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Ask HN: What are the must have gadgets for an hacker?
Yes, we all have computers and so on. But beyond the obvious any suggestions?
May be a CRKT toolkit ?
Blackberry/Android/Iphone ?
Torch?
Screwdrivers ?
What kind of flash drives ?
Which tablets?
Just name it.
- yan 16y agoA small notepad + a pen. I prefer a small, lined Moleskine and a blue Zebra F301 pen. Being able to write things at moment's notice is invaluable.
- bo_Olean 16y agowhat about a ruler ?
- allwein 16y agoProps on the Zebra F301, though I prefer the black ink.
- gharbad 16y agoI switched to felt-tips a few months ago and will never look back.
- petervandijck 16y agoI like http://amzn.to/feb5cC http://amzn.to/feb5cC, although it's not as small as a Moleskin notebook.
- elehack 16y agoThe Zebra F-301 is awesome - I keep both blue and black at my desk at all times. Reliable pen, good feel, and eminently affordable. Zebra also makes an F-301 Compact, a non-retractable that's about 4" long, fits in your pocket without poking you, and becomes full length when the cap is put on the back of the pen. Uses the same ink cartridges as the rest of the F-301 line. Every day carry for me w/ a clip of index cards (almost a Hipster PDA, but I don't quite use it like one) and sometimes a small notebook.
- nhangen 16y agoI have a lot of gadgets, but the only ones I need are those that allow me to test product, such as my iPhone 4(iOS projects) and iPad.
- petervandijck 16y agoSame here, I have heaps of gadgets for testing, but hardly use them in daily life. (tables, phones, a big pile...)
- andreash 16y agoCalculator
- thailandstartup 16y agoGeneral Purpose Pocket Computer. (Rooted Android 'Phone')
- Andrenid 16y agoThis is pretty much all I carry on a daily basis. I hate having things in my pocket, so the abundance of smartphones (and specifically Android due to it's functionality) has made me a very happy geek. No more notebook, no more diary/calendar, no more anything. Just Android + gtasks + a few other apps.
- allwein 16y agoA nice lockpick set.
- mgeraci 16y agoI wish I would remember to keep picks with me more. They turn out to be more helpful than you can imagine when you least expect it (and with no nefarious intent).
- kloncks 16y agoNothing is better than my simple Moleskine and a pencil. Simple, gorgeous and can be taken anywhere.
- tremendo 16y agoI resisted long enough, but I'm really enjoying having this ultra-portable computer (smart phone) on me all the time. Interestingly for me, is that the phone probably doesn't draw as much attention and envious looks and comments (in my circles anyway) as my not-red Swiss-army knife (big and small blades, tweezers and toothpick, bottle/can opener, screwdrivers). EDIT, not that this is of any use for computer hacking, sorry, got sidetracked.
- GregBuchholz 16y agohttp://arduino.cc/ http://arduino.cc/
- petervandijck 16y agoMead notebook. $1.36 plus free shipping. http://amzn.to/feb5cC http://amzn.to/feb5cC Plus it looks great. Eat that Moleskin.
- Samuel_Michon 16y agoI always carry duct tape, a piece of cardboard, a few paperclips, string, grease, a pocket knife, a few screwdrivers, and a lighter. Everything else I need is on my phone.
- TeMPOraL 16y ago+1 ;) I always carry duct tape, WD-40, swiss army knife, another knife, lighter, a spare CAT-6 net cable. Also recently I started to carry those small bags with sugar that they give in coffee shops. Funny thing is, that run into situations where duct tape is needed almost on daily basis. It's like the "when only thing you have is a hammer..." effect, but in a positive way. Opportunities to fix/hack things find you all the time ;).
- thedjinn 16y agoI have a small MacBook Air. It's so light and slim that I can write code anywhere I happen to be.
- olalonde 16y agoThe Kinect opens the door to many cool hacks.
