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Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

• thorin 5y ago
  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!
• jf22 5y ago
  A large rubber mallet and a giant wrench. As a homeowner so many things have to be convinced to move with physical force.
  • giantg2 5y ago
    The rubber mallet makes a great paperweight at work. When people ask what it's for just say "PRD issue whack-a-mole".
• cblconfederate 5y ago
  oculus quest 2 which robovac u got ?
  • wyldfire 5y ago
    I bought a Eufy 30C, recommended by Consumer Reports. Short enough to get under some of the furniture, quiet, does a great job.
  • mrfusion 5y ago
    Is the Facebook login requirement an issue? Do you worry about being dropped for wrongspeak and losing your purchases?
    • 0j 5y ago
      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.
      • mrfusion 5y ago
        That seems like a good way to handle the issue. Btw how do you view panorama photos with it?
    • cblconfederate 5y ago
      My FB account is fake anyway
• mtmail 5y ago
  https://www.lupine.de/products/bike-lights 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.
• giantg2 5y ago
  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.
  • fortran77 5y ago
    You can now purchase your FCC amateur license? Back in my day, I had to go to an FCC field office and take a test. Times have changed.
    • giantg2 5y ago
      You have to take the test, but the test administrator (approved club) charges for it ($15 ish).
  • ackbar03 5y ago
    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?
    • giantg2 5y ago
      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.
• wdfx 5y ago
  Third person here to mention guitars... Takamine TB-10
  • jimnotgym 5y ago
    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.
• drywater2 5y ago
  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.
  • skrtskrt 5y ago
    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
    • drywater2 5y ago
      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.
• bitwize 5y ago
  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.
• kamilszybalski 5y ago
  My MacBook m1, a stretchy waist leash thing for running with my dog and really good running shoes (Vaporfly next%)
• lormayna 5y ago
  * 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
  • sebdufbeau 5y ago
    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 https://us.aftershokz.com/products/aeropex)
• swader999 5y ago
  Theragun pro. It's a percussion massage gun and oh my does it make me functional again for all sorts of things.
• AngeloAnolin 5y ago
  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.
  • zigzaggy 5y ago
    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.
    • AngeloAnolin 5y ago
      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.
• kaybe 5y ago
  - 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).
  • jsonne 5y ago
    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.
    • enobrev 5y ago
      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.
      • tmm 5y ago
        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.
• giles 5y ago
  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.
  • kaybe 5y ago
    Anyone else wondering, click here: https://onewheel.com/products/pint https://onewheel.com/products/pint
  • mrfusion 5y ago
    How far does it go? How is the safety? Is it fun?
    • owenversteeg 5y ago
      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.
    • anon776 5y ago
      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.
    • mring33621 5y ago
      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.
  • mlni 5y ago
    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.
• samsolomon 5y ago
  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.
  • jtbayly 5y ago
    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.
    • samsolomon 5y ago
      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 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.
      • jtbayly 5y ago
        Amazing. Thanks for the update.
  • mehphp 5y ago
    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.
• orangegreen 5y ago
  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.
  • pablodavila 5y ago
    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.
• blisterpeanuts 5y ago
  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.
• mountainriver 5y ago
  1996 Honda CRF dirt bike
• frockington1 5y ago
  Beretta M9A3, shoots silky smooth
  • mehphp 5y ago
    I miss mine. Wish I held on to it.
  • zigzaggy 5y ago
    Hmm... been shopping around for a new firearm. Living on a farm means needing tools like this. My old revolver is getting pretty worn out.
• house9-2 5y ago
  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.
  • freshpots 5y ago
    Same. It's the best thing I have ever owned, not just in terms of cars.
  • shmoe 5y ago
    This is what I came here to post. :) They truly are the bleeding edge of the future of cars.
  • jonpurdy 5y ago
    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.
    • speedgoose 5y ago
      You need to maintain an EV, just a bit less.
• laurieg 5y ago
  A Zebra Sarasa Dry pen. The ink always comes out smoothly but it is impossible to smudge.
• cyberbanjo 5y ago
  Aeropress, coffee maker.
  • msftie 5y ago
    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.
  • mrfusion 5y ago
    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?
    • replwoacause 5y ago
      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
    • cyberbanjo 5y ago
      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.
    • maccard 5y ago
      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 https://www.dualit.com/products/lite-jug-kettles
  • 5y ago
• kaypro 5y ago
  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
  • BozeWolf 5y ago
    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 https://www.meesterslijpers.nl/takamura-vg-10-santoku - Airpod pro’s
    • wyldfire 5y ago
      Can the kobo's be rooted easily/at all? If not, can you sideload apps or books?
      • BozeWolf 5y ago
        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.
      • ornornor 5y ago
        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.
      • anotherevan 5y ago
        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 https://github.com/pgaskin/kobopatch-patches/releases
• arawde 5y ago
  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
• gibsonf1 5y ago
  Nespresso Vertuo!
  • zigzaggy 5y ago
    My old roommate swears by his Nespresso. I need to check these out!
• theSealedTanker 5y ago
  old thinkpad as a plex server (mostly for watching animes). Love it
  • hawski 5y ago
    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.
• warp 5y ago
  * The Moonlander keyboard (https://www.zsa.io/moonlander/ 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.
  • mrgalaxy 5y ago
    Thanks just got one! Been looking for a good ergo keyboard recently and this checks all the boxes.
• ridgeguy 5y ago
  Apple AirPods Max headphones. It's been a long time since I was so pleased with a hardware purchase.
• tomcam 5y ago
  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.
  • throwaway0a5e 5y ago
    First the white collar hipsters jacked up the prices of station wagons. Then the white collar hipsters jacked up the prices of small trucks. Then the white collar hipsters jacked up the prices of fullsize trucks. In what universe is it sane to tell HN how great vans are?
    • dleslie 5y ago
      Oh no, I need a new van. Keep it down, we don't need prices to soar.
      • throwaway0a5e 5y ago
        INB4 someone tries to tell you the inflated purchase price is irrelevant because you make it back in inflated resale value.
        • wampwampwhat 5y ago
• michaelmior 5y ago
  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.
  • fartcannon 5y ago
    Robovacs with lidar are the real MVP. The ones that bounce are fine, but the lidar machine cleans efficiently, and it's magnificent.
