I'm looking for things that help more than expected or in ways you wouldn't expect. It could be a second monitor, a really good mouse or even a microplane.
This might not be what you want to hear (i.e. too little tech), but here's a list from Bruce Sterling's talk at Reboot 11 (2009) [1] that stuck with me:
* Number one, a bed. You're spending a third of your life in the thing.
* Get a chair. I shouldn't have to tell people who work with computers to get a chair.
* (things that go on your skin like clothes and cosmetics)
* Apart from that, beautiful things, emotional things, tools.
His (minimalist) message is to get rid of everything else.
1) Got rid of my second monitor and use just one 27” 4K monitor. My neck feels better and I’m less scatter brained.
2) whenever possible, I try to buy used pro/prosumer/premium things. They will usually last for years and years, be more comfortable/pleasurable in use and will be repairable/maintainable when they do break down.
Did this also a long time ago. I still have my laptop connected which I flip open to use the webcam occasionally but I feel much more focused using 1 monitor.
A decently-sized 4k display allows you to have documents open next to your main work app when necessary, but equally lets you use the full real-estate when you don't want to.
With two monitors, I just found myself shoving shit on the second screen and getting distracted.
I got rid of my 2 4K monitors and got an ultrawide. I’ll never look back. One 4K monitor was never enough for me. My ultrawide is basically 2 1440p monitors stuck to each other.
I just did the same thing, replaced 3 24" 1080p monitors with a single 49" ultrawide and it's been a damn game changer. Can't believe I waited so long to do it.
I thought it would be a great idea to have two big monitors but I really hated that when I purchased the second one.
And then I just put one of my monitors right in front of me and now rarely use the second one. But when I need a second monitor I'm really happy I didn't sell it.
Yeah. I also have one monitor centered in front of me and the second on a side and angled. I actually have to turn my head a bit to see the second. Makes it easier to concentrate on the first.
I picked up one of those crazy ultra wide monitors (34" MSI optix 21:9 something-or-other) to replace a 27" qnix POS and an ancient 17" 4:3 LCD. It's been a game changer for me. I now arrange my windows mostly in columns: one 50% wide center column for my primary tool (browser, Xcode, vscode, slack (ugh)) and two tall single-tab terminals on either side. The terminals are more than 80 columns wide so they provide plenty of space for everything I need to do. I use Divvy on macOS to move and scale the windows from my keyboard but there are a lot of other options.
Dual monitors were nice for quite a while but I don't think I can go back now that UW is available.
* eta: somehow didn't see wil421's comment before mine.
I have a single 28” 4k monitor and is great. At my work desk I had 3 displays and I don’t think I appreciated how much trouble it was for me. I use multiple desktops to split my focuses, but my single monitor helps me have just enough in front of me.
a) Satechi Dock5 Station - holds and charges your phone, tablet, computer and AirPods. Wake up and everything is charged.
b) Bose Sleepbuds II - comfortable, tiny earbuds that last all night and play white noise or repeating melodies.
c) Anker PowerConf - video conferencing speaker which means you aren't having to fiddle with headphones and the giant red light makes it easy to see when you're muted.
d) Mogics Power Donut - combination travel adapter, power extension board, extension cable and USB hub in one tiny device.
I really enjoyed getting a mechanical keyboard (Keychron K2), it has a really nice typing experience when compared to membrane keyboards. There's something to the tactile + sound feedback that triggers some emotional response in us, it just feels good.
It also improved my posture a lot from writing on a laptop (but for this objective, any keyboard would do the job ofc).
I started getting pains in my fingers and after some time I realised they were caused by the keyboard. I bought a keychron and never had a problem with my fingers again. Really good devices for the price.
Yup. My wife and I got one when we moved in together before we were married. At the time we were very poor students and it was not obviously the right call. But we have gotten an insane mileage out of that thing from the day we brought it home. Easily worth it many times over.
I got a sage (breville I’m the US) barista pro and love it, no heat up time as it uses a heat pump, great grinder and easy to clean. I make at least two coffees a day, every day for over a year and it’s never missed a beat.
Maybe tangential, but would most folks be likely to discern the difference vs. a glass French press? Most drip coffeemakers I’ve used are both more expensive and make worse coffee (not to mention harder to clean), so I’ve largely given up on the category, but admittedly haven’t done proper research in quite a while.
Usually manual coffee making can be just as good or better than a machine, or at least much cheaper for the same quality. You can make very very good coffee with a $40 pour-over or french press.
French press doesn't really have a machine equivalent that I can think of though, it's sort of in its own category of coffee.
IMO a good burr grinder is good to have no matter how you make your coffee. If you don't already buy whole beans they're much fresher, and if you do but use a blade grinder the burr grinders do a better more consistent job at it.
