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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 yo

• 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).
    • ad404b8a372f2b9 5y ago
      Thank you!
  • nojito 5y ago
    I love the Etymotic Research ER20 I also think they make the best earbuds on the market as well.
    • ricardobayes 5y ago
      How easy are they to put in? Also are you meant to clean them from time to time?
      • dsr_ 5y ago
        As easy as any other ear plug; yes, you can and should clean them with a mild soap and water every so often. The amazing thing about them is that they let you go to a live concert and hear all the music properly, without pain.
        • _carbyau_ 5y ago
          Disclosure: I don't get "loud live concerts" really. But your last sentence makes me wonder WTH is going on. Why would so many people want this experience?
          • dsr_ 5y ago
            It's a complex answer, but I'll see what I can do to simplify it. First, humans associate louder sound levels with higher quality, up to a point. Frequencies which can't be heard at lower levels become audible at higher levels. Second, human ears adapt to a reasonably large range of sounds. Third, sound levels decay with distance, which is why in ear phones use tiny amounts of power (a few milliwatts) and speaker systems for arena concerts can use megawatts. They also decay unevenly by frequency. A classical Western concert with a full orchestra, unamplified, often has peak levels around 90 dB in the first few rows of seating. An amplified rock concert is trying to provide body-stirring levels of sound for people a hundred meters or more away from the stage. That's the technical why. The personal why? Loud music literally moves you. It's not something I want every day, but it's fun on occasion.
  • wolfpack_mick 5y ago
    If you've got some money, get custom molded earplugs made for sleeping. Places selling hearing aids sell them. They spray some foam in your ear to take the print, and you get the custom plugs in the mail a few weeks later. €140 is a lot for earplugs but it's amazing that they just slot into place in your ear, they're easy to pull out, and they're so small you don't feel them wether you're lying on them or wear headphones over them.
    • texasbigdata 5y ago
      Plus you can adjust the sound absorption in some models and get specific decibel reduction out of the gate and overall it will be higher than foam. Expensive but also helpful for in person concerts.
  • ChrisKingWebDev 5y ago
    I've tried just about every musician earplug on the market, including custom molded electric ones. For any amount of money, the best results I've had were with https://www.earasers.net/products/earasers https://www.earasers.net/products/earasers. If I were to re-purchase these, I would consider the EU rated ones, which have a few extra DBs of protection. If you aren't singing or don't need to hear your own voice as well, you can also get away with cheaper percussion earplugs like these: https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/vater-earplugs https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/vater-earplugs I would say these are both good enough for the casual musicians / audience members. I would only upgrade back to electric ones if I were buying actual in ear monitors, but I doubt any of my bands will get to that point.
  • andrewzah 5y ago
    I recommend etymotic research ones. They cut frequencies more uniformly. The typical foam ones are slightly better at noise reduction, but they make everything sound incredibly muffled. I haven't had issues with any particular brand of foam ones though, if just cutting out noise is your goal. The best would be custom molded earplugs, but those are fairly expensive.
    • technofiend 5y ago
      I'm glad you recommended them because if you hadn't, I would have. Like you said they're particularly useful for preserving your hearing at live music venues without muddling the audio. As someone who didn't have hearing protection and attended some really loud venues, the hearing damage I have is a real pain the backside. There's a deep notch in the middle of my hearing range so going to a pub means I hear shuffling of feet and clinking of glasses better than I hear people talking to me even though they're closer and louder. Similarly cranking up the audio on a conference line means getting a painful spike of noise from join/leave beeps when the levels are right to hear speakers clearly. Can't recommend that people wear hearing protection enough in general and at least for me etymotic make for a pleasant experience.
      • brokenmachine 5y ago
        You could try using Equalizer APO and making a reverse of your notch for PC audio.
  • akamaka 5y ago
    I’ve been extremely satisfied with Happy Ears. They are tiny and unobtrusive, and very comfortable.
  • Jakobeha 5y ago
    I just get basic CSV silicone earplugs. Nothing special, but they work surprisingly well and only cost $10. Foam earplugs are supposed to me more effective, but apparently harder to wear and sometimes less comfortable.
