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Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

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

#111

Post by dqv »

elliekelly wrote: post #91
kodon wrote: post #86

A pullup bar (door frame) and resistance bands. Exercising at home has kicked me off into being healthier.

Could you do pull-ups before you bought the bar? I’m always so tempted to get one because I so badly want to be able to do a pull-up. I’d be so pumped if I could just do one. But I have no upper body strength to speak of and getting to a pull-up seems nearly impossible so I never pull the trigger on buying the bar.

Negatives can help get you there if you really want to pull the trigger. Just be careful - door frame pull up bars can ruin your door molding.

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

#112

Post by silicon2401 »

A gravel bike. Being able to get serious but low-impact cardio, anywhere from sprints to long rides, is huge. Not only is it good for my physical health, it's a great boost to mental health. Exploring the areas around me on a bike is much more fun, environmentally friendly, and healthy than a car. It's also a great way to disconnect and give my eyes a break by spending some time looking at things that are far away. $1000 is a good target, with a couple hundred extra for pedals, helmet, other gear if you need it

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

#114

Post by gpm »

Pair of 32" 4k screens.

As someone who programs a lot, it's worth it (and not that expensive, you don't need high refresh rate or anything). Being able to use spatial memory to navigate between most of the working set of windows, being able to show a lot of text on one screen, etc.

Only downside is that it's surprisingly hard to drive two 4k screens, laptops are likely not going to be happy (or have low refresh rates), even my 3700x/2070-super desktop doesn't like displaying youtube like videos on both at the same time.

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

#115

Post by jimnotgym »

wdfx wrote: post #8

Third person here to mention guitars... Takamine TB-10

I'll join in then

1) Fender Squire Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster. I am amazed how good this range is now. Better than my old Mexican from the 90s. 2) Cheap 335 copy secondhand. I have never had a semi-acoustic and it added a new source for inspiration.

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

#116

Post by gjstein »

Philips Hue lights. I had wanted them for a little while for the novelty of it, but upon buying a couple my wife and I converted nearly all of our small apartment (except the bathrooms) to use their color-changing bulbs. Being able to change the light color and temperature has been surprisingly nice and has made our home much "cozier" under quarantine. We change the lights to dim reds and blues during movie nights or when we exercise or do yoga. It was a somewhat expensive shift, though I'd happily do it again. Being able to use Siri via our phones to control the lights by voice is also convenient as we head off to bed (as the light switches are across the room).

[Others have also said AirPods Pro. Spectacular little earbuds.]

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

#117

Post by RootReducer »

imjared wrote: post #101

- a mid-level road bike, Trek Emonda SL6. I'm lucky to live in a city that's really fun to bike in (Washington DC) and has a great community of athletes. I get out for multiple rides per week and am finding myself obsessed with cycling - regular physical therapy. I've started marathon training again and while that in itself beats my body up, I feel like years of sitting at the computer building sites and playing game…

How did you find a good PT? How does it work with insurance? I want to also establish a regular PT routine but I'm unsure how to start.

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

#118

Post by multiplegeorges »

japhyr wrote: post #107

I finally got a home espresso machine, after an HN recommendation. We got a Breville Barista Express. We'd been wanting one for years, but everything reliable seemed to be $1k+, and still seemed like more work than I wanted to put into coffee. This one is simple, almost as easy as pour-over, and is simple to clean. We're making better coffee at home than we've ever had in a coffee shop. And I thought it would take a…

I also have a Barista Express. It's really the best value you can find in a home espresso machine, IMO.

Really great machine.

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

#119

Post by dleslie »

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #95
tomcam wrote: post #37

1999 GMC Savanna passenger van (seats removed) for use as a farm truck. It’s huge inside and easily holds 4x8 sheets of ply. Here in Seattle it gets wet a lot so I never have to worry about transporting or storing in the rain. Has 8 cylinder engine that will last forever and is easyish to maintain. I get an surprising amount of sheepish interest/envy from dudes who had the same idea but who bought pickups (which seld…

First the white collar hipsters jacked up the prices of station wagons. Then the white collar hipsters jacked up the prices of small trucks. Then the white collar hipsters jacked up the prices of fullsize trucks. In what universe is it sane to tell HN how great vans are?

Oh no, I need a new van. Keep it down, we don't need prices to soar.

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

#120

Post by enobrev »

p0d wrote: post #84

This drill. Got it at Christmas, used it lots and still haven't charged the battery. https://www.screwfix.com/p/milwaukee-m18-cblpd-402c-18v-4-0a...

Sometimes you can find the M18 Drill and Impact driver together on sale. The two of those and an extra battery are probably the most used tools in my house.
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