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Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

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301–310 of 618 posts

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#301
Under $1000: A Playdate[0] for $200! It got me to finally make a game[1], which is the entire reason I got into programming yet kept putting off. The restrictions of actual hardware with a slow processor, 1 bit graphics, and 16MB of RAM forced me to scale down the decisions that gave me paralysis previously and prevented me from making anything substantial.

Plus other people’s games are downright fun to play, and it’s probably the most fun I’ve had since the Nintendo DS.

[0]: https://play.date/

[1]: https://sotix.itch.io/plight-of-the-wizard

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#302
post #73

It wasn't under $1k but you can do some options for close-ish to that: a cargo e-bike. It's been amazing and has let us remain a one car family despite two kids with a lot of activities. I adore it. About to hit 2k miles on it.

Cargo e-bikes are tempting. I also have two kids and I've managed to work it out with just two seats on my bike (one front, one back) and now that the big one is tall enough to ride his bike I've got a "follow-me tandem" which allow me to tug him uphill, but carrying sports equipment is starting to be a hassle, so I'm seriously considering buying a cargo ebike to replace my current set-up.

I've gone from follow-me to cargo e-bike (above €1000). The axis of the follow-me somehow broke in coldish weather, and we almost had an accident. Never again.

But the cargo e-bike is fantastic. I've basically stopped using the bus, and everything under 30km with the kid has become no-brainer easy. I've done 1200km in 6 months now. But winter is coming, let's see how it goes.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#303
post #294

I'm gonna hijack this thread to promote sleep apnea machines... if you are tired and you say "well I'm just getting older...", that might not be what's happening: "An estimated 30–39 million adults in the United States have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but only 6 million have been diagnosed." https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/sleep/sleep-apnea-statistics/

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#304

Under $100: - Ember mug - Why: lets me drink tea because I hate cold tea. Bleck. Under $1000: - 49" ultra-wide monitor to replace my dual monitor - Why: I use i3-wm. It works fantastically on it. - 5.1 Soundbar for computer - Why: I don't have to wear headphones constantly and also sound quality is so much better - Mount 50" TV above my desk - Why: Allows others to hang out in my office with me while I work / play ga…

For hot drinks (teas, coffee & etc) I prefer a simple 0.7l thermos and small chinese teacup. Put the hot stuff in the thermos it will stay hot for at least 6 hours, put a bit of the hot stuff in the cup, since it's small it will get to a comfortable level of hotness in 30 seconds. Drink it slowly and refill. |

Works in the park/library too and you only heat the water once and don't need electricity to keep it hot!

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#305
post #141

Under $100: 1) A bidet! Got one in the pandemic when toilet paper was scarce and I wanted to be more efficient, but now I'll never go back. The Tushy ones are good. 2) A safety razor & accessories. I get a cheaper, closer, less irritating shave, and I get to customize every part of it. This can certainly be a rabbithole you spend a lot of money on, but you can get a solid customized starter kit for under $100 that wi…

All bidets I've looked at including Tushy seem really complicated to install (basically having to redo the plumbing) and I don't understand how so many people can just buy and install one like it's nothing. Am I imagining things? Edit: Not in the US and the plumbing looks a bit like this, but without the nuts so you can't easily disconnect a part of it: https://static.byggahus.se/attachments/images/large/341/3416...

Those are compression fittings which we also use in the USA for sink and toilet connections. Standard size here is 3/8 inch which is the outer diameter of the tubing. They are easy to work with as you only need a tube cutter (or hacksaw with fine tooth pitch) and a wrench. You cut the tube, slide a compression nut over, slide the ferrule(s) on, insert the tube into the fitting, finger tighten the compression nut, make sure everything is aligned then tighten nut with wrench. No solder, no fancy crimp tools. You can disassemble and reassemble without leaks. The only issue is the ferrule winds up becoming swaged to the tube after wrench tightening so you have to cut the tube end off behind the ferrule if you want to replace the nut.

However, instead of using rigid metal or plastic tubing you commonly find a flexible hose assembly[1]. Only fancy installs use custom formed polished rigid tube for the look. We also tend to leave most of the plumbing in the walls and only the shut off valve protrudes from the wall. Maybe there are flexible hoses available in your region.

When I installed my bidet all I needed was a 3/8 compression tee[2] which they make specifically to tap shutoff valves. The bidet came with a 3/8 connection hose so that went to the tee and I was up and running. The big issue was electric - no outlets in the bathroom. So having seen how Japan loves extension cords I too used one, ran a 12 AWG cord out to the hall to a GFI adapter plugged into a socket. Jank but highly unlikely to cause a fire.

[1] https://www.homedepot.com/b/Plumbing-Plumbing-Parts-Supply-L...

[2] https://www.amazon.com/Breezliy-Lead-Free-Compression-Outlet...

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#306

Quies ear plugs. I sleep much much better at night. I haven't slept this well in decades.

I had ear plugs made to size. I think they were 50-100eur. They're comfortable, easy to clean, and very good at their job. I have a pair for sleeping which blocks out pretty much all noise, and another pair for loud concerts which reduce sound without muffling it.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For anyone in the UK interested in getting a bidet: most normal bidets are illegal due to our water safety backflow prevention regulations. As a minimum you need a break tank - a double check valve isn’t sufficient.

I know this applies for bumguns —various water boards have published guidance— but a lot of the under-seat bidets retract [without positive water pressure]. There's no risk of the spout sitting in and siphoning dirty toilet water it back into your supply. I'm neither a lawyer or a plumber but these seem like they might be okay.

> There's no risk of the spout sitting in and siphoning dirty toilet water it back into your supply

In many places in Europe tap water is safe to drink. However, hot tap water is not.

The regulations mentioned by GP might protect safety of the cold tap water from intake of hot tap water. Which is easy to do unintentionally when mixing hot and cold water.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#308
post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a Tushy during the pandemic, it took about 10 minutes and a flathead screwdriver. I liked it so much that when I had a new bathroom installed a year later I put in a Toto Washlet.

I feel like Toto is failing with their marketing, since people are not really aware of their products outside of Japan. No good and cheap alternatives either

Is Toto really that better than others? I have both (very old Toto vs Chinese no-name) and I see no difference.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#309
post #294

I'm gonna hijack this thread to promote sleep apnea machines... if you are tired and you say "well I'm just getting older...", that might not be what's happening: "An estimated 30–39 million adults in the United States have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but only 6 million have been diagnosed." https://www.ncoa.org/adviser/sleep/sleep-apnea-statistics/

I hope you mean CPAP machines and not machines that give you sleep apnea -_-

Sleep apnea sucks. Get tested. Get treated. It's a hassle but it's worth it. I'm typing this just after putting on my mask.

Re: Ask HN: Life-changing purchases since 2020? (Under $100 and under $1000)

#310

Under 1000: - Robot vacuum (with mapping+LIDAR): Major game changer. I should have bought this years ago! The tech is now good enough that it basically never gets stuck unless you leave cables lying on the floor. It costs about as much as it would to hire a cleaning crew for a day. And this will do clean your house every single day! - Bidet Seat (Heated) - Chest freezer: Unlike the anti-car people on Reddit, I don't…

I guess I’m stuck with the immersion blender with the attached cord, which makes the dishwasher impossible

I used to have a Braun. I would just immerse it in hot soapy water and turn it on for a few seconds. Occasionally it would need a bit of a scrub.
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