It depends on the flavor you like. The espresso flavor is much more mellow in my opinion. Drip can be great but you need to have a preference for that style
It looks like you can make the difference since you prefer a glass French press. There is no "superior" brewing process, and if you like the French press, use the French press. Arguably, the pourover method is strictly better than drip coffee, in term of quality, but it is more involved, and you need to know what you are doing. With drip coffee, you just have to press a button, you can even run the machine on a timer and have coffee ready when you wake up, which is not a negligible advantage.
Personally, I have an espresso machine, which is by far the way I prefer coffee, but the machine (+ grinder) is expensive and it gives you a new hobby.
Really, it is all up to you, there is no bad answer. The French press is a perfectly good brewing method, so is drip, and many others: moka pot, Aeropress, etc...
I splurged on a moccamaster and it's my favorite thing ever. It's practically pour over, but I don't have to do any work before I've had a coffee (which is a hard line for me)
I've been a huge AeroPress fan for years (at least 15 I think), but recently moved to a house with a massive kitchen and bought a good mid-range espresso machine and I have to admit, I'm in love with it. I got this one [0] for reference and it's filled with really clever design touches. Only the quality of the steam control dial lets it down, in every other respect it's superb. The AeroPress has gone in a drawer and not been seen since.
Edit: Meant to add, actually the entire flow including steaming the milk is faster and less messy than the AeroPress too.
How did you decide which brand to get and at what strength? I wear glasses every day (nearsighted) and have been thinking about getting reading glasses for work but the ones I tried at the grocery store were way too strong.
I somewhat recently upgraded to a larger monitor and have scaled up my fonts but I still feel like I am straining a bit.
I recommend a sub 1.0 strength. It will let you read a screen comfortably. They’re effectively a consumable for me, so I have pairs scattered throughout my house.
A very large display. I got a 4k 43” display, with a bit of retina magnification, and I can sit properly without slumping, my back fully straight on my seat.
How far are you sitting from that monster? I've never understood having large format displays for work (programming in my case).
I once (before children) had 3x28" 4K displays but they had to wrap pretty tight around my sitting position otherwise I had no chance of seeing what's at the far ends.
I think my desk is about 90cm deep, I’d say I stay about 100/120cm from my eyes to the display.
Sometimes I just don’t place things to the edges or the very bottom. A 37” or 40” display would suffice but I didn’t find any, and 32” is too small imho.
That makes sense. When I say "sitting back" I mean leaning back, which is closer to the real distance I should be.
I downsized my desk significantly when we had kids so that's the reason for sitting so close. We're currently working on resolving the space situation then maybe I too can switch to a monster sized monitor!
Long, LONG ago I got a MicroSolutions 300 Megabyte External Hard drive, you could plug it in to a parallel printer port, boot the driver disk, and BAM... all of your tools were available.
A decade ago, I got my first SSD drives, those were game changers. Boot times dropped like a rock, and performance went through the roof.
I got a 32" HDMI monitor just before Covid hit... I'm VERY glad I did so. I've been stuck at home with Long Covid for almost 2 years now, it makes it so much easier to see what's going on. It was well worth the money.
As for software, GIT is the best thing since Turbo Pascal. I assume you use it already.
Oh, and consider getting a 3d printer of some form, along with a CNC router. Those might come in handy for home projects.
And to experience it all over again with proper nvme drives was very enjoyable indeed.
Cold boots in about 5s now vs 20-60s with the old ssds of back then really makes shutting down/starting up into a very different experience again
>A good chair (either herman miller or steelcase) fixed my back pain
Mine too! If you're on a budget, there are plenty of individuals on Facebook Marketplace and similar that sell used Steelcase/Herman Miller chairs for about a third of retail price.
The more reputable used dealers will repair them before sale, as well.
If a microplane counts as "hardware", then I can't not bring up my whetstone!
Cost all of around $40, is a genuine joy to use, and keeps all of my knives sharper-than-sharp.
I started out with a very expensive knife (Wusthof classic 8", around US$150 or so at the time) but nothing to sharpen it with, and this was a mistake.
If I could do it again I'd recommend young cooks on a budget start out with a $20 IKEA knife and a stone to keep it sharp. You'll get better long term results than you would with an expensive knife on its own any day of the week.
America's Test Kitchen recommends the Victorinox knives for every skill level and budget, including professional chefs. It's just a damn good knife, and it happens to be cheap at around $50. Go with this rather than Ikea if it's in the budget :)
My first Sous Chef gave me his Victorinox from when he went to Culinary Institute of America. I still use it even though I've since bought a Wusthof. I like how it is thinner, it holds an edge well and has good ergonomics.
I bought this Global Classic Flexible Boning Knife a few years ago, this one knife changed my whole game. I like to buy Chicken thighs, take the center bone out, keep the bones for some amazing stock and render the skin into schmaltz. It's a process that used to take quite a long time, but this knife has made it super quick.
