Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#581

Post by ilamont » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:40 PM UTC

Line 6 PodGo electric guitar/bass effects processor, purchased earlier this year. I have been playing for decades and in the 90s got one of the early DOD multieffect stomp boards, but it's amazing how much the technology has advanced since then. It's not just the ability to change up your sounds or really fine-tune what you're looking for ... the integration with other platforms is sweet. All kinds of outputs for amps, or USB to go straight to my Mac for GarageBand integration.

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.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#582

Post by bouk » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:42 PM UTC

throwpsa465 wrote: post #544

0xB31B1B wrote: post #459

Peloton Bike. I bought it for my wife and thought, I've never been an indoor spinner person. I thoughth I would hate it, and now I ride it 240 minutes/week. I've lost 25 lbs in 4 months, I sleep like a baby and I have more energy and focus when I'm awake. The threshold energy needed to hop on the bike is much lower than the threshold energy needed to go to the gym so I just do it way more frequently. Strong endorse.

Be careful. I think Peleton recalled ALL of their bikes due to them being dangerous. Maybe you are eligible for recall. One child died. There's a video on youtube of a child getting trapped under a peloton and it keeps on running. He escapes due to luck. Google 'peloton recall, 'peloton dangerous etc. Just FYI.

That's for the treadmill, not the bike

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#583

Post by Jakobeha » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:42 PM UTC

alanbernstein wrote: post #339

Jakobeha wrote: post #128

Material goods: 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, the…

I used to think noise-cancelling headphones were a gimmick. I'm also pretty indifferent to audio quality, so I never expected to buy expensive headphones. But I had an opportunity to try out one of the best options available right now, and the noise cancelling performance blew me away. With the closed-back cups sealing over my ears, and the noise cancelling active, I can only just hear normal-volume conversation next…

I had AKG headphones. I noticed a difference when noise cancellation was on, but there was a weird humming sound and they didn't work very well for me. Also, they're very bulky and you can't wear them while sleeping.

> With white noise and earplugs as well, I literally can't hear a baby screaming.

That's one benefit of headphones: if the earplugs aren't enough, you can do earplugs + headphones for ultimate noise-cancellation.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#584

Post by motohagiography » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:43 PM UTC

Arturia Minibrute 2 and Drumbrute. AKG studio headphones. Got back into music last year leaving it behind as a teenager. For having fun, they're the perfect synths.

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.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#585

Post by leadbase0 » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:43 PM UTC

ultra-jeremyx wrote: post #299

Cold climate mini-split heat pumps * I live in northern New England and used to heat exclusively with wood in the winter time. Very cozy, but hard to maintain a consistent temp throughout the house. The new cold-climate models can operate at 100% capacity down to an ambient temp of -13F outdoors. One in each bedroom, the living area, and home office makes it easy to dial in the optimal temp for the space. No more loa…

Can't stress this enough, especially the hyper heat models: caulked compressors (very high pressure) with phase control injector, not only it runs at very low temps but the performance and COP is linear down to -15C.

Insulation matters more with heat pumps, especially ceiling for cold starts (for descending heat build up from the top) as low temp air heating is not as radiative as IR from traditional heating appliances, or the conventional oil radiators that move air passively.

CO² heat pumps are less impacted due to the much higher air temperature but they are very uncommon for split system (dangerous), and usually used for water heating in AIO unit in a basement.

Had a house electrical failure recently with solar, ran one 18k BTU unit for 60m² on a tiny 5hp Diesel generator sipping 0.4L/hr. (2-4L for Diesel burner in comparison)

These models need proper installation as they use a synthetic proprietary lubricant compared to the commonly used mineral oil, moisture or contamination during tubing installation is a big deal for twin rotary compressors which may reduce service life.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#586

Post by victorthehuman » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:43 PM UTC

cdubzzz wrote: post #126

Garmin Forerunner 245[0] 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…

Same here, it really put a spotlight on my mediocre endurance/general fitness level despite my best efforts to get out everyday for a bike ride.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#587

Post by rpcwork » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:43 PM UTC

ilamont wrote: post #581

Line 6 PodGo electric guitar/bass effects processor, purchased earlier this year. I have been playing for decades and in the 90s got one of the early DOD multieffect stomp boards, but it's amazing how much the technology has advanced since then. It's not just the ability to change up your sounds or really fine-tune what you're looking for ... the integration with other platforms is sweet. All kinds of outputs for amp…

Possibly uses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_cooling

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#588

Post by foxbarrington » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:44 PM UTC

reMarkable 2 e-ink tablet: I was on the fence for a long time on this, but I've been using it almost daily for 4 months now, and I absolutely love it. The logical part of my brain thinks it's quite pricey compared to an ipad or rocket book (what I used before), but I love having something that is so close to actual pen and paper that never runs out of space and is easy to sync to a computer.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#589

Post by loloquwowndueo » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:44 PM UTC

There’s this guy on YouTube that does very detailed unbiased reviews of stuff (mainly tools) - Project Farm. He picks a few items within each category and does a bunch of (rigorous, scientific and very thorough) tests to quantify performance and test advertising claims. I still don’t take his recommendations as gospel, but it does give you an idea of how the particular item works and behaves and what to look for when in the market for something like that. Far better than others that think unboxing and commentary equals a valuable review.

Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

#590

Post by andrewzah » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:45 PM UTC

yboris wrote: post #574

glaugh wrote: post #467

Clavinova digital piano! I hated piano as a kid, largely bc of the lesson style (and plan on trying Suzuki method with my kids). 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,…

Try out Pianoteq! Connect your digital piano to a computer (even Raspberry Pi) and try it out: https://www.modartt.com/pianoteq This software will make your piano sound like a $20k grand piano. ps - another fun project: adding an LED strip that responds to the piano keys - to create a beautiful visual rainbow when you play.

There are free vsts you can use instead of pianoteq as well.

On linux I set up my midi controller with Carla to use Salamander Piano [0]:

[0]: https://sfzinstruments.github.io/pianos/salamander