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Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

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

#521

Post by daze42 »

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.

Came here to say this too. My wife and I both got them and we've been 100% satisfied. Fantastic product.

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

#522

Post by bredren »

MediumD wrote: post #360
alanbernstein wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to think noise-cancelling headphones were a gimmick. I'm also pretty indifferent to audio quality, so I never expected to buy expensive headphones. But I had an opportunity to try out one of the best options available right now, and the noise cancelling performance blew me away. With the closed-back cups sealing over my ears, and the noise cancelling active, I can only just hear normal-volume conversation next…

Which headphone did you try? That sounds amazing

AirPod Max noise cancellation is pretty stellar.

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

#524

Post by rancor »

syrgian wrote: post #180
gjstein wrote: post #116

Philips Hue lights. I had wanted them for a little while for the novelty of it, but upon buying a couple my wife and I converted nearly all of our small apartment (except the bathrooms) to use their color-changing bulbs. Being able to change the light color and temperature has been surprisingly nice and has made our home much "cozier" under quarantine. We change the lights to dim reds and blues during movie nights or…

I bought a few of them to try them out and I'm disappointed currently. I tried to make them switch temperature automatically through the day, and nothing is working. I've only found people saying that there's no way without custom scripts that attempt to change the temperature continuously, which is very surprising. (I've only done an hour of research and tried around 3 different methods). Only one of the lights, whi…

I've had my Hue setup change through 4 color schemes based on sunrise/sunset and time of day for a good few years now.

I'm not aware of any automagic way to achieve this result. You'll need to use all4hue, which is basically a wrapper app around the Hue API, to set up rules by hand.

Basically, you'll have a set of rules which update a variable based on the time of day. Then use this variable as a condition in every rule that turns on a light, and have another set of rules triggered by changes to this variable when a light is on. Not complicated, just tedious to program as you'll need 4 rules per light(group) for each of these categories.

But the results work with lights that stay on, lights turned on by dimmers, as well as with motion sensors. And most importantly, the entire thing runs on the bridge so no HomeKit needed. Well worth the effort IMO.

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

#525

Post by bredren »

101008 wrote: post #212
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…

I never heard of bone-conduction headphones. They seem very interesting and I'd love to try them. Are they OK for calls, or only music? And also - is there any health issue I should be aware?

How are they for tinnitus, I wonder. Tinnitus doesn’t really like closed back headphones, or generally pressure on your drums.

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

#526

Post by vnorilo »

Yaxell Gou Santoku knife. It's just beautiful to look at and hold, and cuts completely unlike the supermarket knives I've had before.

Neumann KH120A speakers for my office. I'm somewhat spoiled by 4-5 figure audio pro control rooms, but these do an amazing job in a normal room for a very reasonable price.

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

#527

Post by thekevan »

josefresco wrote: post #470
TacticalCoder wrote: post #362

Unlikely to get upvoted here but a used Porsche Panamera with an extended bumper-to-bumper manufacturer warranty. As Doug Demuro says it's cheap, really cheap. There's not a single brand new car costing, say, 75 K EUR or less that I'd have rather than that because the quality simply ain't there. The ride comfort, soundsystem, sound insulation, interior quality, how it drives superbly (and can yet be used for some spi…

You paid less than $30K? I've owned used-luxury cars before and everything's wonderful until you have to get it repaired. I guess with a warranty it might make sense, but what's that payment?

The video he linked was from 2020 and reviewed a 2012 Panamera. The title of it is "Here's Why a Used Porsche Panamera Is a Sub-$30,000 Bargain" and he says that it's cheaper than a Camry within the first 60 seconds.

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

#528

Post by bluGill »

Autonomous flowboard. I have a few different standing desks (one theirs, one vwindesk), but I don't know if any is enough better than the others - just get one I can't stand in one space for very long. But I can stand on this thing for a long time, and that is the whole point.

Squatypotty. I don't think it cures cancer or any of the other supposed benefits I've seen people claim, but it is more comfortable. I actually bought it for the kids when they were potty training, then 2 weeks later I had to go and realized I was willing to wait for the one bathroom with it rather than a closer bathroom that was empty.

pinebook pro. Cheap little laptop, but it has become the one I use the most. There are things you can't do on a phone even if in theory the CPU is more powerful, and portable is useful.

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