> start out with a $20 IKEA knife and a stone to keep it sharp. You'll get better long term results than you would with an expensive knife on its own any day of the week.
This is very, very smart advice.
The only thing I'd add is to learn proper knife techniques: how to hold food keeping your fingers away from the blade. Never take risks with a well sharped knife.
Cut with the claw or you'll be cutting with a claw.
Tuck your fingertips under and rest the flat of the blade against your knuckles. It should not be possible to reach the tip of a finger with your blade. Check some youtube videos and practice. Establishing good knife skills is not only good for safety but makes cooking faster and more pleasant.
The claw is such a simple but effective technique that I am sometimes surprised it's not more widespread. I can't remember the amount of times I saw people using knives looking like they are about to cut themselves with the next movement of the knife.
I actually have a cheap King stone (the 1000/6000 combo), but parent is right.
1000 grit gets you more than sharp enough for daily use while still being coarse enough to fix up a well-maintained knife in about 20-30 strokes per side.
Higher grits make the knives too sharp, to the point where they're dangerous to handle, especially if you're cooking drunk/tired. (That's not to say I never use it, but it's always for fun at that point).
This is exactly what I have. An IKEA knife I’ve had for the past 20 years or so. I’ve always kept it sharp, but the game changer in the past few months was reading advice to sharpen it every time I use it. I do that now, just a little bit, and over time what you end up with is an insanely sharp knife. I also have a sharpening steel, like the kind used in commercial kitchens, but I much prefer the stone.
Agreed, I've had both the ceramic and diamond "steels" handy for the last decade, and basically every time I use a knife I spend 30 seconds running it over one of these, and my kitchen experience is better for it. Of course, I'm the only one in my household that does this, but I use them frequently enough that generally it keeps them pretty good.
Was recently prepping some food at someone else's house, and they didn't even have a sharpener. It was a terrible experience, even after using the bottom of a coffee cup to help the knife out.
An Android phone with a physical keyboard. It's a night and day difference for me with fat fingers and who likes to look at the text I'm writing, not the keyboard I'm using to write.
I'm using a Blackberry Key2 phone which has a keyboard built in. Sadly, I've just learned they are no longer being made. Not sure what I'll do when this one breaks.
This is really true. I spent my day in Shirakawa-go in the snow and when I got to the hotel it was freezing. I put my legs under the table and... WOW!!
A keyboard where the keys are symmetrical, and allow greater use of the thumb (and allow less usage of the pinky fingers). -- Maybe it's not for everyone, but I wish I'd gotten a keyboard like this years ago.
ZSA's moonlander[0] or their planck-ez[1] are a couple of examples. Where standard keyboards have staggered rows, the planck-ez is "ortholinear", and the moonlander has staggered columns. (I have seen designs which are symmetric and retain staggered rows, too).
Though I think older keyboards in this category would be like the Maltron, Kinesis Advantage. And also recently, there's been a surge in custom mechanical keyboard designs, like the Sofle keyboard[2].
I “tried out” a Planck on a whim for a month in 2017 and never looked back. I currently use a Levinson and it just about perfect (I wish I could find a solid aluminum case and then it would be perfect).
Anker PowerCore 26800 (26800mAh) - 3 USB outputs, 2 inputs for charging. Removed away all worry about not having phone charging capability if you're on the move.
There's likely better options available now with USB-C inputs, but the product is still fantastic.
Oral-B Genius 9000 - looked like an overpriced & gimmicky toothbrush (with AR + Bluetooth). It is, but the carry-case is useful to double as an extra shaver->USB option, it's got a long battery life, and it has a good number of modes for brushing.
Oculus Quest 2 - initially I wasn't sure if it'd be a gimmick, but it's an effortless & fun way to burn calories
It has 2 USB A (Out) and a USB-C (In/Out), I can charge my Nintendo Switch, phone, wife's phone, tablet, kid's tablet, Earbud case and XPS 13 (@30W) on the go.
I also use it to power my Pinecil when I'm working away from a plug socket.
Very handy when we're out and about without the car.
It's also the max size you can carry on a plane for travel (100Wh is the max in many places) at 99.3Wh.
Do you bring your battery with you when you're out and about? How do you carry it (if you do)? I have a battery and it is pocket sized, but it's not exactly comfortable to carry along with my wallet and phone.
Tote bag/leather satchel for everyday (especially because it lets you carry USB & lightning cables); backpack for longer trips. It's a big battery and wouldn't be feasible to carry in my pocket
Zynthian audio/synthesis platform: I got it to act as an FX processor, and it has become an extremely rich resource for creative instruments and digital music-making. Not just an FX box, its really more like an entire studio.
Synthstrom Deluge: so incredibly deep and complex, it also started life as a simple tool that is now becoming a lynchpin in my studio operation - not just for drums and sequencing, also for recording quick takes and samples and so on. This machine has replaced the DAW for pure creative modes.