- kitcar 16y agoAn ergonomic office/desk chair - Doesn't have to be expensive, just has to be comfortable for your body type. I'm a fan of Mirra by Herman Miller - it's pricey though (although affordable if you consider its warranty - buy 4-5 $150 chairs over 10 years, or just one $700 chair) . Also had good experiences with a few Office Star chairs (the higher end ones, around the $200 price point)
- Samuel_Michon 16y ago+100 For people working with computers all day, having an ergonomic, well adjusted chair is paramount. I have several Herman Miller Mirras in my office. They're every bit as good as the Herman Miller Aeron, just a lot cheaper and easier to adjust. http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Mirra-Chairs http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Mirra-Chairs
- joe_bleau 16y agoHow do y'all go through office chairs so fast?! I've been using a cheapo office depot made in china $80 special for 12 years daily here at work, and it was a few years old when I started. Sure, the seat foam is nearly gone and there's a rub spot where the fabric back hits the wall, but it certainly isn't falling apart.
- locopati 16y agoI'll throw a vote behind the Hag Balans kneeling chair, which apparently is no longer being made but the link below lists other kneeling options http://www.ergodepot.com/HAG_Balans_p/6035.htm http://www.ergodepot.com/HAG_Balans_p/6035.htm
- zackola 16y agoUSB -> SATA adapter http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/usb-gadgets/dd1a/ http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/usb-gadgets/dd1a/ http://www.ifixit.com/Tools/54-Piece-Bit-Driver-Kit/IF145-022 http://www.ifixit.com/Tools/54-Piece-Bit-Driver-Kit/IF145-02...
- arctangent 16y agoA towel.
- igrekel 16y agoI believe he meant hacker, not hitchhiker.
- joe_bleau 16y agoUSB-JTAG adapter, DMM, oscilloscope?
- PStamatiou 16y agoI like having a single AA-powered LED flashlight lying around. I searched around and eventually bought the Inova X1 and am very happy with it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002TUWG6 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002TUWG6 It has actually turned out to be very useful as I keep flipping the breaker when I forget that I can't run the coffee maker and a space heater or microwave at the same if they are plugged into the southern half of the apartment... I have also had a cheap Smith & Wesson knife for new gadget unboxing for several years now.
- clintcparker 16y agobottle opener
- coffeejunk 16y agoA lighter.
- zdw 16y agoYou will always have trouble getting things power, thus power strips, and extenders. I have a bunch of 1' m/f power cords, for keeping wall-warts from taking up too many spaces: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?p_id=5296 http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?p_id=5296 I also picked up some of these with a right angle passthrough connector - you can put them into a wall, cord comes out parallel with the wall: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812339014 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812339... Great for small clearance areas.
- joshuafcole 16y agoDepends on the task at hand, but my day to day load out is a trusty mechanical pencil, a notecard, and my Palm Pre. Anything i'd need to note that wouldn't fit on the notecard is long enough to be worth whipping out the phone for (which is pretty snappy, with a minimum of effort put into tweaking it). Likewise, it keeps me constantly plugged into the 'net, so I can look up any data I need on the fly. Same if I ever need access to my home machine, or to remotely administrate any of the servers I manage. With a full terminal and access to a solid optware repository, I can even write up patches to my code in vim on any machine I own through SSH without carrying around a bulky device (like the MacBook Air cough). EDIT: Fixes grammatical error
- damoncali 16y agoMechanical calculator: http://www.vcalc.net/cu.htm http://www.vcalc.net/cu.htm
- notirk 16y agoI always keep a Leatherman in my bag, amazing how many times I've used it. Android phone for looking things up.
- kbob 16y agoI got a Leatherman for Christmas 2009. Since that time, it's been amazingly convenient to have pliers, a screwdriver, a knife, and a bottle opener wherever I go (in roughly that order). The pliers are especially nice, with strong forged jaws and a very slender shape, not quite a needle nose. I find myself using them when I'm standing right next to my toolbox with 8 styles of pliers available. It's a Leatherman Skeletool CX, FWIW.
- tomas316 16y agovictorinox minichamp or midnight minichamp. It covers about five of the items listed in the comments. Pen ,light ,lockpick ,bottle opener, knife...
- leogate 16y agoFlash stick with bootable Linux distribution, preferably Backtrack.
- phamilton 16y agoCrossover ethernet cable
- iterationx 16y agoI just got this and its awesome http://www.amazon.com/Split-Top-Laptop-Caddy-Portable-Adjustable/dp/B001SUCFQ8/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1298331314&sr=8-5 http://www.amazon.com/Split-Top-Laptop-Caddy-Portable-Adjust...