A robot vacuum that vacuums and mops and the waste gets automatically pumped into the dock. Semi-expensive at over a thousand dollars but the thousands of hours regained not cleaning is priceless.
ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?
81–90 of 186 posts
Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?
#82These are not "small things", but things people generally don't pay attention and just use a cheap version. Using good quality ones really makes life better: A mechanical keyboard. Retina displays. Comfortable shoes. Prescription sunglasses. Good coffee.
+1 for prescription sunglasses, I probably use them more than my regular glasses.
Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?
#83A Trackball mouse. No seriously. I had awful wrist pains, its always commented on that us developers / people who use computers a lot run the risk of getting CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) and I was basically worried I was headed that way at 26, so I looked around at what my much more senior co-workers were using, and about half of them had trackballs. So I bought one, then I bought an ergonomic (Microsoft) keyboard. I've never had pain in my wrist again. I use my Trackball for everything, including gaming (although lockpicking on Skyrim is a PITA, it does not transfer well, so I keep a normal USB mouse plugged in that I rarely touch for the rare case where my trackball is a hindrance).
Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?
#84An HRV monitor (whoop, oura, garmin watch) that let me see how much stress I was putting my body when eating unwell / drinking. Has changed me to a much cleaner diet
I'd single out Garmin especially for the HN crowd. While other watches seem to go in the "consumers like their data in simple colored blobs and are scared of numbers", Garmin goes hard on "chart and graph everything "
Big fan of my Forerunner 945 and use to wear it nearly 24/7, but its been giving me bad rashes on my wrist, so only wear it when running/hiking/swimming. Superior to the Apple watch for health data.
Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?
#85A Kelly Kettle: https://www.kellykettle.com/ .. cheap, light, and easy to operate, it has made my outdoor expeditions so much more comfortable, and for some reason provides peace of mind since, if the grid goes kablooey, there's plenty of twigs for the next cuppa tea ..
do you take it backpacking? i would be concerned finding dry kindling if you relied in it for boiling water/cooking
It cooks well enough that you'd always find something useable unless it's torrential rain and you'd get used to carrying a few bits of dry flammables with you. The size of thing makes it not very suitable for backpacking though. It's great to have in your open boat, van etc though.
Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?
#86I'm a big fan of so-called "bone-conduction headphones". Being able to be in public with audio while not disturbing others makes a big impact on life enjoyment while not limiting your safety as you can still hear the surrounding environment.
Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?
#87Noise cancelling headphones have been a revelation. I can now work in an open plan office without blasting music etc in my ears. I can drive my old cheap car on the highway without lots of annoying noise. Etc etc. The benefits are many.
As a counterproduct, I recently discovered noise-cancelling earplugs for musicians. They work like headphones except that they don't generate sound, only reduce some frequencies. Great for people with sensitive hearing.
I can second that, love mine. No more tinnitus-like noises from fatigued ears after concerts or the cinema. And they even help with acoustics somewhat when they arent ideal at the venue, like at festivals or Nolan movies ;)
Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?
#88AirPods Pro... I live in a lively household and the ability to activate noise cancelling so I can study/read/think is an amazing quality of life improvement.
they have saved my sanity on flights and crowded beaches with screaming children, rude people blasting music, car/traffic noise, etc.
Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?
#89A Trackball mouse. No seriously. I had awful wrist pains, its always commented on that us developers / people who use computers a lot run the risk of getting CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) and I was basically worried I was headed that way at 26, so I looked around at what my much more senior co-workers were using, and about half of them had trackballs. So I bought one, then I bought an ergonomic (Microsoft) keyboard. I…
Yep, doing a more ergonomic set up on my desk here made my life better too. I had some write/forearm pains too and went with a vertical mouse, and that did the trick. I couldn't get used to a trackball for some reason. Also went with an ergonomic keyboard and that also helps. I don't do any gaming on here, just work stuff.
Re: ASK HN: What’s a small thing you’ve purchased which has made your life better?
#90I'm a big fan of so-called "bone-conduction headphones". Being able to be in public with audio while not disturbing others makes a big impact on life enjoyment while not limiting your safety as you can still hear the surrounding environment.
You don't need bone conduction for that, air pods pro 2 work just as well. Bone conducting headphones are mainly good for sports involving water (or sweat) IMO, but the quality is significantly subpar to regular headphones.
Also, you can definitely hear bone conducting headphones in the environment if the volume is high enough as the vibrations also vibrate the air.