NORN+Grid: Again, was purchased for one thing and is now being pressed into use for so many other purposes, un-dreamed of previously.
Arturia AudioFUSE Studio: THIS was just supposed to be a neat desktop mixer that fit on the table, but it has become so, so much more - the STUDIO in the name is no nonsense! Again, way more power than expected, and it has expanded beyond the original purpose of having a quick desktop mix available - now practically everything in the studio is going through it (ADAT for the win) and it is the central console for production. I haven't touched the other mixers in weeks ..
I resisted getting one for years because the one I had growing up was pretty bad. Nothing would dry, items would come out dirty all the time and it was loud and would "chug" for hours.
However, a good (not even fancy, just mid-range from a competent manufacturer) modern dishwasher is night and day. Doesn't even need special tablets, it just gets things clean, even on the eco mode, which is the only one I use. Its not the quietest on the market by a dB or two, but its basically not noticeable.
So much better than having a huge pile of dishes taking up the entire draining rack until dry enough to put away, getting splashed with more water every time the sink is used (and the water is medium-hard so that makes a mess, but the dishwasher has a water softener).
About 5 years or so. It's probably done well over 1000 cycles since then. It's had one breakage, which was a heat pump, which was repaired with a part from ebay. Other than that, its going strong.
My mum has a Miele washing machine that is almost 30 years old. As far as I know, it's never needed a repair.
Which is probably just as well as Mieles can always be repaired, but the cost of parts is, let's say, dramatic.
My fridge has a broken egg tray lid and a dent in the door. Replacing the former is £35, a freezer door is almost £300 (nearly half the cost of the whole fridge freezer). The fridge door is almost £700, as much as the whole thing!
The egg tray lid is particularly annoying as the plastic part is actually not well-designed and clearly has obvious weak points where a modest redesign would both make a breakage less likely in the first place, and allow the most obvious failure mode to be repaired with a small sacrificial part (that, moreover can be shared amongst all fridge models, so it's not even a major SKU count increase) rather than the whole lid.
The shelf is mostly used for butter in my fridge, actually, but the flappy lid thing is still useful as there's not much front lip on that shelf. That said, if I couldn't have fixed it with glue and stainless steel wire, I'd not be paying £35 for a new one!
Eggs indeed don't usually go in the fridge: in the UK, eggs aren't washed before sale, so the natural protective layer is still present. I hear that in the US, eggs must be washed, the layer is therefore lost and eggs required to be washed, the layer is lost and eggs need to be refrigerated.
Bought a new fridge in 2020, relative decent one, around $2200. Works fine but the plastic shelf parts inside are just unbelievably cheap and shitty. And the replacement parts if you would happen to break one are correspondingly expensive. Meh.
The tablets have nothing fancy in them other than some dyes, they are just soap at a mark-up. Even the cheapy store brand stuff does just as good of a job.
Additionally, depending on the hardness of your water you may need less detergent than the tablets have in them which could leave a white residue on your dishes.
Finally, with the powdered detergent you may need to sprinkle a little in the door for a pre-rinse which you can't due with the pods. Check your washer instructions.
Since first lockdown in my country, when dishwasher tabs went missing in stores, I got used to use 1/2 a tab for each wash. Turns out dishes were just as clean as with a full tab. To this day I keep using 1/2 tab per wash.
To push your example even further, I once forgot to load anything and Imagine my surprise when I opened the dishwasher and everything was really clean, maybe except one plate.
The video pretty much says “use detergent in both pre-wash and wash receptacles”. Using the pods makes this hard. Using powder lets you do this easily yourself.
TLDW
Tablets aren’t bad but if you don’t fill your prewash compartment with detergent you’ll get worse cleaning. The prewash compartments are meant for loose powder or gel so might as well just use that detergent for both compartments
What are people washing that it doesn't wash off?! Or maybe it's just cheap machines that are that sensitive?
The only time things ever come out dirty for me is when the rotor is obstructed and half the dishes don't get any water (or detergent) on them, and that's on eco mode.
I only watched the first video, but I really can't see the difference between his experiment (with the soap at the beginning) and his control. I'm not convinced.
He addresses your concerns in the 2nd video. But aside from that, logically, you should be convinced by the fact that using tablets results in there being no soap soap in the first wash cycle.
I always ran my dishwasher on the three hour power wash program because nothing would get clean otherwise. Then I watched this video and started using powder. Now the normal program works fine every time.
Ditto. I was astounded when I read consumer reports’ test regimen for dishwashers - I recall a test that expected the dishwasher to clean out baked on brownie batter. No dishwasher I used until way too far into adulthood could do that or the equivalent.
The kitchen appliance that surprised me - my current house had a double oven when we moved in. The small top oven is just perfect - it pre heats as fast as a toaster oven and can fit a whole half sheet. It can toast just about anything in toast mode but takes up no counter space. We use it constantly. I would never have just bought one, because I would have focused on the two-oven aspect, which seems like an extravagance that would only come in handy at the holidays.
