My Ebike bought in April 2020 during the Pandemic. Daily rides after work has been helping me detach from work and personal life. Seattle has been amazing to ride with beautiful lakes, parks and trails everywhere. I didn't own a vehicle before. I'd love to keep this as my only vehicle if I can.
Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
781–790 of 1001 posts
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#782Ender 3 Pro. Unmodified other than a BL Touch. Just a bunch of fun.
My first Dutch oven. I cook most the meals in our household, like 95%. I never have owned a Dutch oven. Misen had a Dutch oven on kickstarter and I picked one up. So far, very happy. You have to be careful how you heat them, but they cook stews wonderfully, and I braised a bunch of meatballs, then filled it with spaghetti sauce for dinner one night. In a stainless steel pot, that can be a cleanup nightmare. The Dutch oven just wiped out clean after a soak.
So, happy with both of those purchases.
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#783A walking pad for under my (ikea adjustable height) desk. I try to walk a minimum of 30 minutes on it in the afternoon, and it surprisingly works really well with reading, typing and mouse movements. High concentration work is harder, but I don't have that anyway in the afternoon :D.
I've been interested in the idea of a treadmill to walk while at my standing desk as well. Can you share details on the one you have?
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#784A very basic but effective home gym: A barbell and 140kg of bumper plates, Squat/bench stands, bench, slam ball, dumbbells and a small range of kettlebells. The whole thing cost about the equivalent of a year's gym membership but have lasted two years so far and show no sign of wear. Being able to lift something heavy on a regular basis over the last year has been a massive boost for my mental and physical health. Yo…
I wish I could do this! But alas, living in an apartment in the city this will remain my pipedream.
I live on the 5th floor and have 160kg of weights + barbell on my balcony. Got that during corona when all the gyms closed. I do squats, deadlifts and overhead presses.
I mean, I wouldn't do it if the building (and the balcony) isn't a modern overbuilt masterpiece.
The only drawback is that I really need to put the weights gently otherwise I'm pretty sure neighbors would complain.
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#785Active Stool -- Think basically a yoga-ball chair in fuction, but a stool in form. They're super convenient for standing desks, and I've found that using one instead of a chair has tricked me into strengthening my back/core when just when I'm working or playing PC games. I've found it to be a healthier, way cheaper, and much more space efficient alternative to my last office chair.
M1 Macbook Air -- For my personal software project workflow (webdev in iTerm/Vim with Elixir and JS) this thing is unbelievably performant for the money/size. Paired with an iPad for sidecar, I'm frankly blown away how convenient & portable a dual-monitor dev workstation I have now for the what I paid.
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#786For me? An old Sprinter van: Tall enough for a standing desk. Work anywhere, sleep anywhere, chill anywhere!
Sounds romantic (no sarcasm). Is it your home? Where do you live?
No, I still have a home-base in Portland, OR. While my company went remote full time, my girlfriend isn't so lucky yet. It's still great to spend some time on the coast whenever I want though!
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#787Easy: * Oxo Compact Cold Brew Maker[0] * Rad Power RadWagon[1] [0] https://www.oxo.com/categories/coffee-tea/brew/coffee-makers... [1] https://www.radpowerbikes.com/products/radwagon-electric-car...
$30 for the cold brew machine seem reasonable, but I’ve been pouring coffee in plastic bottles to make my cold brew. $0, I don’t even filter it as it just deposits at the bottom, but I don’t know whether the machine is somehow better.
I can safely say that my investment has amortized down to something very close to $0...
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#788Moccamaster. Both my partner and I are both working from home these days, I'm not returning to an office and she's likely to be here 1-2 days a week even in a post-covid world. I used to use a chemex, and while I do prefer the coffee from the Chemex, making a batch in the Moccamaster is so much more convenient, and makes enough for us both for the entire morning.
Many of the Moccamasters can be used with a Chemex. I haven't tried it, but I recall seeing different ones listed as working with the Chemex. I think this was even on the manufacturer pages.
Mines unfortunately the one with the glass jug and hot plate, so no room for a chemex. The thermos one would work though!
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#789Two trips to Japan. Yeah, they aren't material purchases. But I made amazing memories, got incredible photos to put up in my home, and met several cool new friends (who I had to chat with using Google Translate!) that I've kept in touch with. They were both fantastic opportunities for personal growth and learning.
> Two trips to Japan. What are some good recommendations for a first-time visit to Tokyo?
"If you have to ask, then you're ngmi" there.
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#790A very basic but effective home gym: A barbell and 140kg of bumper plates, Squat/bench stands, bench, slam ball, dumbbells and a small range of kettlebells. The whole thing cost about the equivalent of a year's gym membership but have lasted two years so far and show no sign of wear. Being able to lift something heavy on a regular basis over the last year has been a massive boost for my mental and physical health. Yo…
yes - really you could get by on a 25 lb kettle bell - swings & get ups are the fastest way to build strength according to comrad Pavel Tsatsouline