated pad inside the hammock, but that can be an extra couple hundred depending on the brand and quality.
Anyway, great purchase and I'm oh so happy about it.
I love to backpack, but have never, ever found a good solution for comfortable sleep, so I dread the nights. A hammock setup changed all that. Sleep better out there than at home, in some cases.
The model I have is a Hammock Gear Zippered Bug Net Hammock for $129. Basic and functional. I think with all the clips and slings, etc. it probably set me back $200 in total. Saved money on the underquilt by repurposing an old sleeping bag or using an insulated pad inside the hammock, but that can be an extra couple hundred depending on the brand and quality.
Anyway, great purchase and I'm oh so happy about it.
One of my favorite purchases as well! I bought a two-person hammock because I'm a big guy and I can't believe I used to sleep on the ground. So snug! The only downside is when I'm hiking above treeline, there aren't aren't any places to tie up to. Then again, as long as there are trees around you can setup camp anytime. With a tent, it's not always possible to find a large enough flat spot to place your tent.
AirPods Pro: Noise cancellation in earbuds alone is worth the price but with the introduction of spatial audio in Apple Music, the price is even more justified. Listen to Radiohead's Live from the Basement!
MacBook Air M1: Dumb fast and dead silent. Everything I want from a computer.
Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle: Great design and simple controls. Slowly weened myself off coffee and started drinking Yorkshire Gold tea at home. I use this every day, multiple times a day.
MacBook Air M1: Dumb fast and dead silent. Everything I want from a computer.
Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Kettle: Great design and simple controls. Slowly weened myself off coffee and started drinking Yorkshire Gold tea at home. I use this every day, multiple times a day.
Remarkable 2, I use it for at least an hour every day, reading, taking notes, exploring ideas etc. I had a notebook before but I just scribbled in it when I needed to think visually, but it wasn't something I'd do very often.
How are you finding the pen latency? Have you tired some other devices that you'd compare it to?
It's higher than for a capacitive touch screen (had a MS Surface in the past to compare to), but to me it's not really noticeable.
There are some flaws, but they are generally software issues that can be fixed eventually.
There are some flaws, but they are generally software issues that can be fixed eventually.
An NAD C368 amplifier, with a Bluesound Node 2i. The amp sounds good, and the Node thing can stream almost anything. However, before you buy an amp, listen to it, preferably with your own speakers, and in your own room. Otherwise, listen to it in the store in combination with similar speakers.
A Korg Monologue, an small, simple and versatile analog single voice synthesizer. I've grown up with digital synthesis and analog emulation, but to have all the knobs in front of you is really different, also since you can't just undo.
A Philips automatic espresso machine. It's not high end (at all), and looks rather average, but it makes a fine espresso, and is easy to clean and maintain.
A Korg Monologue, an small, simple and versatile analog single voice synthesizer. I've grown up with digital synthesis and analog emulation, but to have all the knobs in front of you is really different, also since you can't just undo.
A Philips automatic espresso machine. It's not high end (at all), and looks rather average, but it makes a fine espresso, and is easy to clean and maintain.
Waterproof notepads from rite-in-the-rain. Take a couple mechanical pencils too. No more fiddling with phones, you can sketch whatever you want, never runs out of power and it's waterproof
Wolverine boots are legit
I love my new ultra wide monitor and the Dell 27 inch that rotates to go vertical is awesome too.
Jump rope, kettle bells, adjustable dumbbells, a legit pullup / dip tower. Hex bar looks good but too expensive
Also, Amazon basics zero gravity chairs. I use them outside and inside. They're steel and sturdy and mesh recliners, good for getting sun, reading, coding, etc
If you're walking a dog regularly, a harness and a hands-free leash (literally a belt with a carabinier) lets you have 2 hands free to write stuff on aforementioned notepads
Wolverine boots are legit
I love my new ultra wide monitor and the Dell 27 inch that rotates to go vertical is awesome too.
Jump rope, kettle bells, adjustable dumbbells, a legit pullup / dip tower. Hex bar looks good but too expensive
Also, Amazon basics zero gravity chairs. I use them outside and inside. They're steel and sturdy and mesh recliners, good for getting sun, reading, coding, etc
If you're walking a dog regularly, a harness and a hands-free leash (literally a belt with a carabinier) lets you have 2 hands free to write stuff on aforementioned notepads
Got an Ooni pizza oven. Not quite as useful during lockdown as I might have hoped but it's given us something to do in the garden, and I can't wait to take it camping and to festivals.
https://ooni.com/
I've really ended up liking my Moonlander keyboard. I wasn't initially sold onsplit keyboards at all, and it's taken me a while to end up with a layout I'm happy with, but I've just about caught up on typing speed and feel far less cramped. Plus it plays chiptunes.
https://www.zsa.io/moonlander/
Also I can't necessarily recommend a particular brand, but I bought myself a soldering station for the first time ever. Been a long time since I was interested in electronics or computer hardware in particular, but it's been really satisfying fixing various bits of equipment in my house.
https://ooni.com/
I've really ended up liking my Moonlander keyboard. I wasn't initially sold onsplit keyboards at all, and it's taken me a while to end up with a layout I'm happy with, but I've just about caught up on typing speed and feel far less cramped. Plus it plays chiptunes.
https://www.zsa.io/moonlander/
Also I can't necessarily recommend a particular brand, but I bought myself a soldering station for the first time ever. Been a long time since I was interested in electronics or computer hardware in particular, but it's been really satisfying fixing various bits of equipment in my house.
I have been interested in the Moonlander keyboard. What were some of the edge cases for you that made it more difficult to use than a traditional keyboard, and how long did it take you to get up to speed typing?
Check out the Dygma Raise. I was considering a Moonlander too but I went with the Raise instead because it had a more traditional key layout (non-ortholinear) and I really like how it has 8 thumb keys - they're insanely useful.
I've found that I only really use two of the four keys on each thumb cluster, I suppose that's one disappointment, but I've just not found any modifiers worth the lateral movement. The main issues I've had are mostly self-inflicted, by repeatedly tweaking things and breaking muscle memory. I have no fundamental complaints, the only hardship at this point is that I can't always remember what symbol is above which number key. My current layout isn't particularly wild, I'm not a big fan of using multiple layers in normal operation, for example:
https://configure.zsa.io/moonlander/layouts/l79Bz/latest/0
With the ortholinear layout I've found moving P to the second row really nice, and you'll note I've squeezed the number keys inwards a bit. The central keys where I've got -/= and DEL/Backspace are important choices and I'm happy where I've settled. I've found this layout very friendly to my wrists and pinkies, and I'm comfortably back up to 90-100WPM. Takes some tweaking having space and shift the same thumb key on the right and I don't _love_ pressing the same key twice in a row to separate sentences.
Obviously these things are quite personal - I was looking for something Emacs friendly that didn't require thumb contortions for Alt keys. I had tried the X-Bows previously and found it an absolute disaster (don't put Enter next to Backspace, I'm far too clumsy). I've also settled on the toughest, clickiest switches because I only rest my hands on the keyboard and found I was typing by accident on every other keyboard.
https://configure.zsa.io/moonlander/layouts/l79Bz/latest/0
With the ortholinear layout I've found moving P to the second row really nice, and you'll note I've squeezed the number keys inwards a bit. The central keys where I've got -/= and DEL/Backspace are important choices and I'm happy where I've settled. I've found this layout very friendly to my wrists and pinkies, and I'm comfortably back up to 90-100WPM. Takes some tweaking having space and shift the same thumb key on the right and I don't _love_ pressing the same key twice in a row to separate sentences.
Obviously these things are quite personal - I was looking for something Emacs friendly that didn't require thumb contortions for Alt keys. I had tried the X-Bows previously and found it an absolute disaster (don't put Enter next to Backspace, I'm far too clumsy). I've also settled on the toughest, clickiest switches because I only rest my hands on the keyboard and found I was typing by accident on every other keyboard.
I got my Ooni (an Uuni 3) a few years ago and I use it almost weekly during dry weather. If you like making pizza, this is a fantastic investment.
I will say though, it take a lot of practice to figure out the right temperature and timing for baking. Even though it goes up to 915f, doesn't mean you should go 915f.
Adam Savage went on and on about his favorite soldering station in a YouTube video, so if anyone wants a recommendation, search for that.
Kinesis gaming edge with silver keys. It's helped my wrists more than any other keyboard I've tried. I can't believe I waited this long to buy something like this (split keyboard).
A Heil PR40 microphone and an "Evo 4" usb-c XLR input. I got my microphone used on Craigslist by just waiting for a month or so until something I wanted popped up at the right price (~50% of retail). It's incredibly useful having a good quality microphone, and it seems most people really appreciate the audio quality.
New non-stick pans, and some really good knives (Wusthof) have made cooking myself meals a lot faster and therefore more pleasant. The non-stick pans making cleaning up things like eggs take literally seconds out of my day instead of minutes vigorous scrubbing. Knives also help prepare food much faster; truly, it's crazy the quality of life boost from being able to slice things faster/easier.
A Heil PR40 microphone and an "Evo 4" usb-c XLR input. I got my microphone used on Craigslist by just waiting for a month or so until something I wanted popped up at the right price (~50% of retail). It's incredibly useful having a good quality microphone, and it seems most people really appreciate the audio quality.
New non-stick pans, and some really good knives (Wusthof) have made cooking myself meals a lot faster and therefore more pleasant. The non-stick pans making cleaning up things like eggs take literally seconds out of my day instead of minutes vigorous scrubbing. Knives also help prepare food much faster; truly, it's crazy the quality of life boost from being able to slice things faster/easier.
Thinkpad X280, i7 quad w/ 16G memory and 500G SSD. It was on clearance since the model is a couple years old, but holy crap this thing is fast. And so much lighter than the last system I owned with a fast quad core (4-5 KG). My last computer lasted me almost a decade, so with the rate technological progress has slowed (barring M1), this system should last me 15 years or so.
Other than that it would have to be my Unicomp model M repro, or the plants I've filled my home office with. All together it has made the experience of being a technical human so much better.
Other than that it would have to be my Unicomp model M repro, or the plants I've filled my home office with. All together it has made the experience of being a technical human so much better.
I grabbed a used X270 right before lockdown here. I’d intended to get one for vacation as a “beater” laptop for vacation instead of my MBP. Wound up using it a lot around the house, porch, and yard. Less worried about rain and dust with it. Some light gaming works well too. Plenty of life left in it.
So much that I picked up an X220 on a deal. 10 years old and still pretty swift with an SSD and enough RAM.
So much that I picked up an X220 on a deal. 10 years old and still pretty swift with an SSD and enough RAM.
For me? An old Sprinter van: Tall enough for a standing desk. Work anywhere, sleep anywhere, chill anywhere!
Service, a Therapist. Great investment
reMarkable 2. I was looking for a sketching and note taking tool and got a decent eBook reader as a bonus. The UX is very nice and distraction-free. It works surprisingly well for drawing as well.
My only complaint is the lack of Linux support for the app that allows mirroring the screen to a computer. Would be really cool for sketching stuff during online meetings.
My only complaint is the lack of Linux support for the app that allows mirroring the screen to a computer. Would be really cool for sketching stuff during online meetings.
I wasn't expecting to like my reMarkable 2 but I've grown to love it. The unassuming ease of use and its desire to just help you work or read without getting in your way is indispensable.
How are you finding the note taking with a pen, specifically the latency?
It seems almost as good to me as writing on pen and paper and I don't find myself distracted by any perceptible lag.
> decent eBook reader
I love my RM2 for sketching and notes, but the eBook experience is like comically bad. It doesn't even get tabs right for me most of the time.
edit: looks like a recent update might have addressed this. time to give it another shot!
I love my RM2 for sketching and notes, but the eBook experience is like comically bad. It doesn't even get tabs right for me most of the time.
edit: looks like a recent update might have addressed this. time to give it another shot!
Do you find the pen latency makes your writing slow down or compensate by writing larger?
This was also my concern after reading the reviews on the first model. I'm not the world's fastest hand-writer so I found the device surprisingly snappy and the latency - while perceivable if paying close attention to it - hasn't really bugged me at all.
Personally: no. But I can see how it would for someone else.
You can mirror to Linux using rmview! I've used this for Zoom whiteboarding a few times already, and it works really well. It has a configurable "laser pointer" that appears when you hover the pen slightly off the screen, and you can rotate the mirrored window in any orientation if you prefer to go landscape.
https://github.com/bordaigorl/rmview
https://github.com/bordaigorl/rmview
What other device would you compare the pen latency to? With eink it's obvious not going to be as good as pen and paper.
55 inch 4K TV to use as my computer screen. I can sit further away (I'm pretty sure it's less eye strain for the screen to be further away), fit more windows comfortably (great for dev work), and when I'm done with work I can sit back further on the couch and watch anime and movies with my wife.
Addressable (programmable) LED strip - you can use an Arduino or Raspberry Pi to play with it - going to have fun playing with it.
Addressable (programmable) LED strip - you can use an Arduino or Raspberry Pi to play with it - going to have fun playing with it.
Olympus BH-2 microscope for taking pictures of silicon dies. Really fascinating hobby I've just gotten into.
Proper setup for audio/video: Sony a6000, Yamaha MG10X, Rode NT-1A, etc. etc.
Mini revamp of the kitchen to add more storage cabinets.
Proper setup for audio/video: Sony a6000, Yamaha MG10X, Rode NT-1A, etc. etc.
Mini revamp of the kitchen to add more storage cabinets.
10 foot charging cables for my phone and devices and a Roomba vacuum cleaner. Cables let me plug in where ever as I am generally within 8 feet of a plug and the roomba does a pretty good job of keeping the house clean of hair from the dog.
How do you stop the roomba from trying to eat your 10 foot cables?
Dyson Fan/Heater/Purifier. Bought this on a whim refurbished when we had wildfires last year.
So much better than a space heater - has a real thermostat instead of the low/high + knob. Don't have to worry about burn hazard or damaging my hardwood floors (causing gaps). Also able to get rid of my box fan + filter.
So much better than a space heater - has a real thermostat instead of the low/high + knob. Don't have to worry about burn hazard or damaging my hardwood floors (causing gaps). Also able to get rid of my box fan + filter.
Since the gym closed down during the lockdown, I bought a pedal assisted ebike to go around. It really helps on those hills and the extra push going through those tough spots.
TOTO bidet. The bidet from Costco failed after 3 years. TOTO is another class.
TOTO bidet. The bidet from Costco failed after 3 years. TOTO is another class.
Surly Bridge Club. Go anywhere, do anything bike.
- Happy Hacking Keyboard Pro. Yeah it's expensive, but think of how much time you spend typing in a day/month/year. I have two of these suckers.
- Shure SM7B microphone for professional level audio on zoom calls. It makes me sound smarter, and people actually like me more when I have good audio quality ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Brompton fold-up bike. I live in an expensive city where space is tight. Having a bike that folds up means a) I can bring it inside and it won't get stolen, and b) it takes up minimal space in my apartment. I LOVE THIS BIKE!
- Xbox Gamepass. Netflix for gaming. Works on PC and Xbox. Incredible value.
- Shure SM7B microphone for professional level audio on zoom calls. It makes me sound smarter, and people actually like me more when I have good audio quality ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Brompton fold-up bike. I live in an expensive city where space is tight. Having a bike that folds up means a) I can bring it inside and it won't get stolen, and b) it takes up minimal space in my apartment. I LOVE THIS BIKE!
- Xbox Gamepass. Netflix for gaming. Works on PC and Xbox. Incredible value.
I agree we should take better care of our sound quality. That being said I don't manage to get an idea what's worth it. Network quality is part of the equation. Macbook's microphones seem to sound pretty good. Shure SM7B looks great but it's 380€... How much better is the sound on your contacts' ears is what I'm wondering about. Any feedback/idea?
I have had numerous comments on my mic sound quality, so people certainly notice it and appreciate it! Is it worth 380€? I can't say. You'll also need an audio interface, cables, and probably a pre-amp, so the kit ADDS UP.
My own personal reflection is that I have no regrets and going semi-pro audio quality was the right choice for me. YMMV.
My own personal reflection is that I have no regrets and going semi-pro audio quality was the right choice for me. YMMV.
air fryer…
An Urban Arrow Family cargo bike. Great for kids, great for groceries, saves driving.
Bragi Dash. Although not made anymore they have onboard storage so you don't have to run with a phone.
* Not the best product
* Slow transfer speeds (oh well)
* Waterproof
I'm actually loathe to post this. I know some of you might start buying what is left of the supply.
* Not the best product
* Slow transfer speeds (oh well)
* Waterproof
I'm actually loathe to post this. I know some of you might start buying what is left of the supply.
(Another) Zojirushi stainless insulated 16oz mug. Keeps warm all day (longer if you preheat), spillproof, and nigh indestructible. I had my first one for six years but lost it; it was still going strong.
Apple Airpod Pros - I hated the idea of Airpods when I first saw them, now I carry them with me everywhere. A very significant upgrade from the standard Airpods (imo)
Oculus Quest 2 - VR the way it should be: without wires
Xbox Series X - I'm an Xbox guy, so I'm biased, but there is no better deal in gaming than Xbox Game Pass/Xbox Live Ultimate.
Oculus Quest 2 - VR the way it should be: without wires
Xbox Series X - I'm an Xbox guy, so I'm biased, but there is no better deal in gaming than Xbox Game Pass/Xbox Live Ultimate.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e
The price was in the sweet spot that I could indulge it as a gift to myself without agonizing over it. It's also their last budget/mid-tier tablet model that still uses an AMOLED screen, and it's beautiful. Reading comics on its super-vibrant screen brings back a joy I haven't felt since childhood. Except for very large, coffee-table style books printed on super glossy paper, I'd argue that most of the comics I'm reading on the tablet look better than they did on their original newsprint. So that's all quite lovely.
The price was in the sweet spot that I could indulge it as a gift to myself without agonizing over it. It's also their last budget/mid-tier tablet model that still uses an AMOLED screen, and it's beautiful. Reading comics on its super-vibrant screen brings back a joy I haven't felt since childhood. Except for very large, coffee-table style books printed on super glossy paper, I'd argue that most of the comics I'm reading on the tablet look better than they did on their original newsprint. So that's all quite lovely.
Sodastream. We use it all the time. No-waste seltzer and the ginger ale mix is really good after you get used to it (one or two glasses is all it took us).
East, by Meera Sodha, an extremely good cookbook.
East, by Meera Sodha, an extremely good cookbook.
Vibration plate. really cool device for warming up in the morning or before any home workout.
