Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: Favorite purchases of last two years?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

831–840 of 1001 posts

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

#831

Post by prometheus76 »

dehrmann wrote: post #425
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…

5 years ago, I got a pair of Sennheiser over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones for long flights after realizing how loud I had the volume turned up on earbuds. I'm happy enough with them, but they're too plasticy for the price and rather bulky for traveling (so I'm considering Airpods Pro), but on a flight, noise canceling is absolutely not a gimmick.

Have you looked at Audio-Technica noise-cancelling headphones? Better sound than the popular Bose ones, but with a cheaper price tag.

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

#832

Post by operator-name »

bunana wrote: post #278

Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker. So far I've only had it for ~2 months, but I really enjoy it. Although rice is a big part of my diet, I didn't know a "high-end" rice cooker existed until I wanted to upgrade the tiny 3-cup Imusa cooker I've had through college. I suppose I'll have to see if the thing stands the test of time (the reviews suggest it should!), but for now, the consistency and quality it provides has m…

Which model? Unfortunately Europe doesn't get their pressure models.

I've heard many things about how their keep warm feature is far, far superior with some quoting up to one week. What's been your experience with the keep warm? Most other rice cookers I've used are okay at keeping things warm but struggle with not drying out the rice in contact with the bowl.

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

#833

Post by Dowwie »

After many years of tea and coffee drinking, I've found that longjing green tea (dragonwell) purchased from a reputable source helps me focus longer without the experience of crashing from caffeine. Longjing has some caffeine but also a decent amount of theanine. I find my days more productive with a few cups of longjing than with coffee or black teas. Quality tea isn't cheap, but buying it in bulk remains cheaper than buying a cup of low quality stuff from the store every day. Give it a try!

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

#834

Post by codezero »

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #819
nirav72 wrote: post #718

Bought a Ender3 3d Printer last year during the lockdown. It cost me about $150. Took me about 3 months of learning, lots of mistake, trial and error before I was able to get decent and useful things to print. But its a great starter printer and cheap. So far I got my money's worth simply based on the time my son and I have spent together tinkering with it and learning all about the 3d printing process. I think once…

The Ender 3 is the perfect entry-level printer. Cheap, but upgradeable. I bought my Ender 3 last October, and since then, I've added: - BLTouch - PEI bed - Filament runout sensor - Upgraded motherboard with quiet stepper motor drivers - Dual-gear extruder

Thanks for sharing that - I am always curious about 3d printing, and a cheap printer sounds like a nice entry point, even nicer to know this one has a few growth options!

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

#835

Post by operator-name »

thallavajhula wrote: post #810

1. [reMarkable 2 Tablet]( https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-2 ) - This is a really helpful device for me since I am used to taking down a lot of notes and this makes it easier for me to track my notes in one place and organize them 2. [AirPods Pro]( https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/ ) - Amazing for their use case

How sensitive are you to latency and what's your experience with the reMarkable 2?

I've been looking at it for the eink but I'm quite sensitive to latency. If you've tried other pen input devices (Surface Pro, Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Note, iPad Pro) how would you rank them and where does the reMarkable sit?

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

#836

Post by operator-name »

martindbp wrote: post #379

Remarkable 2, I use it for at least an hour every day, reading, taking notes, exploring ideas etc. I had a notebook before but I just scribbled in it when I needed to think visually, but it wasn't something I'd do very often.

How are you finding the pen latency? Have you tired some other devices that you'd compare it to?

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

#837

Post by Dowwie »

fred92 wrote: post #678

Finally caved and bought myself a light down jacket ( https://www.rei.com/product/154226/rei-co-op-650-down-jacket... ) initially for hiking but as it turns out there is a reason you see so many people wearing these in the bay area. It is perfect for cool/windy bay-area/SF evenings. Have been wearing it almost every day for the past year. Also a robot vacuum. I didn't think it would work for me but I started forming…

the "down sweater" is a base layer that goes really well with a hard shell

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

#838

Post by Dowwie »

IgorPartola wrote: post #229

This was three years ago so a bit of a cheat, but I bought a motorcycle. It was life changing and I highly recommend it. I bought a house with a chunk of land attached to it, and one of the best things I added to it immediately was a stone fire pit. It’s been a fantastic way to relax at the end of the day and to socialize. A 3D printer to pass the time during the pandemic. An air purifier and a humidifier. Air you br…

have you got a good non-alcoholic cocktail recommendation?

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

#839

Post by Groxx »

nfoz wrote: post #219

Light Dims! http://www.lightdims.com/index.php Little sticky cellophane pieces, that you can put on the little LED lights on all modern electronics, so that you can still see them but they're not so bright. Because I hate being surrounded by blinkenlights that are a bit too bright and hurt my eyes in the dark.

Heh. For that price I may get some - personally I've just stuck a few post-its (maybe taped in place) onto these LEDs. Electrical tape is very effective too.

It's kinda fun to look at them a couple weeks later, and see how they get completely bleached by the light.

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

#840

Post by jperras »

sudosteph wrote: post #190

Cafelat Robot - a manual espresso maker (despite the name "robot", it's not electronic at all, it just uses pressure). It makes awesome shots, it's super easy to clean, and it's just really fun to feel the tactile feedback you can get when you're brewing a shot manually, because you can re-adjust your pressure on the fly to make the shot come out how you want it. My husband must have watched every James Hoffman video…

I own a La Pavoni Europiccola, and it is likely the most cost-effective purchase I ever made.

It's slightly more advanced than the Robot, but only just. Pavoni have been making them for 60 years or so, and they haven't fundamentally changed at all during that time. The thing is built like a tank, too; it'll likely outlive me if taken care of.

Post reply on HN