    • michaelmior 5y ago
      I believe mine has LIDAR although it doesn't make it any easier for it to squeeze around furniture.
      • moepstar 5y ago
        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.
        • michaelmior 5y ago
          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.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• lbotos 5y ago
  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.
  • hirundo 5y ago
    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.
    • enobrev 5y ago
      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.
    • lbotos 5y ago
      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.
    • Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
      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.
• jmcralves 5y ago
  Surfskate!
  • ro-ka 5y ago
    Same for me. :D
• dantodor 5y ago
  M1 Air. By far best machine I had
• nkg 5y ago
  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.
• ChuckNorris89 5y ago
  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.
  • johnboiles 5y ago
    +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.
    • maayank 5y ago
      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?
      • johnboiles 5y ago
        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.
    • interestica 5y ago
      Where/How do you hang out?
• Sindisil 5y ago
  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.
• shivam-dev 5y ago
  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.
  • enobrev 5y ago
    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.
    • crispyalmond 5y ago
      I have a 3 that I'm not using, maybe we can work something out?
  • josho 5y ago
    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.
  • sbradford26 5y ago
    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.
  • diplodocusaur 5y ago
    could be better. The scroll wheel is too far back. A pleasant surprise is the button on the flap.
• bambax 5y ago
  - 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)
  • dragosmocrii 5y ago
    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
• erhserhdfd 5y ago
  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.
  • mrfusion 5y ago
    Is that just crazy glue? Or it’s different?
    • ryandvm 5y ago
      No, it's not a cyanoacrylate. You have to activate it with water and it takes about 24 hours to set.
• basilpesto 5y ago
  - 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 https://www.zwift.com/shop/wahoo-kickr-bike-learn)
• Glench 5y ago
  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.
  • kps 5y ago
    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.)
  • mlac 5y ago
    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 https://www.ugg.com/men/sheepskin-insole/1101442.html) for the heck of it. I will never, ever go back.
• canadianfella 5y ago
  85” Sony TV
• synthc 5y ago
  My mountainbike (cube reaction pro)
• iansowinski 5y ago
  - 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.
  • kaybe 5y ago
    > Braun BC02BW I love this one, have been using it for a long time. I hope they never discontinue making them.
• mrfusion 5y ago
  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.
• mrfusion 5y ago
  3d printers are getting cheap and it’s a really fun hobby and just a generally useful item for random repairs and cheap items.
  • typest 5y ago
    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 :)
    • mrfusion 5y ago
      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.
  • linsomniac 5y ago
    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...
• kisna72 5y ago
  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.
• tartoran 5y ago
  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.
• dhosek 5y ago
  LG 38UC99-W 38-Inch 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD+ IPS Monitor with Bluetooth Speakers http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01LW54S4U/donhosek 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.
  • lhball 5y ago
    $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.
    • dmd 5y ago
      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.
    • speedgoose 5y ago
      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.
    • Hroble 5y ago
      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.
  • TacticalCoder 5y ago
    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?
  • 5y ago
• njdullea 5y ago
  Eero wifi setup
• mrlinx 5y ago
  DJI Mavic mini. Forces me to visit all sorts of places, fun to drive and amazing videos as memories.
  • WrtCdEvrydy 5y ago
    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.
• fogus 5y ago
  My first Goban. https://cf.geekdo-images.com/EKPVOJLYCbMpRvtHBFTepA__imagepagezoom/img/lEiEnntV31Mg4TL_v0OSv3GzyDQ=/fit-in/1200x900/filters:no_upscale():strip_icc()/pic3052579.jpg https://cf.geekdo-images.com/EKPVOJLYCbMpRvtHBFTepA__imagepa...
  • DavideNL 5y ago
    "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
  • baby 5y ago
    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 https://online-go.com/learn-to-play-go
  • edgarvaldes 5y ago
    Very nice. Where did you buy it?
  • zmer 5y ago
    Looks great! Where did you get it from?
• skrtskrt 5y ago
  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.
  • LanceH 5y ago
    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).
  • machiaweliczny 5y ago
    There's good&cheap one from Xiaomi - YUNMAI. It's very quiet compared to one my wife has but a little weaker.
• michalf6 5y ago
  BMW K1200S, it's absurd you can buy something that fast with so little money
• wiredfool 5y ago
  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.
  • cbushko 5y ago
    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.
    • wiredfool 5y ago
      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.)
      • cbushko 5y ago
        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 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.
• p0d 5y ago
  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-4-0ah-li-ion-redlithium-brushless-cordless-combi-drill/702fh https://www.screwfix.com/p/milwaukee-m18-cblpd-402c-18v-4-0a...
  • enobrev 5y ago
    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.
  • hairofadog 5y ago
    Can confirm, it's great. The 12 volt is pretty great too.
  • abakker 5y ago
    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.
    • bluGill 5y ago
      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.
• tsjq 5y ago
  Atomberg Efficio Low wattage BLDC ceiling fans
• kodon 5y ago
  A pullup bar (door frame) and resistance bands. Exercising at home has kicked me off into being healthier.
  • mtmail 5y ago
    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).
    • dqv 5y ago
      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.
      • Nimitz14 5y ago
        Jumping rope also works out the arms a little which you're not gonna get.
        • dqv 5y ago
          I get a pretty good burn by rotating my arms like I'm skipping a real rope. It's good enough for post work out cardio.
      • lucky_cloud 5y ago
        Not as fun though. Using the rope adds challenge and builds/reinforces coordination among all four (usually) limbs
  • elliekelly 5y ago
    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.
• JacobDotVI 5y ago
  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/products/roost-laptop-stand?variant=31619419537469 https://www.therooststand.com/collections/roost-laptop-stand...
  • alexcnwy 5y ago
    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.
  • sgallant 5y ago
    The Roost Laptop stand is a must have! So portable and perfectly designed.
  • p00dles 5y ago
    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.
  • baby 5y ago
    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”.
    • tomtheelder 5y ago
      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.
• mehphp 5y ago
  Apple Watch for exercising. Paired with Airpods, it makes tracking workouts and listening to podcasts very enjoyable.
• cryptofistMonk 5y ago
  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.
  • matwood 5y ago
    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.
  • jonpurdy 5y ago
    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.
    • skrtskrt 5y ago
      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.
  • dinkleberg 5y ago
• imjared 5y ago
  - 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.