The M1 Air. Thing is silent, has excellent performance, battery and is the only thing with a real OS that will wake up instantly.
banjo, 12" tubaphone-type, made by Ken LeVan in Shunk, PA.
Fender Stratocaster, purchased on a bit of a whim, just before the pandemic shutdowns. So I've had some time to practice.
Fender Stratocaster, purchased on a bit of a whim, just before the pandemic shutdowns. So I've had some time to practice.
Peloton Bike. I bought it for my wife and thought, I've never been an indoor spinner person. I thoughth I would hate it, and now I ride it 240 minutes/week. I've lost 25 lbs in 4 months, I sleep like a baby and I have more energy and focus when I'm awake. The threshold energy needed to hop on the bike is much lower than the threshold energy needed to go to the gym so I just do it way more frequently. Strong endorse.
Be careful. I think Peleton recalled ALL of their bikes due to them being dangerous. Maybe you are eligible for recall. One child died. There's a video on youtube of a child getting trapped under a peloton and it keeps on running. He escapes due to luck. Google 'peloton recall, 'peloton dangerous etc.
Just FYI.
Just FYI.
Peloton treadmills, not bikes. As discussed on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26846641
That's for the treadmill, not the bike
Agree. We got ours in Jan 2020 because we had a new baby and it was hard to make it to the gym regularly.
I played college sports and work out regularly over the past 15 years since then. I'm pretty self-motivated to stay fit. I didn't expect to really enjoy the "class" part of Peloton, but I really find it moderately more motivating than just doing things myself. I end up working out harder, longer and more frequently. Recommend.
I played college sports and work out regularly over the past 15 years since then. I'm pretty self-motivated to stay fit. I didn't expect to really enjoy the "class" part of Peloton, but I really find it moderately more motivating than just doing things myself. I end up working out harder, longer and more frequently. Recommend.
Clavinova digital piano! I hated piano as a kid, largely bc of the lesson style (and plan on trying Suzuki method with my kids).
I’ve played guitar (poorly) for years and I’m shocked with how (relatively) easy it is on piano to do fun improvisation or learn songs I love (Radiohead’s Videotape to start, now trying Piano Man)
And digital means I can turn down the volume when kids are sleeping, use as a midi controller, etc. I’m not audiophilic enough to really care about the tonal difference between it and a real piano, I really can’t tell
I’ve played guitar (poorly) for years and I’m shocked with how (relatively) easy it is on piano to do fun improvisation or learn songs I love (Radiohead’s Videotape to start, now trying Piano Man)
And digital means I can turn down the volume when kids are sleeping, use as a midi controller, etc. I’m not audiophilic enough to really care about the tonal difference between it and a real piano, I really can’t tell
Does it have weighted keys? Do you have a link to the model you purchased?
Try out Pianoteq! Connect your digital piano to a computer (even Raspberry Pi) and try it out: https://www.modartt.com/pianoteq
This software will make your piano sound like a $20k grand piano.
ps - another fun project: adding an LED strip that responds to the piano keys - to create a beautiful visual rainbow when you play.
This software will make your piano sound like a $20k grand piano.
ps - another fun project: adding an LED strip that responds to the piano keys - to create a beautiful visual rainbow when you play.
There are free vsts you can use instead of pianoteq as well.
On linux I set up my midi controller with Carla to use Salamander Piano [0]:
[0]: https://sfzinstruments.github.io/pianos/salamander
On linux I set up my midi controller with Carla to use Salamander Piano [0]:
[0]: https://sfzinstruments.github.io/pianos/salamander
Bicycle Neon deck.
I fiddle with playing cards when taking breaks, thinking through problems. And no other deck of cards lasted me as long as these decks. Maybe it's generally applicable to 2019+ produced Bicycle decks.
More in line with the HN crowd; JetBrains IDEs always provide top notch experience I'm happy to pay for.
I fiddle with playing cards when taking breaks, thinking through problems. And no other deck of cards lasted me as long as these decks. Maybe it's generally applicable to 2019+ produced Bicycle decks.
More in line with the HN crowd; JetBrains IDEs always provide top notch experience I'm happy to pay for.
A Kamado Joe.
It's easy to expertly cook food on kamado style grills. Because of their construction, they have a wide temperature range from 150ºF to greater than 750º and they sustain heat for a long time. I can use this thing as a smoker, a grill and a pizza oven.
It's easy to expertly cook food on kamado style grills. Because of their construction, they have a wide temperature range from 150ºF to greater than 750º and they sustain heat for a long time. I can use this thing as a smoker, a grill and a pizza oven.
A walking pad for under my (ikea adjustable height) desk.
I try to walk a minimum of 30 minutes on it in the afternoon, and it surprisingly works really well with reading, typing and mouse movements.
High concentration work is harder, but I don't have that anyway in the afternoon :D.
I try to walk a minimum of 30 minutes on it in the afternoon, and it surprisingly works really well with reading, typing and mouse movements.
High concentration work is harder, but I don't have that anyway in the afternoon :D.
I've been interested in the idea of a treadmill to walk while at my standing desk as well. Can you share details on the one you have?
I bought a Flow Fitness DTM100i Walkingpad. Nice thing is that it can fold in half, and has wheels to easily place it under your desk and remove it again.
The app is really crappy, and I wasn't able to connect it to my phone. But the pad itself does its job so I'm happy about it.
I mostly do 3.5 km/h, you can go faster than that, but then it becomes more difficult to really get work done.
The following article really inspired me to take the step: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2019/02/seeking-the-prod...
The app is really crappy, and I wasn't able to connect it to my phone. But the pad itself does its job so I'm happy about it.
I mostly do 3.5 km/h, you can go faster than that, but then it becomes more difficult to really get work done.
The following article really inspired me to take the step: https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2019/02/seeking-the-prod...
I travel and mostly love out of a suitcase all yeah long, so my best purchases can be put in a bag.
Oculus Quest 2 - incredible multipurpose entertainment and excercise device. Turns any hotel room into a gym, movie theater, golf course, table tennis tournament, shooting range and casino.
Blon BL-03 super great IEMs for about $25, competes with ones that cost hundreds.
Oculus Quest 2 - incredible multipurpose entertainment and excercise device. Turns any hotel room into a gym, movie theater, golf course, table tennis tournament, shooting range and casino.
Blon BL-03 super great IEMs for about $25, competes with ones that cost hundreds.
Car with level 2 autonomy, 2018 Volvo S90 with Pilot Assist. You still have to pay attention to the road when driving, but long highway drives (which I take a LOT of) are a hell of a lot less tiring. I've been able to do 6 hours in a single day and it's almost like riding a personal train except for when you get to jams, local roads, or merges/exits.
> I've been able to do 6 hours in a single day
Is... Is that a typo? Six hours of continuous driving in a day is a weekly commute for some. 8 to 10 hours a day is fairly normal here...
Is... Is that a typo? Six hours of continuous driving in a day is a weekly commute for some. 8 to 10 hours a day is fairly normal here...
I don't understand the situation in which anyone would find that acceptable. That is 60 days a year thrown away, and for what?
The US is a large county, it has states that are larger than France.
Driving from San Diego to San Francisco (never leaving the state of California) takes about 8 hours, even longer in traffic.
Many people have these long commutes due to work.
Driving from San Diego to San Francisco (never leaving the state of California) takes about 8 hours, even longer in traffic.
Many people have these long commutes due to work.
Tern GSD cargo ebike. This thing is the bike version of a minivan. Biking the kids to preschool every day is so much more healthy and fun than taking the car. We also visit a much bigger variety of parks on the weekend now.
Cycling: cycling shoes and shorts. I just did not know cycling shorts had pads for your crotch and has made riding a lot more comfortable. Cycling shoes makes my stroke a lot more efficient. Also, a Hypervolt massage gun.
Music: SubPac. Has been a life-saver during COVID to the extent that I'm starting to think it's better than live music. I use it with Aiaiai TMA2 headphones.
Coffee: finally got an espresso machine. Went with the Lelit Anna + a good grinder and a beans subscription.
Music: SubPac. Has been a life-saver during COVID to the extent that I'm starting to think it's better than live music. I use it with Aiaiai TMA2 headphones.
Coffee: finally got an espresso machine. Went with the Lelit Anna + a good grinder and a beans subscription.
Bose QC35 II noise-cancelling headphones.
Being able to decouple yourself from noise is worth so much more than what Bose is asking for these headphones.
Being able to decouple yourself from noise is worth so much more than what Bose is asking for these headphones.
gravity water filter for camping and backpacking, which has proved useful for car trips and local water outages
Material Goods:
Shimano Saragosa 6000 Fishing Reel - Last summer I purchased a Saragosa 6000 class as my go to saltwater reel. It is a marvel of Japanese design and engineering without breaking the bank like a Van Staal. It is just a consistent workhorse and the drag technology makes it a joy to fish with. Needless to say, I fish enough where a reel makes my list of favorite purchases.
Prusa MK3S+ 3d printer - Excellent quality, it just works and was really fun to build the kit. I love being able to quickly think of and design anything I want in CAD (Onshape) and be able to print it the first try. I don't have to tinker around with the printer I can focus on building stuff.
Shimano Saragosa 6000 Fishing Reel - Last summer I purchased a Saragosa 6000 class as my go to saltwater reel. It is a marvel of Japanese design and engineering without breaking the bank like a Van Staal. It is just a consistent workhorse and the drag technology makes it a joy to fish with. Needless to say, I fish enough where a reel makes my list of favorite purchases.
Prusa MK3S+ 3d printer - Excellent quality, it just works and was really fun to build the kit. I love being able to quickly think of and design anything I want in CAD (Onshape) and be able to print it the first try. I don't have to tinker around with the printer I can focus on building stuff.
I bought a Prusa MK3s during lockdown (don't think I'll do the upgrade to the +, doesn't seem much changed), it is amazing. I've never owned a 3D printer before, and it was painless to put together, took about 1 hour to tune and fix one assembly glitch. It's sitting right next to me printing right now.
The other thing I bought myself was an M1 mac. I just got frustrated with cleaning my butterfly keyboard again, and just said, "fuck it, I'm buying one". It is an amazing machine. Battery for days, nice, light. It's probably my favorite computer ever (well, after my first – an Apple //e).
The other thing I bought myself was an M1 mac. I just got frustrated with cleaning my butterfly keyboard again, and just said, "fuck it, I'm buying one". It is an amazing machine. Battery for days, nice, light. It's probably my favorite computer ever (well, after my first – an Apple //e).
EGO 56V multihead tool (string trimmer, hedge clippers, and pole saw), and the EGO 18” chainsaw
I bought a rural property and it is so fantastic having powerful electric tools instead of two-cycle engines. Clean, quiet, easy, and they still get the job done.
I bought a rural property and it is so fantastic having powerful electric tools instead of two-cycle engines. Clean, quiet, easy, and they still get the job done.
iPad Pro 11 inch - I use it all the time. It's not perfect, but whether I like it or not, it gets used the most often.
Guqin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guqin been a long-time wish of mine to learn it, finally took the pandemic as the opportunity to do so since I'm staying home so much.
Vessi shoes: https://vessi.com best shoes I've worn, feels likes slippers, lightweight and waterproof, perfect for the rainy PNW weathers
Vessi shoes: https://vessi.com best shoes I've worn, feels likes slippers, lightweight and waterproof, perfect for the rainy PNW weathers
what (if anything) have you used for pedagogical materials for the guqin? and how effective have they been?
i'd like to futz around with an instrument in that family someday, but there aren't lessons available anywhere near me.
i'd like to futz around with an instrument in that family someday, but there aren't lessons available anywhere near me.
i take lesson once a week from a teacher and the primary focus is technique and learning pieces. I'm also in a facebook group where there are some music scholars who like to study the history, culture and systems related to this instrument. After ~8 months of learning I feel more comfortable with the basic techniques now so I've ventured into reconstructing ancient scores and the group has been helpful in helping me understanding certain notations.
Under-desk treadmill. Very relevant for HN. Support your vascular system, hips, and your back. Sitting or even standing still all day at the computer is extremely unhealthy. I now walk while working (and while I'm typing this) 1-2 hours/day, taking 10-40 min walks every time I've been sitting for an hour. Does not affect productivity at all once you get used to walking at a slow speed, and may even enhance it.
Cheap ones on Amazon (~$300) work fine, but you may have a little maintenance every month or so. If you lubricate it occasionally and never put weight on the back roller, you shouldn't have problems.
Disclaimer: not a substitute for exercise. Exercises slightly different muscles and not as well as real walking.
Cheap ones on Amazon (~$300) work fine, but you may have a little maintenance every month or so. If you lubricate it occasionally and never put weight on the back roller, you shouldn't have problems.
Disclaimer: not a substitute for exercise. Exercises slightly different muscles and not as well as real walking.
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I concur with the people who have mentioned robovac, instant pot, sony xm3/xm4, ooni pizza oven, MacBook m1 - all making my life better.
Other things - door frame pull up bar, resistance band. Cheap, get a lot of use, don't take much space.
One of those shiatsu machines with infrared - used one almost daily for a couple of years. Great for upper back/shoulder muscle tension release while sitting on the sofa in the evening.
Sheepskin slippers, merino/cashmere sweaters. Sheep really know what's up when it comes to keeping cozy.
80's Yamaha U3 piano. Just great to sit down with now and then, deep immersive sound. As good as it gets with an upright. Doesn't really depreciate in value.
Yamaha C40ii classical guitar. Can't really go wrong with these, great bang for buck.
Plants - fruit trees and vegetables. You can grow these from seeds for free if you want, just need space. Made my life a lot better.
Other things - door frame pull up bar, resistance band. Cheap, get a lot of use, don't take much space.
One of those shiatsu machines with infrared - used one almost daily for a couple of years. Great for upper back/shoulder muscle tension release while sitting on the sofa in the evening.
Sheepskin slippers, merino/cashmere sweaters. Sheep really know what's up when it comes to keeping cozy.
80's Yamaha U3 piano. Just great to sit down with now and then, deep immersive sound. As good as it gets with an upright. Doesn't really depreciate in value.
Yamaha C40ii classical guitar. Can't really go wrong with these, great bang for buck.
Plants - fruit trees and vegetables. You can grow these from seeds for free if you want, just need space. Made my life a lot better.
> door frame pull up bar
YouTube is riddled with those falling out of the door frames and people face-planting or falling on their back. Are all those failures from improper install/usage or what?
YouTube is riddled with those falling out of the door frames and people face-planting or falling on their back. Are all those failures from improper install/usage or what?
You can't do any kipping / front to back movement. Worth it IMO to get a beefier bar (see Rogue's above door offering) so that you don't break your tailbone falling off the door frame & can use resistance bands for added assistance.
https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-jammer-pull-up-bar
https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-jammer-pull-up-bar
Some of them could be badly designed. Mine has a part that hooks over the top of the door-frame, along with a bar that sits against the door frame on the other side... so the more weight you have on it, the more solidly it sits. I like that my body weight isn't hanging from a little screw in the door frame (which I suspect is a failure point).
From what I've seen in those videos, most of the time people are screwing around, swinging out of them and trying to do tricks... if you're doing proper form when the bar breaks, you should probably be landing on your feet anyway?
I'd definitely recommend getting one though.
From what I've seen in those videos, most of the time people are screwing around, swinging out of them and trying to do tricks... if you're doing proper form when the bar breaks, you should probably be landing on your feet anyway?
I'd definitely recommend getting one though.
used for at least a decade and never happened to me
Like the OP, Roomba i8+. Dramatically improved our weekend chores routine. The automatic dirt disposal is also very convenient.
I went with Roomba over other brands as it seemed the best intersection of quality/reliability, noise and privacy.
I went with Roomba over other brands as it seemed the best intersection of quality/reliability, noise and privacy.
electric skateboard
iPad and Apple Pencil. I missed whiteboards badly, this is the next best thing. With Zoom or other conferencing software you can just draw as on paper, on a whiteboard or on a shared screen.
It has made design/discovery meetings waaay better.
It has made design/discovery meetings waaay better.
Macbook Pro 16in 2019 i9, 1 TB, the M1 has problems with docker, arguably, the best development machine on the market, I am just grateful I could afford it.
Yaxell Gou Santoku knife. It's just beautiful to look at and hold, and cuts completely unlike the supermarket knives I've had before.
Neumann KH120A speakers for my office. I'm somewhat spoiled by 4-5 figure audio pro control rooms, but these do an amazing job in a normal room for a very reasonable price.
Neumann KH120A speakers for my office. I'm somewhat spoiled by 4-5 figure audio pro control rooms, but these do an amazing job in a normal room for a very reasonable price.
Autonomous flowboard. I have a few different standing desks (one theirs, one vwindesk), but I don't know if any is enough better than the others - just get one I can't stand in one space for very long. But I can stand on this thing for a long time, and that is the whole point.
Squatypotty. I don't think it cures cancer or any of the other supposed benefits I've seen people claim, but it is more comfortable. I actually bought it for the kids when they were potty training, then 2 weeks later I had to go and realized I was willing to wait for the one bathroom with it rather than a closer bathroom that was empty.
pinebook pro. Cheap little laptop, but it has become the one I use the most. There are things you can't do on a phone even if in theory the CPU is more powerful, and portable is useful.
Squatypotty. I don't think it cures cancer or any of the other supposed benefits I've seen people claim, but it is more comfortable. I actually bought it for the kids when they were potty training, then 2 weeks later I had to go and realized I was willing to wait for the one bathroom with it rather than a closer bathroom that was empty.
pinebook pro. Cheap little laptop, but it has become the one I use the most. There are things you can't do on a phone even if in theory the CPU is more powerful, and portable is useful.
Which OS do you use with Pinebook Pro?
The default Manjarno. I like it better than Ubuntu so far. No problems with updating, and I'm not stuck with 5 months out of date software all the time.
That said, I'm not one to go install every OS out there to see what I like best. So if you want a real review of what OS is best you need to ask someone else.
That said, I'm not one to go install every OS out there to see what I like best. So if you want a real review of what OS is best you need to ask someone else.
My M1 Macbook Air is the greatest Mac I ever bought. But I was given a 2011 Mac Mini through my local Buy Nothing group and I decked it out with drives and I am using it as a home server and I have to say it's a great get.
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Good sleep supplements. My daily stack:
- 300mcg (0.3mg) extended release Melatonin
- 200mg Magnesium Glycinate
- 150mg L-Theanine
- 5g Glycine in herbal tea
- 300mcg (0.3mg) extended release Melatonin
- 200mg Magnesium Glycinate
- 150mg L-Theanine
- 5g Glycine in herbal tea
Did you conduct any measurements before and after? How much of an improvement did you find?
