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Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?

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Re: Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?

#201

Post by kimburgess »

massysett wrote: post #93
kimburgess wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ll add moderately high quality mic to this. If you’re spending a lot of working hours on calls, putting the resources into providing clear, intelligible voice for the people you’re working with will definitely be appreciated.

I have a Plantronics (now Polycom, or Poly?) wired headset. Makes me look like a call center worker but the audio and mic are great quality. Sometimes I’m on a call and can’t hear someone well over the bad speakers I have in my monitor. The headset always clears it up.

> now Polycom, or Poly?

HP: https://press.hp.com/us/en/press-releases/2022/hp-inc-to-acq...

Re: Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?

#203

Post by [deleted] »

riceart wrote: post #153
serf wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Also I’ve never seen a networking over powerline system that worked better than Wi-Fi. Not all conductive paths are effective for signals. although I agree that powerline networking is garbage, I have encountered older construction houses that create an environment that is just about impossible to conquer without specialist wireless equipment. passive blocking via exotic wall materials, older drywall and fairing com…

> A performer will usually prefer not to drag wires around a stage just from the sheer physical discomfort from the additional weight and the worry of a trip hazard on an already hazardous stage. eh — this is not a “purely” aesthetic or superficial difference, which was the foolishness I was replying to: “Wired is ALWAYS the objectively superior option in all metrics except for superficial & subjective "aesthetics",…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?

#204

Post by berkle4455 »

riceart wrote: post #90
Our_Benefactors wrote: post #56

Here’s an actual lesser known accessory: a mouse bungee. It is a small weighted disc with a spring arm that holds the mouse cord up and away from the mousepad. I don’t like the lag, connectivity, and battery issues of wireless mice, this fixes all of that! It feels _better_ than a wireless mouse, because it has no wires in the way also with zero lag.

There’s essentially no lag in a dedicated wireless receiver mouse - the additional latency is dwarfed by the baseline latency of the hardware and software. https://www.rtings.com/mouse/tests/control/latency Yes connectivity issues can be a problem in certain environments but luckily this has usually not been a problem with receivers not in close proximity to interference, including USB3. Battery wise I have had cheap…

I've never had a problem in my entire life with wired keyboards, mice, or headphones. I've had probably aggregate thousands of separate instances of problems with wireless devices across the last 20 years.

Wireless is awesome for when you're on the go, but if you're going to be sitting at a desk for hours anyway, wired is life.

Re: Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?

#205

Post by riceart »

anonym29 wrote: post #166
riceart wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do stage musicians use wireless microphones? Is it because they have a hatred strictly for aesthetic reasons? Nobody said you can’t use your damn wired mouse if it makes you happy - but latency is not an actual reason to prefer a wired mouse. > Again, wireless can be superior, but only when you are deliberately cherry-picking the least efficient wired setup to compare to the most efficient wireless setup, just li…

No argument here! Great points.

> Just to be clear, your wireless mouse, keyboard, headset, and network connection are not making use of light through air

Yes they are. “The terms light, electromagnetic waves, and radiation all refer to the same physical phenomenon: electromagnetic energy.”

https://science.nasa.gov/ems/02_anatomy

Light and radio are both electromagnetic energy. Radio waves and light both propagate at the speed of light. The speed of light in a vacuum is a universal constant. The speed of light in various mediums is always slower. Among copper, air and glass, light/EM waves will propagate the slowest in glass and the fastest in air.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_of_light

> cannot make use of light through air even a fraction as efficiently as light through fiber optic cable, due to a guaranteed minimum amount of light interference in air that a fiber optic cable will never have, right?

No, not right. As someone else pointed out a point to point link through the air will have lower latency than fiber (glass or plastic).

Whether or not a signal can be carried accurately and error free through any medium involves concepts beyond a basic understanding of the speed of light. But in the real world one will encounter reliable well designed wireless links and poorly performing wired links.

Re: Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?

#206

Post by kimburgess »

esafak wrote: post #200
kimburgess wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ll add moderately high quality mic to this. If you’re spending a lot of working hours on calls, putting the resources into providing clear, intelligible voice for the people you’re working with will definitely be appreciated.

Like what?

For my personal setup: Rode NT-USB Mini (https://rode.com/en/microphones/usb/nt-usb-mini). It also give me a physical volume control for attached headphones.

Re: Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?

#207

Post by otterdude »

Brajeshwar wrote: post #194
hipplec wrote: post #75

I have a heating pad under my keyboard which keeps my hands warm in the winter. Was like $20 on amazon, and I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is, since I was really tired of always having a mug of hot water / tea / coffee to hold and didn't want to keep the heat on my house super high when I could just wear a sweatshirt and be fine except my fingers.

Is there a device that does the opposite -- something to keep your hand cool? It is getting hotter and sweaty in India.

you mean a fan?

Re: Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?

#208

Post by fendy3002 »

j45 wrote: post #172
rektide wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wireless headphones. Because sometimes I really have to go and it's literally no problem to walk to the bathroom. Or to go make tea. Or to do whatever. Freedom to not be chained up is amazing. Try it. I too don't feel like I've had to mess with audio settings. I have some SteelSeries Actis Pro's I bought a long time ago. They have bluetooth, but there's also a nice usb-based head-unit I use with higher quality, lower…

Good to have both for different reasons. A good wired headset can be superior to wireless mic audio when presenting or interacting. If merely consuming, and hanging around wireless is good too.

Both is the answer. I'm using wireless if I anticipate whether I'll need mobility sooner or later, and wired as backup and other cases.

Re: Ask HN: What lesser-known accessories do you use with your computer?

#209

Post by rektide »

anonym29 wrote: post #198
rektide wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh I absolutely have a long-held aversion to the sight of cables. Because I have had to live among them, among many many many many of them, because I have had to manage them, growing up amidst so very many of them. They have never been fun to manage. I have long toiled to not be so enwrapped by cables. Slower? Not really, not according to the links already shared. Less bandwidth? My headphones, my mouse, my keyboard…

Many great points made.

ok editing my reply here too thanks
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