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Ask HN: What under $100 item would you recommend everyone buy?

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Re: Ask HN: What under $100 item would you recommend everyone buy?

#101

Post by alok-g »

a_bonobo wrote: post #8

An ebook reader. Both the cheapest version of the Kobo and the Kindle cost around USD60-70. I've gone from reading ~10 books per year to reading ~80 books per year, just because I always carry that thing with me since it's so small and light. I also save a ton of money since printed books are so expensive in Australia, and out-of-copyright books are free. The formatting of technical non-fiction books for e-readers ha…

I do a lot of online reading, plus PDFs and books. How easy is it to transfer something to Kindle for reading at the moment of finding it online on a computer? We can take Wikipedia articles and PDFs as examples. (PS: A non-cloud based transfer solution where they cannot track what I am reading is more preferable to me.)

Re: Ask HN: What under $100 item would you recommend everyone buy?

#102

Post by alok-g »

a_bonobo wrote: post #53
borplk wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the idea but I'd want one that keeps the data locally. Is there such thing?

Premium membership with Fitbit ($60/year) allows for export of the data http://www.fitbit.com/premium/export Withings Pulse has a data export function too: https://withings.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/201488977-How...

I want one that keeps the data "only" locally. Is there such a thing? :-)

Re: Ask HN: What under $100 item would you recommend everyone buy?

#103

Post by theshadowmonkey »

eshvk wrote: post #84

In the Summer of 2011, I was working at Mozilla. My first exposure to an open plan office. I decided (for a poor student) to spend an insane amount of money on a pair of headphones so that I could get more productive: The Shure SE 215 in ear phones for $99. Since then, I have used them everyday. Backpacked across 3 continents. Taken them to the gym. Used them like crap. Yet, they still lasted. I went through 4 differ…

The ones that are cheap and I have loved a lot are the Sennheiser HD 201. They are over the ear, not very loud and have decent noise cancellation.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Lightweight-Over-Ear-Binaur...

Re: Ask HN: What under $100 item would you recommend everyone buy?

#104

Post by theshadowmonkey »

seferphier wrote: post #22

i would say mechanical keyboard since we spend so much time on the computers. but the great mechanical keyboards are over $100...should be able to get a second hand one for cheap.

Das is a little over $100. But, I absolutely love using it.

Re: Ask HN: What under $100 item would you recommend everyone buy?

#105

Post by markbot »

phinnaeus wrote: post #26
erikig wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know it is a break from the $100 budget but a 4k (3840x2160) monitor is almost a necessity for me right now. I have two Seiki 39" each of which has replaced four 21" monitors.

I just bought Dell's UP2414Q, a 24" UHD display. Never going back.

This is the one (or two, if you have the desk space).

Re: Ask HN: What under $100 item would you recommend everyone buy?

#106

Post by ctb_mg »

seferphier wrote: post #22

i would say mechanical keyboard since we spend so much time on the computers. but the great mechanical keyboards are over $100...should be able to get a second hand one for cheap.

I believe Ducky and Leopold make mechanical keyboards under or near $100.

Re: Ask HN: What under $100 item would you recommend everyone buy?

#108

Post by IvyMike »

stevekemp wrote: post #72
IvyMike wrote: post #7

If you cook at all: Infrared thermometer. How hot is that pan? Is my oven thermometer accurate? I'm proofing yeast, is this water too warm? How cold is my freezer? Is my smoker ready? Is that caramel done? I got a cheap $15 one and I use it nearly every day.

I get how this could be useful for things, like checking the inside of a steak. But my only concern is that I've cooked my whole life without worrying about temperature. I have now learned how something "cooked" looks, and how long it should take. So if I were to get a temperature reading I'd have no knowledge of what the correct result should be. I guess what I'm saying is that it seems like I'd need to retrain my w…

Checking a steak (or most foods) for doneness is something it can't do, though--it can't see inside food. (You could get an "instant read" probe thermometer, like the Thermapen, but I did not recommend this because I don't use it that often for exactly the reason you mention: I usually have a good intuition if something is done or not already.)

Some more examples: If you want to make sure the oil for frying the chicken is at the right temperature, which is something you may already do with a conventional thermometer, this will make that faster and easier.

Wine experts (of which I am NOT one) have a whole "optimum serving temperature" list. The infrared thermometer is an easy way to check that. Beer, too. http://www.bettertastingwine.com/temperature.html

I mentioned checking your oven thermometer (which are notoriously poorly calibrated), but another use is finding hot/cold spots in your oven.

I don't do anything with chocolate, but if I did, I'd check the temperature with this.

When I make coffee or tea, I bring water to boiling... but then you're supposed to let it cool a bit, somewhere in the 180-200 degree range.

Re: Ask HN: What under $100 item would you recommend everyone buy?

#109

Post by mdisraeli »

An instrument - you can actually get perfectly reasonable starter version of most instruments for around that price point if you shop around, which will work fine when it comes to gigging too. Guitars, Basses, Midi Keyboards - you might have to shop around, but it is possible to get within the price limit.

I've been learning bass for the last month and a bit, and it has made a big difference to how I feel about myself and my confidence that I can pick up an entirely new skill from scratch, and that I can make music.

With things like LMMS and Hydrogen available, and lots of royalty-free free sample packs available, it is entirely possible to write and perform music on the cheap.

And if you're still not convinced? The tech industry seems to want us to be 'rockstar' developers, devops, admins, growth hackers, etc... so why not literally become one too? ;)

Re: Ask HN: What under $100 item would you recommend everyone buy?

#110

Post by lowmagnet »

hsx wrote: post #39
seferphier wrote: post #22

i would say mechanical keyboard since we spend so much time on the computers. but the great mechanical keyboards are over $100...should be able to get a second hand one for cheap.

I have a Vortex KBC Poker II with PBT keycaps, probably one of the best purchases I've made in recent years. I blew off buying one for a couple of years because it was "just like any other keyboard" - not true. They switches (I have Cherry MX Reds) make it a joy to type on! I should have added that I got mine for about $120, including shipping.

The abs/backlit Vortex Poker II is on massdrop, with the lowest level at $94.99. I'm typing on it right now (except I swapped in DSA PBT keys) and it's super nice.
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