This is more a subscription than a purchase, but: signed up for my city's bikeshare program. I hadn't ridden a bike in years and had never commuted with one, so it's taking some time to get used to it, but one of the roads in my city has been shut down to cars since the beginning of the pandemic which has been a perfect place to practice.
Once all this is over and things start to open up more, I fully intend to start getting around the city by bike if I can't get there quickly by public transit. If I can find safe enough routes to take, that is.
Once all this is over and things start to open up more, I fully intend to start getting around the city by bike if I can't get there quickly by public transit. If I can find safe enough routes to take, that is.
Two trips to Japan.
Yeah, they aren't material purchases. But I made amazing memories, got incredible photos to put up in my home, and met several cool new friends (who I had to chat with using Google Translate!) that I've kept in touch with.
They were both fantastic opportunities for personal growth and learning.
Yeah, they aren't material purchases. But I made amazing memories, got incredible photos to put up in my home, and met several cool new friends (who I had to chat with using Google Translate!) that I've kept in touch with.
They were both fantastic opportunities for personal growth and learning.
> Two trips to Japan.
What are some good recommendations for a first-time visit to Tokyo?
What are some good recommendations for a first-time visit to Tokyo?
It honestly really depends what you're into and the kind of person you are.
For me I hit the usual touristy places like Shibuya crossing, Shinjuku Garden, Akihabara, etc.
But I also love baseball, so I went and caught a Yomiuri Giants game at Tokyo Dome. Even if you're not a baseball fan, it is super cool seeing how differently they participate as a crowd of fans at games. I also enjoy just walking around neighborhoods, so I spent time just taking the train to different areas and exploring the lesser-known areas that tourists don't commonly visit. I love car-related stuff, so I rented a car for a few days and went to some popular car-related places.
There are also plenty of food spots you can visit depending on what tastes you have. Cheap or more expensive.
There are fun areas like Odaiba City/Beach (with its own Statue of Liberty statue, smaller scale and a Gundam suit thing near the shopping mall).
If you plan during a specific season, like spring, you can go to find the cherry blossoms. Spring is usually incredibly crowded because of that, but with the right planning you can somewhat beat the crowds to certain popular spots (or find unknown spots that tourists won't visit but still have many blossoms).
For me I hit the usual touristy places like Shibuya crossing, Shinjuku Garden, Akihabara, etc.
But I also love baseball, so I went and caught a Yomiuri Giants game at Tokyo Dome. Even if you're not a baseball fan, it is super cool seeing how differently they participate as a crowd of fans at games. I also enjoy just walking around neighborhoods, so I spent time just taking the train to different areas and exploring the lesser-known areas that tourists don't commonly visit. I love car-related stuff, so I rented a car for a few days and went to some popular car-related places.
There are also plenty of food spots you can visit depending on what tastes you have. Cheap or more expensive.
There are fun areas like Odaiba City/Beach (with its own Statue of Liberty statue, smaller scale and a Gundam suit thing near the shopping mall).
If you plan during a specific season, like spring, you can go to find the cherry blossoms. Spring is usually incredibly crowded because of that, but with the right planning you can somewhat beat the crowds to certain popular spots (or find unknown spots that tourists won't visit but still have many blossoms).
"If you have to ask, then you're ngmi" there.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27225319
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27225319
I bought an Epson EX9220 projector that I love
Two Kohler Novita wash toilets (bidets), with heated seats, auto-open covers, instant unlimited hot water, and more.
I'm a software engineer and have been using cheaper alternatives like gimp but my best purchase which also makes me feel like an adult is a year of the standard license of the creative suite.
As a creative developer it is well worth the money and I'm super excited to dig into the software I've never used more like animate
After retirement, do you consider moving to countries where the coat of living is lower such as India, Thailand etc? $500 in social security funds can be sufficient in such countries.
Soda water, I am addicted to it.
-Got a SodaStream and immediately decided I couldn't continue paying that much for refills. Bought a 5lb adapter hose on Ebay and a tank. One use paid off the CAPEX. Recommend strongly.
-Got a Stanley Growler for bringing it around. It is indestructible. I bring it into the mine every day and it has held up like a serious champ despite the abuse. Probably going to buy a second.
Other than that my Ikea standing desk and tall-fit shirts probably take the cake for me!
Other than that my Ikea standing desk and tall-fit shirts probably take the cake for me!
Where do you get the tank from? They ship pressured tanks to you from eBay with the postal system? Interested but it seems complicated so I’d like to know the details.
PCPanel. It's a little physical programmable audio output mixer for windows. I was tired of having to go to the windows mixer to turn down the volume of a game, turn up discord, get plexamp/Spotify just right, etc. Now I have a few physical knobs in front of me that always control a predictable set of apps. It's been great over the last year of digital hangouts with people.
Sleep Headphones. Much more comfortable than the in-ear ones I used to use: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-Headphones-Bluetooth-Ultra-Th...
Scanning these recommendations, the plurality -- perhaps even the majority -- are ergonomic. You would think everyone is constantly in pain: keyboards, desks, monitors, chairs, shoes, that relieve pain.
Even the air filters, robot vacuums, and noise reduction devices reduce some kind of pain.
The only non-pain recommendation that comes close is coffee and the apple M1.
One strange thing is the contrary recommendations: there are recommendations for barefoot shoes as well as arch support slippers. Not sure if this means that different feet need different things, or if one side of the debate was marketed to.
Even the air filters, robot vacuums, and noise reduction devices reduce some kind of pain.
The only non-pain recommendation that comes close is coffee and the apple M1.
One strange thing is the contrary recommendations: there are recommendations for barefoot shoes as well as arch support slippers. Not sure if this means that different feet need different things, or if one side of the debate was marketed to.
I recently took up running, unfortunately all I have for footwear is an old pair of Vans, just about the worst thing to run in. All the disadvantages of both minimalist and maximalist shoes, wrapped up in a flat, hard sole with holes in both heels.
After some online research, I have a pair of minimalist (barefoot) running sandals coming in the mail. I'll have to let you know if it was worth it or if I was just punked by the marketers ;)
After some online research, I have a pair of minimalist (barefoot) running sandals coming in the mail. I'll have to let you know if it was worth it or if I was just punked by the marketers ;)
From what I remember reading the difference in contusions is visible between barefoot running and proper shoes. I don't remember which had which, but it was like one prevents Achilles tendon from injury and the other from ankle injury. It would depend on the person what would be better. As they say - choose your poison.
The Apple M1 is also an ergonomic choice for me, as the new keyboards are much easier on the hands.
> The only non-pain recommendation that comes close is coffee
Placebo or not, I'm a total pain without my coffee.
Placebo or not, I'm a total pain without my coffee.
ski-doo summit X 850: it is the freedom machine. A challenging new hobby that provides access to amazing remote places and an escape from busy corporately owned commerical ski areas. there is nobody around to tell you what to do or not do and where to go or not. plus it is your personal ski lift for powder skiing. Riding side-by-side with a friend hammering up a bowl is the most exciting thing I've done in years.
Line 6 PodGo electric guitar/bass effects processor, purchased earlier this year. I have been playing for decades and in the 90s got one of the early DOD multieffect stomp boards, but it's amazing how much the technology has advanced since then. It's not just the ability to change up your sounds or really fine-tune what you're looking for ... the integration with other platforms is sweet. All kinds of outputs for amps, or USB to go straight to my Mac for GarageBand integration.
Zwilling J.A. Henckels electric kettle for tea and coffee. Wide lid/spout, one button, very fast. Used similar devices overseas, but in the U.S. they haven't been so common except in hotels. We got tired of using gas and old fashioned tea kettle every day, which takes longer to boil and causes wear to the range, and bought it a few months ago and use it several times per day.
We also have a Cuisinart electric kettle at the office, but don't like it - too many buttons and settings, and the lid/spout is too small.
We got a tiny lightweight fridge for the office that is really good for keeping drinks and small things cool. It doesn't make any compressor noise ... AFAICT there is no compressor or gas inside, and I have no idea how it works. Just a very quiet fan. It comes with a car adaptor, too, and reviews showed it is popular with people using it for camping trips or long car journeys. It's branded "Frigidaire" but the mechanics and finish don't match, and we got it at Walmart, not an appliance shop.
Regarding cast iron skillets: Yard sales and antique shops are your friend.
Zwilling J.A. Henckels electric kettle for tea and coffee. Wide lid/spout, one button, very fast. Used similar devices overseas, but in the U.S. they haven't been so common except in hotels. We got tired of using gas and old fashioned tea kettle every day, which takes longer to boil and causes wear to the range, and bought it a few months ago and use it several times per day.
We also have a Cuisinart electric kettle at the office, but don't like it - too many buttons and settings, and the lid/spout is too small.
We got a tiny lightweight fridge for the office that is really good for keeping drinks and small things cool. It doesn't make any compressor noise ... AFAICT there is no compressor or gas inside, and I have no idea how it works. Just a very quiet fan. It comes with a car adaptor, too, and reviews showed it is popular with people using it for camping trips or long car journeys. It's branded "Frigidaire" but the mechanics and finish don't match, and we got it at Walmart, not an appliance shop.
Regarding cast iron skillets: Yard sales and antique shops are your friend.
Arturia Minibrute 2 and Drumbrute. AKG studio headphones. Got back into music last year leaving it behind as a teenager. For having fun, they're the perfect synths.
Yamaha C40 guitar (and weekly zoom lessons from a real master musician) was best value for money nylon string guitar around.
Returning to making music during covid was a lifesaver. So glad I learned the basics as a kid.
Yamaha C40 guitar (and weekly zoom lessons from a real master musician) was best value for money nylon string guitar around.
Returning to making music during covid was a lifesaver. So glad I learned the basics as a kid.
I find Arturia's products -- hardware and software -- wonderful to use. My Drumbrute Impact is just so fun. I got "Pigments" and it is incredibly fun for crafting sounds; just a beautiful UX.
They really get it. I think their product people are as good or better than Apple. If you are a producer, I get why someone would use something with more features and options, but for someone who just wants an instrument in front of them as a way to be musical and expressive, without trying to replicate genres, I could see these becoming classics.
reMarkable 2 e-ink tablet: I was on the fence for a long time on this, but I've been using it almost daily for 4 months now, and I absolutely love it. The logical part of my brain thinks it's quite pricey compared to an ipad or rocket book (what I used before), but I love having something that is so close to actual pen and paper that never runs out of space and is easy to sync to a computer.
Mine's already in my dead tech drawer. It's just not the same as a fountain pen on good heavyweight paper for writing, and its lack of any backlight makes it suboptimal for reading. I so badly wanted to love it, too, after waiting nearly a year for my preorder to arrive. I'm glad you like yours, though!
In which way is it not the same as a fountain pen? The texture? Latency? Stroke correction?
The latency is long enough to notice, yes, and the tactile experience (resistance, scratching sounds, &c.) is sufficiently different to be distracting.
Have you tried the iPad Pro, or other devices? How would you compare the latency?
There’s this guy on YouTube that does very detailed unbiased reviews of stuff (mainly tools) - Project Farm. He picks a few items within each category and does a bunch of (rigorous, scientific and very thorough) tests to quantify performance and test advertising claims. I still don’t take his recommendations as gospel, but it does give you an idea of how the particular item works and behaves and what to look for when in the market for something like that. Far better than others that think unboxing and commentary equals a valuable review.
A John Deere 2025r compact tractor. Four-wheel drive, with a diesel engine. I have a bucket and a set of pallet forks for the front-end loader, along with the front-mounted snow blower, a five foot rear grader blade, and a Tractor Supply three-point carry-all frame that I built into a dump body. I have about five acres of land, and it's almost the perfect swiss army knife piece of equipment for that size of property.
The build quality is good. Maintenance is easy, with all of the grease points easily accessible. I really like the John Deere quick connect system for the loader implements, compared to the skidsteer-style, and the loader is also really easy to take on and off when I'm switching to the snow blower. It has a hydrostatic transmission exactly like that on their lawn tractors, so it is dead simple to drive. The hydraulics are smooth, and it has a float setting that is really handy when plowing snow or back-dragging dirt to level areas out with the bucket.
I've done a lot of work with it, moving dirt, moving rocks, pulling stumps, clearing snow, twitching logs, and just picking things up an moving them around, that would have taken so much longer and been more difficult without it.
The build quality is good. Maintenance is easy, with all of the grease points easily accessible. I really like the John Deere quick connect system for the loader implements, compared to the skidsteer-style, and the loader is also really easy to take on and off when I'm switching to the snow blower. It has a hydrostatic transmission exactly like that on their lawn tractors, so it is dead simple to drive. The hydraulics are smooth, and it has a float setting that is really handy when plowing snow or back-dragging dirt to level areas out with the bucket.
I've done a lot of work with it, moving dirt, moving rocks, pulling stumps, clearing snow, twitching logs, and just picking things up an moving them around, that would have taken so much longer and been more difficult without it.
AfterShokz Aeropex bone conducting headphones.
I'm not an audiophile but not having my ears obstructed while hearing music/podcasts/meetings is a game changer.
Definitely not for everyone but I bet most folks who are curious about them probably would like them more than they expect, and worst case you can just return them right?
I'm not an audiophile but not having my ears obstructed while hearing music/podcasts/meetings is a game changer.
Definitely not for everyone but I bet most folks who are curious about them probably would like them more than they expect, and worst case you can just return them right?
Disclaimer: I'm generally cheap.
Pilot G2 pen - I bought it after someone recommended it and it is indeed a pleasure to write with it.
Ryzen 5 2400G - it has a good enough GPU to play some nice games with Steam Proton. In future I would like to make a Mini-ITX build for it.
Canon EOS M100 with pan cake lens - it's almost as small as a compact, but has big APS-C sensor. I bought a used body. I noticed lately how my old photos are so much better then later ones. The difference between a compact and a first gen Pixel is noticeable. With this it's even further. But with pandemics there was no much use of it lately.
Pilot G2 pen - I bought it after someone recommended it and it is indeed a pleasure to write with it.
Ryzen 5 2400G - it has a good enough GPU to play some nice games with Steam Proton. In future I would like to make a Mini-ITX build for it.
Canon EOS M100 with pan cake lens - it's almost as small as a compact, but has big APS-C sensor. I bought a used body. I noticed lately how my old photos are so much better then later ones. The difference between a compact and a first gen Pixel is noticeable. With this it's even further. But with pandemics there was no much use of it lately.
0.32mm Pilot G2s are my favorite. I usually buy the green, black, blue, and red in packs of 10.
They are a pleasure to write with. They are more prone to the bullhead not functioning if dropped but overtime these pens have taught me to take care of my pens. Now I can actually get the pens depleted all way.
They are a pleasure to write with. They are more prone to the bullhead not functioning if dropped but overtime these pens have taught me to take care of my pens. Now I can actually get the pens depleted all way.
Nice.
Years ago I bought an old Sony Rx-100 Gen 1 because I wanted a good camera that I didn't mind if it got stolen or broken, and it was a great purchase. The Rx-100 had a nice large 1-inch cmos that could pick up great dynamic variations.
I'm ready to move up now, was looking at the Sony a6000 but I will look at this one, too.
Years ago I bought an old Sony Rx-100 Gen 1 because I wanted a good camera that I didn't mind if it got stolen or broken, and it was a great purchase. The Rx-100 had a nice large 1-inch cmos that could pick up great dynamic variations.
I'm ready to move up now, was looking at the Sony a6000 but I will look at this one, too.
I can add that I'm not much of a photographer, but it started to interest me with possibilities. It has very nice interface with a touchscreen - it is very intuitive (i.e. touch to focus on specific part, pinch to zoom in the gallery). But I think that most things can still be done via buttons. One thing that I don't like in the UI/UX department is that after I've done an update of the firmware I no longer see names of various modes. At least you can see the name of the current mode when you turn it on. But after a while you get used to it.
I plan to buy a telephoto lens to it some day, but I'm good as it is.
I liked this review of the body+lens combo I have: https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/0877988578/traveling-light-...
I plan to buy a telephoto lens to it some day, but I'm good as it is.
I liked this review of the body+lens combo I have: https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/0877988578/traveling-light-...
I'll do you one better on the pilot G2, if you take care of your pens:
https://www.officedepot.com/a/products/671015/Pilot-G2-Limit...
Feels even more smooth than the plastic ones just because of the weight
Feels even more smooth than the plastic ones just because of the weight
Bone conducting headphones for running: Titanium AfterShockz. Love them, and not just because they don't block ambient sounds, but also the sound is almost unaffected by the wind, whereas all the other headphones would get completely drowned out by the wind whistling.
Vaccum: Henry. Don't know if you can buy it outside UK, but it is the perfect vacuum. I tried robotic one a few years back (Eufy) but my floor is full of obstacles like stools, shoes, backpacks, etc, so the poor thing would get stuck all the time.
Home computer: Airtop from CompuLab. I am very annoyed by fan noise so quiet or silent computer has always been a must for me. Airtop is by far the best one I could find or build. Expensive though...
Vaccum: Henry. Don't know if you can buy it outside UK, but it is the perfect vacuum. I tried robotic one a few years back (Eufy) but my floor is full of obstacles like stools, shoes, backpacks, etc, so the poor thing would get stuck all the time.
Home computer: Airtop from CompuLab. I am very annoyed by fan noise so quiet or silent computer has always been a must for me. Airtop is by far the best one I could find or build. Expensive though...
Hardware:
I bought a pair of Kef LS50 bookshelf studio monitors for my desk. I can't live without these.
Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro 250 ohm. Another legendary pair of headphones which I use everyday.
Also bought a Samsung 32 inch 4K monitor that made a huge difference in my life in terms of productivity
Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro 250 ohm. Another legendary pair of headphones which I use everyday.
Also bought a Samsung 32 inch 4K monitor that made a huge difference in my life in terms of productivity
> Also bought a Samsung 32 inch 4K monitor that made a huge difference in my life in terms of productivity
How?
How?
By being able to fit 6 windows on the same screen!
When I am coding, I have multiple IDE panes, terminal and the browser all on the same workspace. Helped a lot
Are you using a window manager to fit six windows on one monitor?
Strictly material: after a decade and a half of laptops only, a workstation takes the win by a very long shot. And with 2x 14-core xeons and 64 GB memory I feel like a new man. GPU is a bit on the low side but now is not the time for GPU's so I'll stick to this one until there's some sanity with the GPU prices.
Otherwise dog.
Otherwise dog.