  • RootReducer 5y ago
    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.
    • imjared 5y ago
      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.
    • sedachv 5y ago
      > 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-declare-war-over-dry-needling 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 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.
• brainzap 5y ago
  Secondhand iPhone 6s with a battery case, good enough for everyday usage. Xiaomi aqara camera G2, as homekit hub and for the camera.
• japhyr 5y ago
  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 https://www.breville.com/us/en/products/espresso/bes870.html
  • multiplegeorges 5y ago
    I also have a Barista Express. It's really the best value you can find in a home espresso machine, IMO. Really great machine.
  • skrtskrt 5y ago
    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
    • wampwampwhat 5y ago
      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.
  • SkyPuncher 5y ago
• silicon2401 5y ago
  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
  • crisnoble 5y ago
    If you like exploring, you should check out https://wandrer.earth https://wandrer.earth
    • mym1990 5y ago
      So interesting that this originated in Atlanta, which is where I currently live and grew up, would have never known!
  • hairofadog 5y ago
    Yes! I can recommend the Salsa Vaya.
  • Matthias247 5y ago
    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.
• co001de 5y ago
  - 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).
  • contriban 5y ago
    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.
  • anotherevan 5y ago
    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.
  • cbushko 5y ago
    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-grooming/mens-beard-hair-trimmers/ER-GB40-S.html https://shop.panasonic.com/personal-care/mens-shavers-and-gr...
• gpm 5y ago
  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.
  • dcolkitt 5y ago
    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.
    • gpm 5y ago
      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.
      • dcolkitt 5y ago
        Thanks! I'm gonna give this a try today.
    • mdtusz 5y ago
      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.
• gjstein 5y ago
  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.]
  • ad404b8a372f2b9 5y ago
    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.
    • Tijdreiziger 5y ago
      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.
      • ad404b8a372f2b9 5y ago
        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.
        • Tijdreiziger 5y ago
• replwoacause 5y ago
  - 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 https://www.lifx.com/collections/lamps-and-pendants/products...)
• cdubzzz 5y ago
  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 https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/628939/pn/010-02120-00
  • ldrndll 5y ago
    Just wanted to say well done on losing all that weight!
  • Humdeee 5y ago
    I bought the 235 a few years ago. Also an avid runner and great for hiking. Also used for cycling and swimming too!
  • victorthehuman 5y ago
    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.
• Jakobeha 5y ago
  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.
  • ad404b8a372f2b9 5y ago
    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.
    • dugditches 5y ago
      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).
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• willismichael 5y ago
  Hawthorne Chukka from Soft Star Shoes: https://www.softstarshoes.com/adult-hawthorne-chukka.html 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.
  • resizeitplz 5y ago
    Yes, yes and yes! Soft Star shoes are amazing (and one of the few 'barefoot' shoemakers that sell north of US size 13)
• fisherjeff 5y ago
  Easy: * Oxo Compact Cold Brew Maker[0] * Rad Power RadWagon[1] [0] https://www.oxo.com/categories/coffee-tea/brew/coffee-makers/compact-cold-brew-maker.html https://www.oxo.com/categories/coffee-tea/brew/coffee-makers... [1] https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radwagon-electric-cargo-bike https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radwagon-electric-car...
  • contriban 5y ago
    $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.
    • enobrev 5y ago
      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.
    • fisherjeff 5y ago
      I can safely say that my investment has amortized down to something very close to $0...
• api 5y ago
  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.
• ryeguy_24 5y ago
  - 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.)
  • maccard 5y ago
    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.
    • enobrev 5y ago
      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.
• 3guk 5y ago
  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.
• peanut_worm 5y ago
  A Sigma 600mm lens. It has made bird photography much, much easier.
• hairofadog 5y ago
  * Shoes: VivoBarefoot Magna Trail II FG (https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/magna-trail-ii-fg-mens 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-System-TS1004/203688711 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-Dado-Saw-Blade-Set-DD208H/100086071 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.
  • coldpie 5y ago
    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?
    • arran-nz 5y ago
      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!
    • jorisg 5y ago
      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.
• Balgair 5y ago
  Plane tickets to see my family for the first time in ~2 years! Quarantine was not a lot of fun.
  • secondstring 5y ago
    Sheesh this should be the top comment. Love it.
• Aachen 5y ago
  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).
  • Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
    These days, I'd recommend a 16 gig minimum if you game at all, with 32 gig recommended if you play RAM intense games.
    • Aachen 5y ago
      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.
• flyinglizard 5y ago
  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.
• gordon_freeman 5y ago
  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.
• monkin 5y ago
  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. :-)
  • parf02 5y ago
    can you talk about the developer experience on iPad Pro?
    • monkin 5y ago
      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-full-stack-developer-living-the-dream-in-america https://www.workbeyondmac.com/1637893/8226779-luis-alcaraz-a... to learn more about developing on iPad. :-)
• fidrelity 5y ago
  - 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.
  • Random_Person 5y ago
    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!
  • madhadron 5y ago
    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.
• dagw 5y ago
  a 21:9 ultrawide monitor. Never going back to a 'normal' monitor again.
• fsloth 5y ago
  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.
  • Cyril_HN 5y ago
    Yeah. 100 kettle bell swings and 10 get-ups, in 20 minutes, sounds pretty brutal.
    • fsloth 5y ago
      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.
• icyfox 5y ago
  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.
  • linsomniac 5y ago
    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...
• coldpie 5y ago
  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.
  • captaindiego 5y ago
    Any recommendations for how to learn if you've never touched a guitar before?
    • coldpie 5y ago
      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.
      • truth_ 5y ago
        Does anybody know something similar for piano? I only know about Bill Hilton in YouTube. Are there anybody better? What would be JustinGuitar.com but for piano?
        • riledhel 5y ago
          Pianote is very enjoyable and a great starting point
    • bkeyes 5y ago
      Check out JustinGuitar.com - tons of free lessons, songs, etc from beginner to advanced and lots of extra, extremely good paid content as well.
    • Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
      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.
• happynacho 5y ago
  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.
  • trutannus 5y ago
    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.
  • CountDrewku 5y ago
    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.
  • rozap 5y ago
    Dog breeders literally invented dogs from wolves. Nothing wrong with supporting good ones.
    • kleer001 5y ago
      Sure... But today's dog breeders are as far from their ancestors in terms of complexity as a modern rifle is from a atlatl.
