I'll start: I caved and bought a robovac. Wow, unlike many techno-gadgets, this one really delivers. Real utility, not just taking up space. Low maintenance, runs while I sleep, and the floor is just cleaner.
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.
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.
By very far my favorite purchase of the last two years+.
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.
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.
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.
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.
[Others have also said AirPods Pro. Spectacular little earbuds.]
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.
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.
- 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).
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.
* For the table saw, this sawdust bag (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-Table-Saw-Dust-Collector-S...) does a surprisingly good job for $11, and this set of Dado blades (https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-8-in-x-12-Teeth-Stacked-D...) has saved me a ton of time with tongue-and-groove work.
- 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.
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.
I've really ended up liking my Moonlander keyboard. I wasn't initially sold onsplit keyboards at all, and it's taken me a while to end up with a layout I'm happy with, but I've just about caught up on typing speed and feel far less cramped. Plus it plays chiptunes.
https://www.zsa.io/moonlander/
Also I can't necessarily recommend a particular brand, but I bought myself a soldering station for the first time ever. Been a long time since I was interested in electronics or computer hardware in particular, but it's been really satisfying fixing various bits of equipment in my house.
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).
Aeron Chair + IKEA IDÅSEN electric standing desk. With perfect height combination finally, I don't feel shoulder pain when typing. Unlike most standing desks, IDÅSEN is not wobbly at all.
A double-decker book stand. I sometimes get distracted when I use the computer so I started to spend more time on paper-based workflow. I have serious back pain when I am writing, and taking notes from textbooks is not pleasant because books are not only too far but tend to close themselves from time to time. The double-decker book stands[0] solved both problems perfectly.
Mac Pro. I used to have a PC and Macbook Pro and switch back and forth because I want Windows to play video games and macOS for the rest of the tasks. It was a mess. I also tried Hackintosh it was not good. With Mac Pro, I can reboot to Bootcamp pretty fast. TBH it's not a good deal but it did reduce the hassle so there's no regret. M1 is good and all but there's no Bootcamp and the GPU is not as powerful.
What didn't meet the expectation are the monitor mounts. Not only they didn't add any value for me, but also the maximum height is too low for me. Eventually, I go back to the old solution: Just put several thick textbooks under the monitors. (my personal choice: CLRS + CSAPP + HTDP + Computer Networking + Algorithms 4th :))
[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nice-Bookstand-Desktop-Cookbook-Adj... (I couldn't find a purchasable link but the picture shows the idea, and there should be plenty of similar products on the market)
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.
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
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.
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.
- 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.
* 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.
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.
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.
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
The first is the ReMarkable 2[1]. While imperfect (not open-source, support is atrocious), its utility is so high that it more than makes up for it - it actually behaves like electronic paper, and is better than real paper for my use-cases.
The second is a Dactyl-Manuform that a friend built and sold to me. It's one of the best ergonomic keyboards in existence, with the only others even able to challenge it are the Squeezebox[3] and the WARP[4]. Seriously, the DM makes almost every other "ergonomic" keyboard look like a joke, and it's physically pleasurable to type on.
[1] https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2 [2] https://github.com/abstracthat/dactyl-manuform [3] https://peterlyons.com/problog/2021/04/squeezebox-keyboard/ [4] https://old.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/b9k9s5...
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.
- Shure SM7B microphone for professional level audio on zoom calls. It makes me sound smarter, and people actually like me more when I have good audio quality ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Brompton fold-up bike. I live in an expensive city where space is tight. Having a bike that folds up means a) I can bring it inside and it won't get stolen, and b) it takes up minimal space in my apartment. I LOVE THIS BIKE!
- Xbox Gamepass. Netflix for gaming. Works on PC and Xbox. Incredible value.
I 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.
Also a robot vacuum. I didn't think it would work for me but I started forming a habit where I tidy and then turn it on whenever I am leaving my apartment and the cleanliness/effort ratio is of the charts.