  • patrickdward 5y ago
    Check out the wax ones by Ohropax
• 101008 5y ago
  I never heard of bone-conduction headphones. They seem very interesting and I'd love to try them. Are they OK for calls, or only music? And also - is there any health issue I should be aware?
  • wusher 5y ago
    They are better for calls than music. I didn't find any health risks when i looked into them. Anecdotally my ears feel better since switching to them
    • notdang 5y ago
      How do they work for audiobooks/podcasts in noisy environments? (traffic mostly)
      • ryukafalz 5y ago
        Not always great. A good rule of thumb: could you easily hear someone talking next to you at a normal speaking volume? If so, you'll be able to hear with the headphones just fine. If not, you probably won't.
      • GormanFletcher 5y ago
        My Aftershokz are good for spoken word in noisy/trafficy environments unless I'm inside a car at freeway speeds, or operating a lawn mower. They could work in a car if they got a little louder. Just be aware that they make it practical to tell that something is happening around you, but with spoken word you'll usually have to pause to tell what is happening around you. I.e., I can't understand what someone is saying to me if a narrator is already speaking into my ear.
  • rcoder 5y ago
    Just in case the word "conduction" triggered the question about health risk: in this case it just means the sound is transferred by direct contact of the resonator on the speaker with your cheekbone (well, as direct as going through the skin can be). There's no electrical signal going into your body, just vibration moving through your skull directly to the inner ear, rather than via air into the air canal. Music is actually pretty unsatisfying at any volume above background levels in an otherwise-quiet room, since any significant bass through the conduction 'phones actually makes them jump out of contact with your head, resulting in a buzz you can feel + hear. Calls, podcasts, YT videos, etc. all work great.
• shireboy 5y ago
  Second cast iron. We use ours daily - and it's a handmedown from my grandmother who also used daily for 20+ years. Once seasoned properly, it is non-stick, cleans easy. We just be sure to put a little oil on it after each use. Really the only skillet you need.
  • mynameisash 5y ago
    I bought a cheapy Lodge skillet -- 12", I think? -- a while back because I succumbed to the cast iron craze and really wanted to try cooking on induction. I figured I'd just upgrade to a bigger skillet when necessary. It's now like 7 years later and my skillet shows no signs of giving up, and I don't think buying yet another kitchen device would make my wife happy. Should have gone with a bigger skillet to begin with. Also, induction cooktops are amazing.
    • JKCalhoun 5y ago
      Also got a Lodge (two now, as you say, needed a bigger one as well). Took an angle grinder to it with an abrasive pad wheel installed. Smoothed it right up.
      • jeffwass 5y ago
        Why did you need to grind the Lodge?
        • AuryGlenz 5y ago
          I did the same thing to mine. They have a rough surface when you buy them unlike old cast iron pans, apparently - though I don’t know if they’re smooth from use or came that way.
          • mod 5y ago
            In the glory days, cast iron pans were milled perfectly smooth on the cooking surface. Lodge casts their pans without surfacing, so you have a porous surface. I have a lodge and it's okay, but I prefer my antique Wagner when I can. It sticks less and it also has been in my family a really long time.
• silicon2401 5y ago
  > cast iron skillet Personally I think these are a waste of money unless you live in a house. Trying to season one of these smoked up our apartment for hours. Apparently we didn't do it right because it's still sticky even with oil, but there's no way we're going through the headache again until we have a house.
  • tomlagier 5y ago
    You can just use it like a normal, heavy duty pan. The difference in use and flavor between seasoned and unseasoned is pretty minor, IMO. The real advantage is that they're so cheap relative to their utility. They heat evenly and stand up to incredible abuse at a fraction of the cost of a normal pan.
    • johnvaluk 5y ago
      Note that seasoning cast iron has nothing to do with flavor. It refers to the coating that develops after seasons of use. The primary benefit is that it prevents rust. A very nice side effect is that food tends to stick to it less. Seasoning is best accomplished in a controlled environment, but it's also fine to just start using it (with oil) and lightly clean without soap after use. Eventually, it might start to develop a useful coating in key areas.
      • ayyy 5y ago
        I steam clean it (hot water + hot pan + stiff brush), then back on the stove to dry off and apply a light layer of avocado oil. Leave it shiny on your stove and ready for next use. The important thing with cast iron is to clean it immediately, before you've started eating. But this is actually pretty easy because steam cleaning is so effective and cast iron is really durable. It takes about 30 seconds to clean it and rub with oil.