A tiny bluetooth adapter for good old earphones. I know analog + wires is often simpler, but tangled broken wires are hell, being tethered removes opportunity for simple multitasking.
There are even large ones wide enough to suit both keyboard and mouse. You don't have pad area anymore, mouse works everywhere. It's also more comfortable for hands when typing. Mine is Asus ROG Sheath, 990mm x 440mm.
I've spent a long time engineering, and adapting my workspace. It's at the point now that going to an office is a horrible experience, compared to my home office. Here's my setup
* Ikea Standing desk (I never sit). I know plenty of people who use these for sitting, simply because the height of the desk is finally suited to their specific frame.
* As many monitors as will make you happy (to each their own, but I'm happy with 2)
* Kinesys Freestyle 2 keyboard (wired, I hate wireless things, I never want to think about batteries)
* A laptop stand to lift my laptop - it turns out this made an enormous impact to my neck
* Monitor stands - most monitors are stationary, but the wrong height, even when compared with arm layout in an ergonomic setup.
* Kensington Expert Mouse
* Wacom One tablet - Now I can draw on digital whiteboards in Zoom, or even on shared websites and it's significantly better than the mouse experience.
* Sony WX-1000XM3 headphones - I use it for both music and the noise cancelling. Just having in on an cancelling noise has been an incredible improvement
* Whiteboard - This is by far the most important one in this list.
> wired, I hate wireless things, I never want to think about batteries
It's funny, I feel exactly the same. When friends have asked me to explain why, I struggle to justify it. It's just a minor feeling of security -- one less thing to maintain.
The only piece of hardware I've considered moving to wireless is a headset for gaming with friends, but it hasn't happened thus far. Maybe if the End Times come and my ATH-M50x stop working.
To be fair, batteries for Logitech wireless keyboard (K270, non-fancy one, without backlight) last for years. Same for their Marathon mouse. Battery is not the reason to skip these devices. Connectivity might be, I had some interference with multiple sets nearby. But if you're solo they work very reliably.
My keyboard is never further away from my machine than the length of the cable, so I see absolutely no reason to complicate things by adding batteries to the equation.
My M50x's sit quietly awaiting the short spots where I use them for intense focus work.
There's two things I've made wireless on my desk: mouse and headphones.
I use trackballs, and the sheer donveni of being able to shift and adjust without worrying about a lead is mind boggling.
As for the headset: if you can swing it, pick up either the Arctis 7+ or Arctis 9 from Steelseries.
I have the 9 and absolutely make use of the split between normal audio and chat audio during calls. There is a quality of life improvement from my being able to walk in circles while I hear conversations go in circles.
+1 for Ikea standing desk. I'm using it sitting but now I know which exact height suits me. Btw. I only recently found out that in my case chair's armrests should be above the table. When they're below I quickly develop forearm pain from table's edge, except if table has round edges. And these are very rare around here, edges are usually sharp.
Ikea's other non-standing desks are also often adjustable, but with tools. So not good if you want to experiment with height, but if you know your preference they have better price/quality ratio.
I really like this approach! Some people want more, some people want less. There is no universal right answer! But monitors are so relativity inexpensive (when compared to their potential performance/quality-of-life increase) that if you work on a computer a significant part of they day, they are a no-brainer for optimization!
> Wacom One tablet - Now I can draw on digital whiteboards in Zoom, or even on shared websites and it's significantly better than the mouse experience.
Except there's no scroll wheel to zoom in/out. Which makes it difficult to use in programs like Inkscape and KiCAD.
Does anybody have a good alternative (external scrollwheel perhaps?)
The last time I used a Wacom pad, you could use pinch actions with your fingers to not only zoom in and out, but rotate and scroll. It differentiated between finger and pen actions quite cleanly.
> * Kinesys Freestyle 2 keyboard (wired, I hate wireless things, I never want to think about batteries)
I very much second that choice in keyboard, I had the freestyle 2, and now I also have the new mechanical version of it. I have really long arms, seemingly and most keyboards, even ergonomic split ones mean I either have to push my elbows together, or angle my wrists weirdly, or sit really far away.
With the Kinesis Freestyle, I can just arrange the halves wherever it feels right for them to be. And I tend to move them around relative to each other over the day, which apparently is a good thing, since it causes me to hold my wrists and elbows differently across the day, just like a dynamic sitting or standing posture.
+1 to having physical whiteboards around. They're super handy. I have three permanently mounted to the wall and a small magnetic one that I keep on my fridge.
591 comments
[ 4.0 ms ] story [ 449 ms ] thread* Number one, a bed. You're spending a third of your life in the thing.
* Get a chair. I shouldn't have to tell people who work with computers to get a chair.