And this beautifully drawn book: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Coast-Illustrated-Adventures-His... Spent so many blissful hours daydreaming/researching about road-trips.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It’s such a great vehicle, I smile every time I can ride it. It also helped me to use the car less.
Im also pretty happy with my Plumelabs Flow, a small device that constantly measures air pollution. We used it to find a new and better home:
https://plumelabs.com/en/flow/
I also replaced my Android HTC U11 with an IPhone XS. I was always an Android user, but to be honest, I think IPhones are much better.
Kindle: E-ink is a total gamechanger for reading. I like the Goodreads integration too.
A spare key + spare gate opener: I've been going on a lot of bike rides and the inconvenience of juggling keys was really annoying. I finally bit the bullet and had a new key made. Plus with a tiny little gate opener (https://www.amazon.com/Keychain-Remote-Garage-Opener-Firefly...) I don't have to stop and squeeze through the pedestrian gate at my complex. Massive quality of life improvement for about $20
CZ 75 SP-01: It's really fun to put holes in paper from 10-20 meters away, but my arms aren't long enough to reach that far. The folks at Česká Zbrojovka have a perfect solution to that problem.
It's amazing how much the extra screen real estate helps.
Other than that, I've bought surprisingly little in the last two years other than food, clothing and gifts.
It's 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.
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...
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.
- 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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!.
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.
Otherwise dog.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Quarantine was not a lot of fun.
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?
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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).
Addressable (programmable) LED strip - you can use an Arduino or Raspberry Pi to play with it - going to have fun playing with it.
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.
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.
- 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)
This was an expensive purchase for me (Esp for a table) but well well worth the price.
extremely happy with it.
I also bought an Elbit WP PVS-14 for my 30th birthday, and that'll go down as one of my favorite single purchases.
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!
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
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.
- Trek FX 2 + lights + Thule pannier - Not so fast as I expected, but perfect for city commuting.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/milwaukee-m18-cblpd-402c-18v-4-0a...
https://www.samsung.com/dk/audio-devices/soundbar/9-1-4-ch-s...
It's far from a perfect product, eARC is broken on many TVs, rear speakers sometime turn off on their own.
But when it works it sounds fantastic. I should also mention the Avforums where owners discuss this rather complex piece of hardware and how to get the most from it, that has been a really nice experience.
And now the Q950A is almost here :) https://www.samsung.com/my/audio-devices/soundbar/q950a-blac...
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).
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.
Set me back ~1700€ but brings so much joy to listen to.
Sometimes I'm just awe-struck how good these sound - they sound great on room level - but if you want them to play live-concert level loud - even with just as much control and precision as on room-level - no problemo :)
[1] https://www.klipsch.com/products/rp-280f [2] https://emotiva.com/products/pt-100 [3] https://emotiva.com/products/a-300
I have 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.
- 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.
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...
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.
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.
It's one of my go-to kitchen gadgets, and I cook most of my meals with it.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Keyboard for home, work, girlfriend's place. Colemak support everywhere.
Vessi shoes: https://vessi.com best shoes I've worn, feels likes slippers, lightweight and waterproof, perfect for the rainy PNW weathers
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.
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 :-)
* 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!
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.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unifine_mill
[1] Breath, by James Nestor http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1249567607
[1] https://www.valhaloutdoor.com/product/vh30h-skillet-met-2-ha...
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.
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.
Yamaha C40 guitar (and weekly zoom lessons from a real master musician) was best value for money nylon string guitar around.
Returning to making music during covid was a lifesaver. So glad I learned the basics as a kid.
I 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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...)
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.
Many current generation smartphones come with capable cameras, though, and I expect many not to see the benefit in this camera for their needs.
As a homeowner so many things have to be convinced to move with physical force.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Also bought a second 27-inch monitor to have a 3-monitor setup (macbook + 2x 27' monitors), which is fantastic, especially when using Ableton Live on two screens.
COVID made me spend less in general, so I invested in music. Made lockdown more bearable. Quality music gear usually doesn't lose it's value.
