Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years? • Hacker News Board

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

#251

Post by arran-nz » Thu, May 20, 2021, 3:34 PM UTC

coldpie wrote: post #185

hairofadog wrote: post #154

* Shoes: VivoBarefoot Magna Trail II FG ( https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/magna-trail-ii-fg-mens ). If you enjoy barefoot shoes, these things are fantastic. * For the table saw, this sawdust bag ( https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bosch-Table-Saw-Dust-Collector-S... ) does a surprisingly good job for $11, and this set of Dado blades ( https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-8-in-x-12-Teeth-Stacked-D... ) has saved me a ton of t…

I'm on the market for a pair of decent camping/hiking shoes/boots. I had been planning on getting some REI pair, but you've got me curious about these. It seems odd to me that something that claims to be thin and let you feel things would be good for hiking. Can you elaborate on that? I think I would want protection from rocks and stuff, so it seems bad for that?

I hike regularly with Vivo's - Also the Lems Boulderboot when the temperature permits.

Your feet take a beating in the first few weeks but you will build a tolerance.

In my opinion, they're fantastic for hiking as you feel the ground beneath you. Being more aware of the ground surface increases your step precision as well as your balance.

I highly recommend giving a pair a go!

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

#252

Post by supernikita » Thu, May 20, 2021, 3:34 PM UTC

electrical piano with headphones: nobody can hear me, the quality of a simple roland is stunning, connects me to the time when I had more time and could play music, and finally, I thoroughly enjoy rather stupid and repetitive finger drills which put me in a trance far away.

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

#253

Post by gpm » Thu, May 20, 2021, 3:35 PM UTC

dcolkitt wrote: post #176

gpm wrote: post #114

Pair of 32" 4k screens. As someone who programs a lot, it's worth it (and not that expensive, you don't need high refresh rate or anything). Being able to use spatial memory to navigate between most of the working set of windows, being able to show a lot of text on one screen, etc. Only downside is that it's surprisingly hard to drive two 4k screens, laptops are likely not going to be happy (or have low refresh rates…

Out of curiosity how do you position your screens? I used to rock dual Thunderbolt displays, but my always felt awkward either turning to the left or turning to the right. Now I now just use monitor, because I like having whatever I'm working on directly in front of me.

Side by side, long side horizontally. I move my chair and keyboard around a bit depending on my mood, but typically one is directly in front of me, and the other is to my right.

The one directly in front of me is usually for the "primary task", e.g. my editor if I'm programming, usually with multiple files displayed side by side. Sometimes also a single documentation browser window (other times just more editing panes). The one to the right for all the supporting stuff, (more) documentation, stack overflow, github, terminals running scripts that rebuild stuff whenever it changes, etc.

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

#254

Post by tldrthelaw » Thu, May 20, 2021, 3:36 PM UTC

Newspapers.com subscription. Great for research on my house, my property, my family.

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

#255

Post by abakker » Thu, May 20, 2021, 3:36 PM UTC

p0d wrote: post #84

This drill. Got it at Christmas, used it lots and still haven't charged the battery. https://www.screwfix.com/p/milwaukee-m18-cblpd-402c-18v-4-0a...

m18 tools I own:

1/2 impact wrench, impact driver 1/4" hex, 7-1/4 circular saw, 5" throat portaband, 4-1/2" angle grinder, Oscillator, jigsaw, Weedwacker/pole chainsaw, small vacuum, 1-9/16 SDS drill.

I also have an m12 screwdriver and m12 3/8 ratchet.

Milwaukee is really killing it in this market. There are so many tools for the same batteries, and in almost all cases they are not just good cordless tools, but good in general.

Most impressive to me is their electric pole chainsaw. it has a 10" bar and with a bit of skill you can actually get it to plunge tip first. It wouldn't be my first choice for felling due to it's form factor, but I cut probably 50-60 3-6" dead branches on half an 8 amp battery a few days ago.

Side note: I really wish milwaukee made an adaptor from M18 batteries to USB-C 80W for a MacBook pro.

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

#256

Post by tinybear1 » Thu, May 20, 2021, 3:37 PM UTC

- A New Model M keyboard from Unicomp. I was initially skeptical of spending >$100 on a keyboard but those doubts quickly evaporated, typing on this keyboard is true bliss. Every keystroke has excellent auditory and tactical feedback.

- Uniball Jetstream: One of the best pens that I have used, extremely smooth and smudge resistant.

- A Kindle, renting books through Overdrive saves a physical trip to the library and makes reading books so much easier. I also downloaded the kindle app on my phone, which syncs the book position and helps ease the habit of checking social media in my down time.

Personally I find these to be my favorite purchases because they improve what I was already doing each day (typing, writing, and reading). Mundane workflows like essay writing is far more enjoyable when there is a good pen in the drafting stage, and a good keyboard to type on.

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

#257

Post by skoocda » Thu, May 20, 2021, 3:38 PM UTC

farrisbris wrote: post #196

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

Cats. They operate on the same principle.

Unfortunately, you can't have both cats and plants at the same time.

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

#258

Post by humanlion87 » Thu, May 20, 2021, 3:38 PM UTC

Adjustable standing desk. Was a complete game changer for me. Before getting one I had regular shoulder pain (and had to even go to a PT few times). Now that I alternate between standing and sitting the shoulder pain is gone. One of the best ROI for a ~$450 purchase.

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

#259

Post by skrtskrt » Thu, May 20, 2021, 3:38 PM UTC

silicon2401 wrote: post #216

Jakobeha wrote: post #128

Material goods: Ear plugs (silicone). Don't waste your money on noise-cancelling headphones, I have $200 ones and they don't compare to simple ear plugs. If you live in a moderately noisy area and you want peace and quiet, get them. They basically just make everything quiet. 24 from CVS = $10. OpenMove by Aftershokz - Bone-conduction headphones. Perfect for running and just good for listening to music. They work, the…

> cast iron skillet Personally I think these are a waste of money unless you live in a house. Trying to season one of these smoked up our apartment for hours. Apparently we didn't do it right because it's still sticky even with oil, but there's no way we're going through the headache again until we have a house.

I am about to move into a new-construction apartment in California which means no gas stove.

Ditched my cast iron in anticipation because the one I have has a rough bottom that would definitely scratch up the glass cook top of the electric stove.

Since I ditched the cast iron, honestly haven't seen much of a difference in how well I can cook things using a regular nonstick pan - my main use is cooking/frying up chicken thighs so the skin is nice and crispy.

Buying the cast iron did give me the original inspiration to start making these recipes though.

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

#260

Post by salamandersauce » Thu, May 20, 2021, 3:38 PM UTC

silicon2401 wrote: post #216

Jakobeha wrote: post #128

Material goods: Ear plugs (silicone). Don't waste your money on noise-cancelling headphones, I have $200 ones and they don't compare to simple ear plugs. If you live in a moderately noisy area and you want peace and quiet, get them. They basically just make everything quiet. 24 from CVS = $10. OpenMove by Aftershokz - Bone-conduction headphones. Perfect for running and just good for listening to music. They work, the…

> cast iron skillet Personally I think these are a waste of money unless you live in a house. Trying to season one of these smoked up our apartment for hours. Apparently we didn't do it right because it's still sticky even with oil, but there's no way we're going through the headache again until we have a house.

You can get enameled ones you don't need to season. Le Creuset makes expensive examples. I love mine. I like that works well in both the oven and stove.