  • Wistar 5y ago
    BIG fan of the PD2700U. I also have their SW2700PT. Just great monitors.
  • 5y ago
• smusamashah 5y ago
  Remarkable 2. It does what it says and does it well.
  • danecek099 5y ago
    +1
  • operator-name 5y ago
    What other devices would you compare the pen latency for?
    • smusamashah 5y ago
      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.
• busterarm 5y ago
  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.
• sudosteph 5y ago
  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.
  • siver_john 5y ago
    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.
  • epmaybe 5y ago
    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.
• baby 5y ago
  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.
• farrisbris 5y ago
  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
  • skoocda 5y ago
    Cats. They operate on the same principle. Unfortunately, you can't have both cats and plants at the same time.
    • katbyte 5y ago
      I do, you need to train them when young to leave them alone, and provider grass/entertainment so they have better options.
  • gordon_freeman 5y ago
    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.
  • dividuum 5y ago
    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 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.
  • amerkhalid 5y ago
    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.
• lazyweb 5y ago
  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.
• maccard 5y ago
  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.
  • linsomniac 5y ago
    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.
    • maccard 5y ago
      Mines unfortunately the one with the glass jug and hot plate, so no room for a chemex. The thermos one would work though!
• enobrev 5y ago
  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.
  • 100011_100001 5y ago
    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.
    • yawnxyz 5y ago
      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
      • 100011_100001 5y ago
        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.
        • enobrev 5y ago
• akeck 5y ago
  Manual focus lens for my camera. It requires a satisfying amount of attention to use.
  • epmaybe 5y ago
    wait till you try a speedbooster, it'll feel as if you're cheating physics
• adreamingsoul 5y ago
  Therapy.
• peteretep 5y ago
  Air fryer, Fuse Reel, Leatherman
• corysama 5y ago
  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.
  • Humdeee 5y ago
    > 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.
    • coldpie 5y ago
      > 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.
• nfoz 5y ago
  Light Dims! http://www.lightdims.com/index.php 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.
  • tyrust 5y ago
    Oh wow, this exists? Looks more efficient than my combination of duct tape, paper, and a black maker.
    • Kuinox 5y ago
      electrical tape is the way to go.
  • lancesells 5y ago
    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.
    • SECProto 5y ago
      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
      • Groxx 5y ago
        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.
        • SECProto 5y ago
• bbasketball 5y ago
  A https://newsasfacts.com https://newsasfacts.com subscription. I start my day with their daily email digest. Only $1.25/m right now.
  • disqard 5y ago
    Thanks for the recommendation! I purchased a yearly subscription as well.
• IgorPartola 5y ago
  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.
  • Dowwie 5y ago
    have you got a good non-alcoholic cocktail recommendation?
    • IgorPartola 5y ago
      Unfortunately I don’t but I am sure a subreddit on mixology can help!
  • Qub3d 5y ago
    +1 for the air purifier. I got a unit that I keep in my bedroom and my sleep quality has improved massively.
  • drozycki 5y ago
    +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.
• BeniBoy 5y ago
  * 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.
  • baby 5y ago
    Oh I really like that watch too! It is pricey though.
    • BeniBoy 5y ago
      Got a good deal through a webshop named UhrInstinct. Was a little worried to not shop in a physical shop, but my experience was great, offical Junghans card and all. Not an endorsement, just my n=1 experience !
• baby 5y ago
  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.
  • madhadron 5y ago
    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.
    • satysin 5y ago
      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.
  • reacharavindh 5y ago
    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.
    • truth_ 5y ago
      I use Lithium in Android. Has this feature.
    • ja27 5y ago
      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.
• Random_Person 5y ago
  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.
  • stakkur 5y ago
    I'm at a similar decision point. What software are you using to write on the Chromebook?
    • Random_Person 5y ago
      Just Google Docs. I made a template for novel writing and copy it when I start something new.
  • werber 5y ago
    2nd on the EXIT games
  • frosted-flakes 5y ago
    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.
• therealplato 5y ago
  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)
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
• polytely 5y ago
  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
• baby 5y ago
  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.
  • barrkel 5y ago
    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).
    • ska 5y ago
      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
      • baby 5y ago
        ^ 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.
    • itomato 5y ago
      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.
      • baby 5y ago
        I personally add fresh seasoning (including salt and paper) and olive oil at the end, this way you maximize the taste of the seasoning and olive oil. Same for garlic.
• supernikita 5y ago
  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.
• tldrthelaw 5y ago
  Newspapers.com subscription. Great for research on my house, my property, my family.
• tinybear1 5y ago
  - 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.
  • mellosouls 5y ago
    I've had a Kindle (the proper one I mean, not the "Kindle" Fire) since early days and its been genuinely life-transforming.
    • favadi 5y ago
      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.
      • tinybear1 5y ago
        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.
      • influx 5y ago
        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=10825010011 https://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Trade-In/b?ie=UTF8&node=108250...
• humanlion87 5y ago
  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.
• Tomte 5y ago
  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.
• abakker 5y ago
  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.
• bunana 5y ago
  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.
  • nunez 5y ago
    Rice cookers save SO MUCH TIME and produce perfect rice every time!
  • 6gvONxR4sf7o 5y ago
    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.
  • siver_john 5y ago
    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.
  • operator-name 5y ago
    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.
    • bunana 5y ago
      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!
• nunez 5y ago
  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.
  • ricardobayes 5y ago
    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).
    • mellosouls 5y ago
      Agree - the Max are an embarrassment in terms of pricing, whatever their usefulness in plugging the NC/Apple integration gap.
      • jakeva 5y ago
        Expensive? Sure. Apple products come at a premium. But embarrassing? I'm not sure what that's even supposed to mean.
        • smoldesu 5y ago
          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.
• sokoloff 5y ago
  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.
• lwhi 5y ago
  Soda stream machine .. I love fizzy water.
• kwanbix 5y ago
  A BIDET attachment for my toilet. I bought this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A0RHSJO/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A0RHSJO/ But there are many different models.
• isbjorn16 5y ago
  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.
  • graton 5y ago
    +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.
    • alanbernstein 5y ago
      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.
• ultra-jeremyx 5y ago
  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.
  • wccrawford 5y ago
    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.
    • ultra-jeremyx 5y ago
      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.
