731–740 of 1001 posts
I'm going to go real old school and suggest the slide rule. While there is a short learning curve, once you've mastered a few simple rules, using one is a breeze and if you keep the slide lubricated and don't abuse it, it will perform it's function reliably and accurately for decades. I have a Pickett, it's now 40 years old but works like new, but just about any brand will offer the same performance.
The Fisher Space Pen. Small enough to carry in your pocket without even noticing it, no sharp edges, unbreakable and trivially refillable. And it writes, too!
Zippo Lighters. Easy to use (no button to hold down, just spin the wheel), easy to do maintenance, will light unless you got it really really wet or forgot to refill it.
I'm suddenly reminded of the Zippo scene from Four Rooms.
I don't smoke cigarettes anymore, but I did for many years. I'd lost my old Zippo and bought myself a new one (straight from the company) about a decade ago. After daily-use, then sitting in a box for three years, and now using it a few times a year while camping, it works perfectly and looks practically new.
The Fisher Space Pen. Small enough to carry in your pocket without even noticing it, no sharp edges, unbreakable and trivially refillable. And it writes, too!
Small enough to easily lose, too - I miss mine!
Also, I find that mine accumulates a blob of ink on the tip after a period of inactivity that needs to be wiped off before use.
The ancient microwave in my first apartment. It had two knobs: one for time, one for power. It's immediately obvious how to cook something for how long, how to add more time, etc. All other microwaves that I've used I had to have someone explain to me what buttons to press in what order to do even the simplest things. And I've never seen anyone use all of those fancy buttons.
I have another sad story to share. My wife and I used to have this small grill oven with two knobs: one for time and one for temperature. She was into baking cookies and I was into her works. I was also into toasting bread for breakfast. One day she appeared to be ready for the next level and demanded that we replace it with a shiny electronic grill oven with larger capacity. Replace we did but the next thing I found…
Almost every bicycle. Our noblest invention.
Agreed. Even a cheapish bike is a miracle of modern engineering, and a great force multiplier even for poor folks or folks too young to drive. I love my bike (a 20 year old Giant mountain bike that I bought to ride to college and have put thousands of miles on since).
I also love Papermate Sharpwriter pencils. They feel so comfortable to hold, and if you like spinning a pencil while thinking they're really well-balanced for that.
Fiskars Axes: http://www.fiskars.eu/products/gardening/axes/splitting-axe-... Barbour Jackets: http://www.barbour.com/eu/categories/mens/waxed-jackets/barb... Camper Shoes: https://www.camper.com/en_FI/men/shoes/peu/camper-peu-17665-... Stihl Chainsaws: http://www.stihl.com/STIHL-power-tools-A-great-range/Chainsa... Genelec Speakers: http://www.genelec.com/8351 Desktops: Mac Pro 1st Generation Laptops: Macbook Pro Ph…
I'm Finn, coming from the land of Fiskars and axes. And I have to disagree with Fiskars. The axes are very good for chopping wood, but that's it. If you are serious backpacker, craftsman, carpenter etc, you wan't to use your axe in different ways too. The biggest "chopping" axe from fiskars is too short for building a fire that would keep you warm for the whole night. All of their "splitting" models have unnecessaril…
i personally don't like all the plastic parts on newer stihl's. like "easy-to-use" cover holders which previously where solid screws.
The ancient microwave in my first apartment. It had two knobs: one for time, one for power. It's immediately obvious how to cook something for how long, how to add more time, etc. All other microwaves that I've used I had to have someone explain to me what buttons to press in what order to do even the simplest things. And I've never seen anyone use all of those fancy buttons.
I had one of those. My issue with it was the knob went up to an hour, and was very hard to set at sub-minute intervals. So 30 seconds, or 90 seconds were very approximate. The "add 30 second button" is the only button I really need. Since a microwave can do a lot in a minute, a knob that doesn't allow accuracy within a minute isn't my first choice.
Software: Winamp. It is so simple and stupid and it works really well.
The library functionality is so amazing and fast, but so simple. I just type in what I want to listen to and click on it. I don't have to hit Enter or wade through recommendations to get to what I want. It's just there. Playback controls are simple and I can easily assign global hotkeys. No buffering, no stuttering.