Apple AirPods.
Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
981–990 of 1001 posts
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#982A https://newsasfacts.com subscription. I start my day with their daily email digest. Only $1.25/m right now.
Thanks for the recommendation! I purchased a yearly subscription as well.
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#983Plants. 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.
Neem oil mixed with warm water and sprayed on the plants works pretty well.
Ladybirds (you can buy larvae which you can release in about 10 days) also works for aphids, they gobble them up.
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#984ergonomic vertical mouse - tried a few and liked Workstream by Monoprice https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=38963
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#985Cafelat Robot - a manual espresso maker (despite the name "robot", it's not electronic at all, it just uses pressure). It makes awesome shots, it's super easy to clean, and it's just really fun to feel the tactile feedback you can get when you're brewing a shot manually, because you can re-adjust your pressure on the fly to make the shot come out how you want it. My husband must have watched every James Hoffman video…
What grinder did you end up getting?
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#986Instant pot. This thing is magical, everything taste so fucking good in it. I bought a crockpot and never used it, but the instant pot was a game changer for me: ramen, couscous, stews, etc. The meat tastes so good when cooked there, vegetables are the same.
My partner got an Instant pot but I don't like the meat that is made in it. Maybe it's overcooked? Tomato-based ground meat (e.g. ground lamb) sauces are tolerable. I generally prefer my meat fried (seared) in a cast iron pan and finished in an oven (if necessary, e.g. a big piece of beef).
I'd only recommend the Instant Pot for fatty, braise-friendly meats. It can be difficult to get lean meats/fishes right because of how intensely it's cooking.
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#987My house. Mortgage is about 30% less than what I used to pay in rent, and I'm actually saving most of those money (actual interest is a very small portion of that). I don't have lousy roommates, but now my SO and me can move in together and start our life together. I pretty much ignored (and sometimes made fun of) people telling me not to buy and to invest in the stock market. Most of them actually own their own hous…
> I don't live in SF tho.
Where are you located? How much was the down payment?
The housing market is a mess right now, so I'm curious how other people somehow bought a house in this enviornment.
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#988Electronics: We moved into a free-standing house (in SF) from an apartment and for the first time in my adult life, security became something I had to think about. I bought 3x Arlo cameras -- a doorbell cam and 2x 4K cams to cover our patio & driveway, and I have to say, it's one of the best hardware purchases I've ever made. I never thought myself to be a "worried about home security" guy, but it's REALLY been great…
> I bought 3x Arlo cameras
How is Arlo in terms of data privacy? I could never bring myself to buy a Ring because of Amazon vacuuming all personal data.
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#989Courses at Bradfield School of Computer Science ( https://bradfieldcs.com/ ) – I've never learned computer science so quickly or effectively
Are you doing the full course?
Re: Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?
#990XDR Pro monitor with the stand - Quite an investment but for staring at 12+ hours a day coding / design, its simple and works very well. 6' x 6' x 8' Herman Miller A02 cubicle, walls only - Gave up my office as a baby room. Re-factored / reorganized / cleared out basement contents three times to carve out space in a corner. Threw down a cheap rug for an amazing reclamation of space. Herman Miller Embody - Bought just…
> Quite an investment
$6,000 for a monitor? An investment indeed.