A new LG OLED TV. I usually don't buy into hypes, but I got a great second hand deal on a 55" OLED and it has BLOWN me away. It's picture quality is insane. If I could only watch 4K Planet Earth on it and nothing else it would still have been worth it.
I also bought a $200 robovac by Xiaomi, which is really convenient, especially if you have pets.
Based on experience I will probably also splurge on a new MacBook is they release the rumored one with ports again.
I also bought a $200 robovac by Xiaomi, which is really convenient, especially if you have pets.
Based on experience I will probably also splurge on a new MacBook is they release the rumored one with ports again.
OLED is expensive, but it's definitely worth it for movie watching.
I upgraded from a 10 year old 42" 1080p LCD to a 65" 4K OLED and it's so damn nice. Darker scenes in TV/moves are so much clearer without a backlight shining through everything and washing everything out.
I upgraded from a 10 year old 42" 1080p LCD to a 65" 4K OLED and it's so damn nice. Darker scenes in TV/moves are so much clearer without a backlight shining through everything and washing everything out.
Wifi light switches. They have a physical switch so "normies" can still turn on the lights, but being able to say "Alexa, all lights off" at night makes me feel like a god.
Also, comma 2 from comma.ai. It adds Tesla-like autopilot to my Honda Odyssey. Works exactly as advertised. I just got a few weeks ago, but it drove my car most of the way between SF and LA and back. It's kind of pricey, but a lot cheaper than a Tesla! Also, Tesla still doesn't make a minivan (and Honda doesn't make an all electric yet!).
And I'm not sure, but I think I first heard about the comma 2 right here on HN.
Also, comma 2 from comma.ai. It adds Tesla-like autopilot to my Honda Odyssey. Works exactly as advertised. I just got a few weeks ago, but it drove my car most of the way between SF and LA and back. It's kind of pricey, but a lot cheaper than a Tesla! Also, Tesla still doesn't make a minivan (and Honda doesn't make an all electric yet!).
And I'm not sure, but I think I first heard about the comma 2 right here on HN.
What kind of light switches? I got some Kasa's because they were inexpensive, but I was thinking about switching to Lutrons explicitly because they're not Wifi.
I got the Feit electric from Costco. https://www.feit.com/product/smart-wi-fi-dimmer/
That robovac (bought a roomba 600 series 5 years ago) saved my marriage! Single greatest home productivity improvement purchase of all time!
Gymnastic rings and kettlebells
I bought a triatlon wetsuit in November of last year so that I can swim in a lake nearby. See, for all of winter, public swimming pools were closed in Germany because of the pandemic.
In the end I didn't go much because below 10 degrees celsius is just insanely painful. I went a few times, but just for the challenge.
I've started, however, using it in spring now and I love the empowerment it gives me.
I can swim comfortably outside in a beautiful lake and I don't have to be upset about closed public pools :)
In the end I didn't go much because below 10 degrees celsius is just insanely painful. I went a few times, but just for the challenge.
I've started, however, using it in spring now and I love the empowerment it gives me.
I can swim comfortably outside in a beautiful lake and I don't have to be upset about closed public pools :)
The Henriksen BUD Ten guitar amplifier sounds amazing and is surprisingly lightweight.
Quo Vadis blank unlined notebooks continue to be the best in class; the reMarkable 2 was a giant disappointment and is already in the abandoned tech drawer.
Quo Vadis blank unlined notebooks continue to be the best in class; the reMarkable 2 was a giant disappointment and is already in the abandoned tech drawer.
Fender Mustang Micro Headphone Amp.
I can play electric guitar anywhere in my house, any time of day. The sound goes straight to my headphones, so I don't need to worry about connecting a thick cable to my regular cabinet amp, and I don't need to worry about being quiet at night. Another perk is that the volume is balanced for my ears—whichever ear is closer to the amp starts feeling fatigued when I play with my regular amp. I use Beyerdynamic DT 880s to listen, and the sound quality IMO is great. All in all, I find myself playing guitar much more often than before, and enjoying it even more.
I can play electric guitar anywhere in my house, any time of day. The sound goes straight to my headphones, so I don't need to worry about connecting a thick cable to my regular cabinet amp, and I don't need to worry about being quiet at night. Another perk is that the volume is balanced for my ears—whichever ear is closer to the amp starts feeling fatigued when I play with my regular amp. I use Beyerdynamic DT 880s to listen, and the sound quality IMO is great. All in all, I find myself playing guitar much more often than before, and enjoying it even more.
Gymnastic rings and Kettlebells, having so much fun working out with these two tools.
2019 Chrysler Pacifica with the advanced driving aids (adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist). I have three kids and the minivan is just amazing. I never thought I'd own one, but I'm a convert for life. The engine has enough power to be fun, the cargo volume to haul things is amazing. The ride is comfortable. I splurged on the upgraded alpine sound system - the top end Harman Kardon system didn't sound better enough to justify the extra cost.
I think I'll upgrade to the AWD model in a few years and that will probably be the last ICE car I ever buy.
I think I'll upgrade to the AWD model in a few years and that will probably be the last ICE car I ever buy.
[deleted]
Hand-crank flashlights, which were put to good use during the multiple power outages we had last year.
Sounds useful even without outages. How much one has to turn to make it work for an hour? Or is it in minutes?
For these ones:
https://www.amazon.com/ThorFire-Rechargeable-Collapsible-Fla...
I can crank for a few seconds and it will last a few minutes. They become gradually dim after that, and I never measured how long it took for them to go completely dark.
I can crank for a few seconds and it will last a few minutes. They become gradually dim after that, and I never measured how long it took for them to go completely dark.
Like OP, Mi Robot Vacuum - My first vacuum cleaner and its something I have recommended to 10+ folks.
An Apartment - A house that is my own, not my parent's place, but mine.
A good chair to work from home - Steelcase Series
An Apartment - A house that is my own, not my parent's place, but mine.
A good chair to work from home - Steelcase Series
> An Apartment - A house that is my own, not my parent's place, but mine.
Are you renting or owning?
Are you renting or owning?
For me, the Leica Q camera. I've fallen in and out of love with photography over the years and it (along with a toddler who makes for a great subject) has certainly rekindled things for me.
I took a (film) photography course as a teen that initially sparked this interest, and received a secondhand Canon AE-1 film SLR camera as a gift from a relative. I had fun experimenting with this for a while, but when I went to college, I guess it didn't make the cut of things to bring with me.
While I was in college, I was somewhat aware that digital photography was emerging, but it was expensive and I was broke, so the photo thing was just shelved for a while. A couple years out of college, digital camera prices had come down and I had a good job so I treated myself to a Canon Rebel XT digital SLR. Having infinite film was amazing for experimentation and I got really into nature photography for a while.
Then, like everyone else, the camera that was always in my pocket (attached to my smartphone) improved to the point that I didn't find myself reaching for a dedicated camera very often. I got a Sony and then a Fuji mirrorless camera with the goal of getting something smaller than the SLR that would still produce noticeably better photos than the smartphone. They did, but I still didn't find myself using them often, and I sold them off.
Then, I guess it was 2016, I read Craig Mod's review of the Leica Q camera[0]. I become borderline obsessed. His description of "delight" in using the camera's controls nailed something that I hadn't previously known I was missing from the mirrorless models I'd tried. I wanted the Leica Q, but at a price of over $4,000, that was just a non-starter. I'd check in on prices of new and used Q's periodically, but couldn't justify it for a long time. Finally in 2019, two things happened: Leica introduced a refreshed Q2, and my first child was born. This dropped the price of used Q models and increased my willingness to treat myself to one nice thing while the rest of my life seemed to revolve around keeping a tiny human alive. I snagged a used Leica Q for $2,200, telling myself, "well, if I don't love it, I can probably resell it for about the same".
I think that was the last time I thought about selling it. The camera, as described by Craig Mod, is a delight. Making wonderful photos of my child is too. Maybe there's a psychological aspect here too as the camera was a big gift to myself at a difficult time.
I wouldn't recommend that most people buy a Leica Q (or Q2). They're ridiculously expensive and you can't even change the lens on it. But for a handful of folks like me, who enjoy doing mostly-manual photography with great controls and image quality, it just might be worth it.
[0] https://craigmod.com/essays/leica_q/
I took a (film) photography course as a teen that initially sparked this interest, and received a secondhand Canon AE-1 film SLR camera as a gift from a relative. I had fun experimenting with this for a while, but when I went to college, I guess it didn't make the cut of things to bring with me.
While I was in college, I was somewhat aware that digital photography was emerging, but it was expensive and I was broke, so the photo thing was just shelved for a while. A couple years out of college, digital camera prices had come down and I had a good job so I treated myself to a Canon Rebel XT digital SLR. Having infinite film was amazing for experimentation and I got really into nature photography for a while.
Then, like everyone else, the camera that was always in my pocket (attached to my smartphone) improved to the point that I didn't find myself reaching for a dedicated camera very often. I got a Sony and then a Fuji mirrorless camera with the goal of getting something smaller than the SLR that would still produce noticeably better photos than the smartphone. They did, but I still didn't find myself using them often, and I sold them off.
Then, I guess it was 2016, I read Craig Mod's review of the Leica Q camera[0]. I become borderline obsessed. His description of "delight" in using the camera's controls nailed something that I hadn't previously known I was missing from the mirrorless models I'd tried. I wanted the Leica Q, but at a price of over $4,000, that was just a non-starter. I'd check in on prices of new and used Q's periodically, but couldn't justify it for a long time. Finally in 2019, two things happened: Leica introduced a refreshed Q2, and my first child was born. This dropped the price of used Q models and increased my willingness to treat myself to one nice thing while the rest of my life seemed to revolve around keeping a tiny human alive. I snagged a used Leica Q for $2,200, telling myself, "well, if I don't love it, I can probably resell it for about the same".
I think that was the last time I thought about selling it. The camera, as described by Craig Mod, is a delight. Making wonderful photos of my child is too. Maybe there's a psychological aspect here too as the camera was a big gift to myself at a difficult time.
I wouldn't recommend that most people buy a Leica Q (or Q2). They're ridiculously expensive and you can't even change the lens on it. But for a handful of folks like me, who enjoy doing mostly-manual photography with great controls and image quality, it just might be worth it.
[0] https://craigmod.com/essays/leica_q/
Like I wrote here two years ago¹, I have a Sage “The Tea Maker™” (a.k.a. Breville BTM800XL), and it is indeed, as far as I can tell, the top of the line in tea makers.
1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21074519
1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21074519
I'm not into tea, but my wife is and she swears by this kettle.
CalDigit TS3 Plus for use with a MacBook Pro. Ports for everything and completely solid (since Big Sur).
Second-hand Epson projector (EH-TW5910) for movie nights: discovered the picture is still great even when projecting from quite a long way off-centre, next to the sofa, using horizontal keystone correction. From CEX in the UK, who awesomely provide a 2yr warranty on second-hand stuff.
Monoprice Select Mini v2 3D printer, mainly for designing/downloading and printing new Gravitrax pieces with the kids during lockdown.
Second-hand Epson projector (EH-TW5910) for movie nights: discovered the picture is still great even when projecting from quite a long way off-centre, next to the sofa, using horizontal keystone correction. From CEX in the UK, who awesomely provide a 2yr warranty on second-hand stuff.
Monoprice Select Mini v2 3D printer, mainly for designing/downloading and printing new Gravitrax pieces with the kids during lockdown.
Foot hammock for my desk. $20 well spent. If you don't have one you're missing out.
You can find them on Amazon. Doesn't matter which vendor, they're all the same. Fits most desks.
You can find them on Amazon. Doesn't matter which vendor, they're all the same. Fits most desks.
A boxing heavybag.
The best stress reliever imaginable.
The best stress reliever imaginable.
A very basic but effective home gym: A barbell and 140kg of bumper plates, Squat/bench stands, bench, slam ball, dumbbells and a small range of kettlebells. The whole thing cost about the equivalent of a year's gym membership but have lasted two years so far and show no sign of wear.
Being able to lift something heavy on a regular basis over the last year has been a massive boost for my mental and physical health. You don't need expensive gear, some of my best workouts are from a metal bar wedged over a loft hatch, you just need to have something and use it.
Being able to lift something heavy on a regular basis over the last year has been a massive boost for my mental and physical health. You don't need expensive gear, some of my best workouts are from a metal bar wedged over a loft hatch, you just need to have something and use it.
This is a great one. I got mine about 8 years ago (whoa) and it’s a gift to yourself that keeps on giving. Mine shows no wear at all, really. Bearings in the barbell still roll smoothly, no rust, no gear getting flimsy.
I’ll admit I struggle at times to use it, but it has definitely saved more than it cost me now. I sometimes get a gym membership when time is limited and there’s a good gym near where I’m working. Convenience plays a huge role in my ability to work out. Having 3 kids at home makes the home gym really hard to use!
I’ll admit I struggle at times to use it, but it has definitely saved more than it cost me now. I sometimes get a gym membership when time is limited and there’s a good gym near where I’m working. Convenience plays a huge role in my ability to work out. Having 3 kids at home makes the home gym really hard to use!
I wish I could do this! But alas, living in an apartment in the city this will remain my pipedream.
Nonsense, just get rid of your couch / tv area. No distractions :)
I rent a garage with a couple of friends and we built a home gym in it. A little rough during Chicago winters, but it's been nice.
I live on the 5th floor and have 160kg of weights + barbell on my balcony. Got that during corona when all the gyms closed. I do squats, deadlifts and overhead presses.
I mean, I wouldn't do it if the building (and the balcony) isn't a modern overbuilt masterpiece.
The only drawback is that I really need to put the weights gently otherwise I'm pretty sure neighbors would complain.
I mean, I wouldn't do it if the building (and the balcony) isn't a modern overbuilt masterpiece.
The only drawback is that I really need to put the weights gently otherwise I'm pretty sure neighbors would complain.
Putting the weights down gently also gives you a better workout. Slow and controlled motions :)
a 25 lb kettle bell will do wonders - but like anything powerful caution is advised:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKx8xE8jJZs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKx8xE8jJZs
Used to be a dream of mine, except now the gym is one of the few places to socialize (100% wfh)
https://prxperformance.com is an awesome solution there, but I am biased.
If one wants to go cheaper I recommend the body weight fitness subreddit. But I really just followed their wiki and mostly the "old" routine.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommend...
and I follow this one, except I do something out of new routine instead of L-sits: https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommend...
The only thing that is necessary is a bar for pull-ups and around an hour of your time two or three times a week.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommend...
and I follow this one, except I do something out of new routine instead of L-sits: https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommend...
The only thing that is necessary is a bar for pull-ups and around an hour of your time two or three times a week.
I used to be really into body weight fitness (actually need to start it back up again). However, they still recommend most people get weights and a set of plates because there are very limited options when it comes to doing leg exercises.
Weighted calisthenics is even better. You can get huge legs doing weighted pistol squats and reverse nordics.
I've been trying off and on to work on doing pistols. I think the primary reason people suggest a set of weights and a traditional weightlifting leg routine is because its pretty difficult to develop the strength and balance to do pistols even without weight. I got to the point where I was doing squats with an 80lb weight vest and holding another 70+ pounds of kettlebells and I still wasn't anywhere near strong enough to do unweighted pistols.
Gonna keep trying though.
Gonna keep trying though.
That's why I follow more the old routine. It seems to be simpler for me and it worked good enough at least for know.
FWIW I schedule my showers right after my workouts so that I spend less total time devoted to fitness during the week.
I don't get much time to work out but I wake up, do some minor bodyweight stuff, shower, get on with day.
For me, it helps to consistently do it every day (mostly) rather than a few times a week.
For me, it helps to consistently do it every day (mostly) rather than a few times a week.
yes - really you could get by on a 25 lb kettle bell - swings & get ups are the fastest way to build strength according to comrad Pavel Tsatsouline
I built out the basic home gym over the pandemic, but gyms in my town have dropped the mask mandate and I can't wait to get back in. I'll continue both, and the home gym improved the last year of my life immeasurably, but I've always like going to other gyms. When I lived in the city, I made the rounds among the different gym locations available to me.
I guess I'm back to having the best of both worlds.
I guess I'm back to having the best of both worlds.
I got a FitBod subscription on the iPad and paired it with a bench and variable weights. It's been a life-changer.
The prices of weight plates in the UK have gone nuts. Now over £3/kg for second hand plates.
I bought a squat rack, barbell, 280lbs in plates all from Titan Fitness. It's the perfect match between cost and premium. It has it's blemishes, but it's much cheaper than Rogue. I'm doing a PPL split for about 8 month and lost a lot of weight but also got a lot stronger.
My best purchase was the Onewheel XR. Easy, fun, convenient transportation. Electric powered to reduce my carbon footprint, as I now get around town without my car unless I'm transporting more than I can carry in one hand. One year later and I still love it and use it every day for both commuting and recreational trail riding.
Roomba i7. I had an ant problem that made it so I had to vacuum at least once a day. It empties itself and I can run it while I'm working, so it gets a lot of use.
Thankfully lots of vacuuming and lots of traps seemed to have done the job. I tried a ton of bait and I believe the Raid ant traps finished the job.
Thankfully lots of vacuuming and lots of traps seemed to have done the job. I tried a ton of bait and I believe the Raid ant traps finished the job.
Having sold my MacBook Pro and bought a powerful System 76 Lemur Pro laptop [1] with a fully reprogrammable firmware and their Pop!_OS [2] replacing my former macOS. Wow! The keyboard shortcuts are so consistent, the built in tiling manager so efficient. Linux, I’m back!
[1] https://system76.com/laptops/lemur
[2] https://pop.system76.com/
[1] https://system76.com/laptops/lemur
[2] https://pop.system76.com/
My Oculus Quest and prescription lenses for it. I wish I had gotten the lenses sooner, not having to wear glasses is a total game changer (plus my glasses rubbed up against and damaged the Quest's lenses). The Quest really felt like a magical piece of technology, and it's really sad to see what FB is doing to the platform. I'm not sure what I'll do in the future.
Kindle: E-ink is a total gamechanger for reading. I like the Goodreads integration too.
A spare key + spare gate opener: I've been going on a lot of bike rides and the inconvenience of juggling keys was really annoying. I finally bit the bullet and had a new key made. Plus with a tiny little gate opener (https://www.amazon.com/Keychain-Remote-Garage-Opener-Firefly...) I don't have to stop and squeeze through the pedestrian gate at my complex. Massive quality of life improvement for about $20
CZ 75 SP-01: It's really fun to put holes in paper from 10-20 meters away, but my arms aren't long enough to reach that far. The folks at Česká Zbrojovka have a perfect solution to that problem.
