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Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
931–940 of 1001 posts
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#932Textmate 2 - It's such a well-engineered piece of software, and it's gorgeous. Bialetti Brikka - Such an elegant design, and it makes delicious coffee, Italian-style. Nespresso - If Apple made espresso machines. The espresso tastes great and it's easy to clean. Patagonia MLC 45L - My pet peeve with luggage is that the good stuff tends to be heavy. Not this! It's big enough for extended travel, has backpack straps if…
> Textmate 2 - It's such a well-engineered piece of software, and it's gorgeous.
I use TextMate 2, and it's great because there's nothing unusually dumb about it.
But I still miss TextMate 1.x every single week. I often want to drag two or three folders onto the TextMate icon in my Dock and have a TextMate "project", with no other files or directories other than what I've dragged. This was such a great and intuitive use of the macOS Dock, and a feature that I haven't ever found anywhere else. Doing it by hand with .tm_attributes is such a pain that I might as well just create symlinks to recreate the feature.
I think TextMate 1.x was a better-designed product than 2.x, even though I have no doubt that the source code was a mess.
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#933Any coffee addict like me knows that some methods of brewing are impossible before you've had a cup. The AeroPress understands this and is really simple to use, and makes amazing coffee. Everyone in my family has one and some other method as well, like a Mokapot or French press, but for the first cup in the morning it's Aeropress every time. I also love Papermate Sharpwriter pencils. They feel so comfortable to hold,…
I like the Aeropress, but my favourite coffee production method is the Kalita Wave. Again, it's beautifully designed - almost impossible to damage, very simple to use, comparatively quick (about a minute longer than an Aeropress for one or two large mugs of coffee), arguably even easier to clean than the Aeropress (invert over bin. Done.). The pouring jug's great, too: tough, well labeled, fits perfectly, easy to sto…
Along the same lines, my Chemex is one of my favorite objects. I love the simplicity of the design and the brewing process. I love the consistently tasty brew. I love the way it looks on my kitchen counter. I love the purity of materials.
Admittedly, the 'purity of materials' argument is probably just superstition on my part. I'm not sure if there are measurable benefits to an all-glass brewing receptacle, but it sure makes me feel good. Glass, wood, and leather are materials that I can easily wrap my head around, and somehow that brings extra peace of mind to my whole coffee ritual.
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#934I have been recently optimizing some of my wardrobe: Darn Tough socks! Seriously life is too short to have clammy feet. Yes they are expensive but they last forever. Carhartt USA made therma lined hoodies are also awesome. I have had one for 17 years and wore it all the time before hoodies became fashionable. To be honest all of their stuff is great for the price if you can get over looking like a construction worker…
I'd like to second the Thermapen.
It's been engineered exactly as much as necessary. Long probe, nearly instant reading, no buttons, no extra features or complicated display. Compact, splash-resistant, long battery life, accurate up to 300°C.
Just stick the probe into a thing, and a large seven-segment display tells you the temperature in under a second.
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#935Plus you can carry a few spares to drop on someone with brown skin, and presto , they're a bomb maker!
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Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#936The 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 dislike microwaves that have the unclear 1-10 power level setting that corresponds to the duty cycle. This requires one to "learn" the microwave and the food in order to cook things properly. The settings I use in my home microwave are very different from the ones I use in my office microwave.
It is much better to be able to select the wattage directly. With food products that specify the wattage and time on the packaging, you are ensured the proper, manufacturer-intended cooking.
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#937Earlier quoted context omitted.
Completely agree! The funny thing is the first thing I thought of was an old microwave I owned with a similar setup mainly because the microwave I own, today, is so awful [0]. I have a GE combination convection oven/microwave and it was clearly designed by someone who had their first experience with LSD that day. Every function requires a different, magic, set of key combinations to make it work. Want to set a timer?…
$500 for a microwave??? What does it do, fly? I have an old microwave with two buttons and it works great. Kids can use it too.
You reminded me, mine has an anti-kids "feature", which is that it can't be turned on unless you set it up, press the start button, then open the door, close the door and press the start button again.
I don't have kids and I haven't found a way to disable it, it looks silly opening and closing the door twice every time I want to use it, but I've automated the habit.
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#938Textmate 2 - It's such a well-engineered piece of software, and it's gorgeous. Bialetti Brikka - Such an elegant design, and it makes delicious coffee, Italian-style. Nespresso - If Apple made espresso machines. The espresso tastes great and it's easy to clean. Patagonia MLC 45L - My pet peeve with luggage is that the good stuff tends to be heavy. Not this! It's big enough for extended travel, has backpack straps if…
The MLC is my go-to for standard travelling (not a climbing or backpacking trip). People tend to choose wheeled suitcases because they think carrying a heavy suitcase is difficult, but eliminating the wheels, handle and frame, will save a significant amount of weight. For example, the wheeled version of the MLC weighs 1.5kg (over 3lbs) more than the normal version. For a carry-on size suitcase, using a lightweight, non-rolling option makes much more sense.
Main downsides: The MLC good for carrying clothing and flat items, but it's not so great for carrying non-flat things, although it can do it. It is also a little large, and has no compression straps, so you need to use packing cubes or absorb the excess space with something (e.g. those plastic air bubbles that come in packages sometimes).
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#939"technical friends" (which i believe was name given by the man who invented them, Ray Jardine). "Friends" is still the category name used by Wild Country, which i believe was the first shop to sell the devices. more generically, i believe they are known as spring-loade cam devices (SLCD). these simple devices transformed granite crack climbing from slow, rock-altering aid climbing that required pitons hammered into c…
Link cams are a marvel of engineering. Thy operate on a simple concept of trisecting a cam lobe so that, as the device is retracted, the cam unfolds and permits an amazing range for a unit of its size. http://www.omegapac.com/itemdetail.php?id=1&secid=9
Link cams look cool, and have unmatched range, but they have a bad reputation regarding their durability. I have never tried them, though. I don't really climb hard enough to justify them. My cams are almost all C4s.
Re: Ask HN: What're the best-designed things you've ever used?
#940I haven't used a Mac in a long time but BBEdit left a lasting impression on me. I really quite like it, but I use Windows mostly :(