        • basch 5y ago
          Or let it cool down, and use chain mail. For seasoning to form the oil needs to turn into plastic. A wet layer of oil that isnt heated wont do that.
• User23 5y ago
  A pleasant property of the cast iron skillet is that I can preheat it to an exact temperature in the oven. To make popcorn I drop some ghee in it and put it in and set the preheat to 450. The second the oven comes to temperature I pull it out, put it on medium high add the corn and cover and shake occasionally. Usually have from zero to at most five unpopped kernels this way. The preheat in the oven trick is good for steaks too.
• alanbernstein 5y ago
  I used to think noise-cancelling headphones were a gimmick. I'm also pretty indifferent to audio quality, so I never expected to buy expensive headphones. But I had an opportunity to try out one of the best options available right now, and the noise cancelling performance blew me away. With the closed-back cups sealing over my ears, and the noise cancelling active, I can only just hear normal-volume conversation next to me. When also playing music, I can't hear any normal sounds around my house. With white noise and earplugs as well, I literally can't hear a baby screaming.
  • MediumD 5y ago
    Which headphone did you try? That sounds amazing
    • rootusrootus 5y ago
      Can't speak for OP, but I recently bought a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones and I'm pretty impressed. They don't make me feel the pressure in my ear like some do, and the noise suppression is just about magic. My wife has to text me from downstairs to tell me my kids are fighting even when it's just outside the door to my office, because I can't hear them at all (and I don't turn up the volume on my music). Just turning them on without any music makes it hard to understand someone talking in the same room.
      • jason_slack 5y ago
        I have these same ones and AirPod Max as well. Both really amazing for focus, deep thought and traveling.
        • rootusrootus 5y ago
          > traveling For sure, that moment when you power them up on the airplane it's heavenly.
        • reasonabl_human 5y ago
• anarazel 5y ago
  That kind of headphones really was a significant upgrade for me. Being able to listen to something while still having environmental awareness is awesome. I do wish the max volume for the aftershokz where higher, and they didn't have the play/pause button trigger a redial when double pushed. I've accidentally done that multiple times (Including scaring my parents with a middle of the night call, due to 9 hours time difference.)
  • Jakobeha 5y ago
    Silicone earplugs will increase the volume of the Aftershokz.
    • anarazel 5y ago
      But remove the advantage of having situational awareness :)
  • frosted-flakes 5y ago
    If you never use them for calling, you can go into Bluetooth settings and disable Calls/Phone access for that device. At least, this is possible on Android.
• koolba 5y ago
  > I hate getting new kitchenware and then worrying about breaking it or getting it all stained. Cast iron is awesome but I now have the reverse problem, constant fear I’m going to crack my counter top.
  • deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
• ketamine__ 5y ago
  Ear plugs are really important for being a nomad and traveling. You never know how noisy a place might be and the noise level could actually change during your stay. I typically bring 30. But more is always better.
• soledades 5y ago
  FWIW noise-cancelling headphones and earplugs are not mutually exclusive, and are actually a pretty good combo for living next to a train track.
• arbuge 5y ago
  I did ear plugs for a long time but really disliked the discomfort (to me at least) of inserting them in my ears. I found hearing protectors, typically made for industrial purposes, to be much more comfortable and effective. Just do a search for "noise reduction earmuff" for this option. They're obviously not a good solution for sleeping but work well for working.
  • codemac 5y ago
    There are also my favorite, which go over the ear canal rather than inside: Mack's Pillow Soft Silicone Earplugs
  • pllbnk 5y ago
    I think some people have narrow or more sensitive ear canal. Give a try to kids' ear plugs and also see instructions how to insert them correctly (effortlessly by pulling the ear up). I had a issue with foam ear plugs due to the pressure, but kids' foam ear plugs are perfect for me, even for side sleeping.
• mattpratt 5y ago
  Aftershokz have transformed my relationship with cycling. I've always been hesitant to cycle with in ear headphones for safety reasons. Aftershokz are perfect.
