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Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?

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Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?

#171

Post by the__alchemist »

shaftway wrote: post #168
the__alchemist wrote: post #163

Hue Ambiance light bulbs with OEM switches. Being able to dim without buzz, and change color temperature (Blue/white/red) is a game changer for my circadian rhythm and overall feel of the apartment. This may be prohibitively expensive for people who live in large places.

When you say OEM switches, what exactly do you mean? I've been trying to get the perfect setup and the Lutron LZL-4B was pretty close, but they've been discontinued and are hard to find for under $100 / switch. The RunLessWire switches don't use batteries, which is a negative for me. To use them you have to push the switch oddly hard, so when visitors don't press it hard enough they assume the lights are broken. The…

The official hue ones with buttons for power, brightness, and temp. (Maybe the same one you mentioned?) I'd prefer one with analog knobs, but that doesn't exist AFAIK.

I went through a period where I'd use home assistant, the phone app, and Google Assistant (voice), but ultimately, this setup with the physical switches is easier / fewer hassles.

Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?

#172

Post by wenc »

Taikonerd wrote: post #106

A white noise machine -- our bedroom overlooks a busy street, so there's constantly random noises in the middle of the night. Big improvement in sleep quality! We got a Dohm Classic, but you can just get an app for your phone if you like.

I've been using an app (Noisli, before that it was White Noise Generator) on my iPad every night for the past 6 years.

Works great and you can customize the white noise. At first I was concerned that running it continuously for 8-9 hours every night would wear out the speakers on the iPad, but that was an unfounded worry.

Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?

#173

Post by SAI_Peregrinus »

tmaly wrote: post #121
theogravity wrote: post #3

A dedicated tool created to cut through cardboard boxes, roughly $20-30. When you have gigantic boxes to break down, using a straightedge or knife isn't going to "cut" it. Saves a LOT of time for me as it's significantly faster to use. Using cooking vinegar in place of liquid softener in the clothes washer to remove moldy / gym sock smell from the drum and clothes. Only need to apply once every few washes and is less…

what type of vinegar do you use on laundry? For cars, sometimes it is as easy as changing the cabin air filter.

I'm not them, but I use distilled white vinegar. You just want mild acetic acid with no contaminants.

Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?

#174

Post by mensetmanusman »

Room air purifier ten years ago. Knowing the health impacts of indoor air, and the effect of prolonged exposure, it has been a huge relief knowing the family is sleeping in more safety in a home that we spend 20+ hours a day in (during the -20C winters).

Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?

#175

Post by TrevorJ »

Opinel #8 pocketknife. Inexpensive. Timeless design that was last tweaked circa 1960's.

Entry-level hardtail mountain bike. I understand more of my geographic area than ever before, and am in moderately better shape, to boot.

Old comfy secondhand leather chair. Have my personal PC hooked up to a cheap old flatpanel TV. I've had many productive weekend hours working on personal projects in comfort. There's something about not sitting at a desk that really helps me feel like I'm off the clock, even when I am being productive.

Super cheap keyring that my car key fell off of on one of my first dates with my wife. We spent the rest of the date looking for my key in the park and enjoying conversation. It worked out.

Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?

#177

Post by TrevorJ »

bragr wrote: post #64
lloydatkinson wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow I’d be far too paranoid about them leaking things

Some people in my area use these services and I've considered it because mail theft is a big problem in my area. Organized rings doing package theft, identify theft, and all that. So for us at least, it seems significantly safer than having it delivered directly. Personally I just go paperless as much as possible and have the post office hold my mail (another popular response).

If you want a less expensive 'lite' option, you can sign up with the USPS and they will scan your incoming envelopes and email you the images. This at least alerts you when something that should have made it into your mailbox, doesn't.

Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?

#178

Post by shaftway »

the__alchemist wrote: post #171
shaftway wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When you say OEM switches, what exactly do you mean? I've been trying to get the perfect setup and the Lutron LZL-4B was pretty close, but they've been discontinued and are hard to find for under $100 / switch. The RunLessWire switches don't use batteries, which is a negative for me. To use them you have to push the switch oddly hard, so when visitors don't press it hard enough they assume the lights are broken. The…

The official hue ones with buttons for power, brightness, and temp. (Maybe the same one you mentioned?) I'd prefer one with analog knobs, but that doesn't exist AFAIK. I went through a period where I'd use home assistant, the phone app, and Google Assistant (voice), but ultimately, this setup with the physical switches is easier / fewer hassles.

Yeah. I just wish I could get those to fit in with the rest of my light switches.

Re: Ask HN: What tiny purchases have disproportionately improved your life?

#179

Post by steve_adams_86 »

corny wrote: post #138
steve_adams_86 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you go to your optometrist and ask for this specifically? I've been struggling with this a lot, but figured if my prescription and glasses are what they are, this strain is maybe just a fact of life. I'd love to get rid of it. I'm so near-sighted that I need my glasses to see the screen, but just barely. In some situations I can take my glasses off to work and it makes such a difference - there's no strain at all…

Yes, I specifically asked the optometrist for this. I measured the distance to my computer screen and they were able to give me a custom prescription. My near-sightedness is not even that bad. But switching from my regular glasses to my computer glasses feels refreshing. Do it!

Thank you, I definitely will. I wasn’t aware it was an option.
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