Other recent purchases I'm very happy with: - Roland TR-8S - Ableton Push 2 - Tascam 16x8 multitrack interface - Jomox T-Resonator MK2 and Jomox M-Resonator - Quality cables - New earpads for my AIAIAI TMA-2 headphone
Music and programming is a good lockdown strategy for me.
Also, 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.
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.
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.
I can play electric guitar anywhere in my house, any time of day. The sound goes straight to my headphones, so I don't need to worry about connecting a thick cable to my regular cabinet amp, and I don't need to worry about being quiet at night. Another perk is that the volume is balanced for my ears—whichever ear is closer to the amp starts feeling fatigued when I play with my regular amp. I use Beyerdynamic DT 880s to listen, and the sound quality IMO is great. All in all, I find myself playing guitar much more often than before, and enjoying it even more.
I 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...
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.
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.
I bought this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A0RHSJO/
But there are many different models.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.)
* 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.
Other than that my Ikea standing desk and tall-fit shirts probably take the cake for me!
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.
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 :)
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.
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.
* Oxo Compact Cold Brew Maker[0]
* Rad Power RadWagon[1]
[0] https://www.oxo.com/categories/coffee-tea/brew/coffee-makers...
[1] https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radwagon-electric-car...
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.
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
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.
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.
I dont need more than 50 ml per session. I will have one per week, which means I have 15 weeks of pleasure with that one.
I was visiting a sister I found on Ancestry and found it rotting on her farm. It spent months w/ no top before getting tarped. Her aunt was the orig owner (died 2 days ago) and left it there when the family couldn't restore it.
Son and I put a top on it and got it road worthy again. It's a long way from restored but it's a lot of fun to drive.
I 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.
Now that I stay in the same room 12-16 hours per day, they've been extremely helpful in making things feel less boring and monotonous.
I'm enjoying it so far. I recommend it.
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.
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..?
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.
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.
Xiaomi aqara camera G2, as homekit hub and for the camera.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There's crossover with a good ol' analogue bicycle, but I found it awkward to rock up at places and events sweating.
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.
TOTO bidet. The bidet from Costco failed after 3 years. TOTO is another class.
My enthusiasm for these towels is unparalleled. I’m a parent, though, so ymmv.
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)
It has made design/discovery meetings waaay better.
I went with Roomba over other brands as it seemed the best intersection of quality/reliability, noise and privacy.
- 300mcg (0.3mg) extended release Melatonin
- 200mg Magnesium Glycinate
- 150mg L-Theanine
- 5g Glycine in herbal tea
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.
Proper setup for audio/video: Sony a6000, Yamaha MG10X, Rode NT-1A, etc. etc.
Mini revamp of the kitchen to add more storage cabinets.
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
Treadmill desk from imovr.com with dual monitors.
I lost a ton of weight walking 4 - 6 miles per work day.
Sometimes after work, I would bump the speed and watch a movie, getting another 3-4 miles in.
I 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.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabelas-360-mid-gore-tex-hik...
So, what's the big deal? Well, the boots themselves aren't necessarily all that special in relative terms. They're not cheap boots, but they're not expensive ones either. I'd say they're pretty average. The difference is between "boots" and "no boots". For most of my adult life, I've generally worn sneakers / tennis shoes of some sort more or less everywhere (excepting the rare occasion when I had to don dress shoes for some weird reason). And I finally got tired of my feel getting wet every time it rains. Seriously, I hate being outside and find that just running the 25 yards from my car to the entrance to a store, when it's raining, or FSM forbid, stepping in a 1/4" deep puddle of standing water in the parking lot, leaves my feet soaked.
So I bought boots. And I wear them pretty much everywhere now. Now my feel don't get soaked from a light drizzle, and they have turned out to be a lot more comfortable than I probably expected. They're also generally better for doing a lot of outdoor stuff I like to do (fishing, etc.) than tennis shoes. Honestly, I should have bought a decent pair of boots years ago. Not sure why it took me so long to get around to it.