      • awillen 5y ago
• eknkc 5y ago
  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.
  • hasbot 5y ago
    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.
• m4tthumphrey 5y ago
  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
• raldi 5y ago
  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.
• dageshi 5y ago
  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.
  • codemac 5y ago
    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).
    • dageshi 5y ago
      https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QJ26FRK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 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.
  • xtat 5y ago
    Most people think im nuts but i sleep really well on a futon
• runjake 5y ago
  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
  • skeeterbug 5y ago
    I purchased a battery powered hedge trimmer and edger. Things work great! Still on a gas powered trimmer though, is your 18v?
• faitswulff 5y ago
  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.
  • epmaybe 5y ago
    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).
• neom 5y ago
  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.
  • victorthehuman 5y ago
    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.
    • neom 5y ago
      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.
  • baby 5y ago
    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.
    • neom 5y ago
      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?
      • baby 5y ago
        Less limiting really? What makes you say that?
• JJseiko 5y ago
  Lenovo ThinkPad
  • gaws 5y ago
    Which model?
    • JJseiko 5y ago
      T430
      • gaws 5y ago
        Did you buy it used? If so, where?
• mattgreenrocks 5y ago
  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.
• jifii3 5y ago
  Sodastream Herman Miller chair Philips Hue lights
• otterpro 5y ago
  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.
• tluyben2 5y ago
  Boox Note3 -> it is brilliant. Works so incredibly well and fact it runs Android helps enormously.
  • operator-name 5y ago
    ? Is there a reason you chose the Boox over the ReMarkable? How are you finding the pen latency?
    • tluyben2 5y ago
      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.
• kilbuz 5y ago
  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.
• siver_john 5y ago
  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).
• davedx 5y ago
  Tesla Model 3 AWD is the best thing I’ve ever bought. Good, sharp kitchen knives are very very nice Brooks running shoes
• paulgb 5y ago
  - 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.
• dimitrios1 5y ago
  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.
• hasbot 5y ago
  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.
• anon776 5y ago
  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.
• TacticalCoder 5y ago
  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 https://youtu.be/EAezax2ugQU By very far my favorite purchase of the last two years+.
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  • josefresco 5y ago
    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?
    • thekevan 5y ago
      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.
      • josefresco 5y ago
        my bad, I didn't realize OP was actually Doug Demuro.
• yamrzou 5y ago
  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-Adjustable-MEDIUM/dp/B0841SBNGN https://www.amazon.co.uk/FLEXISPOT-Standing-Height-Adjustabl... I'm enjoying it so far. I recommend it.
• yboris 5y ago
  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.
• herio 5y ago
  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.
• wonderwonder 5y ago
  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.
  • anotherevan 5y ago
    How do you stop the roomba from trying to eat your 10 foot cables?
• namelosw 5y ago
  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-Adjustable/dp/B01CN62HSG 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)
  • dehrmann 5y ago
    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.
  • Ologn 5y ago
    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.
• woudsma 5y ago
  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.
• mayormcmatt 5y ago
  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.
  • SpaceL10n 5y ago
    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.
• imwally 5y ago
  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.
• martindbp 5y ago
  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.
  • operator-name 5y ago
    How are you finding the pen latency? Have you tired some other devices that you'd compare it to?
    • martindbp 5y ago
      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.
• tgv 5y ago
  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.
• bionhoward 5y ago
  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
• thom 5y ago
  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/ 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/ 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.
  • lbhdc 5y ago
    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?
    • askafriend 5y ago
      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.
    • thom 5y ago
      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 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.
• rubyn00bie 5y ago
  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.
• yabones 5y ago
  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.
  • ja27 5y ago
    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.
• jascii 5y ago
  For me? An old Sprinter van: Tall enough for a standing desk. Work anywhere, sleep anywhere, chill anywhere!
  • hawski 5y ago
    Sounds romantic (no sarcasm). Is it your home? Where do you live?
    • jascii 5y ago
      No, I still have a home-base in Portland, OR. While my company went remote full time, my girlfriend isn't so lucky yet. It's still great to spend some time on the coast whenever I want though!
• werber 5y ago
  Service, a Therapist. Great investment
• meekins 5y ago
  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.
  • abawany 5y ago
    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.
    • operator-name 5y ago
      How are you finding the note taking with a pen, specifically the latency?
      • abawany 5y ago
        It seems almost as good to me as writing on pen and paper and I don't find myself distracted by any perceptible lag.
  • tomtheelder 5y ago
    > 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!
    • operator-name 5y ago
      Do you find the pen latency makes your writing slow down or compensate by writing larger?
      • 5y ago
• turtlebits 5y ago
  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.
• ww520 5y ago
  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.
• willmhorne 5y ago
  Surly Bridge Club. Go anywhere, do anything bike.
• amackera 5y ago
  - 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.
  • edeion 5y ago
    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?
    • amackera 5y ago
      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.
• saos 5y ago
  air fryer…
• mattbk1 5y ago
  An Urban Arrow Family cargo bike. Great for kids, great for groceries, saves driving.
• ketamine__ 5y ago
  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.
• stakkur 5y ago
  (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.
• strictnein 5y ago
  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.
• AdmiralAsshat 5y ago
  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.
• matt_morgan 5y ago
  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.
• sAbakumoff 5y ago
  Vibration plate. really cool device for warming up in the morning or before any home workout.
• tomjen3 5y ago
  The M1 Air. Thing is silent, has excellent performance, battery and is the only thing with a real OS that will wake up instantly.
• Finnucane 5y ago
  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.
• 0xB31B1B 5y ago
  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.
  • throwpsa465 5y ago
    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.
    • grzm 5y ago
      Peloton treadmills, not bikes. As discussed on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26846641 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26846641
    • bouk 5y ago
      That's for the treadmill, not the bike
  • joshgel 5y ago
    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.
• glaugh 5y ago
  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
  • godfreyantonell 5y ago
    Does it have weighted keys? Do you have a link to the model you purchased?
  • yboris 5y ago
    Try out Pianoteq! Connect your digital piano to a computer (even Raspberry Pi) and try it out: https://www.modartt.com/pianoteq 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.