  • andrewzah 5y ago
    I agree. Aftershokz changed my running completely. I pair them with my garmin fenix and no longer have to deal with wires or being isolated from my environment.
• fho 5y ago
  I got some bone conducting ear phones lately and really hate them ... both the 30€ and the 120€ versions I tried. Super cheap sound ... basically no bass response. My brain got used to it thou and I still use them daily, listing to (mostly speech) podcasts on the (bike) commute.
  • Jakobeha 5y ago
    tbh the sound quality is not the best. Although it is a lot better (especially bass) if you wear earplugs or you're in a quiet area. It's the comfort + durability + awareness + good price + still decent sound quality imo, which makes them worth it to me.
    • fho 5y ago
      Yeah ... but if I wear earplugs I prefer my 5-way [1] in-ears ... ;-) No idea why people need noise-canceling, those (and my drumming headphones) seal pretty well against the outside ... once I put music on I don't hear a thing anymore. That said ... I use the bone-conducting ones pretty regularly on the bike and while running. [1] Not really 5 way ... 1x low, 2x mid, 2x high balanced amatures.
  • ivanyv 5y ago
    Do you listen at >1x speeds? I would also like these for biking but would like to know if quality would be enough for 2-3x
    • fho 5y ago
      Nah ... I don't. But I would guess that speeding up 2-3x doesn't make too much of a difference. Everything sounds thin on them.
• hateful 5y ago
  > Patreon and Github sponsors. This was a big one for me. I donate ~2 to not just projects I happen to like, but to ones that I've used and have given me a good return on investment. Honorable mentions: Vuejs, Bootstrap Vue
• patrickdward 5y ago
  For sleeping or other extended use at home, wax earplugs like those from Ohropax work well and are more comfortable than other materials.
• jfengel 5y ago
  You really liked the OpenMove for running? I've been struggling to find really stable BlueTooth phones. (I liked the Pixel-branded wired phones, actually, but for stupid reasons they no longer seem to work with my phone.) I run a whole bunch, so it matters a lot. My favorite thus far have been surprisingly cheap ($20) "retro" JLab phones that look like the kind I used to run with before everybody switched to earbuds. Build quality is mediocre but I just want to be able to hear stuff. I'd be willing to spend $79 on the OpenMove (that's what I see on their web site), but it's a very different approach so it's good to know that it works for you.
  • Jakobeha 5y ago
    my iPhone 6S+ Bluetooth works well with the headphones. Although it has a different problem, it's very bulky when I run. I'm looking into getting a new watch, so maybe I'll get one that can play bluetooth audio to fix the bulkiness.
• codezero 5y ago
  Fun fact, you can put bone conducting headphones on your mouth and hear through your teeth :)
• temporallobe 5y ago
  Cast iron is so extremely versatile and durable. I’ve had this one iron skillet for 23 years and it just seems to get better with age. I would also highly recommend enameled iron cookware like pots and pans from Le Cruset (it doesn’t have to be that brand though, there are plenty of excellent off-brand alternatives that are just as good and a lot cheaper). As for headphones, I obsess over the Sony MDR-7506s, which to my ears are the best sounding headphones ever made. These are old-school wired studio monitors and they outperform any hyped “high-end” overpriced headphones. They have a neutral, accurate sound and are surprisingly inexpensive. You can still get then new for about $100. They are my secret audio weapon. Oh and I love Jetbrains tools. I specifically use RubyMine quite a bit. VSCode (with the Ruby and Rails plugins) is great, but RubyMine is just very mature and polished, and it feels professional.
• parentheses 5y ago
  If you're a regular ear plugs user, look into getting audiophile noise dampeners. They're designed to be reusable and tend to be really comfortable. Some of them don't stick out of your ears like the plugs.
  • cpr 5y ago
    Can you give some suggestions? "audiophile noise dampeners" googled just give speaker isolation products, etc.
• lobocinza 5y ago
  I dislike the ear plugs that I bought. I really like my noise cancelling heaphone and use it most of the day but unfortunately they are not ergonomic for sleep. 1- headphone plastic rubbing against cloth is noisy; 2- I sleep on my side and that puts unbearable pressure on the head.
• quickthrower2 5y ago
  Yeah I order 100pc boxes of Howard Leight’s for iirc $50 or so once a year. They are awesome.