Kindle: E-ink is a total gamechanger for reading. I like the Goodreads integration too.
A spare key + spare gate opener: I've been going on a lot of bike rides and the inconvenience of juggling keys was really annoying. I finally bit the bullet and had a new key made. Plus with a tiny little gate opener (https://www.amazon.com/Keychain-Remote-Garage-Opener-Firefly...) I don't have to stop and squeeze through the pedestrian gate at my complex. Massive quality of life improvement for about $20
CZ 75 SP-01: It's really fun to put holes in paper from 10-20 meters away, but my arms aren't long enough to reach that far. The folks at Česká Zbrojovka have a perfect solution to that problem.
Oh yeah, I got prescription lenses for my Valve Index and it was an absolute game changer.
Extremely cheap, too. You can get the lenses for as little as $7 + shipping from Zenni Optical, though I opted for ones with an oleophobic coating to prevent fingerprints when I'm taking them in and pulling them out for when other people use my headset. Then, just a 3D printed lens adapter (Basically free if you already have a 3D printer, or about $4 + shipping if you use a 3D printing service).
Extremely cheap, too. You can get the lenses for as little as $7 + shipping from Zenni Optical, though I opted for ones with an oleophobic coating to prevent fingerprints when I'm taking them in and pulling them out for when other people use my headset. Then, just a 3D printed lens adapter (Basically free if you already have a 3D printer, or about $4 + shipping if you use a 3D printing service).
Tesla Model Y and Surface Laptop 4. I love the screen on the surface laptop and as a developer I feel way more productive. Tesla is just cool
This cast iron skillet from a dutch brand called Valhalla Outdoor was life changing for me [1]. I got it for 50 euro, use it almost every day to grill something.
[1] https://www.valhaloutdoor.com/product/vh30h-skillet-met-2-ha...
[1] https://www.valhaloutdoor.com/product/vh30h-skillet-met-2-ha...
XM/Satellite radio. For all the talk about Netflix and Hulu and the like, I actually sit down to watch something on those services maybe once a week. But I listen to satellite radio every time I'm in the car. It's especially good for sports. No fumbling with streaming services. Just tune straight to the hometown game on the dial, even though I no longer live in my hometown. It's a bit strange to me that one never hears anything about satellite radio, anymore. It's a great service. The content options are good. And it just works.
SNOO Smart Sleeper. It's a $1400 smart bassinet and I was for obvious reasons dead-set against it -- after all, parents have been getting their newborns to sleep without a "smart sleeper" for hundreds of thousands of years, right? -- but after a few weeks of sleep deprivation I would have emptied my bank account for a good night's sleep. Our once-recalcitrant infant son fell asleep within seconds of first being placed in the SNOO. It really, really works. He's 4 months old now and mostly sleeps through the night.
SNOO Smart Sleeper. It's a $1400 smart bassinet and I was for obvious reasons dead-set against it -- after all, parents have been getting their newborns to sleep without a "smart sleeper" for hundreds of thousands of years, right? -- but after a few weeks of sleep deprivation I would have emptied my bank account for a good night's sleep. Our once-recalcitrant infant son fell asleep within seconds of first being placed in the SNOO. It really, really works. He's 4 months old now and mostly sleeps through the night.
SeaEagle 380x inflatable kayak.
I bought my wife a Liv electric mtb (front suspension only since it was cheapest). She never rode mtb before this and now 6mo later she's an almost daily rider. We live at the base of a large mountain range with lots of trails and the electric assist has allowed her to gradually build up the endurance to ride the mountains. Soon she'll be transitioning to a non-electric full suspension and we'll probably sell the electric.
Not counting a home: my favorite purchase has been a good stereo for my home office. Nothing that broke the bank, either - I picked up an older Technics receiver and a pair of Advent Legacy floor-standing speakers for under $200.
Now that I stay in the same room 12-16 hours per day, they've been extremely helpful in making things feel less boring and monotonous.
Now that I stay in the same room 12-16 hours per day, they've been extremely helpful in making things feel less boring and monotonous.
I am a little reluctant, but I will add Kindle Oasis.
I upgraded to Oasis from Kindle Paperwhite. But my favorite Kindle is Kindle Keyboard 3. It is the easiest to hold among all Kindles. As it doesn't have touchscreen, I never worry about inadvertently turning the page or activating some menu. Only reason I got Paperwhite was because I wanted waterproof and builtin light.
PW is really awkward to hold especially when laying down in the bed.
Oasis is obviously ridiculously over-priced. But I got it because I got tired of PW. I like that Oasis has a large area to rest your thumb or fingers on, and also physical buttons definitely makes reading experience better. But it is not perfect, metal on back is too slippery, I still end up turning pages by accidents especially when switching hands. And did I mention it is way too expensive.
But it is still one of my favorite items, it is so much easier to read on it for extended period of time. I also send blog posts, news articles, docs, etc to Kindle via chrome extension and read them later when relaxing in the evening.
Also while I enjoy reading on Oasis, I am going back to physical books as much as possible. Mostly because I want to gift my books to my kids, and I don't know if Kindle would be around in 20 years or not. So the stuff I read on Kindle is mostly borrowed books from Prime library, personal docs, free books, or books that I am pretty sure will be useless in a few years like books on Kubernetes or other hot technologies.
I upgraded to Oasis from Kindle Paperwhite. But my favorite Kindle is Kindle Keyboard 3. It is the easiest to hold among all Kindles. As it doesn't have touchscreen, I never worry about inadvertently turning the page or activating some menu. Only reason I got Paperwhite was because I wanted waterproof and builtin light.
PW is really awkward to hold especially when laying down in the bed.
Oasis is obviously ridiculously over-priced. But I got it because I got tired of PW. I like that Oasis has a large area to rest your thumb or fingers on, and also physical buttons definitely makes reading experience better. But it is not perfect, metal on back is too slippery, I still end up turning pages by accidents especially when switching hands. And did I mention it is way too expensive.
But it is still one of my favorite items, it is so much easier to read on it for extended period of time. I also send blog posts, news articles, docs, etc to Kindle via chrome extension and read them later when relaxing in the evening.
Also while I enjoy reading on Oasis, I am going back to physical books as much as possible. Mostly because I want to gift my books to my kids, and I don't know if Kindle would be around in 20 years or not. So the stuff I read on Kindle is mostly borrowed books from Prime library, personal docs, free books, or books that I am pretty sure will be useless in a few years like books on Kubernetes or other hot technologies.
I love my paperwhite, EXCEPT for the ridiculous place they put the power button. It's right where the device rests on my finger and I inadvertently turn the unit off quite frequently.
I'm with you on the kindle oasis. I was a little hesitant due to the price, but my last kindle lasted for years and the build quality is so high. I also love the tinted backlight as it makes reading in bed so much easier
I agree. I was able to lessen the price by buying the previous gen (the one without the amber screen option) on letgo/OfferUp for $100. Monitored those apps as well as FB marketplace for a few weeks until I got a good deal. Sold my Apple TV before I bought which covered most of the price. Well worth it especially with Kindle -> Readwise -> Notion.
Azure Standard (in Dufur, Oregon) “unifine”[0] flour (I buy mostly rye, whole wheat, bread flour, AP, corn meal). I think these flours taste better than from other processes. I make simple sourdough (no waste: feeding over several days to a week at 16-19 degrees C, setting aside a cup for the next batch, mixing in new flour and less than 1tsp iodized salt for about 8c flour, kneading or not much, oiling, baking flat or rounded at 325-350 for an hour or so; turns out tough, and I like it that way, for toddler face development[1] since we’re not gnawing much meat), pancakes, cornbread. So far I prefer unifine flours for taste and nutrition, since the milling temperature doesn’t get as high as stoneground. I might be misguided, though; feel free to set me straight on this.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unifine_mill
[1] Breath, by James Nestor http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1249567607
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unifine_mill
[1] Breath, by James Nestor http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1249567607
Finally caved and bought myself a light down jacket (https://www.rei.com/product/154226/rei-co-op-650-down-jacket...) initially for hiking but as it turns out there is a reason you see so many people wearing these in the bay area. It is perfect for cool/windy bay-area/SF evenings. Have been wearing it almost every day for the past year.
Also a robot vacuum. I didn't think it would work for me but I started forming a habit where I tidy and then turn it on whenever I am leaving my apartment and the cleanliness/effort ratio is of the charts.
And this beautifully drawn book: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Coast-Illustrated-Adventures-His... Spent so many blissful hours daydreaming/researching about road-trips.
Also a robot vacuum. I didn't think it would work for me but I started forming a habit where I tidy and then turn it on whenever I am leaving my apartment and the cleanliness/effort ratio is of the charts.
And this beautifully drawn book: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Coast-Illustrated-Adventures-His... Spent so many blissful hours daydreaming/researching about road-trips.
Several things. Daily use.
Good coffee Commandante grinder Melitta style set
Kingston Slimblade Realforce Keyboard 100% 1440p screen with power supply
Kobo Aura One
Good coffee Commandante grinder Melitta style set
Kingston Slimblade Realforce Keyboard 100% 1440p screen with power supply
Kobo Aura One
Balisong trainer knife (not sharp) for 20 bucks. It's more like a fun toy I play with. I easily have dozens of hours just playing with this thing and learning new tricks.
Ipad Pro (2018) - bought refurbished from apple, really love the hardware, wish it had some form of adblock - I can't watch youtube on it because I get an ad every 2 minutes. Lovely with procreate or other art apps.
Arturia Microfreak - A small paraphonic digital synth with an analog filter and a neat mod matrix that has been endless fun playing with. Needs something to add effects, though, like a pedal or digitally in your daw.
Bowflex Adjustable Dumbells - with gyms closed and without room for a bigger home setup, these have been really great and were about as much money as multiple dumbells I would need to replace them.
Arturia Microfreak - A small paraphonic digital synth with an analog filter and a neat mod matrix that has been endless fun playing with. Needs something to add effects, though, like a pedal or digitally in your daw.
Bowflex Adjustable Dumbells - with gyms closed and without room for a bigger home setup, these have been really great and were about as much money as multiple dumbells I would need to replace them.
My Ampler electric bicycle:
https://amplerbikes.com/
It’s such a great vehicle, I smile every time I can ride it. It also helped me to use the car less.
Im also pretty happy with my Plumelabs Flow, a small device that constantly measures air pollution. We used it to find a new and better home:
https://plumelabs.com/en/flow/
I also replaced my Android HTC U11 with an IPhone XS. I was always an Android user, but to be honest, I think IPhones are much better.
It’s such a great vehicle, I smile every time I can ride it. It also helped me to use the car less.
Im also pretty happy with my Plumelabs Flow, a small device that constantly measures air pollution. We used it to find a new and better home:
https://plumelabs.com/en/flow/
I also replaced my Android HTC U11 with an IPhone XS. I was always an Android user, but to be honest, I think IPhones are much better.
This is a bit outside the HN box, but I love our Kindling Cracker[1].
We made a little outdoor seating area with a fire pit and then realized we needed to figure out how we were going to fuel it. Plenty of downed trees around us, but we came to realize that logs didn't burn well unless they were split. I did not trust myself to start swinging an axe around and went looking for alternatives. I found this and gave it a shot.
We got the King/XL model which can accept a 9" piece of wood which is most of the pieces we would want to use in a fire pit anyway. It is an incredibly simple setup, basically a solid cast iron rig. You place the log standing vertically in it with the end on the wedge. Whack the other side with a hammer until it splits.
The thing is actually a bunch of fun to use, and they're not kidding when they show kids doing it. My little one loves to whack the log with the hammer once I get it started and stable, and she is capable of really splitting it on her own power. She won't crack a full on log, but anything smaller succumbs to her mini-might :-)
[1] https://www.kindlingcracker.com/
We made a little outdoor seating area with a fire pit and then realized we needed to figure out how we were going to fuel it. Plenty of downed trees around us, but we came to realize that logs didn't burn well unless they were split. I did not trust myself to start swinging an axe around and went looking for alternatives. I found this and gave it a shot.
We got the King/XL model which can accept a 9" piece of wood which is most of the pieces we would want to use in a fire pit anyway. It is an incredibly simple setup, basically a solid cast iron rig. You place the log standing vertically in it with the end on the wedge. Whack the other side with a hammer until it splits.
The thing is actually a bunch of fun to use, and they're not kidding when they show kids doing it. My little one loves to whack the log with the hammer once I get it started and stable, and she is capable of really splitting it on her own power. She won't crack a full on log, but anything smaller succumbs to her mini-might :-)
[1] https://www.kindlingcracker.com/
These things are very cool. I buy wood from a local wood yard every year or two (I don't use much here in Texas, but we do love our firepit and fireplace when it's cool enough), but the splits I get are often too large to easily burn. I'll often buy a bag of kindling when I pickup fire wood, but the kindling doesn't last long.
The main reason I didn't get a kindling cracker is because I don't have a stable base to mount it, although I suppose I could manufacture one next to the wood rack. I did, however, get a hydraulic wood splitter[1] which at least helps split some of the really large logs into something more manageable. It's pretty simple to use and very effective, even on the very knotty and hard oak wood out here.
[1] https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/outdoor-power-tool...
The main reason I didn't get a kindling cracker is because I don't have a stable base to mount it, although I suppose I could manufacture one next to the wood rack. I did, however, get a hydraulic wood splitter[1] which at least helps split some of the really large logs into something more manageable. It's pretty simple to use and very effective, even on the very knotty and hard oak wood out here.
[1] https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/outdoor-power-tool...
My ebike. It’s a Specialized Turbo Vado 4.0. It’s so much more fun than sitting in traffic in my car or the bus.
The Samsung HW-Q950T soundbar with it's 9.1.4 channels of awesome sound.
https://www.samsung.com/dk/audio-devices/soundbar/9-1-4-ch-s...
It's far from a perfect product, eARC is broken on many TVs, rear speakers sometime turn off on their own.
But when it works it sounds fantastic. I should also mention the Avforums where owners discuss this rather complex piece of hardware and how to get the most from it, that has been a really nice experience.
And now the Q950A is almost here :) https://www.samsung.com/my/audio-devices/soundbar/q950a-blac...
https://www.samsung.com/dk/audio-devices/soundbar/9-1-4-ch-s...
It's far from a perfect product, eARC is broken on many TVs, rear speakers sometime turn off on their own.
But when it works it sounds fantastic. I should also mention the Avforums where owners discuss this rather complex piece of hardware and how to get the most from it, that has been a really nice experience.
And now the Q950A is almost here :) https://www.samsung.com/my/audio-devices/soundbar/q950a-blac...
These systems look great, and I'm casually in the market. Wireless aux speakers + bluetooth connection for phones is basically what I'm looking for (on top of great sound obviously).
Right now I have an older Vizio set which has served me well, and I've been checking out Sonos lately.
Would the A be worth the extra $500? I'll use it for TV/movies via HDMI Arc, music via bluetooth (yes I know I shouldn't use BT), and vinyl via RCA/aux.
edit: It actually looks like there is no RCA/aux. I could use optical I guess.
Right now I have an older Vizio set which has served me well, and I've been checking out Sonos lately.
Would the A be worth the extra $500? I'll use it for TV/movies via HDMI Arc, music via bluetooth (yes I know I shouldn't use BT), and vinyl via RCA/aux.
edit: It actually looks like there is no RCA/aux. I could use optical I guess.
Actually Bluetooth has been more reliable than Wifi in getting sound on all channels.
I'd say it's worth the extra $500, you get two extra rear channels, built-in room correction (finally) and a Night Mode made for late night movies or listening to music.
And i think a discount should also be possible.
But you can always check out Avforums for more in-depth information.
I'd say it's worth the extra $500, you get two extra rear channels, built-in room correction (finally) and a Night Mode made for late night movies or listening to music.
And i think a discount should also be possible.
But you can always check out Avforums for more in-depth information.
I was looking at that but saw so many reviews stating that the rear speaker connections didn't work well and got scared off. I got a sonos arc and speaker set instead.
My setup runs to a projector with no eARC support. I found this thing which splits a signal directly from source into two paths with eARC support. Haven't tried it yet, but optimistic that it'll work.
https://www.amazon.com/HDFury-HDF0160-Arcana/dp/B08DF7GRCB?r...
My setup runs to a projector with no eARC support. I found this thing which splits a signal directly from source into two paths with eARC support. Haven't tried it yet, but optimistic that it'll work.
https://www.amazon.com/HDFury-HDF0160-Arcana/dp/B08DF7GRCB?r...
Ergodox keyboard. It really helped with RSI issues I was facing.
Just wanted to say: this is a great thread, and a great place to hear about products from people that I feel can be trusted, unlike almost any other source.
Would love it if there was a more persistent channel for something like this here, but also fear that would end up being gamed and abused.
Would love it if there was a more persistent channel for something like this here, but also fear that would end up being gamed and abused.
Bought two used Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 shortly before lockdown (by chance) and built most of the projects from http://www.nxtprograms.com/index2.html with the kids. These projects are VERY high quality and fun for kids.
Unfortunately the programming interface for NXT 2.0 is crap and I must admit the NXT bricks saw little use since then.
I also have two Beyerdynamic headphones: one DT 770 Pro 80 Ohms and one DT 990 32 ohms. I use them mainly for meetings (WFH). There are very comfortable and some day I wear them for almost 8 hours. They sound different from each other but both are very clear. The DT 990 is "open" which means I can still hear what is going on in the house, for the days kids are at home too.
Unfortunately the programming interface for NXT 2.0 is crap and I must admit the NXT bricks saw little use since then.
I also have two Beyerdynamic headphones: one DT 770 Pro 80 Ohms and one DT 990 32 ohms. I use them mainly for meetings (WFH). There are very comfortable and some day I wear them for almost 8 hours. They sound different from each other but both are very clear. The DT 990 is "open" which means I can still hear what is going on in the house, for the days kids are at home too.
A automatic seiko watch. I always thought a watch is stupid because I carry a phone with me but I found out leaving my house without my phone is much more enjoyable that with a phone. It seems obvious now but it still feels like a tiny luxury holiday.
You guys will probably laugh at this, and it is really low tech, but... maybe my favorite purchase was a pair of hiking boots. Specifically these Cabela's 360 Mid boots.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-360-mid-gore-tex-hik...