* (things that go on your skin like clothes and cosmetics)
* Apart from that, beautiful things, emotional things, tools.
His (minimalist) message is to get rid of everything else.
[1] https://www.wired.com/2011/02/transcript-of-reboot-11-speech...
In "Pushing Tin", Billy Bob Thornton's character took his folding chair with him wherever he worked. That must have been based on some real character.
https://youtu.be/5SHtyGc8pfk
2) whenever possible, I try to buy used pro/prosumer/premium things. They will usually last for years and years, be more comfortable/pleasurable in use and will be repairable/maintainable when they do break down.
Did this also a long time ago. I still have my laptop connected which I flip open to use the webcam occasionally but I feel much more focused using 1 monitor.
A decently-sized 4k display allows you to have documents open next to your main work app when necessary, but equally lets you use the full real-estate when you don't want to.
With two monitors, I just found myself shoving shit on the second screen and getting distracted.
And then I just put one of my monitors right in front of me and now rarely use the second one. But when I need a second monitor I'm really happy I didn't sell it.
So layout makes a really big difference.
Dual monitors were nice for quite a while but I don't think I can go back now that UW is available.
* eta: somehow didn't see wil421's comment before mine.
b) Bose Sleepbuds II - comfortable, tiny earbuds that last all night and play white noise or repeating melodies.
c) Anker PowerConf - video conferencing speaker which means you aren't having to fiddle with headphones and the giant red light makes it easy to see when you're muted.
d) Mogics Power Donut - combination travel adapter, power extension board, extension cable and USB hub in one tiny device.
It also improved my posture a lot from writing on a laptop (but for this objective, any keyboard would do the job ofc).
I’ve noticed a few responses to my post mentioning drip coffee machines - the one I have steams milk, makes lattes etc
When it's not making coffee, it doubles as a very therapeutic thing to clean and maintain for a couple of hours every couple of months.
I've had both of these, they are both great:
https://smile.amazon.com/Bonavita-One-Touch-Featuring-Therma...
https://smile.amazon.com/OXO-Barista-Brain-Coffee-Maker/dp/B...
Combine one of the above with a burr grinder for freshly ground coffee, and use filtered water, and you've got the best home coffee with least effort.
French press doesn't really have a machine equivalent that I can think of though, it's sort of in its own category of coffee.
IMO a good burr grinder is good to have no matter how you make your coffee. If you don't already buy whole beans they're much fresher, and if you do but use a blade grinder the burr grinders do a better more consistent job at it.
Personally, I have an espresso machine, which is by far the way I prefer coffee, but the machine (+ grinder) is expensive and it gives you a new hobby.
Really, it is all up to you, there is no bad answer. The French press is a perfectly good brewing method, so is drip, and many others: moka pot, Aeropress, etc...
Edit: Meant to add, actually the entire flow including steaming the milk is faster and less messy than the AeroPress too.
[0] https://www.sageappliances.com/uk/en/products/espresso/bes87...
I somewhat recently upgraded to a larger monitor and have scaled up my fonts but I still feel like I am straining a bit.
I don’t suffer back pain anymore.
I once (before children) had 3x28" 4K displays but they had to wrap pretty tight around my sitting position otherwise I had no chance of seeing what's at the far ends.
Sometimes I just don’t place things to the edges or the very bottom. A 37” or 40” display would suffice but I didn’t find any, and 32” is too small imho.
Btw I performed some measurements and real distance is more like 90cm.
I downsized my desk significantly when we had kids so that's the reason for sitting so close. We're currently working on resolving the space situation then maybe I too can switch to a monster sized monitor!
A decade ago, I got my first SSD drives, those were game changers. Boot times dropped like a rock, and performance went through the roof.
I got a 32" HDMI monitor just before Covid hit... I'm VERY glad I did so. I've been stuck at home with Long Covid for almost 2 years now, it makes it so much easier to see what's going on. It was well worth the money.
As for software, GIT is the best thing since Turbo Pascal. I assume you use it already.
Oh, and consider getting a 3d printer of some form, along with a CNC router. Those might come in handy for home projects.
And to experience it all over again with proper nvme drives was very enjoyable indeed. Cold boots in about 5s now vs 20-60s with the old ssds of back then really makes shutting down/starting up into a very different experience again
Second this... Felt exactly the same as getting SSDs for the first time.
An nvme drive made everything boot faster
A good chair (either herman miller or steelcase) fixed my back pain
Mine too! If you're on a budget, there are plenty of individuals on Facebook Marketplace and similar that sell used Steelcase/Herman Miller chairs for about a third of retail price.
The more reputable used dealers will repair them before sale, as well.
Cost all of around $40, is a genuine joy to use, and keeps all of my knives sharper-than-sharp.
I started out with a very expensive knife (Wusthof classic 8", around US$150 or so at the time) but nothing to sharpen it with, and this was a mistake.
