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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?

#891
post #881

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

Fungus gnats and aphids and making this hobby a living hell for me right now. I’ve been watering my veggies with BTI and spraying aphids with Spinosad(sp?), any tips on ending this infestation nightmare? I’m so close to calling it quits. Have about 12 different veggies going in raised planter boxes.

Try: https://howmanyplants.com/post/bugging-out-tackling-common-h...

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

#892
post #59

I got some Glerup slippers and they are what I've been wanting all my life. Extremely warm and comfortable, wool means they never stink, and very stylish. I wore them every day throughout the winter. My girlfriend also just got an inflatable stand-up paddle board (Roc, ~$400) and it's pretty fun. Don't know that I'd recommend this brand in particular but inflatable stand up paddleboards are pretty cool for a water co…

I have a different brand of slippers (Giesswein), but needed to replace my liners and tried these (https://www.ugg.com/men/sheepskin-insole/1101442.html) for the heck of it. I will never, ever go back.

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

#893
1961 Ford Sunliner, 3 speed, 292 Y-Block.

I was visiting a sister I found on Ancestry and found it rotting on her farm. It spent months w/ no top before getting tarped. Her aunt was the orig owner (died 2 days ago) and left it there when the family couldn't restore it.

Son and I put a top on it and got it road worthy again. It's a long way from restored but it's a lot of fun to drive.

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

#894

Chromebook C423NA - for writing. I intentionally bought the lowest end model I could find at Walmart. I wanted it for a single task - writing - and it's perfect for that. It is terrible at most everything else. Softball glove - my kid has been playing softball and asked me to help work on some of their skills. I'm not into baseball/softball AT ALL, but I've very much enjoyed my time outside passing the ball. It's a v…

I love biscuit joiners. What model do you have? I wish I could get a Lamello but they are insanely expensive. I have a Porter Cable that is actually pretty good, but I want something cordless.

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

#896

10 foot charging cables for my phone and devices and a Roomba vacuum cleaner. Cables let me plug in where ever as I am generally within 8 feet of a plug and the roomba does a pretty good job of keeping the house clean of hair from the dog.

How do you stop the roomba from trying to eat your 10 foot cables?

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

#897
post #233

The ipad pro. It’s just my favorite device, and has been for the last 2-3 years. I draw and take a lot of notes on it, I read a lot of pdfs and epubs, I watch movies and videos, etc. I like that it allows me to focus, as the os is limiting, and I like that it’s so portable that I can easily take it with me anywhere. I can also hold it well when I’m in bed, in the plane, etc.

Do you know of a way to take notes _on_ a ePub book? I’d love to buy a new iPad just for this if there was a way to do it. As far as I have tried, Apple Books, or Kindle don’t allow markup on ePub books.

I mostly use Apple Books (formerly iBooks) for this. Can highlight, add text notes, and bookmark pages. Syncs those and reading progress across devices. Also somewhat works for PDF books. Sometimes the sync screws up but mostly works.

Google Books can also do this and notes go to an associated Google Doc.

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

#898

Thinkpad X280, i7 quad w/ 16G memory and 500G SSD. It was on clearance since the model is a couple years old, but holy crap this thing is fast. And so much lighter than the last system I owned with a fast quad core (4-5 KG). My last computer lasted me almost a decade, so with the rate technological progress has slowed (barring M1), this system should last me 15 years or so. Other than that it would have to be my Unic…

I grabbed a used X270 right before lockdown here. I’d intended to get one for vacation as a “beater” laptop for vacation instead of my MBP. Wound up using it a lot around the house, porch, and yard. Less worried about rain and dust with it. Some light gaming works well too. Plenty of life left in it.

So much that I picked up an X220 on a deal. 10 years old and still pretty swift with an SSD and enough RAM.

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

#899
An electric guitar, about a year ago. I've always loved rock music, but never really thought of playing an instrument as accessible, for whatever reason. I taught myself (probably not well, but well enough to enjoy it) during the pandemic and it's been a great outlet. I also keep it next to my desk, and play for 5-10 minutes between meetings throughout the day.
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