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Ask HN: What $500-2500 product improved your 2022

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Re: Ask HN: What $500-2500 product improved your 2022

#91
post #85
post #52

I really like having a lot of screen real-estate. So, I bought a LG 34WK95U-W, which is a 34" 21:9 monitor with a 5120x2160 resolution. It was about $1100. I also bought a very sturdy monitor arm ($100). The monitor floats above my laptop (the two screens form a squat "T" shape) and I get a lot of screen space and it looks very crisp.

Although for that price you can buy a 65" 8k TV.

For my purposes, they're not interchangeable.

Re: Ask HN: What $500-2500 product improved your 2022

#92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the parent, but I bought a Gaggia Classic espresso machine as well as a great coffee grinder. The difference is night and day between grinding your own beans and making your own espresso (or even pour overs) to prepackaged stuff, not to mention cafes. I honestly haven't tasted a better espresso drink at cafes than at home, since they usually are working with multiple patrons and have to make the drink fast, and t…

I’m looking to upgrade my espresso setup (basic delonghi dedica machine right now). My grinder is really inadequate for espresso grinds and so I mostly just buy small quantities of pre-ground lavazza qualita oro. I’m thinking that in this situation, I’d be better off investing in a good grinder first, and waiting to buy a nicer espresso machine until I feel I can justify a ~$1k outlay. Ideally I’d just splurge and bu…

> I’d be better off investing in a good grinder first

You'd be correct. Check out some recommendations on /r/coffee for a grinder, and also James Hoffman's on YouTube.

Re: Ask HN: What $500-2500 product improved your 2022

#93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the parent, but I bought a Gaggia Classic espresso machine as well as a great coffee grinder. The difference is night and day between grinding your own beans and making your own espresso (or even pour overs) to prepackaged stuff, not to mention cafes. I honestly haven't tasted a better espresso drink at cafes than at home, since they usually are working with multiple patrons and have to make the drink fast, and t…

You sound like you’ve hit the sweet spot where you pass on coffee out as it better at home.

Well, I do like the convenience of cafes so it's more that I'm now spending double the money, lol

Re: Ask HN: What $500-2500 product improved your 2022

#94

This was technically the end of 2021, but I got a new gaming/workstation desktop. I have an RTX 3080 which I can make AI images with, as well as learn more about deep learning since I have a GPU handy. It also has 16 cores that come in very handy for compiling programs, I don't have to wait anymore. Along with that, I bought an LG OLED 48 inch TV that I use as a monitor, the screen space is amazing. Along with that,…

You have to expand on your last point please!

Re: Ask HN: What $500-2500 product improved your 2022

#95
post #28

The Steam Deck 512GB. It gave me a realistic pathway to replay classic games I love, while bringing AAA titles to a playable state on the go. As someone who travels pretty regularly both for work and personally, having a portable way to play games like Cyberpunk 2077, Stray, etc. as well as run emulators for Skies of Arcadia, Chrono Trigger, et al was a huge step up. The ergonomics are great, it gets fair battery lif…

You don't need to emulate Chrono Trigger unless you want to play the SNES version (fair enough if you do). The Steam version itself is fine nowadays. Same with a lot of Final Fantasy games. Obviously, emulating is cheaper due to not buying the games, which tend to be expensive.

Re: Ask HN: What $500-2500 product improved your 2022

#96
post #67

I'm not the only person saying this: getting an espresso machine was the biggest QoL improvement from one purchase I've ever had. Although you do have to enjoy and be excited about manually making espresso. For me I specifically wanted to go through the process (grinding, tamping, etc) since being able to vary the result, pick the coffee, etc is part of the enjoyment, so a machine that uses Nespresso pods or the like…

Nice! I got into espresso at the start of COVID with a Silvia and really enjoyed it. This year I started roasting my own coffee. I found a hottop 2k used on Craigslist for $600, and now I spend about $10/mo on coffee!

Not a bad idea, although I guess personally I don't mind my coffee budget particularly because it goes to local cafes that I like supporting. I also don't drink all that much (2 cups a day) so it's not much money to support my 'habit'.

Re: Ask HN: What $500-2500 product improved your 2022

#98
post #34

I'm an avid runner and take recovery seriously, but was always skeptical of the price tag of compression therapy like the Normatec Legs recovery boots and similar products. Finally pulled the trigger last year during a sale ($700), and wow, I can't believe I didn't buy these much, much sooner. I use them multiple times a week. They're surprisingly super relaxing to wear while working or watching something, and defini…

A bit unrelated, but I've been a runner my whole life and have been injured the past few months from plantar fasciitis.

Curious if you have any recommendations there.

Re: Ask HN: What $500-2500 product improved your 2022

#99
post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice! I got into espresso at the start of COVID with a Silvia and really enjoyed it. This year I started roasting my own coffee. I found a hottop 2k used on Craigslist for $600, and now I spend about $10/mo on coffee!

Not a bad idea, although I guess personally I don't mind my coffee budget particularly because it goes to local cafes that I like supporting. I also don't drink all that much (2 cups a day) so it's not much money to support my 'habit'.

Yeah it's not really a money saver, I already upgraded my roaster, but it is really fun and satisfying. The are ways to start for like $20 if you ever become interested.

Re: Ask HN: What $500-2500 product improved your 2022

#100
post #19
post #18

A Litter Robot 4. Automated litter boxes are easy more expensive than I thought they would be, but you just can't put a price on not having to scoop

You like it? I've been considering it. Any reservations?

I've had a little robot 3 for 5 years. It isn't the most reliable device in the world, but you learn very quickly all the little quirks of how to fix it when it breaks and it isn't too bad. I'm very, very happy with it. If you aren't handy then it might be more annoying for you.

My only complaints seemingly are fixed by the litter robot 4: better sensors (so it breaks less) and a larger poop storage. I would buy one immediately if I didn't already own the LR3.

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