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Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

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Re: Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

#131

Post by pbnjeh »

sailorganymede wrote: post #13

headphones which were really good. blocks out all the noise in our “vibrant open” office

Message from my former self. For years, I balked at the prices of the Bose. In retrospect, I wish I'd paid it much earlier.

I'd tried some inexpensive ones, and I'd read about how nothing can cancel all noise. Nonetheless, the Bose are far better than the earlier inexpensive ones that had soured me on the idea. I've never tried the Sony's, but I've read (ha!) that they're fairly comparable.

And the Bose I can wear all day without discomfort. Also not true of other pairs I'd tried.

I'm out of that environment, now, but the amount of stress I might have saved myself...?

My QC 35 II's may have been defective; despite very attentive care with them, the ear pads started failing within a year. :-( Nonetheless, if they were my only option and I were again in such an environment, I'd begrudgingly (because they should last longer) pay that every year.

P.S. I can't listen to music while working. I just need peace and quiet. Maybe a gentle sound of waves in the background, or the like, but nothing my brain/attention will "lock onto" and try -- whether I want it to or not -- to interpret.

P.P.S. Skip the Bose 700's. Known for being notably less comfortable. A clear mistake in redesign that had since been reversed in newer models (but the 700's are still for sale).

Re: Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

#132

Post by teknico »

RecycledEle wrote: post #127

1. Large internal hard disks and USB back-ups to archive a ton of information. 2. I registered for a free Canvas account on Instructute.com and now build courses to teach everything I learn. 3. Deciding that upgrading my PC's system unit would wait as I bought new peripherals, like 43" 4k TV as monitors, a better keyboard, a DSLR, etc. 4. Used Xeon-powered workstations, then learning to upgrade them. 5. Learning that…

> a free Canvas account on

apparently https://www.instructure.com/

Re: Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

#133

Post by zamadatix »

menshiki wrote: post #21

AirPods Pro without a doubt. It's the only item in my life that if it broke, I would immediately buy a replacement. I used them in the office to isolate myself from other people and when I'm walking outside to isolate myself from cars.

On the flipside, unless you're specifically referring to the newer Max model, getting away from earpods and using around-ear headphones led to a MASSIVE boost in my comfort level after a day of work.

Re: Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

#134

Post by ElevenLathe »

Arctis Nova Pro Wireless Headset. I can stay connected to both my workstation (with enough range to cover my house and some of the yard) and my phone at the same time. This allows me to wander/pace away from my desk during meetings, and also answer calls without taking it off. It's super comfy, and comes with two batteries so the base can charge one while the other is in use, meaning you never have to plug it in to charge (if you're away from the base station and just using them as Bluetooth headphones, you can also charge with a USB-C cable). The quality is pretty good (not as good as my Sennheisers but good), and the battery compartment has a thoughtful magnetic catch instead of a bit of plastic that will break off. The styling is muted and not super "gamery". There's even an 1/8" jack if you need to listen to something that only has analog out.

It's a wonderfully designed piece of kit and I highly recommend it to anyone who works on a computer or is a PC gamer (edit: now that I think about it, it should also work on most modern consoles, but I can't vouch for that).

Re: Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

#135

Post by Panqueca_do_mar »

aggieNick02 wrote: post #81

CompareIt! [1] - It's an ancient diff program last updated over a decade ago, but I've never found a diff program nearly as useful. It is windows only, but it is fast, allows quickly setting manual anchor points (I miss this horribly when doing git diffs via vimdiff), and has converters for common file formats like doc and pdf (extracts the text and then does the diff). I use it for both work and home. In addition to…

You've maybe tried it, but if not check out https://meldmerge.org

Re: Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

#136

Post by sheepshear »

red-iron-pine wrote: post #125
sheepshear wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hurry up and stock up on PFAS before they're gone! https://pfas.3m.com/pfas_uses

for context, 3M is got sued extra hard, along with a few other orgs, for PFAS chems https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/3m-pfa-forever-chemicals-lawsu... > 3M to pay at least $10.3B to settle 'forever chemical' drinking water lawsuits in U.S.

I'm just saying if you're dying to use their post it notes but you don't want PFAS, check back in a couple years to see if they've been removed.

Re: Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

#138

Post by moooo99 »

sameAsYou wrote: post #48
washadjeffmad wrote: post #44

HM Embody. It's not "comfy", but after six months, a lower back condition that hasn't been corrected, only managed by years of PT improved enough for me to go off pain management. Bonus: It also solved a prostate issue I didn't know I had. RealForce R3S TKL, 30g. I returned a Kinesis 360 and got this instead. None of the reviews helped, and tbf, it's not easy to explain the difference or value of optical programmable…

Back pain is no joke. Great to hear you’re better. Which air purifiers do you recommend?

If you're into smart home stuff, I can recommend the IKEA STARKVIND. It integrates nicely into the room, filters are decently easy to swap and Zigbee works well with Home Assistant

Re: Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

#139

Post by moooo99 »

e40 wrote: post #49
menshiki wrote: post #21

AirPods Pro without a doubt. It's the only item in my life that if it broke, I would immediately buy a replacement. I used them in the office to isolate myself from other people and when I'm walking outside to isolate myself from cars.

I can't wear them because they really hurt after about 20 minutes. Indoors, I use AirPod Max. They have the same benefits. They are really overpriced, but I can use them all day without any negative effects. The quality is superb. One caveat: don't workout in them. They have issues with moisture.

I can recommend the Bose QC45 or the Bose Headphones 700 as a less overpriced and more compatible alternative to the Max. Very good audio quality, comfortable fit (although the Headphones 700 tend to be rather tight depending on your head shape), and great noise canelling.

Re: Ask HN: What work/office purchase transformed your life?

#140

Post by Obscurity4340 »

Obscurity4340 wrote: post #109
harryquach wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds like a good zoom background, haha

Seriously, people will adore it if they're in the know. Make sure you get it exactly right, tho ;) https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ph_unit_0279...

Might even be good entrance music for you if you're into that kind of pageantry/high up in the hierarchy
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