If I could do it again I'd recommend young cooks on a budget start out with a $20 IKEA knife and a stone to keep it sharp. You'll get better long term results than you would with an expensive knife on its own any day of the week.
The mass market knife block sets are actually worse than the victronix and cost more.
This is very, very smart advice.
The only thing I'd add is to learn proper knife techniques: how to hold food keeping your fingers away from the blade. Never take risks with a well sharped knife.
I developed the habit of cutting myself once, with every new knive I buy. (Now I am hesitant to buy a new one)
So far I was quite lucky, but you can easily loose a finger or worse, if you do not pay attention.
Tuck your fingertips under and rest the flat of the blade against your knuckles. It should not be possible to reach the tip of a finger with your blade. Check some youtube videos and practice. Establishing good knife skills is not only good for safety but makes cooking faster and more pleasant.
1000 grit gets you more than sharp enough for daily use while still being coarse enough to fix up a well-maintained knife in about 20-30 strokes per side.
Higher grits make the knives too sharp, to the point where they're dangerous to handle, especially if you're cooking drunk/tired. (That's not to say I never use it, but it's always for fun at that point).
Was recently prepping some food at someone else's house, and they didn't even have a sharpener. It was a terrible experience, even after using the bottom of a coffee cup to help the knife out.
RIP BlackBerry Key2.
Though I think older keyboards in this category would be like the Maltron, Kinesis Advantage. And also recently, there's been a surge in custom mechanical keyboard designs, like the Sofle keyboard[2].
[0]: https://www.zsa.io/moonlander/
[1]: https://www.zsa.io/planck/
[2]: https://github.com/josefadamcik/SofleKeyboard
There's likely better options available now with USB-C inputs, but the product is still fantastic.
Oral-B Genius 9000 - looked like an overpriced & gimmicky toothbrush (with AR + Bluetooth). It is, but the carry-case is useful to double as an extra shaver->USB option, it's got a long battery life, and it has a good number of modes for brushing.
Oculus Quest 2 - initially I wasn't sure if it'd be a gimmick, but it's an effortless & fun way to burn calories
It has 2 USB A (Out) and a USB-C (In/Out), I can charge my Nintendo Switch, phone, wife's phone, tablet, kid's tablet, Earbud case and XPS 13 (@30W) on the go.
I also use it to power my Pinecil when I'm working away from a plug socket.
Very handy when we're out and about without the car.
It's also the max size you can carry on a plane for travel (100Wh is the max in many places) at 99.3Wh.
Tote bag/leather satchel for everyday (especially because it lets you carry USB & lightning cables); backpack for longer trips. It's a big battery and wouldn't be feasible to carry in my pocket
Synthstrom Deluge: so incredibly deep and complex, it also started life as a simple tool that is now becoming a lynchpin in my studio operation - not just for drums and sequencing, also for recording quick takes and samples and so on. This machine has replaced the DAW for pure creative modes.
NORN+Grid: Again, was purchased for one thing and is now being pressed into use for so many other purposes, un-dreamed of previously.
Arturia AudioFUSE Studio: THIS was just supposed to be a neat desktop mixer that fit on the table, but it has become so, so much more - the STUDIO in the name is no nonsense! Again, way more power than expected, and it has expanded beyond the original purpose of having a quick desktop mix available - now practically everything in the studio is going through it (ADAT for the win) and it is the central console for production. I haven't touched the other mixers in weeks ..
I resisted getting one for years because the one I had growing up was pretty bad. Nothing would dry, items would come out dirty all the time and it was loud and would "chug" for hours.
However, a good (not even fancy, just mid-range from a competent manufacturer) modern dishwasher is night and day. Doesn't even need special tablets, it just gets things clean, even on the eco mode, which is the only one I use. Its not the quietest on the market by a dB or two, but its basically not noticeable.
So much better than having a huge pile of dishes taking up the entire draining rack until dry enough to put away, getting splashed with more water every time the sink is used (and the water is medium-hard so that makes a mess, but the dishwasher has a water softener).
I picked up a year old Miele for 100€, it’s been chugging along like a tank.
Which is probably just as well as Mieles can always be repaired, but the cost of parts is, let's say, dramatic.
My fridge has a broken egg tray lid and a dent in the door. Replacing the former is £35, a freezer door is almost £300 (nearly half the cost of the whole fridge freezer). The fridge door is almost £700, as much as the whole thing!
The egg tray lid is particularly annoying as the plastic part is actually not well-designed and clearly has obvious weak points where a modest redesign would both make a breakage less likely in the first place, and allow the most obvious failure mode to be repaired with a small sacrificial part (that, moreover can be shared amongst all fridge models, so it's not even a major SKU count increase) rather than the whole lid.