So, what's the big deal? Well, the boots themselves aren't necessarily all that special in relative terms. They're not cheap boots, but they're not expensive ones either. I'd say they're pretty average. The difference is between "boots" and "no boots". For most of my adult life, I've generally worn sneakers / tennis shoes of some sort more or less everywhere (excepting the rare occasion when I had to don dress shoes for some weird reason). And I finally got tired of my feel getting wet every time it rains. Seriously, I hate being outside and find that just running the 25 yards from my car to the entrance to a store, when it's raining, or FSM forbid, stepping in a 1/4" deep puddle of standing water in the parking lot, leaves my feet soaked.
So I bought boots. And I wear them pretty much everywhere now. Now my feel don't get soaked from a light drizzle, and they have turned out to be a lot more comfortable than I probably expected. They're also generally better for doing a lot of outdoor stuff I like to do (fishing, etc.) than tennis shoes. Honestly, I should have bought a decent pair of boots years ago. Not sure why it took me so long to get around to it.
On a more technical note: I've bought a lot of test equipment over the last couple of years, as I set out to build the electronics lab I always wanted. And by and large I'm happy with everything I've bought, but the one thing that stands out as the most useful of all has definitely been a proper bench power supply. I went with a Rigol DP832A and I've been very pleased with it.
https://www.amazon.com/Rigol-DP832A-Channels-Programmable-Su...
Really nice aspects of finally having a real power supply:
1. Instantly dial up any voltage I want (within its range of course). And that has been more useful than I probably would have expected, because I find myself dial up 3.3V more and more often lately, and I never had a quick and easy way to get 3.3V before. Maybe there's a 3.3V wall-wart around here somewhere, but I doubt it.
2. Configurable current limiting. You can set a current limit to avoid accidentally dumping too much current into something and frying it.
3. Current read-out on the LCD display. Turns out it's also very useful to hook something up and empirically observe how much current it tries to consume.
The other "tech" item I really like is my Hakko FX951-66 temperature controlled soldering station. People have been telling me to get a proper temperature controlled station for years, and I finally understand why. It's a huge improvement over those crappy Radio Shack soldering pencil style soldering irons.
https://www.amazon.com/AMERICAN-HAKKO-PRODUCTS-INC-FX-951/dp...
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-360-mid-gore-tex-hik...
So, what's the big deal? Well, the boots themselves aren't necessarily all that special in relative terms. They're not cheap boots, but they're not expensive ones either. I'd say they're pretty average. The difference is between "boots" and "no boots". For most of my adult life, I've generally worn sneakers / tennis shoes of some sort more or less everywhere (excepting the rare occasion when I had to don dress shoes for some weird reason). And I finally got tired of my feel getting wet every time it rains. Seriously, I hate being outside and find that just running the 25 yards from my car to the entrance to a store, when it's raining, or FSM forbid, stepping in a 1/4" deep puddle of standing water in the parking lot, leaves my feet soaked.
So I bought boots. And I wear them pretty much everywhere now. Now my feel don't get soaked from a light drizzle, and they have turned out to be a lot more comfortable than I probably expected. They're also generally better for doing a lot of outdoor stuff I like to do (fishing, etc.) than tennis shoes. Honestly, I should have bought a decent pair of boots years ago. Not sure why it took me so long to get around to it.
On a more technical note: I've bought a lot of test equipment over the last couple of years, as I set out to build the electronics lab I always wanted. And by and large I'm happy with everything I've bought, but the one thing that stands out as the most useful of all has definitely been a proper bench power supply. I went with a Rigol DP832A and I've been very pleased with it.
https://www.amazon.com/Rigol-DP832A-Channels-Programmable-Su...
Really nice aspects of finally having a real power supply:
1. Instantly dial up any voltage I want (within its range of course). And that has been more useful than I probably would have expected, because I find myself dial up 3.3V more and more often lately, and I never had a quick and easy way to get 3.3V before. Maybe there's a 3.3V wall-wart around here somewhere, but I doubt it.
2. Configurable current limiting. You can set a current limit to avoid accidentally dumping too much current into something and frying it.
3. Current read-out on the LCD display. Turns out it's also very useful to hook something up and empirically observe how much current it tries to consume.
The other "tech" item I really like is my Hakko FX951-66 temperature controlled soldering station. People have been telling me to get a proper temperature controlled station for years, and I finally understand why. It's a huge improvement over those crappy Radio Shack soldering pencil style soldering irons.
https://www.amazon.com/AMERICAN-HAKKO-PRODUCTS-INC-FX-951/dp...
My house.
Mortgage is about 30% less than what I used to pay in rent, and I'm actually saving most of those money (actual interest is a very small portion of that).
I don't have lousy roommates, but now my SO and me can move in together and start our life together.
I pretty much ignored (and sometimes made fun of) people telling me not to buy and to invest in the stock market.
Most of them actually own their own house but won't sell it to "invest in the stock market".
I don't live in SF tho.
Mortgage is about 30% less than what I used to pay in rent, and I'm actually saving most of those money (actual interest is a very small portion of that).
I don't have lousy roommates, but now my SO and me can move in together and start our life together.
I pretty much ignored (and sometimes made fun of) people telling me not to buy and to invest in the stock market.
Most of them actually own their own house but won't sell it to "invest in the stock market".
I don't live in SF tho.
> I don't live in SF tho.
Where are you located? How much was the down payment?
The housing market is a mess right now, so I'm curious how other people somehow bought a house in this enviornment.
Where are you located? How much was the down payment?
The housing market is a mess right now, so I'm curious how other people somehow bought a house in this enviornment.
Bought a Ender3 3d Printer last year during the lockdown. It cost me about $150. Took me about 3 months of learning, lots of mistake, trial and error before I was able to get decent and useful things to print. But its a great starter printer and cheap. So far I got my money's worth simply based on the time my son and I have spent together tinkering with it and learning all about the 3d printing process. I think once I get to a certain point in my new found hobby, I'll invest in something like a Prussa. ($800+)
The Ender 3 is the perfect entry-level printer. Cheap, but upgradeable.
I bought my Ender 3 last October, and since then, I've added:
- BLTouch
- PEI bed
- Filament runout sensor
- Upgraded motherboard with quiet stepper motor drivers
- Dual-gear extruder
I bought my Ender 3 last October, and since then, I've added:
- BLTouch
- PEI bed
- Filament runout sensor
- Upgraded motherboard with quiet stepper motor drivers
- Dual-gear extruder
Thanks for sharing that - I am always curious about 3d printing, and a cheap printer sounds like a nice entry point, even nicer to know this one has a few growth options!
1. Aarke Carbonator 3 – replacing my old Soda Stream. Different than every other comparable appliance I know it is mostly made from solid steel. Looks good and I expect it live for at least two decades.
2. Except that, not much – the virus changed my spending habits. I don't know why but spending most of my day physically isolated from other people (while at work) tremendously reduced my buying reflexes. This tells me something about whom or for what purpose I used to buy things. And becoming aware of that I tend to believe at least a little of this behavior will stick post-Covid.
2. Except that, not much – the virus changed my spending habits. I don't know why but spending most of my day physically isolated from other people (while at work) tremendously reduced my buying reflexes. This tells me something about whom or for what purpose I used to buy things. And becoming aware of that I tend to believe at least a little of this behavior will stick post-Covid.
I've purchased three Helix PCBs from Little Keyboards. Incredibly friendly people, easy to get ahold of whether is on Discord or through email. No issue with putting the keyboards together that wasn't user error. QMK has been a joy to use.
Keyboard for home, work, girlfriend's place. Colemak support everywhere.
https://www.littlekeyboards.com/collections/helix-pcb-kits
Keyboard for home, work, girlfriend's place. Colemak support everywhere.
https://www.littlekeyboards.com/collections/helix-pcb-kits
Kärcher FC7 hardfloor electric brush: rotating brushes with water, combining swiping, vacuum, brushing and hardwood polish in one go, perfect for picking up after the 2yr old whole avoiding sucking up Legos into the void, and polishing our wood floor.
So basically you never have to mop your hardwood floors ever again?
exactly. and it’s like a one stop with vacuuming, incl bigger stuff like breadcrumbs.
Yamaha Reface CP: I can't believe how pleasurable this whole package is to play. Synth snobs look down, there are more versatile alternatives, and it as it looks like a toy, but the keys are amazing, the sound is amazing, and it runs off batteries through built in speakers. No setup required. It's one of the first bits of music tech I got that actually helps write music. Looking at a Little Martin next as if the gear snobs were wrong about 88 key hammer action, maybe they are wrong about solid top jumbo acoustic guitars.
M1 MacBook Air: The hype is real. I've only managed to get this thing hot to the touch once, battery life for days, and living off grid, my 12V battery never runs dry. My work Intel MacBook, the most expensive one they do on the other hand, crashes constantly, drains over 90W of juice, and does so even more when connected to an external display.
Dr Bronner's Magic Soap: Dissolve the liquid in a foaming hand dispenser, or use the bar soap and it lasts for months!
M1 MacBook Air: The hype is real. I've only managed to get this thing hot to the touch once, battery life for days, and living off grid, my 12V battery never runs dry. My work Intel MacBook, the most expensive one they do on the other hand, crashes constantly, drains over 90W of juice, and does so even more when connected to an external display.
Dr Bronner's Magic Soap: Dissolve the liquid in a foaming hand dispenser, or use the bar soap and it lasts for months!
Electronics:
We moved into a free-standing house (in SF) from an apartment and for the first time in my adult life, security became something I had to think about.
I bought 3x Arlo cameras -- a doorbell cam and 2x 4K cams to cover our patio & driveway, and I have to say, it's one of the best hardware purchases I've ever made. I never thought myself to be a "worried about home security" guy, but it's REALLY been great to have these.
First, I get to watch the raccoons come by at night and wander through our yard, which is funny and fascinating :)
Second, I get instant notifications when a delivery person is approaching so I can go greet them and they don't even have to ring the doorbell, and
Third, it provides actual security. A homeless dude parked himself in front our garage a few weeks ago and settled in with his crack pipe (Welcome to SF everyone!), and I quickly and politely got on the remote audio (from overseas!), said "Please leave the area" in my most authoritative and polite voice, and he got up, waved in the universal "sorry, didn't think anyone would notice" way, and all was fine.
Non-electronics:
I've rediscovered my love for numismatics lately and I just bought an 1883 Morgan dollar, toned in proof 63 and man oh man does that bring me joy.
If you're a coin nerd, you know what that all means. If not, it's a gorgeous colorful piece of handheld art in form of a silver dollar that the US mint produced in 1883 specifically for collectors, and it's stunningly beautiful (and was entirely out of reach for me when I was a 10 y/o and first got into coins).
We moved into a free-standing house (in SF) from an apartment and for the first time in my adult life, security became something I had to think about.
I bought 3x Arlo cameras -- a doorbell cam and 2x 4K cams to cover our patio & driveway, and I have to say, it's one of the best hardware purchases I've ever made. I never thought myself to be a "worried about home security" guy, but it's REALLY been great to have these.
First, I get to watch the raccoons come by at night and wander through our yard, which is funny and fascinating :)
Second, I get instant notifications when a delivery person is approaching so I can go greet them and they don't even have to ring the doorbell, and
Third, it provides actual security. A homeless dude parked himself in front our garage a few weeks ago and settled in with his crack pipe (Welcome to SF everyone!), and I quickly and politely got on the remote audio (from overseas!), said "Please leave the area" in my most authoritative and polite voice, and he got up, waved in the universal "sorry, didn't think anyone would notice" way, and all was fine.
Non-electronics:
I've rediscovered my love for numismatics lately and I just bought an 1883 Morgan dollar, toned in proof 63 and man oh man does that bring me joy.
If you're a coin nerd, you know what that all means. If not, it's a gorgeous colorful piece of handheld art in form of a silver dollar that the US mint produced in 1883 specifically for collectors, and it's stunningly beautiful (and was entirely out of reach for me when I was a 10 y/o and first got into coins).
5 arlos here and I love the hardware but the software is so bad and unreliable, especially mobile that I regret going this direction. I'd probably go with unfi if I did it all over.
> I bought 3x Arlo cameras
How is Arlo in terms of data privacy? I could never bring myself to buy a Ring because of Amazon vacuuming all personal data.
How is Arlo in terms of data privacy? I could never bring myself to buy a Ring because of Amazon vacuuming all personal data.
Twisbi Eco fountain pen: I think this is a bit past the 2 year mark, but still to this day a purchase I really enjoy. I found that my handwriting improved quite a bit, and I like the different inks. It's pretty subjective, but I've found a good fountain pen just makes writing a lot more enjoyable.
Timex Vibration Digital Watch: I have time blindness, so having a thing on my wrist that beeps every hour is really useful. Vibrating alarm means that I know when a timer goes off even if I have headphones on or am sleeping. And there's something to be said for the simplicity of digital watch interfaces. I don't have to worry about charging it, the UX is easy to understand. It helps with my time blindness, and that's it -- it doesn't check my blood pressure or tell me when I get a text message. It does one thing well.
VivoBarefoot Primus Lite (II): barefoot/low-support shoes are not for everyone, but they made a drastic difference for me in reducing foot pain. I like VivoBarefoot's return policy, and their shoes have held up pretty well for me so far.
Tofu Press: If you're using paper towels and plates to press your tofu, you might not realize that tofu presses exist or that they're actually an improvement and not just a gimmicky accessory. They're not a gimmick, they make the prep process a lot easier and a lot less messy. You don't need a complicated press, mine is 2 plastic boards with 2 screws holding them together. I just slip the entire block between them, tighten the screws and then leave the whole thing sitting over a bowl. Way less work than soaking paper towels.
Domestic rats: I think domestic rats are basically the perfect apartment pet. If you want a pet but feel intimidated by a cat or dog or don't have the space to take care of them, you should look into rats. They're lower maintenance than a cat, but very intelligent and affectionate. They love to explore and can be taught tricks, they're litterbox trainable, they're extremely gentle if you get them from a proper breeder. They're pretty messy, but not terrible, and most of their mess gets consolidated to the areas where you let them play. They've done wonders for my mental health during the pandemic; they're just fascinating, amazing animals.
Always buy at least 2, never buy them from a pet store, and keep in mind that because they're so intelligent they do need more interaction, more space, and a lot more mental stimulation than other rodents/pocket-pets. Do research first. Also keep in mind that they'll only live 3-4 years (much less if you get them from a pet store or breeder that does inbreeding), which can be both a positive and a negative.
Timex Vibration Digital Watch: I have time blindness, so having a thing on my wrist that beeps every hour is really useful. Vibrating alarm means that I know when a timer goes off even if I have headphones on or am sleeping. And there's something to be said for the simplicity of digital watch interfaces. I don't have to worry about charging it, the UX is easy to understand. It helps with my time blindness, and that's it -- it doesn't check my blood pressure or tell me when I get a text message. It does one thing well.
VivoBarefoot Primus Lite (II): barefoot/low-support shoes are not for everyone, but they made a drastic difference for me in reducing foot pain. I like VivoBarefoot's return policy, and their shoes have held up pretty well for me so far.
Tofu Press: If you're using paper towels and plates to press your tofu, you might not realize that tofu presses exist or that they're actually an improvement and not just a gimmicky accessory. They're not a gimmick, they make the prep process a lot easier and a lot less messy. You don't need a complicated press, mine is 2 plastic boards with 2 screws holding them together. I just slip the entire block between them, tighten the screws and then leave the whole thing sitting over a bowl. Way less work than soaking paper towels.
Domestic rats: I think domestic rats are basically the perfect apartment pet. If you want a pet but feel intimidated by a cat or dog or don't have the space to take care of them, you should look into rats. They're lower maintenance than a cat, but very intelligent and affectionate. They love to explore and can be taught tricks, they're litterbox trainable, they're extremely gentle if you get them from a proper breeder. They're pretty messy, but not terrible, and most of their mess gets consolidated to the areas where you let them play. They've done wonders for my mental health during the pandemic; they're just fascinating, amazing animals.
Always buy at least 2, never buy them from a pet store, and keep in mind that because they're so intelligent they do need more interaction, more space, and a lot more mental stimulation than other rodents/pocket-pets. Do research first. Also keep in mind that they'll only live 3-4 years (much less if you get them from a pet store or breeder that does inbreeding), which can be both a positive and a negative.
Bean to cup espresso machine (Melitta Purista, £339 fwiw). My days of faffing with portafilters are behind me, and it will make it extremely strong if you want.
2002 Toyota Alphard minivan (£7000, 60k miles) - it does everything! Kids, 7 passengers, cargo space, 100V mains sockets, yells at me in Japanese. Was pretty cheap through a UK importer, though I'm tempted to upgrade by buying direct through a Japanese auction site next time.
I don't know why they hardly sell minivans in the UK, 3 friends have bought vans after seeing ours!
2002 Toyota Alphard minivan (£7000, 60k miles) - it does everything! Kids, 7 passengers, cargo space, 100V mains sockets, yells at me in Japanese. Was pretty cheap through a UK importer, though I'm tempted to upgrade by buying direct through a Japanese auction site next time.
I don't know why they hardly sell minivans in the UK, 3 friends have bought vans after seeing ours!
Vans are hugely underrated. Been an owner of Mercedes Vito for years and since them never look into any other car type.
Get a chance to ride Vito/Viano :) Alphard is good, but not nearly as comfortable as MB. I bet price wise the difference is marginal for old models.
Get a chance to ride Vito/Viano :) Alphard is good, but not nearly as comfortable as MB. I bet price wise the difference is marginal for old models.
Nice, I will give them a try. I've broadly assumed VWs & Mercedes cost more, and Toyotas are reliable. But it'll come down to the specifics I guess!
Price depends on the local market i guess, but if you’re looking at 10+ years cars it shouldn’t be much difference price-wise. Toyotas are reliable indeed, but MB will beat it, older models have amazing reliability.
Some folks like WV, but I personally find it overpriced and uncomfortable. Quite ugly design wise if we look at T4/T5, but that’s speculation of course.
Some folks like WV, but I personally find it overpriced and uncomfortable. Quite ugly design wise if we look at T4/T5, but that’s speculation of course.
Backscratcher - I never knew I couldn't go without one until I had one. I now have several dotted about the house.
> But the HN crew can give good advice and are extremely unlikely to shill garbage.
Don’t jinx it!
For me it was an ebike.
Don’t jinx it!
For me it was an ebike.
[deleted]
Multiport bluetooth earbuds. Helps me to zone out when I do dishes / chores, I can do running, meetings are much more comfortable, seamless transition between laptop/phone, etc.
Aerogarden. I've always got a fresh supply of basil and chives and dill now.
I moved away from a 2015 MBP and built a dual-boot Ryzentosh mini-ITX desktop machine last year. One of my favorite set of purchases to date, and one of my most used purchases for work (and gaming). It was my first PC build, so it was a fun learning experience.
