Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years? • Hacker News Board

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

#541

Post by andrewzah » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:21 PM UTC

mattpratt wrote: post #534

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…

Aftershokz have transformed my relationship with cycling. I've always been hesitant to cycle with in ear headphones for safety reasons. Aftershokz are perfect.

I agree. Aftershokz changed my running completely. I pair them with my garmin fenix and no longer have to deal with wires or being isolated from my environment.

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

#542

Post by ska » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:21 PM UTC

bredren wrote: post #536

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.

We have a couple cast irons. When I was first introduced to them I was pretty turned off by the idea of not doing the same soap and water scrub process I do with everything else. But handling them now is just part of the ritual. The biggest change I’ve had since starting using them a couple years ago is moving from the ball scrubby disposable two a Chainmaile ringlet style scrubby. Using the chain mail has a differen…

> I was pretty turned off by the idea of not doing the same soap and water scrub process I do with everything else.

You can mostly do the same soap and water scrub as everything else. Assuming you use a reasonably modern dish soap an not something harsh, if you don't leave it soaking in the soapy water it will be fine.

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

#543

Post by godfreyantonell » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:22 PM UTC

tinybear1 wrote: post #256

- A New Model M keyboard from Unicomp. I was initially skeptical of spending >$100 on a keyboard but those doubts quickly evaporated, typing on this keyboard is true bliss. Every keystroke has excellent auditory and tactical feedback. - Uniball Jetstream: One of the best pens that I have used, extremely smooth and smudge resistant. - A Kindle, renting books through Overdrive saves a physical trip to the library and m…

Unicomp makes some great keyboards. Think I'll splurge and get myself another one.

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

#544

Post by throwpsa465 » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:22 PM UTC

0xB31B1B wrote: post #459

Peloton Bike. I bought it for my wife and thought, I've never been an indoor spinner person. I thoughth I would hate it, and now I ride it 240 minutes/week. I've lost 25 lbs in 4 months, I sleep like a baby and I have more energy and focus when I'm awake. The threshold energy needed to hop on the bike is much lower than the threshold energy needed to go to the gym so I just do it way more frequently. Strong endorse.

Be careful. I think Peleton recalled ALL of their bikes due to them being dangerous. Maybe you are eligible for recall. One child died. There's a video on youtube of a child getting trapped under a peloton and it keeps on running. He escapes due to luck. Google 'peloton recall, 'peloton dangerous etc.

Just FYI.

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

#545

Post by sigstoat » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:22 PM UTC

sevilo wrote: post #494

Guqin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guqin been a long-time wish of mine to learn it, finally took the pandemic as the opportunity to do so since I'm staying home so much. Vessi shoes: https://vessi.com best shoes I've worn, feels likes slippers, lightweight and waterproof, perfect for the rainy PNW weathers

what (if anything) have you used for pedagogical materials for the guqin? and how effective have they been?

i'd like to futz around with an instrument in that family someday, but there aren't lessons available anywhere near me.

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

#546

Post by operator-name » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:22 PM UTC

cryptofistMonk wrote: post #97

Airpods Pro. Not traditionally an apple guy so didn't expect to like them, but the guy talked us into them while we were upgrading my wife's phone. Wow. These things are just way better than any other earbuds and so much more convenient and comfortable than headphones. The Bluetooth just works even when switching between my Android and MacBook. The noise cancelling is great as well, way better than my Sennheisers.

The thing about the AirPods is that most people don't own a good pair of in ear or even over ear headphones.

Apple are a widely known brand and one of the first to release a product. In reality there are many other options each with different tradeoffs: https://crinacle.com/guide/tws/

Personally I find their battery life borderline, even with their rapid charge feature. Most of the time when the battery dies I'm in the middle of listening to something, instead of patiently waiting for it to charge I just grab some wired headphones instead.

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

#547

Post by fa » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:22 PM UTC

Two Kohler Novita wash toilets (bidets), with heated seats, auto-open covers, instant unlimited hot water, and more.

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

#548

Post by kjakm » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:23 PM UTC

syrgian wrote: post #180

gjstein wrote: post #116

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…

I bought a few of them to try them out and I'm disappointed currently. I tried to make them switch temperature automatically through the day, and nothing is working. I've only found people saying that there's no way without custom scripts that attempt to change the temperature continuously, which is very surprising. (I've only done an hour of research and tried around 3 different methods). Only one of the lights, whi…

The latest version of iOS/HomeKit has 'adaptive lighting'. You select that colour option and it will modify the temperature automatically throughout the day. You have very little manual control over it but sounds like what you might be looking for.

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

#549

Post by bluesupergiant » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:23 PM UTC

I'm a software engineer and have been using cheaper alternatives like gimp but my best purchase which also makes me feel like an adult is a year of the standard license of the creative suite. As a creative developer it is well worth the money and I'm super excited to dig into the software I've never used more like animate

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

#550

Post by gabagool » Thu, May 20, 2021, 5:23 PM UTC

TacticalCoder wrote: post #362

Unlikely to get upvoted here but a used Porsche Panamera with an extended bumper-to-bumper manufacturer warranty. As Doug Demuro says it's cheap, really cheap. There's not a single brand new car costing, say, 75 K EUR or less that I'd have rather than that because the quality simply ain't there. The ride comfort, soundsystem, sound insulation, interior quality, how it drives superbly (and can yet be used for some spi…

Is there any way to figure out what the maintenance costs of a car is? For example, for an 8-year-old Porsche Panamera? Otherwise, I've always just come across anecdata on message boards.