    • andrewzah 5y ago
      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 https://sfzinstruments.github.io/pianos/salamander
      • yboris 5y ago
        Thank you for the share! But FYI, the link you sent: Size 394+ MB Pianoteq takes about 35MB :)
        • andrewzah 5y ago
          Yes, but it starts at $149. Unless you're doing music professionally, that is rather steep when free ones like Salamander exist.
• mhitza 5y ago
  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.
• jkereako 5y ago
  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.
• koonsolo 5y ago
  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.
  • hadem 5y ago
    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?
    • koonsolo 5y ago
      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-productive-life-some-details-of-my-personal-infrastructure/ https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2019/02/seeking-the-prod...
• dougmwne 5y ago
  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.
• ashleyn 5y ago
  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.
  • throwaway00127 5y ago
    > 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...
    • lnenad 5y ago
      I don't understand the situation in which anyone would find that acceptable. That is 60 days a year thrown away, and for what?
      • throwaway00127 5y ago
        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.
• dmnd 5y ago
  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.
• pySSK 5y ago
  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.
• sebiw 5y ago
  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.
• greenie_beans 5y ago
  gravity water filter for camping and backpacking, which has proved useful for car trips and local water outages
• ngmaloney 5y ago
  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.
  • nappy-doo 5y ago
    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).
• jonstewart 5y ago
  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.
• b1gtuna 5y ago
  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.
• sevilo 5y ago
  Guqin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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 https://vessi.com best shoes I've worn, feels likes slippers, lightweight and waterproof, perfect for the rainy PNW weathers
  • sigstoat 5y ago
    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.
    • sevilo 5y ago
      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.
• lend000 5y ago
  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.
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• dharma1 5y ago
  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.
  • Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
    > 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?
    • mlac 5y ago
      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
    • BallCramp 5y ago
      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.
• gautamb0 5y ago
  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.
• mring33621 5y ago
  electric skateboard
• juancn 5y ago
  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.
• ojr 5y ago
  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.
• vnorilo 5y ago
  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.
• bluGill 5y ago
  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.
  • hawski 5y ago
    Which OS do you use with Pinebook Pro?
    • bluGill 5y ago
      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.
• philistine 5y ago
  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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• deegles 5y ago
  Good sleep supplements. My daily stack: - 300mcg (0.3mg) extended release Melatonin - 200mg Magnesium Glycinate - 150mg L-Theanine - 5g Glycine in herbal tea
  • operator-name 5y ago
    Did you conduct any measurements before and after? How much of an improvement did you find?
• ryukafalz 5y ago
  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.
• spike021 5y ago
  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.
  • gaws 5y ago
    > Two trips to Japan. What are some good recommendations for a first-time visit to Tokyo?
    • spike021 5y ago
      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).
    • 1vuio0pswjnm7 5y ago
      "If you have to ask, then you're ngmi" there. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27225319 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27225319
      • gaws 5y ago
• alexfromapex 5y ago
  I bought an Epson EX9220 projector that I love
• fa 5y ago
  Two Kohler Novita wash toilets (bidets), with heated seats, auto-open covers, instant unlimited hot water, and more.
• bluesupergiant 5y ago
  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
• hi41 5y ago
  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.
• loufe 5y ago
  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!
  • ornornor 5y ago
    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.
    • loufe 5y ago
      I only got the hose off eBay, actually. I got the tank from a local home-brew supplier and also fill it up there. You can also buy them on Amazon, however.
      • ornornor 5y ago
        I see. Same here, I have to find a “gas store” or whatever they’re called to buy the co2 tank.
• teawrecks 5y ago
  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.
• gadders 5y ago
  Sleep Headphones. Much more comfortable than the in-ear ones I used to use: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-Headphones-Bluetooth-Ultra-Thin-Meditation-Grey/dp/B07SGK28Q7/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-Headphones-Bluetooth-Ultra-Th...
• omarhaneef 5y ago
  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.
  • Rendello 5y ago
    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 ;)
  • hawski 5y ago
    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.
  • couchdb_ouchdb 5y ago
    The Apple M1 is also an ergonomic choice for me, as the new keyboards are much easier on the hands.
  • lamby 5y ago
    > The only non-pain recommendation that comes close is coffee Placebo or not, I'm a total pain without my coffee.
• slashdot2008 5y ago
  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.
• ilamont 5y ago
  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.
  • rpcwork 5y ago
    Possibly uses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_cooling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_cooling
• motohagiography 5y ago
  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.
  • nfoz 5y ago
    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.
    • motohagiography 5y ago
      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.
• foxbarrington 5y ago
  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.
  • pklausler 5y ago
    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!
    • operator-name 5y ago
      In which way is it not the same as a fountain pen? The texture? Latency? Stroke correction?
      • pklausler 5y ago
        The latency is long enough to notice, yes, and the tactile experience (resistance, scratching sounds, &c.) is sufficiently different to be distracting.
  • operator-name 5y ago
    Have you tried the iPad Pro, or other devices? How would you compare the latency?
• loloquwowndueo 5y ago
  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.
• thrower123 5y ago
  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.
• codezero 5y ago
  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?
• hawski 5y ago
  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.
  • iscrewyou 5y ago
    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.
  • adamredwoods 5y ago
    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.
    • hawski 5y ago
      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-the-ups-and-downs-of-the-canon-eos-m100-in-mexico https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/0877988578/traveling-light-...
• boomka 5y ago
  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...
• princevegeta89 5y ago
  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
  • gaws 5y ago
    > Also bought a Samsung 32 inch 4K monitor that made a huge difference in my life in terms of productivity How?
    • princevegeta89 5y ago
      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
      • gaws 5y ago
        Are you using a window manager to fit six windows on one monitor?
• axegon_ 5y ago
  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.
• apexalpha 5y ago
  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.
  • Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
    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.
• jedberg 5y ago
  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.
  • sircastor 5y ago
    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.
    • jedberg 5y ago
      I got the Feit electric from Costco. https://www.feit.com/product/smart-wi-fi-dimmer/ https://www.feit.com/product/smart-wi-fi-dimmer/
• phlipski 5y ago
  That robovac (bought a roomba 600 series 5 years ago) saved my marriage! Single greatest home productivity improvement purchase of all time!
• rickitan 5y ago
  Gymnastic rings and kettlebells
• timdaub 5y ago
  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 :)
• pklausler 5y ago
  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.
• tehnub 5y ago
  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.
• rickitan 5y ago
  Gymnastic rings and Kettlebells, having so much fun working out with these two tools.
