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Ask HN: Which boring technology do you still use?

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Re: Ask HN: Which boring technology do you still use?

#41

Post by Aardwolf »

eimrine wrote: post #4

Button phones + laptop instead of sensor phone for everything. Cash instead of banks (cryptocurrency is an exception). Email + forums + IRC (sometimes) instead of Telegram or similar. Arc lamps instead of LED if it is possible. Singlespeed bicycle instead of ones with gears. 3-way stereo with paper diffusors and class-A amplifier instead of wide-band 1-way with plastic diffusor and class-D amplifier. And listening to…

> Arc lamps instead of LED if it is possible.

What's the advantage of Arc lamps over LED?

Re: Ask HN: Which boring technology do you still use?

#43

Post by eimrine »

2rsf wrote: post #10
eimrine wrote: post #4

Button phones + laptop instead of sensor phone for everything. Cash instead of banks (cryptocurrency is an exception). Email + forums + IRC (sometimes) instead of Telegram or similar. Arc lamps instead of LED if it is possible. Singlespeed bicycle instead of ones with gears. 3-way stereo with paper diffusors and class-A amplifier instead of wide-band 1-way with plastic diffusor and class-D amplifier. And listening to…

> Singlespeed bicycle as in fixed-gear, a drivetrain with no freewheel mechanism?

I really want to get into fixed-gear culture, but in places I consider as home there are a lot of mountains, so I use a coaster hub (with breaks!) a-la Torpedo. Having a 2.0 ratio on 622 rim (this is 27" or 28" depends on tires) gives me an ability to ride all those mountains but when I go for long trips on flat road without ups and downs I use a significantly higher gear.

Re: Ask HN: Which boring technology do you still use?

#44

Post by wruza »

Pen and paper to track my design and progress. I find it easier to “navigate” because paper allows me to draw connections, layout and diagrams in a way that is hard to do in software. It is also easier to access, because it’s like an additional display with your project always “open”. Sometimes I archive info from paper into a computer file, when most tasks are over but there are few notes that must be addressed later. I also archive important paper into physical files.

I tried many apps ought to replace pen and paper, but it never clicked.

Re: Ask HN: Which boring technology do you still use?

#47

Post by bilekas »

dvfjsdhgfv wrote: post #39
bilekas wrote: post #36

Vim.. I do like VSCode to be fair but I find after so many years nothing has been able to compete for me. I'm not particularly stubborn either with trying new things, but the learning curve versus the reward just don't trump Vim still.. Edit - Midnight Commander - Although i did upgrade to the SpeedCommander.

> Edit - Midnight Commander - Although i did upgrade to the SpeedCommander. AFAIR MC is for Unices only, whereas SC is for Windows. Out of curiosity: why did you decide to use a commercial product when open alternatives are available, such as FAR?

Well I went from MC in the old days that was what I got used to and so when moving to Windows enviornments I found TotalCommander - But after a few years it was a little bit annoying having to extend it myself for things like sftp support, while looking for a better solution I came across SpeedCommander and haven't looked since..

FAR is new to me though - I'll check it out though ! Thanks, might be my new favorite after all !

Re: Ask HN: Which boring technology do you still use?

#48

Post by solardev »

agento wrote: post #16

Lamps and light switches without wifi or bluetooth

I needed wireless sync for some separate light strips lately (to light up different parts of the kitchen), and I'm SO glad I chose one using its own RF protocol instead of wifi or Bluetooth. Instant on/off, pairing was a cinch, and it's been totally reliable ever since. This was the Feit Onesync, if anyone's wondering. Of course I'd have preferred a hardwired solution, but we're renters.

Meanwhile every single wifi or Bluetooth smart light I've ever tried has been a total disaster. They're all sitting in storage now, or the e-waste pile.

Re: Ask HN: Which boring technology do you still use?

#49

Post by wruza »

insickness wrote: post #13

Microsoft Paint. Yes, photoshop can do 10,000 more things, but sometimes you want quick and dirty and it has all the basics you need.

I advise you to try Paint.NET, it’s a free and modern reincarnation of Paint Shop Pro, which was a true killer.

Re: Ask HN: Which boring technology do you still use?

#50

Post by eimrine »

Aardwolf wrote: post #41
eimrine wrote: post #4

Button phones + laptop instead of sensor phone for everything. Cash instead of banks (cryptocurrency is an exception). Email + forums + IRC (sometimes) instead of Telegram or similar. Arc lamps instead of LED if it is possible. Singlespeed bicycle instead of ones with gears. 3-way stereo with paper diffusors and class-A amplifier instead of wide-band 1-way with plastic diffusor and class-D amplifier. And listening to…

> Arc lamps instead of LED if it is possible. What's the advantage of Arc lamps over LED?

Metal-Halide lamps give the best colors, next after the Sun, which is needed for one of my hobbies.

Sodium lamps gives superior amount of lumens per watts, they are perfect for lighting up my backyard especially if using at least 600W of singular lamp. I miss the times when cities were lighted by sodium, a blue-light pollution is one of the main reason of why I use to hate cities nowadays.

Also I use a cold-cathode fluorescent lamps in some places, they are almost as good as MHL and if used correctly (no often switch on/switch off) I need to replace them maybe once per 10 years. They are hardly to get nowadays, but I have enough of spare ones for all of my expected lifetime.

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