Second generation Toyota Prius.
Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
401–410 of 994 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#402This may be a normie response - but Apple Airpods Pro are one of the best products I've used. After years of using several bluetooth headsets that get finicky (with connections that is), having a set that just connects and works every single time is refreshing. They really changed my behavior - I went from not liking phone conversations at all (getting agitated after a few minutes)to comfortably having long phone cal…
> I went from not liking phone conversations at all (getting agitated after a few minutes)to comfortably having long phone calls I love my Airpods. One of my favorite products of all time. But I've found them to be totally useless on calls. I'm on my third pair -- that's another thing: they wear out if you use them a lot -- and I've had 3 different phones in the meantime and nobody can ever hear me when I talk on the…
I can’t bring myself to spend this much money on a device that has worse mic audio than my free airpods. And it’s the same for all wireless buds, the mic is just in the wrong position.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#403My Aeropress coffee maker. It feels more convenient than a french press, and much cheaper than an espresso machine. https://aeropress.com/ Also a bidet. Americans really need to start using it more.
Honestly, I’d prefer my coffee maker to not do double duty as a butt washers, but maybe I am funny about these sort of things
Coffee enemas are coming back into style
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#404usb until version 3.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#405Pilot 402 stapler. Peavey T-60 electric guitar (especially the knobs -- Peavey is the only guitar company that really nailed good knob design). The Haskell language (not because it's perfect, but because it demonstrated what was possible). Rust as well, for the same reason. The modern steel-frame piano. The 1981 Mazda GLC. Suzuki Omnichord. The Moog 960 sequencer (which I've used in the form of its Behringer re-implementation for eurorack modular).
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#406GearWrench ratcheting wrenches. They're compact and fit in places that sockets never will. The ratcheting mechanism is very fine, with low backlash, which matters a lot in those tight places. They feel great, and they're a delight to use. Wirewrap tools. They're mechanically simple, easy to learn, and let you create neat, dense hobby prototypes faster and easier than soldering. Wago Lever Nuts. These let you join a w…
Speaking of hand tools, how about Channel Lock pliers developed by Howard Manning. https://patents.google.com/patent/US2592927A/en
Pliers wrench are also excellent and a far better alternative to adjustable wrenches. The parallel jaws and pressure added from squeezing prevents rounding of nuts.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#407Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#408Everything from Valco Instruments, where the founder and CEO (Stan Stearns [0]) launched using his own engineering designs and continued to maintain a prototyping bench indefinitely, long after he had numerous gifted engineers employed. [0] https://www.vici.com/heritageaward2020/
Not familiar with the hardware that Vici sells, but it sounds like you'd be describing HP test equipment if you were describing tools used by EEs and techs.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#409In its day I really liked Ableton Push (and 2 of course). The best hardware - software integration and experience I had ever tried. It allowed, at least in the "sketch" part, to start producing music by taking your eyes off the computer using software.
Re: Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
#410Earlier quoted context omitted.
When I worked for squarespace, their beautiful new offices had glass conference room doors that swung one way, the other way, or slid on a track, depending on the room configuration. However every one of those doors had the same handle on both sides, giving you no clue as to which scenario this door was providing. You saw people pull/push the wrong way all the time, and then look up/to the side to see the hinges and…
It reminded me of my experience at a Japanese Onsen (hot spring) last week. While entering the Onsen, the sliding door is automated and slides to open on it’s own. While exiting, the automated sliding doesn’t work. It has handles with no indication of pull or push or slide. The design of handles suggest most probably pull. I kept trying to pull/push with no movement. Finally, realized I am supposed to use those handl…
Reminds me of this japanese comedy sketch https://youtu.be/ZkQNP2cqG2I
Another tricky thing is figuring out how to flush the public toilets. The user interface is non standard on every toilet. The most surprising way I've encountered was to step on a button on the floor. (Remember to never press the big green button)