• phlipski 5y ago
  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.
• deleted 5y ago
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• omoikane 5y ago
  Hand-crank flashlights, which were put to good use during the multiple power outages we had last year.
  • hawski 5y ago
    Sounds useful even without outages. How much one has to turn to make it work for an hour? Or is it in minutes?
    • omoikane 5y ago
      For these ones: https://www.amazon.com/ThorFire-Rechargeable-Collapsible-Flashlight-Emergency/dp/B00NIL1DFO/ 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.
• rakamotog 5y ago
  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
  • gaws 5y ago
    > An Apartment - A house that is my own, not my parent's place, but mine. Are you renting or owning?
• lastofthemojito 5y ago
  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/ https://craigmod.com/essays/leica_q/
• teddyh 5y ago
  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 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21074519
  • codezero 5y ago
    I'm not into tea, but my wife is and she swears by this kettle.
• gmac 5y ago
  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.
• throwaway3neu94 5y ago
  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.
• jimbilly22 5y ago
  A boxing heavybag. The best stress reliever imaginable.
• slimbods 5y ago
  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.
  • steve_adams_86 5y ago
    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!
  • krat0sprakhar 5y ago
    I wish I could do this! But alas, living in an apartment in the city this will remain my pipedream.
    • guythedudebro 5y ago
      Nonsense, just get rid of your couch / tv area. No distractions :)
    • ryanchants 5y ago
      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.
    • knuthsat 5y ago
      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.
• nyhc99 5y ago
  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.
• myohmy 5y ago
  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.
• blumomo 5y ago
  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 https://system76.com/laptops/lemur [2] https://pop.system76.com/ https://pop.system76.com/
• Rebelgecko 5y ago
  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/dp/B0015GDW3U 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.
  • Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
    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).
• lovetocode 5y ago
  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
• debarshri 5y ago
  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-handvatten-30cm/ https://www.valhaloutdoor.com/product/vh30h-skillet-met-2-ha...
• dionidium 5y ago
  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.
• adamredwoods 5y ago
  SeaEagle 380x inflatable kayak.
• mtoddsmith 5y ago
  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.
• don-code 5y ago
  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.
• jader201 5y ago
  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.
• amerkhalid 5y ago
  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.
  • Random_Person 5y ago
    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.
  • throwaway6734 5y ago
    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
  • jacobrussell 5y ago
    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.
• meristohm 5y ago
  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 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unifine_mill [1] Breath, by James Nestor http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1249567607 http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1249567607
• fred92 5y ago
  Finally caved and bought myself a light down jacket (https://www.rei.com/product/154226/rei-co-op-650-down-jacket-20-womens 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-Historic/dp/1632171740 https://www.amazon.com/Best-Coast-Illustrated-Adventures-His... Spent so many blissful hours daydreaming/researching about road-trips.
  • oezi 5y ago
    I can second the down jacket (without arms). I bought one 10 years ago in Ireland and my kids refer to it as my Lord Sir jacket even though it is really a jacket for farmers working in a light drizzle. Definitely +1
  • Dowwie 5y ago
    the "down sweater" is a base layer that goes really well with a hard shell
• 5tefan 5y ago
  Several things. Daily use. Good coffee Commandante grinder Melitta style set Kingston Slimblade Realforce Keyboard 100% 1440p screen with power supply Kobo Aura One
• oneepic 5y ago
  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.
• LegitShady 5y ago
  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.
• richx 5y ago
  My Ampler electric bicycle: https://amplerbikes.com/ 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/ 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.
• agent86 5y ago
  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/ https://www.kindlingcracker.com/
  • avidal 5y ago
    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-tools/log-splitters/10-ton-hydraulic-log-splitter-67090.html https://www.harborfreight.com/lawn-garden/outdoor-power-tool...
• knolan 5y ago
  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.
• sharken 5y ago
  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-soundbar-dolby-atmos-black-hw-q950t-xe/ 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-black-hw-q950a-xm/ https://www.samsung.com/my/audio-devices/soundbar/q950a-blac...
  • nwsm 5y ago
    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.
    • sharken 5y ago
      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.
  • klmadfejno 5y ago
    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?ref_=ast_sto_dp https://www.amazon.com/HDFury-HDF0160-Arcana/dp/B08DF7GRCB?r...
• djohnston 5y ago
  Ergodox keyboard. It really helped with RSI issues I was facing.
• jerome-jh 5y ago
  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 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.
• remvee 5y ago
  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.
• mindcrime 5y ago
  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-hiking-boots-for-men 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-Supply/dp/B00EP9I086 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/B0012B8NW8 https://www.amazon.com/AMERICAN-HAKKO-PRODUCTS-INC-FX-951/dp...
• znpy 5y ago
  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.
  • gaws 5y ago
    > 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.
• nirav72 5y ago
  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+)
  • Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
    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
    • codezero 5y ago
      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!
• polycaster 5y ago
  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.
• fshee 5y ago
  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 https://www.littlekeyboards.com/collections/helix-pcb-kits
• pixiemaster 5y ago
  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.
  • cbushko 5y ago
    So basically you never have to mop your hardwood floors ever again?
    • pixiemaster 5y ago
      exactly. and it’s like a one stop with vacuuming, incl bigger stuff like breadcrumbs.
• real-dino 5y ago
  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!
• nlh 5y ago
  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).
  • xtat 5y ago
    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.
  • gaws 5y ago
    > 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.
• danShumway 5y ago
  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.
• mattbee 5y ago
  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!
  • jesterson 5y ago
    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.
    • mattbee 5y ago
      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!
      • jesterson 5y ago
        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.
• pauldelany 5y ago
  Backscratcher - I never knew I couldn't go without one until I had one. I now have several dotted about the house.
• ornornor 5y ago
  > 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.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• wetpaws 5y ago
  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.
• SaintGhurka 5y ago
  Aerogarden. I've always got a fresh supply of basil and chives and dill now.
• ezekg 5y ago
  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.
• Nemi 5y ago
  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.
• zfaizal 5y ago
  - 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.
  • operator-name 5y ago
    What apps do you find yourself using on the S6 Lite?
• paxys 5y ago
  $600 espresso maker. Used it every day during quarantine. It has already paid for itself and more, and now the average coffee shop latte tastes terrible to me.