Eggs indeed don't usually go in the fridge: in the UK, eggs aren't washed before sale, so the natural protective layer is still present. I hear that in the US, eggs must be washed, the layer is therefore lost and eggs required to be washed, the layer is lost and eggs need to be refrigerated.
A thirty minute video explaining why tablets are bad and that you should simply use powder:
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rBO8neWw04
Also, a follow-up video:
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll6-eGDpimU
Additionally, depending on the hardness of your water you may need less detergent than the tablets have in them which could leave a white residue on your dishes.
Finally, with the powdered detergent you may need to sprinkle a little in the door for a pre-rinse which you can't due with the pods. Check your washer instructions.
P.S. Never use liquid detergents.
Why not? I’ve switched from tablets to liquid detergent and it’s working out well.
The video pretty much says “use detergent in both pre-wash and wash receptacles”. Using the pods makes this hard. Using powder lets you do this easily yourself.
That’s pretty much it.
Also, the prewash happens in a cycle, where the soap holder isn’t opened.
The only time things ever come out dirty for me is when the rotor is obstructed and half the dishes don't get any water (or detergent) on them, and that's on eco mode.
Becaue he mentions that the difference might not be super obvious but still makes a pretty good case for it.
If your theory isn't borne out by experiment, you should probably revise the theory or the experiment before publishing your video.
The kitchen appliance that surprised me - my current house had a double oven when we moved in. The small top oven is just perfect - it pre heats as fast as a toaster oven and can fit a whole half sheet. It can toast just about anything in toast mode but takes up no counter space. We use it constantly. I would never have just bought one, because I would have focused on the two-oven aspect, which seems like an extravagance that would only come in handy at the holidays.
Has the advantage of a built-in parametric EQ which can make a big improvement for even the worst tuned headphones.
* Ikea Standing desk (I never sit). I know plenty of people who use these for sitting, simply because the height of the desk is finally suited to their specific frame.
* As many monitors as will make you happy (to each their own, but I'm happy with 2)
* Kinesys Freestyle 2 keyboard (wired, I hate wireless things, I never want to think about batteries)
* A laptop stand to lift my laptop - it turns out this made an enormous impact to my neck
* Monitor stands - most monitors are stationary, but the wrong height, even when compared with arm layout in an ergonomic setup.
* Kensington Expert Mouse
* Wacom One tablet - Now I can draw on digital whiteboards in Zoom, or even on shared websites and it's significantly better than the mouse experience.
* Sony WX-1000XM3 headphones - I use it for both music and the noise cancelling. Just having in on an cancelling noise has been an incredible improvement
* Whiteboard - This is by far the most important one in this list.
It's funny, I feel exactly the same. When friends have asked me to explain why, I struggle to justify it. It's just a minor feeling of security -- one less thing to maintain.
The only piece of hardware I've considered moving to wireless is a headset for gaming with friends, but it hasn't happened thus far. Maybe if the End Times come and my ATH-M50x stop working.
My keyboard is never further away from my machine than the length of the cable, so I see absolutely no reason to complicate things by adding batteries to the equation.
Yes, I have intentionally purchased wired stuff for others with this in mind. Yes, they needed to get their shit together and they did.
There's two things I've made wireless on my desk: mouse and headphones.
I use trackballs, and the sheer donveni of being able to shift and adjust without worrying about a lead is mind boggling.
As for the headset: if you can swing it, pick up either the Arctis 7+ or Arctis 9 from Steelseries.
I have the 9 and absolutely make use of the split between normal audio and chat audio during calls. There is a quality of life improvement from my being able to walk in circles while I hear conversations go in circles.
Ikea's other non-standing desks are also often adjustable, but with tools. So not good if you want to experiment with height, but if you know your preference they have better price/quality ratio.
I really like this approach! Some people want more, some people want less. There is no universal right answer! But monitors are so relativity inexpensive (when compared to their potential performance/quality-of-life increase) that if you work on a computer a significant part of they day, they are a no-brainer for optimization!
Except there's no scroll wheel to zoom in/out. Which makes it difficult to use in programs like Inkscape and KiCAD.
Does anybody have a good alternative (external scrollwheel perhaps?)
I think it's a correct direction.
I can use my keyboard during Linux installations in wired and in wireless mode I can switch between notebook and 2 Android devices with shortcut
I very much second that choice in keyboard, I had the freestyle 2, and now I also have the new mechanical version of it. I have really long arms, seemingly and most keyboards, even ergonomic split ones mean I either have to push my elbows together, or angle my wrists weirdly, or sit really far away.
With the Kinesis Freestyle, I can just arrange the halves wherever it feels right for them to be. And I tend to move them around relative to each other over the day, which apparently is a good thing, since it causes me to hold my wrists and elbows differently across the day, just like a dynamic sitting or standing posture.
I can read programming books in the top half while taking notes or running code in a repl in the bottom one.
It's also okay coupled with gitpod or github teams (via codespaces) for "entertainment" or light coding.