I also bought an Elbit WP PVS-14 for my 30th birthday, and that'll go down as one of my favorite single purchases.
I also bought an Elbit WP PVS-14 for my 30th birthday, and that'll go down as one of my favorite single purchases.
Noahlink Wireless Bluetooth Hearing Aid Programmer
I have Oticon Opn1 hearing aids and I always hated that I had to go to the Audiologist and have her tweak them, leave for a week or two and only then could I come back and have them readjusted. I get that sometimes you need to sit with a change for a while to get used to it, but sometimes you just know immediately whether something is working or not. OR, you just want to A/B test some things and the hassle of going back to the audi was too much. I realize now that I ended up living with hearing aids that were working sub par for many years.
I found that the software for programming the Oticon Opn's (among others) is free to use by anyone, however you need a device that will connect to them for programming. This is the Noahlink device. A couple of hundred bucks on Amazon and a few days of reading the documentation and I am off and running! I made several changes in quick succession and I can safely say that now I have them set to what they should have always been, years later. Where before I could only hear maybe 50% of what people were saying in a loud environment, I can now hear at least 75%. That may not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference! I now come home from a social event and I am not completely wiped out with exhaustion. One of the best purchases I have made in the last 10 years.
I have Oticon Opn1 hearing aids and I always hated that I had to go to the Audiologist and have her tweak them, leave for a week or two and only then could I come back and have them readjusted. I get that sometimes you need to sit with a change for a while to get used to it, but sometimes you just know immediately whether something is working or not. OR, you just want to A/B test some things and the hassle of going back to the audi was too much. I realize now that I ended up living with hearing aids that were working sub par for many years.
I found that the software for programming the Oticon Opn's (among others) is free to use by anyone, however you need a device that will connect to them for programming. This is the Noahlink device. A couple of hundred bucks on Amazon and a few days of reading the documentation and I am off and running! I made several changes in quick succession and I can safely say that now I have them set to what they should have always been, years later. Where before I could only hear maybe 50% of what people were saying in a loud environment, I can now hear at least 75%. That may not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference! I now come home from a social event and I am not completely wiped out with exhaustion. One of the best purchases I have made in the last 10 years.
- Squat Rack
Ass to grass.
- Samsung S6 Lite to digitize note taking.
Never thought I'd use so many colors and actually refer to the notes I've taken. For all you die-hard paper and pen fans out there I was one too, but it really is a game-changer!
- Sony WM1000xm3 headphones to easily enter flow state.
Before it would take me at least 30 minutes to get in the zone, now it's a matter of a few songs.
- Oura Ring to be more mindful of rest.
Observing my sleep score every morning made it easier to prioritize it.
Ass to grass.
- Samsung S6 Lite to digitize note taking.
Never thought I'd use so many colors and actually refer to the notes I've taken. For all you die-hard paper and pen fans out there I was one too, but it really is a game-changer!
- Sony WM1000xm3 headphones to easily enter flow state.
Before it would take me at least 30 minutes to get in the zone, now it's a matter of a few songs.
- Oura Ring to be more mindful of rest.
Observing my sleep score every morning made it easier to prioritize it.
What apps do you find yourself using on the S6 Lite?
$600 espresso maker. Used it every day during quarantine. It has already paid for itself and more, and now the average coffee shop latte tastes terrible to me.
Coming from rather bulky DSLRs (e.g. Canon 7D), the Ricoh GR III was a game changer for me.
The camera has a superb image quality while easily fitting in the front pocket of my pants, which allows me to carry it each and every day.
That availability allowed me to take many shots I would have missed with my bulkier cameras as I would have left them at home.
The development presets it brought luckily meet my taste, which allows me to skip development on my computer most of the time (I still shoot RAW and jpeg combined for the other times).
The designers have put much effort in enabling one-handed handling of the camera even in manual mode.
Many current generation smartphones come with capable cameras, though, and I expect many not to see the benefit in this camera for their needs.
Many current generation smartphones come with capable cameras, though, and I expect many not to see the benefit in this camera for their needs.
I bought a very cheap Android tablet (~55 US$). It has 1 GB memory.
It has one purpose only- reading books and papers. I have installed apps like Lithium for reading EPUB, Ebookdroid for reading paper PDFs, Adobe Reader for reading fiction PDFs, a blue light filter that supports scheduling, a lightweight, handy file manager (Xplore), and a very lightweight browser. I have disabled and/or uninstalled all apps that came with the device.
I have very happily dumped my Kindle and will never go back to it. I have been using this device for nearly two years. I love it and it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I read in three languages. Kindles suck at rendering languages other than English efficiently. Whenever a file has mathematical equations and figures, Kindle messes them up and renders out of place ugly equations. Kindle has no color. Difficult to read books with pictures.
Android tablet has eliminated all these problems. Only downside is its battery life. I charge it once in 3-5 days as I only read documents in it- no video or games, or even browser.
After this device retires, I will buy another cheap Android tablet for my reading purposes, and will never go back back to Kindles.
It has one purpose only- reading books and papers. I have installed apps like Lithium for reading EPUB, Ebookdroid for reading paper PDFs, Adobe Reader for reading fiction PDFs, a blue light filter that supports scheduling, a lightweight, handy file manager (Xplore), and a very lightweight browser. I have disabled and/or uninstalled all apps that came with the device.
I have very happily dumped my Kindle and will never go back to it. I have been using this device for nearly two years. I love it and it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.
I read in three languages. Kindles suck at rendering languages other than English efficiently. Whenever a file has mathematical equations and figures, Kindle messes them up and renders out of place ugly equations. Kindle has no color. Difficult to read books with pictures.
Android tablet has eliminated all these problems. Only downside is its battery life. I charge it once in 3-5 days as I only read documents in it- no video or games, or even browser.
After this device retires, I will buy another cheap Android tablet for my reading purposes, and will never go back back to Kindles.
XDR Pro monitor with the stand - Quite an investment but for staring at 12+ hours a day coding / design, its simple and works very well.
6' x 6' x 8' Herman Miller A02 cubicle, walls only - Gave up my office as a baby room. Re-factored / reorganized / cleared out basement contents three times to carve out space in a corner. Threw down a cheap rug for an amazing reclamation of space.
Herman Miller Embody - Bought just prior to pandemic. Great chair. Used the warranty once due to some unwanted creaking. Service call quality was excellent.
Generic "foldable phone tablet mount holder" - Attached to bedside table, holds the Kindle Oasis to read falling asleep. Last thing I do many nights is swing this out of way.
Generic selfie light rings - Combined with USB battery packs, extremely useful to light work projects or special video conferencing events.
FLEXI New Classic Retractable Leash 16ft - Use this to walk my cat every day. Not perfect but very good.
6' x 6' x 8' Herman Miller A02 cubicle, walls only - Gave up my office as a baby room. Re-factored / reorganized / cleared out basement contents three times to carve out space in a corner. Threw down a cheap rug for an amazing reclamation of space.
Herman Miller Embody - Bought just prior to pandemic. Great chair. Used the warranty once due to some unwanted creaking. Service call quality was excellent.
Generic "foldable phone tablet mount holder" - Attached to bedside table, holds the Kindle Oasis to read falling asleep. Last thing I do many nights is swing this out of way.
Generic selfie light rings - Combined with USB battery packs, extremely useful to light work projects or special video conferencing events.
FLEXI New Classic Retractable Leash 16ft - Use this to walk my cat every day. Not perfect but very good.
> Quite an investment
$6,000 for a monitor? An investment indeed.
$6,000 for a monitor? An investment indeed.
the maschine mk3 has helped with my video game addiction.
downside is now i want a polyend tracker >.>
downside is now i want a polyend tracker >.>
Bamix. The best immersion blender IMO.
I just got a really cheap one, and haven't used it yet. Will it be a bad experience? :D
Oculus Quest 2: Virtual Reality has improved my life in almost every away and I love this thing. I can't recommend it enough
Asus G14 Zephyrus laptop: picked this up thinking it would be a temporary machine i'd use for a few months before building a desktop and it's so great i've had zero reason to build a desktop because it handles everything I can throw at it. Video editing, AAA games on high settings, coding, VR, etc, it's a beast of a laptop.
Asus G14 Zephyrus laptop: picked this up thinking it would be a temporary machine i'd use for a few months before building a desktop and it's so great i've had zero reason to build a desktop because it handles everything I can throw at it. Video editing, AAA games on high settings, coding, VR, etc, it's a beast of a laptop.
Ender 3 Pro. Unmodified other than a BL Touch. Just a bunch of fun.
My first Dutch oven. I cook most the meals in our household, like 95%. I never have owned a Dutch oven. Misen had a Dutch oven on kickstarter and I picked one up. So far, very happy. You have to be careful how you heat them, but they cook stews wonderfully, and I braised a bunch of meatballs, then filled it with spaghetti sauce for dinner one night. In a stainless steel pot, that can be a cleanup nightmare. The Dutch oven just wiped out clean after a soak.
So, happy with both of those purchases.
My first Dutch oven. I cook most the meals in our household, like 95%. I never have owned a Dutch oven. Misen had a Dutch oven on kickstarter and I picked one up. So far, very happy. You have to be careful how you heat them, but they cook stews wonderfully, and I braised a bunch of meatballs, then filled it with spaghetti sauce for dinner one night. In a stainless steel pot, that can be a cleanup nightmare. The Dutch oven just wiped out clean after a soak.
So, happy with both of those purchases.
> Ender 3 Pro. Unmodified other than a BL Touch. Just a bunch of fun.
I'd recommend an upgrade to a PEI-coated flexsteel bed. So much better than the floppy sheet that comes with it. The bottoms of your prints are smoother, and large prints come off the bed a lot easier.
I'd recommend an upgrade to a PEI-coated flexsteel bed. So much better than the floppy sheet that comes with it. The bottoms of your prints are smoother, and large prints come off the bed a lot easier.
Active Stool -- Think basically a yoga-ball chair in fuction, but a stool in form. They're super convenient for standing desks, and I've found that using one instead of a chair has tricked me into strengthening my back/core when just when I'm working or playing PC games. I've found it to be a healthier, way cheaper, and much more space efficient alternative to my last office chair.
M1 Macbook Air -- For my personal software project workflow (webdev in iTerm/Vim with Elixir and JS) this thing is unbelievably performant for the money/size. Paired with an iPad for sidecar, I'm frankly blown away how convenient & portable a dual-monitor dev workstation I have now for the what I paid.
M1 Macbook Air -- For my personal software project workflow (webdev in iTerm/Vim with Elixir and JS) this thing is unbelievably performant for the money/size. Paired with an iPad for sidecar, I'm frankly blown away how convenient & portable a dual-monitor dev workstation I have now for the what I paid.
Line 6 Variax guitar. It's good enough that I haven't even thought about buying another guitar since because it's so versatile.
Knipex Pliers-Wrench set. Basically replaces all other adjustable wrenches and most fixed wrenches.
Not a hardware thing but I bought the witness, the game, and I have been using it as a kind of safe place.
1. [reMarkable 2 Tablet](https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2) - This is a really helpful device for me since I am used to taking down a lot of notes and this makes it easier for me to track my notes in one place and organize them
2. [AirPods Pro](https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/) - Amazing for their use case
How sensitive are you to latency and what's your experience with the reMarkable 2?
I've been looking at it for the eink but I'm quite sensitive to latency. If you've tried other pen input devices (Surface Pro, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Note, iPad Pro) how would you rank them and where does the reMarkable sit?
I've been looking at it for the eink but I'm quite sensitive to latency. If you've tried other pen input devices (Surface Pro, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Note, iPad Pro) how would you rank them and where does the reMarkable sit?
Speaker components, tools and plywood. I've just finished building my first speaker and it sounds FANTASTIC and I designed and built it myself. It's been extremely rewarding and I highly recommend everyone to make something physical yourselves. So much nicer than making anything appear on a screen.
My first box is a ported enclosure tuned to about 45hz with a cheap 15" driver and a vintage compression driver on an old cast-iron horn. It looks pretty rough, I can just barely move it by myself, but it's beautiful.
Building it made me:
* Calculate the enclosure volume and port tuning and selecting the appropriate drivers. * Buying amps and crossovers. I got a behringer ultradrive and a 4 channel PA amp * Draw a plan * Measure and cut the wood with the shitty circular saw I got (took me ages, came out not terrible) * Routing the holes for the drivers and speakons * Assembling: drilling, fitting, screwing, gluing, mounting T-nuts for the drivers * Finishing: Sanding, oiling, stuffing * Soldering connectors * Installing drivers * Tuning, adjusting crossovers
I started in august and just finished the first box. I have enoug materials for a 2*18" subwoofer and a 12" midrange horn to go with it. Overall I spent about 2000USD in plywood (18mm baltic birch), tools (cheapest I could get), drivers, DSP and amps. I hope to have a very nice little rig together by the end of summer.
My first box is a ported enclosure tuned to about 45hz with a cheap 15" driver and a vintage compression driver on an old cast-iron horn. It looks pretty rough, I can just barely move it by myself, but it's beautiful.
Building it made me:
* Calculate the enclosure volume and port tuning and selecting the appropriate drivers. * Buying amps and crossovers. I got a behringer ultradrive and a 4 channel PA amp * Draw a plan * Measure and cut the wood with the shitty circular saw I got (took me ages, came out not terrible) * Routing the holes for the drivers and speakons * Assembling: drilling, fitting, screwing, gluing, mounting T-nuts for the drivers * Finishing: Sanding, oiling, stuffing * Soldering connectors * Installing drivers * Tuning, adjusting crossovers
I started in august and just finished the first box. I have enoug materials for a 2*18" subwoofer and a 12" midrange horn to go with it. Overall I spent about 2000USD in plywood (18mm baltic birch), tools (cheapest I could get), drivers, DSP and amps. I hope to have a very nice little rig together by the end of summer.
- An M1 Macbook. It's really good. It's a bummer I can't run virtualbox on it yet. Otherwise quite satisfactory.
- iPad Pro. Great for watching television. The sound quality on this is much better than the old (2013) iPad I had.
- A flat-screen TV. I had a CRT television that I ditched over nine years ago and had gone without since. I gave in a bought one during the pandemic. It's good for the occasional movie and night-time viewing in general (you can veg out on the sofa while viewing the program).
Lifetime Plex Pass + Synology NAS.
I have an unmanageable amount of media with hit or miss metadata and multiple devices I'd previously have to manually sync to. Now I don't have to worry about it.
Sunday NYT + New Yorker print subscriptions
Very tired of online media. It's nice to sit back and read printed media on paper.
I don't buy much.
I have an unmanageable amount of media with hit or miss metadata and multiple devices I'd previously have to manually sync to. Now I don't have to worry about it.
Sunday NYT + New Yorker print subscriptions
Very tired of online media. It's nice to sit back and read printed media on paper.
I don't buy much.
I travel a bit, and my home office is the thing I miss the most.
Treadmill desk from imovr.com with dual monitors.
I lost a ton of weight walking 4 - 6 miles per work day.
Sometimes after work, I would bump the speed and watch a movie, getting another 3-4 miles in.
Treadmill desk from imovr.com with dual monitors.
I lost a ton of weight walking 4 - 6 miles per work day.
Sometimes after work, I would bump the speed and watch a movie, getting another 3-4 miles in.
I've been super happy so far with the Drop Pandas (bluetooth headset). It's the first bluetooth headset I found that solidly beats my old $150 pair of wired headphones in audio quality in every way, after trying ~8 of the "best" options (my reviews are on amazon!). <$500 for something I'll spend thousands of hours using in their first year is cheap, the mic is good enough to use for calls, and "good" headphones tend to last a decade or more. If you're less picky about audio, the main Sony and Bose headsets are also excellent, other brands are broadly not worth the money (endless frustrations / flaky connections / terrible mic and noise canceling).
Also, not this year but I'd re-buy it in an instant: a 100% latex mattress. They're relatively pricey for a mattress, but it has already out-lasted every other mattress I've used, and still feels like new - no sag whatsoever, at 7 years. Expected lifespan is 2x or more compared to springs, and it has absolutely been worth the money already.
Also, not this year but I'd re-buy it in an instant: a 100% latex mattress. They're relatively pricey for a mattress, but it has already out-lasted every other mattress I've used, and still feels like new - no sag whatsoever, at 7 years. Expected lifespan is 2x or more compared to springs, and it has absolutely been worth the money already.
After many years of tea and coffee drinking, I've found that longjing green tea (dragonwell) purchased from a reputable source helps me focus longer without the experience of crashing from caffeine. Longjing has some caffeine but also a decent amount of theanine. I find my days more productive with a few cups of longjing than with coffee or black teas. Quality tea isn't cheap, but buying it in bulk remains cheaper than buying a cup of low quality stuff from the store every day. Give it a try!
Courses at Bradfield School of Computer Science (https://bradfieldcs.com/) – I've never learned computer science so quickly or effectively
While it's almost more than two years now, get a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones. I use them normally at home but they really shine when travelling on a plane. I didn't realize that most of the tiredness and stress from being on a plane for me is the constant loud noise. Totally worth the $250.
Amazon Basics monitor arm, Microsoft Sculpt keyboard, Affinity apps on sale, a membership to my city's carshare service, and Buddy (or others when they're on sale) Burgers from A&W
Battery powered burshless sliding compound mitre saw (mine is an AEG). So fantastic to have a great quality tool that can do precise cuts every time. I'd also say a nail gun (I just don't own one myself yet). If you have ever nailed above your head or at an angle into a block you are holding you'll understand why a nail gun is a game changer.
As it happens, I purchased the only two pieces of technology that I actually like in the past two years.
The first is the ReMarkable 2[1]. While imperfect (not open-source, support is atrocious), its utility is so high that it more than makes up for it - it actually behaves like electronic paper, and is better than real paper for my use-cases.
The second is a Dactyl-Manuform that a friend built and sold to me. It's one of the best ergonomic keyboards in existence, with the only others even able to challenge it are the Squeezebox[3] and the WARP[4]. Seriously, the DM makes almost every other "ergonomic" keyboard look like a joke, and it's physically pleasurable to type on.
[1] https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2 [2] https://github.com/abstracthat/dactyl-manuform [3] https://peterlyons.com/problog/2021/04/squeezebox-keyboard/ [4] https://old.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/b9k9s5...
The first is the ReMarkable 2[1]. While imperfect (not open-source, support is atrocious), its utility is so high that it more than makes up for it - it actually behaves like electronic paper, and is better than real paper for my use-cases.
