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

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

#441

Post by AdmiralAsshat » Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:35 PM UTC

Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e

The price was in the sweet spot that I could indulge it as a gift to myself without agonizing over it. It's also their last budget/mid-tier tablet model that still uses an AMOLED screen, and it's beautiful. Reading comics on its super-vibrant screen brings back a joy I haven't felt since childhood. Except for very large, coffee-table style books printed on super glossy paper, I'd argue that most of the comics I'm reading on the tablet look better than they did on their original newsprint. So that's all quite lovely.

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

#442

Post by katbyte » Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:36 PM UTC

skoocda wrote: post #257

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.

I do, you need to train them when young to leave them alone, and provider grass/entertainment so they have better options.

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

#443

Post by Hroble » Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:36 PM UTC

lhball wrote: post #78

dhosek wrote: post #72

LG 38UC99-W 38-Inch 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD+ IPS Monitor with Bluetooth Speakers http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01LW54S4U/donhosek It's amazing how much the extra screen real estate helps. Other than that, I've bought surprisingly little in the last two years other than food, clothing and gifts.

$1K - Hard pass. I'll take two crappy IPS 24 inch monitors before I drop that kinda cash on a monitor. Thing is I've seen co-workers with these, and buy call accounts they love them, but I've never really been blown away by them. The 144hz refresh rate is nice, but wasted on someone who just writes code all day.

There are much cheaper curved widescreen monitors as well, I bought a 100hz AOC monitor for 360 dollars or so. That was more than worth it.

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

#444

Post by Humdeee » Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:36 PM UTC

cdubzzz wrote: post #126

Garmin Forerunner 245[0] Got it as a birthday gift about a year ago and I have since finally moved on from struggling to get past 5Ks to running multiple 10Ks and now training for a half marathon. It has also helped me be more health conscious generally and I've lost 25lbs to get from high overweight to the top of end of normal (BMI-wise). The Garmin ecosystem for workout planning/recording/stats/etc. is surprisingly…

I bought the 235 a few years ago. Also an avid runner and great for hiking. Also used for cycling and swimming too!

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

#445

Post by dehrmann » Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:37 PM UTC

namelosw wrote: post #368

I've been improving my desk accessories since the COVID breakout. Aeron Chair + IKEA IDÅSEN electric standing desk. With perfect height combination finally, I don't feel shoulder pain when typing. Unlike most standing desks, IDÅSEN is not wobbly at all. A double-decker book stand. I sometimes get distracted when I use the computer so I started to spend more time on paper-based workflow. I have serious back pain when…

In April, 2020, I got an Aeron chair, Uplift standing desk, 30"+ monitor, and after wrist fatigue, the same MS Sculpt ergonomic keyboard and Evoluent mouse I have at work. I essentially recreated my work setup at home. I thought I might have overdone it, but a year later, zero regrets.

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

#446

Post by mellavora » Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:37 PM UTC

elliekelly wrote: post #91

kodon wrote: post #86

A pullup bar (door frame) and resistance bands. Exercising at home has kicked me off into being healthier.

Could you do pull-ups before you bought the bar? I’m always so tempted to get one because I so badly want to be able to do a pull-up. I’d be so pumped if I could just do one. But I have no upper body strength to speak of and getting to a pull-up seems nearly impossible so I never pull the trigger on buying the bar.

Another tip for getting started. Start horizontal, with your feet supported on a box. You are really doing a 'row', not a chin-up, but since part of your body is supported, the weight is less.

    *
    |
    |
 ()-----------|-------/
                    /---\

This technique lets you develop power at the low end/start of the pull, which is where you need it most.

The other tips (hang from the bar and slowly lower yourself) are also very good.

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

#447

Post by throw14082020 » Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:37 PM UTC

dinkleberg wrote: post #186

cryptofistMonk wrote: post #97

Airpods Pro. Not traditionally an apple guy so didn't expect to like them, but the guy talked us into them while we were upgrading my wife's phone. Wow. These things are just way better than any other earbuds and so much more convenient and comfortable than headphones. The Bluetooth just works even when switching between my Android and MacBook. The noise cancelling is great as well, way better than my Sennheisers.

They were such a game changer for me. I used to be a big “audiophile” and spent more than I’d care to admit on headphones. AirPod pros sound very good. Not as good as a really good audio setup, but good enough for pretty much everyone out there. The noise cancelling is really good. And best of all they are so comfortable. Idk if I’m gonna have some weird cancer in 40 years from wearing these all the time, but I love…

Can you elaborate on your previous auditory experiences? I'm checking for Steve Jobs/ Apple's reality distortion field. I've seen many recommendations from people who have upgraded to Apple from bad products (e.g. This iPhone 12 is so much better than the Android phone from 2017 which I paid $300 for), as opposed to a fair competitor. In this case, have you used other high-end headphones released recently?

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

#448

Post by matt_morgan » Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:37 PM UTC

Sodastream. We use it all the time. No-waste seltzer and the ginger ale mix is really good after you get used to it (one or two glasses is all it took us).

East, by Meera Sodha, an extremely good cookbook.

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

#449

Post by sAbakumoff » Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:38 PM UTC

Vibration plate. really cool device for warming up in the morning or before any home workout.

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

#450

Post by lbotos » Thu, May 20, 2021, 4:38 PM UTC

wyldfire wrote: post #193

lbotos wrote: post #42

Anova Sous Vide. Cooking perfect Chicken or pork chops every single time is an absolute joy. I don't eat as many steaks but also cooks them just the same. It's one of my go-to kitchen gadgets, and I cook most of my meals with it.

Why sous vide? Does the food taste better or prepare faster or ...?

This is my standard routine:

- Grab my chicken cuts, and season them.

- Throw in a 2 days worth of meals of chicken into the sous vide and set the temp.

- let it cook for 45 min. (No need to monitor, it's a water bath -- nothing to flip or think about.)

- Even if it goes slightly over ( I once had it go for 90 min as I got trapped in a meeting) your meat stays at the perfect doneness. - I take out a meal's worth of chicken and Sear it in a pan for 5 or so minutes.

THE SECRET: Take the rest of the chicken and immediately ice it and get it in the fridge. Now, for the rest of those pieces, I take them out at meal time, and sear to heat and I get perfect chicken that you'd not even realize are leftovers.

Works same for pork and steak too, just cook that slightly less.