• lgreiv 5y ago
  Coming from rather bulky DSLRs (e.g. Canon 7D), the Ricoh GR III was a game changer for me. The camera has a superb image quality while easily fitting in the front pocket of my pants, which allows me to carry it each and every day. That availability allowed me to take many shots I would have missed with my bulkier cameras as I would have left them at home. The development presets it brought luckily meet my taste, which allows me to skip development on my computer most of the time (I still shoot RAW and jpeg combined for the other times). The designers have put much effort in enabling one-handed handling of the camera even in manual mode. Many current generation smartphones come with capable cameras, though, and I expect many not to see the benefit in this camera for their needs.
• truth_ 5y ago
  I bought a very cheap Android tablet (~55 US$). 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.
• bredren 5y ago
  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.
  • gaws 5y ago
    > Quite an investment $6,000 for a monitor? An investment indeed.
• minimoose 5y ago
  the maschine mk3 has helped with my video game addiction. downside is now i want a polyend tracker >.>
• infinite_beam 5y ago
  Bamix. The best immersion blender IMO.
  • in9 5y ago
    I just got a really cheap one, and haven't used it yet. Will it be a bad experience? :D
• mkw2k 5y ago
  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.
• conqrr 5y ago
  My Ebike bought in April 2020 during the Pandemic. Daily rides after work has been helping me detach from work and personal life. Seattle has been amazing to ride with beautiful lakes, parks and trails everywhere. I didn't own a vehicle before. I'd love to keep this as my only vehicle if I can.
• greyhair 5y ago
  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.
  • Sohcahtoa82 5y ago
    > 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.
• H12 5y ago
  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.
• 2OEH8eoCRo0 5y ago
  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.
• tonfreed 5y ago
  Line 6 Variax guitar. It's good enough that I haven't even thought about buying another guitar since because it's so versatile.
• SAI_Peregrinus 5y ago
  Knipex Pliers-Wrench set. Basically replaces all other adjustable wrenches and most fixed wrenches.
• johnchristopher 5y ago
  Not a hardware thing but I bought the witness, the game, and I have been using it as a kind of safe place.
• thallavajhula 5y ago
  1. [reMarkable 2 Tablet](https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2 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/ https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/) - Amazing for their use case
  • operator-name 5y ago
    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?
• efxhoy 5y ago
  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.
• rmk 5y ago
  - 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).
• nickfromseattle 5y ago
  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.
• Groxx 5y ago
  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.
• Dowwie 5y ago
  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!
  • slothtrop 5y ago
    Where do you tend to buy that sort of tea in bulk?
    • Dowwie 5y ago
      Silk Road Teas is one provider I've used
      • slothtrop 5y ago
        thanks
• ivanech 5y ago
  Courses at Bradfield School of Computer Science (https://bradfieldcs.com/ https://bradfieldcs.com/) – I've never learned computer science so quickly or effectively
  • gaws 5y ago
    Are you doing the full course?
    • ivanech 5y ago
      Not right now, I've only taken the computer architecture and operating systems courses. I hope to do CSI in the future.
      • gaws 5y ago
        How's the experience been?
• cbanek 5y ago
  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.
• brailsafe 5y ago
  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
• juliancox 5y ago
  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.
• fouric 5y ago
  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 https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2 [2] https://github.com/abstracthat/dactyl-manuform https://github.com/abstracthat/dactyl-manuform [3] https://peterlyons.com/problog/2021/04/squeezebox-keyboard/ https://peterlyons.com/problog/2021/04/squeezebox-keyboard/ [4] https://old.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/b9k9s5/warp/ https://old.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/b9k9s5...
  • enchiridion 5y ago
    While not open source it is exceptionally open/hackable (in the good sense) https://github.com/reHackable https://github.com/reHackable
• fomine3 5y ago
  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
• Juntu 5y ago
  Alienware m15 r3 the thing is a beast and cant forget my office chair with out the other you can’t mix bacon and eggs or apple in a tree. Satisfied and bought at the same time frame of 2 years back. I love the 300 hz on my screen and the cushion on my chair gives my back perfect comfort.
• drdavid 5y ago
  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.
• djbeadle 5y ago
  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/dp/B00VH8ZW02 https://www.amazon.com/Anker-5-Port-Charger-PowerPort-iPhone...
• eitland 5y ago
  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..?
• WarOnPrivacy 5y ago
  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.
• deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
• endtime 5y ago
  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.
• tyrex2017 5y ago
  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.
• tastysandwich 5y ago
  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.
• mceachen 5y ago
  My AMD 3900x. So. Many. Cores.
• chewxy 5y ago
  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)
• kalyantm 5y ago
  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.
• justnotworthit 5y ago
  Laser eye surgery. I wore glasses from age 10 to 35. I may never find a better way to spend money.
• feydaykyn 5y ago
  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 https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34635/stone-age [1] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199042/harry-potter-hogwarts-battle https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199042/harry-potter-hogw... [2] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173090/game https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173090/game [3] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257501/keyforge-call-archons https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257501/keyforge-call-arc... (edit: styling)
• dsgrillo 5y ago
  Secretlab TITAN
• ketrin 5y ago
  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
• thefz 5y ago
  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.
• herve76 5y ago
  a DynaTrap
• cosiverse 5y ago
  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)
• AlphaSquared 5y ago
  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.
  • codezero 5y ago
    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 :)
• moepstar 5y ago
  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 https://www.klipsch.com/products/rp-280f [2] https://emotiva.com/products/pt-100 https://emotiva.com/products/pt-100 [3] https://emotiva.com/products/a-300 https://emotiva.com/products/a-300
• DracheZahn 5y ago
  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!.
• mgalgs 5y ago
  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.
• yanneves 5y ago
  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.
• samueldamon 5y ago
  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.
• quickthrower2 5y ago
  Roborock S50 vacuum/mop Trezor One crypto wallet Tile Pro finder. Find keys, wallets, spouse! All 5 star
• nt2h9uh238h 5y ago
  Apple AirPods.
• alinspired 5y ago
  ergonomic vertical mouse - tried a few and liked Workstream by Monoprice https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38963 https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38963
• lostmsu 5y ago
  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.
• vinhnx 5y ago
  * 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!
• internetbird 5y ago
  Oculus Quest 2. My first ever VR headset and it really changed how I view the future of technology in many aspects