The second is a Dactyl-Manuform that a friend built and sold to me. It's one of the best ergonomic keyboards in existence, with the only others even able to challenge it are the Squeezebox[3] and the WARP[4]. Seriously, the DM makes almost every other "ergonomic" keyboard look like a joke, and it's physically pleasurable to type on.
[1] https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2 [2] https://github.com/abstracthat/dactyl-manuform [3] https://peterlyons.com/problog/2021/04/squeezebox-keyboard/ [4] https://old.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/b9k9s5...
While not open source it is exceptionally open/hackable (in the good sense)
https://github.com/reHackable
https://github.com/reHackable
Aquos Zero 2: Extremely lightweight larger flagship smartphone. SD855, 120Hz(BFI 240Hz) 6.4" display, 143g.
Latest Zojirushi Mag: Cap rubber parts are now integrated. Of course it's rock solid.
Comfortable floor mat for a car drive sheet: My car is cheap subcompact, so anti-vibration noise floor mat is great than I expected.
Cheap rechargeable sensor LED lights from AliExpress: I put them everywhere on my home.
Oculus Quest 2: fully satisfied upgrade from Q1 after I give up to connect with Facebook
Latest Zojirushi Mag: Cap rubber parts are now integrated. Of course it's rock solid.
Comfortable floor mat for a car drive sheet: My car is cheap subcompact, so anti-vibration noise floor mat is great than I expected.
Cheap rechargeable sensor LED lights from AliExpress: I put them everywhere on my home.
Oculus Quest 2: fully satisfied upgrade from Q1 after I give up to connect with Facebook
When I sold my company, I bought a beach house. This was during the 2007 crash. It appreciated quite a bit and I never actually used it. So, I sold it.
I basically moved the money from an asset that appreciates to assets that I appreciate - by buying a number of collector cars. Best choice I made in a long time. The added bonus is that the cars continue to appreciate.
I basically moved the money from an asset that appreciates to assets that I appreciate - by buying a number of collector cars. Best choice I made in a long time. The added bonus is that the cars continue to appreciate.
I bought an Anker 40W USB wall charger originally for a Raspberry Pi cluster but now it just lives on my desk.
I thought I was doing just fine with the provided USB wall warts but having all of my charging cables in the same place is super convenient. It's smaller than expected. At the moment almost all of my gadgets are USB-A but I would be happy to upgrade to a version with USB-C in the future.
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-5-Port-Charger-PowerPort-iPhone...
I thought I was doing just fine with the provided USB wall warts but having all of my charging cables in the same place is super convenient. It's smaller than expected. At the moment almost all of my gadgets are USB-A but I would be happy to upgrade to a version with USB-C in the future.
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-5-Port-Charger-PowerPort-iPhone...
iPhone XR:
I've been deeply sceptical to anything Apple since I burned myself on a MacBook Pro from 2009 to 2012 (misplaced ctrl key, no proper alt-tab replacement, opening the file selector in one window would freeze other windows from same application)
18 or so months ago I was so tired of being burned by flagship and non flagship Androids that my job would give me: Samsung 3, two Notes, Sony (can't remember but the best there was at the time), and also Nokia 6.1 A droid One edition.
The last android phone I liked was Samsung Galaxy II.
Going to iPhone was fantastic:
- when I touch an icon that app just starts unlike on all my Androids after Galaxy II where the phone seemed to always have a reason to wait a bit first.
- upgrades doesn't install Amazon ads or anything (hi Sony! Once you've sold it it is not your phone anymore)
- iCloud is fantastic
- one less thing to worry about if Google decides it doesn't like me
Now I am wondering if I should get a Mac. It can't really be that bad anymore..?
I've been deeply sceptical to anything Apple since I burned myself on a MacBook Pro from 2009 to 2012 (misplaced ctrl key, no proper alt-tab replacement, opening the file selector in one window would freeze other windows from same application)
18 or so months ago I was so tired of being burned by flagship and non flagship Androids that my job would give me: Samsung 3, two Notes, Sony (can't remember but the best there was at the time), and also Nokia 6.1 A droid One edition.
The last android phone I liked was Samsung Galaxy II.
Going to iPhone was fantastic:
- when I touch an icon that app just starts unlike on all my Androids after Galaxy II where the phone seemed to always have a reason to wait a bit first.
- upgrades doesn't install Amazon ads or anything (hi Sony! Once you've sold it it is not your phone anymore)
- iCloud is fantastic
- one less thing to worry about if Google decides it doesn't like me
Now I am wondering if I should get a Mac. It can't really be that bad anymore..?
1961 Ford Sunliner, 3 speed, 292 Y-Block.
I was visiting a sister I found on Ancestry and found it rotting on her farm. It spent months w/ no top before getting tarped. Her aunt was the orig owner (died 2 days ago) and left it there when the family couldn't restore it.
Son and I put a top on it and got it road worthy again. It's a long way from restored but it's a lot of fun to drive.
I was visiting a sister I found on Ancestry and found it rotting on her farm. It spent months w/ no top before getting tarped. Her aunt was the orig owner (died 2 days ago) and left it there when the family couldn't restore it.
Son and I put a top on it and got it road worthy again. It's a long way from restored but it's a lot of fun to drive.
[deleted]
An electric guitar, about a year ago. I've always loved rock music, but never really thought of playing an instrument as accessible, for whatever reason. I taught myself (probably not well, but well enough to enjoy it) during the pandemic and it's been a great outlet. I also keep it next to my desk, and play for 5-10 minutes between meetings throughout the day.
A good Macallan Whiskey, eg 18y for 350 usd.
I dont need more than 50 ml per session. I will have one per week, which means I have 15 weeks of pleasure with that one.
I dont need more than 50 ml per session. I will have one per week, which means I have 15 weeks of pleasure with that one.
FiiO BTR3 Bluetooth receiver.
I have a few wired headphones I absolutely love. Sennheiser HD650, Sennheiser HD58x, Oppo PM3, to name a few. I'd like to use them wirelessly, because, hey, it's just super convenient...
I clip this small receiver onto the headphone band (above the ear), and run a small cable up along the side of the headphones. Now my headphones have bluetooth!
It powers up the Oppo PM3 and Sennheiser HD58x's more than enough, and it sounds great. It's comfortable and light - you wouldn't even notice honestly.
I highly recommend.
I have a few wired headphones I absolutely love. Sennheiser HD650, Sennheiser HD58x, Oppo PM3, to name a few. I'd like to use them wirelessly, because, hey, it's just super convenient...
I clip this small receiver onto the headphone band (above the ear), and run a small cable up along the side of the headphones. Now my headphones have bluetooth!
It powers up the Oppo PM3 and Sennheiser HD58x's more than enough, and it sounds great. It's comfortable and light - you wouldn't even notice honestly.
I highly recommend.
My AMD 3900x.
So. Many. Cores.
So. Many. Cores.
My favourite purchases from the last two years:
Cleaning tool: HiZero
Transport-related: OneWheel
Work Related: My PC
All these have provided ridiculous amounts of utility. The HiZero proved itself within the first week. The OneWheel took a bit longer (3 weeks to get decent at it, still not good at it)
Cleaning tool: HiZero
Transport-related: OneWheel
Work Related: My PC
All these have provided ridiculous amounts of utility. The HiZero proved itself within the first week. The OneWheel took a bit longer (3 weeks to get decent at it, still not good at it)
Hands down, Airpods Pro. (fyi, already deeply vested into the apple eco-system, so it was a no brainer), but the quality is just superb.
Laser eye surgery. I wore glasses from age 10 to 35. I may never find a better way to spend money.
I'm surprised to see no one suggested board games, as it's really refreshing to escape from the screens at the end of the day.
We've become heavy players with the wife and the kids (7 and 8). Cooperative games are really nice to play with the kids who have a hard time losing (even a single token...); it helped them see things globally instead of only taking into account their own corner of the universe (e.g: I do not take all the money for myself so that the next player we'll be able to buy this very powerful card on her turn).
Stone age [0]: a competitive resource collection/management game with wood elements, it's very pleasing to play with. As with Catan, one uses dices, but there are ways to curb the randomness, making me feel a lot more in control, and not just a helpless passenger.
Harry Potter the Hogward Battle [1]: a cooperative gateway deck building game, my wife and kids cannot stop playing it, even for the 1.5 hours required for the last games. My wife usually hates long games, but the Harry Potter magic is strong with this one.
The Game [2]: a cooperative game where cards need to be triaged in the ascending/descending order, with the twist that you do not know the cards held by the others players. It's very relaxing at the end of the day, a last "team building" experience just before sleeping.
Keyforge [3]: a two player competitive card game with computer generated unique decks. It's a lot of fun since card effects vary a lot and you have to combine the cards. I also really love the fact that it's a racing game (you have to be the first to forge 3 keys), so it's more about slowing your opponent down rather than simply crushing him/her. If you're interested in that game, you may have choice paralysis since they release new mechanics every year. I suggest trying with the first edition (Call of the Archons), it's the simpler and more rewarding one. If you're hooked, you'll have a lot to discover !
[0] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34635/stone-age
[1] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199042/harry-potter-hogw...
[2] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173090/game
[3] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257501/keyforge-call-arc...
(edit: styling)
We've become heavy players with the wife and the kids (7 and 8). Cooperative games are really nice to play with the kids who have a hard time losing (even a single token...); it helped them see things globally instead of only taking into account their own corner of the universe (e.g: I do not take all the money for myself so that the next player we'll be able to buy this very powerful card on her turn).
Stone age [0]: a competitive resource collection/management game with wood elements, it's very pleasing to play with. As with Catan, one uses dices, but there are ways to curb the randomness, making me feel a lot more in control, and not just a helpless passenger.
Harry Potter the Hogward Battle [1]: a cooperative gateway deck building game, my wife and kids cannot stop playing it, even for the 1.5 hours required for the last games. My wife usually hates long games, but the Harry Potter magic is strong with this one.
The Game [2]: a cooperative game where cards need to be triaged in the ascending/descending order, with the twist that you do not know the cards held by the others players. It's very relaxing at the end of the day, a last "team building" experience just before sleeping.
Keyforge [3]: a two player competitive card game with computer generated unique decks. It's a lot of fun since card effects vary a lot and you have to combine the cards. I also really love the fact that it's a racing game (you have to be the first to forge 3 keys), so it's more about slowing your opponent down rather than simply crushing him/her. If you're interested in that game, you may have choice paralysis since they release new mechanics every year. I suggest trying with the first edition (Call of the Archons), it's the simpler and more rewarding one. If you're hooked, you'll have a lot to discover !
[0] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34635/stone-age
[1] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199042/harry-potter-hogw...
[2] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173090/game
[3] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257501/keyforge-call-arc...
(edit: styling)
Secretlab TITAN
Automatic Fully desk (with sitting and standing options).
It trains yours muscles - seriously.
Pranamat for hardcore back relaxation. It has tiny needles that stimulate blood flow in your deep skin tissue. Perfect to force your muscles to just relax
Pranamat for hardcore back relaxation. It has tiny needles that stimulate blood flow in your deep skin tissue. Perfect to force your muscles to just relax
The iFixit repair business toolkit might be a little overkill for my needs, but I have got it at a discount, and it has paid itself over many times.
a DynaTrap
Literally my favorite purchases in the last two years were:
1) Rollerblades from Goodwill (just 8 dollars)
2) A Kinetic Torus Knot (my favorite stim toy now)
3) All my thrifted clothes (im so broke)
10 Hens and 2 Roosters.
Not kidding. They eat worms and stuff around the backyard, and whatever organic trash we have at the end of each day. I prefer the fresh free-roam eggs over store-bought any day and I also really like the farm sounds.
This may sound like a joke but it really isn't.
Not kidding. They eat worms and stuff around the backyard, and whatever organic trash we have at the end of each day. I prefer the fresh free-roam eggs over store-bought any day and I also really like the farm sounds.
This may sound like a joke but it really isn't.
I know more than one person with a chicken coup. Mine only have hens but they contact friends when they need a rooster to visit and fertilize :)
A pair of Klipsch RP-280F[0] floorstanding speakers, paired with Emotiva PT-100 DAC[1] and BasX A-300[2] Amp.
Set me back ~1700€ but brings so much joy to listen to.
Sometimes I'm just awe-struck how good these sound - they sound great on room level - but if you want them to play live-concert level loud - even with just as much control and precision as on room-level - no problemo :)
[1] https://www.klipsch.com/products/rp-280f [2] https://emotiva.com/products/pt-100 [3] https://emotiva.com/products/a-300
Set me back ~1700€ but brings so much joy to listen to.
Sometimes I'm just awe-struck how good these sound - they sound great on room level - but if you want them to play live-concert level loud - even with just as much control and precision as on room-level - no problemo :)
[1] https://www.klipsch.com/products/rp-280f [2] https://emotiva.com/products/pt-100 [3] https://emotiva.com/products/a-300
I have a list of my best purchases and things that will likely change the way I work for life:
Sonos Move - I now take my music outside and work during the day or take my music out in the evening.
Logitech MX Keyboard and Mouse - One mouse and keyboard for three computers. Tried Synergy and other tools but this worked much better across my home computer and work computers.
Anker PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock - One cable to my laptop... No Dongles but still get USB, HDMI, and Ethernet with PD Power at 85W.
Tesla Solar and 2x Powerwall2 for home - Effectively Off the grid. When rolling black-outs hit or random power outages, I stay online. Biggest investment of the year by far, but it will ensure I don't pay for electricity for the next 25 years. Sold our second car as we both work from home and used it to pay for solar. Net gain on both sides (no car payment/insurance, and no electricity bills beyond connection fee)
STÁLOGY STATIONERY Grid Notbook and Faber-Castell .7mm Mechanical pencil with HB graphite. I take this everywhere and make notes, journal, draw, design, and plan my life. Best notebook and pencil combo I have.
YETI Rambler 20 OZ tumbler with a Magslider lid - If you want cold coffee at your desk, drink from a standard mug, but if you want hot coffee and tea all day, use a YETI!.
Sonos Move - I now take my music outside and work during the day or take my music out in the evening.
Logitech MX Keyboard and Mouse - One mouse and keyboard for three computers. Tried Synergy and other tools but this worked much better across my home computer and work computers.
Anker PowerExpand Elite 13-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock - One cable to my laptop... No Dongles but still get USB, HDMI, and Ethernet with PD Power at 85W.
Tesla Solar and 2x Powerwall2 for home - Effectively Off the grid. When rolling black-outs hit or random power outages, I stay online. Biggest investment of the year by far, but it will ensure I don't pay for electricity for the next 25 years. Sold our second car as we both work from home and used it to pay for solar. Net gain on both sides (no car payment/insurance, and no electricity bills beyond connection fee)
STÁLOGY STATIONERY Grid Notbook and Faber-Castell .7mm Mechanical pencil with HB graphite. I take this everywhere and make notes, journal, draw, design, and plan my life. Best notebook and pencil combo I have.
YETI Rambler 20 OZ tumbler with a Magslider lid - If you want cold coffee at your desk, drink from a standard mug, but if you want hot coffee and tea all day, use a YETI!.
A nice bidet! I got the BioBidet BB2000 but any powered bidet with heated water should do the trick (the unheated hand-bidets are okay but really not even the same ballpark). This thing has seriously been life-changing, I feel like an absolute savage wiping with paper now.
A OneWheel - I'm sure other eScooter / e-personal-transport owners can relate - this has replaced the need for me to own a car while travelling within city limits.
There's crossover with a good ol' analogue bicycle, but I found it awkward to rock up at places and events sweating.
There's crossover with a good ol' analogue bicycle, but I found it awkward to rock up at places and events sweating.
Nikon FE2. Wonderful little(-ish) SLR that still produces better images than my smartphone. This camera, and I suppose film photography in general, has led me to set down and eventually sell my DSLR out of disuse.
I ended up picking up a Sony A7III, which is technically a very excellent camera, but when I want to have a little more fun, I always reach back for the Nikon.
I ended up picking up a Sony A7III, which is technically a very excellent camera, but when I want to have a little more fun, I always reach back for the Nikon.
Roborock S50 vacuum/mop
Trezor One crypto wallet
Tile Pro finder. Find keys, wallets, spouse!
All 5 star
Trezor One crypto wallet
Tile Pro finder. Find keys, wallets, spouse!
All 5 star
Apple AirPods.
ergonomic vertical mouse - tried a few and liked Workstream by Monoprice https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38963
I bought nothing of significant value in the last two years. All the stuff I had before 2019 was perfectly adequate: house, car, PCs, monitors, furniture, even clothes.
* AirPods Pro, it's been helping me a lot: how I relax, how I commute, how I listening to music. ANC and Spatial Audio on AirPods Pro feels like magical. And, the first time onboarding experience is almost uneven.
* Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard, I was very hesitant to use these "Magic" products but lately, my Logitech K380 and the M(i forgot the series) mouse, they both have their dates. One day I decide to buy these two Magic products to WFH and they have been helping a lot with typing and browsing. (Tips: Magic Mouse and BetterTouchTool is the best technical combo I've seen. I hate loud clicks, and BTT helps with silent tap on the Mouse)
* And lastly, and most important to me. It's the iPhone XS. Man, I changed my life, I'm taking more and more pictures with it. And I feel really like photography now, it helps me overcome the loneliness of living alone in a big city, help fighting with depression, and to express my inner feeling. The pandemic is still going, but I have been happier because I like to snap out moments I encounter with my phone.
So yeah, the iPhone Xs has been literally changed my life!
* Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard, I was very hesitant to use these "Magic" products but lately, my Logitech K380 and the M(i forgot the series) mouse, they both have their dates. One day I decide to buy these two Magic products to WFH and they have been helping a lot with typing and browsing. (Tips: Magic Mouse and BetterTouchTool is the best technical combo I've seen. I hate loud clicks, and BTT helps with silent tap on the Mouse)
* And lastly, and most important to me. It's the iPhone XS. Man, I changed my life, I'm taking more and more pictures with it. And I feel really like photography now, it helps me overcome the loneliness of living alone in a big city, help fighting with depression, and to express my inner feeling. The pandemic is still going, but I have been happier because I like to snap out moments I encounter with my phone.
So yeah, the iPhone Xs has been literally changed my life!
Oculus Quest 2. My first ever VR headset and it really changed how I view the future of technology in many aspects
I'll start: I caved and bought a robovac. Wow, unlike many techno-gadgets, this one really delivers. Real utility, not just taking up space. Low maintenance, runs while I sleep, and the floor is just cleaner.