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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?

#271

Post by linsomniac »

icyfox wrote: post #175

ErgoDox EZ. I got one at the recommendation of a friend who has battled serious carpal tunnel over the last five years. He said this keyboard changed his outlook and made him a solid 2x faster when developing in vim. Relatively high learning curve when you first get started. You have to get used to a split keyboard and all of the custom modifier keys you have added alongside the bezel. But once you spend some time wi…

I'd agree with that, but my Ez predates the time period of this question. :-)

I was a fairly good touch-typist before the Ez, but it did take me about 3-5 days of feeling like I was learning to type all over again. Some of that was the thumb clusters, some of that was getting rid of some bad habits. I used to type the "b" key with the wrong hand, which isn't a good option on a split keyboard. I also used to always look at the numbers when I typed them, and I got blank keycaps on the Ez to break myself of the habit. Oh, and I used to always press shift with my right pinky only, and I wanted to break myself of that.

I also switched to i3wm tiling window manager at the same time, so I customized the keymap for that.

Love the Ez. Though, I did go through quite a phase of "Surely the perfect keyswitch is on the other side of this fence... I'd tried Gaetron Brown, Cherry Blue, Cherry Brown, Kailh Box White. At the office, the blues were just too loud, but I loved the feel. The Cherry Browns were fine. The Kailh I currently have in around 1/3 of the switches in my home keyboard, where I'm not as noise constrained, and they feel fine, and they're probably quiet enough for the office. They feel good, but I honestly have a hard time telling which has it and which has the Cherry Brown.

If at all possible, don't go down the "which switch is right for me" rabbit hole...

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

#273

Post by gordon_freeman »

farrisbris wrote: post #196

Plants. I didn't have many before covid/wfh, but they really make the place more liveable/ejoyable by just being there and this became increasingly important as i spent so much more time at home

Plants are amazing. I have created a small garden all using plants in the pots in my front patio at my apartment and have grown veggies such as tomatoes, bell peppers and lime along with flowering plants. I also keep a bird feeder and a bird bath nearby the bushy plants. Totally worth it as it keeps my and my wife's mood cheerful just by looking at bees, butterflies and hummingbird coming to flowers and birds coming to feeder and bath. It also keeps my engineering mind occupied with processes such as watering, fertilizing, weeding and pruning etc every few days to see outcome of more flowers and more veggies growing from well taken cared plants.

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

#274

Post by JKCalhoun »

mynameisash wrote: post #234
shireboy wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Second cast iron. We use ours daily - and it's a handmedown from my grandmother who also used daily for 20+ years. Once seasoned properly, it is non-stick, cleans easy. We just be sure to put a little oil on it after each use. Really the only skillet you need.

I bought a cheapy Lodge skillet -- 12", I think? -- a while back because I succumbed to the cast iron craze and really wanted to try cooking on induction. I figured I'd just upgrade to a bigger skillet when necessary. It's now like 7 years later and my skillet shows no signs of giving up, and I don't think buying yet another kitchen device would make my wife happy. Should have gone with a bigger skillet to begin with…

Also got a Lodge (two now, as you say, needed a bigger one as well). Took an angle grinder to it with an abrasive pad wheel installed. Smoothed it right up.

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

#275

Post by wusher »

101008 wrote: post #212
Jakobeha wrote: post #128

Material goods: Ear plugs (silicone). Don't waste your money on noise-cancelling headphones, I have $200 ones and they don't compare to simple ear plugs. If you live in a moderately noisy area and you want peace and quiet, get them. They basically just make everything quiet. 24 from CVS = $10. OpenMove by Aftershokz - Bone-conduction headphones. Perfect for running and just good for listening to music. They work, the…

I never heard of bone-conduction headphones. They seem very interesting and I'd love to try them. Are they OK for calls, or only music? And also - is there any health issue I should be aware?

They are better for calls than music. I didn't find any health risks when i looked into them. Anecdotally my ears feel better since switching to them

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

#276

Post by jorisg »

coldpie wrote: post #185
hairofadog wrote: post #154

* Shoes: VivoBarefoot Magna Trail II FG ( https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/magna-trail-ii-fg-mens ). If you enjoy barefoot shoes, these things are fantastic. * For the table saw, this sawdust bag ( https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-Table-Saw-Dust-Collector-S... ) does a surprisingly good job for $11, and this set of Dado blades ( https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-8-in-x-12-Teeth-Stacked-D... ) has saved me a ton of t…

I'm on the market for a pair of decent camping/hiking shoes/boots. I had been planning on getting some REI pair, but you've got me curious about these. It seems odd to me that something that claims to be thin and let you feel things would be good for hiking. Can you elaborate on that? I think I would want protection from rocks and stuff, so it seems bad for that?

I've got the same exact pair - they are awesome, super comfortable and flexible.

It's important to note that as for any thin-sole shoe, it takes time to get used to what is much more like walking barefoot - your foot placement and posture changes, as you use the ball of your foot and your calf more. Think of it as the difference between running with a heel/neutral strike with padded running shoes and a toe-strike when running barefoot.

Re. longer hikes and rocks, the sole is well protected and quite tough - they are indeed built for hiking; consider walking briefer hikes in them for a while so that your foot / calf muscles to get used to the difference before taking on long and more exhausting hikes that increase the chances of a twisted ankle.

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

#277

Post by mlni »

giles wrote: post #18

Onewheel Pint! It was the ultimate quarantine toy. I saw so much of my city I hadn't seen before and it did a great job of getting me outside in general.

Same here. It's absolutely amazing for exploring an urban environment. Floating around in a large open space like a plaza is serene.

It's not too fast and it doesn't go very far, but this hasn't been limiting so far. My legs get tired before the battery runs out.

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

#278

Post by bunana »

Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker. So far I've only had it for ~2 months, but I really enjoy it. Although rice is a big part of my diet, I didn't know a "high-end" rice cooker existed until I wanted to upgrade the tiny 3-cup Imusa cooker I've had through college. I suppose I'll have to see if the thing stands the test of time (the reviews suggest it should!), but for now, the consistency and quality it provides has made me really happy.

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

#279

Post by sokoloff »

lbotos wrote: post #42

Anova Sous Vide. Cooking perfect Chicken or pork chops every single time is an absolute joy. I don't eat as many steaks but also cooks them just the same. It's one of my go-to kitchen gadgets, and I cook most of my meals with it.

Came here to say this as well. The original touch screens are garbage in the presence of high humidity, making me slightly hate Anova for such a terrible design decision (of course they will be exposed to high humidity!), but I still suffer through using it, basically keeping the temp locked on 130°F (because changing the temp is too risky to get it stuck with the flaky touchscreen).

Cooking with it though is great.

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

#280

Post by owenversteeg »

kaypro wrote: post #30

Kobo Forma. I'm an avid eBook reader so the little things add up. Going from the Kindle to the Forma was a huge upgrade. Font rendering, warm light, larger form factor, and Pocket integration amongst a host of other little niceties make it pretty much a perfect experience for me. https://us.kobobooks.com/products/kobo-forma

Has anyone here tried both the Kobo Forma and the Kindle Oasis? The Forma is tempting, but apparently the lighting is more even on the Kindle, the fonts are better, and I think I’d even prefer the smaller size (more portable, fits in a jacket pocket.)
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