On a more technical note: I've bought a lot of test equipment over the last couple of years, as I set out to build the electronics lab I always wanted. And by and large I'm happy with everything I've bought, but the one thing that stands out as the most useful of all has definitely been a proper bench power supply. I went with a Rigol DP832A and I've been very pleased with it.
https://www.amazon.com/Rigol-DP832A-Channels-Programmable-Su...
Really nice aspects of finally having a real power supply:
1. Instantly dial up any voltage I want (within its range of course). And that has been more useful than I probably would have expected, because I find myself dial up 3.3V more and more often lately, and I never had a quick and easy way to get 3.3V before. Maybe there's a 3.3V wall-wart around here somewhere, but I doubt it.
2. Configurable current limiting. You can set a current limit to avoid accidentally dumping too much current into something and frying it.
3. Current read-out on the LCD display. Turns out it's also very useful to hook something up and empirically observe how much current it tries to consume.
The other "tech" item I really like is my Hakko FX951-66 temperature controlled soldering station. People have been telling me to get a proper temperature controlled station for years, and I finally understand why. It's a huge improvement over those crappy Radio Shack soldering pencil style soldering irons.
https://www.amazon.com/AMERICAN-HAKKO-PRODUCTS-INC-FX-951/dp...
An Apartment - A house that is my own, not my parent's place, but mine.
A good chair to work from home - Steelcase Series
East, by Meera Sodha, an extremely good cookbook.
For tech, a Nintendo Switch.
You can find them on Amazon. Doesn't matter which vendor, they're all the same. Fits most desks.
* Belka DX shortwave radio: one of the best shortwave radio on the market, with a small and portable form factor
Being able to decouple yourself from noise is worth so much more than what Bose is asking for these headphones.
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.
Good coffee Commandante grinder Melitta style set
Kingston Slimblade Realforce Keyboard 100% 1440p screen with power supply
Kobo Aura One
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.
Don’t jinx it!
For me it was an ebike.
Good, sharp kitchen knives are very very nice
Brooks running shoes
Fender Stratocaster, purchased on a bit of a whim, just before the pandemic shutdowns. So I've had some time to practice.
Trezor One crypto wallet
Tile Pro finder. Find keys, wallets, spouse!
All 5 star
The best stress reliever imaginable.
downside is now i want a polyend tracker >.>
We've become heavy players with the wife and the kids (7 and 8). Cooperative games are really nice to play with the kids who have a hard time losing (even a single token...); it helped them see things globally instead of only taking into account their own corner of the universe (e.g: I do not take all the money for myself so that the next player we'll be able to buy this very powerful card on her turn).
Stone age [0]: a competitive resource collection/management game with wood elements, it's very pleasing to play with. As with Catan, one uses dices, but there are ways to curb the randomness, making me feel a lot more in control, and not just a helpless passenger.
Harry Potter the Hogward Battle [1]: a cooperative gateway deck building game, my wife and kids cannot stop playing it, even for the 1.5 hours required for the last games. My wife usually hates long games, but the Harry Potter magic is strong with this one.
The Game [2]: a cooperative game where cards need to be triaged in the ascending/descending order, with the twist that you do not know the cards held by the others players. It's very relaxing at the end of the day, a last "team building" experience just before sleeping.
Keyforge [3]: a two player competitive card game with computer generated unique decks. It's a lot of fun since card effects vary a lot and you have to combine the cards. I also really love the fact that it's a racing game (you have to be the first to forge 3 keys), so it's more about slowing your opponent down rather than simply crushing him/her. If you're interested in that game, you may have choice paralysis since they release new mechanics every year. I suggest trying with the first edition (Call of the Archons), it's the simpler and more rewarding one. If you're hooked, you'll have a lot to discover !
[0] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34635/stone-age
[1] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/199042/harry-potter-hogw...
[2] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/173090/game
[3] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/257501/keyforge-call-arc...
(edit: styling)
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.
which robovac u got ?
Herman Miller chair
Philips Hue lights
So. Many. Cores.
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.
* 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.
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