On Black Friday I bought a Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra (top of the line robot vacuum/mop), and it has just 100% solved my vacuuming/mopping needs (and this is from someone with two large dogs who shed a lot). It was $1200 but the ROI I'm going to get on that from saved time/not getting random dog hair in my mouth (they seriously shed a lot) will easily be worth it. The downside is I'm sure the Chinese government now has a detailed map of my house, but, y'know, tradeoffs.
What higher-priced item did you get that I should be looking at to make my life better/easier?
You don't have to spend a lot of money really, but it is recommended to get a standalone grinder rather than a grinder+espresso combo because it means you can upgrade/replace the parts separately. Also most of your budget should go to the grinder, not the espresso machine, since that's the part where money gets quick returns on quality.
I bought a Gaggia Classic Pro machine (~425$), which is perfectly adequate if not the most attractive one, and a Sette 270wi grinder (~450$). They have been completely successful so I have no intention of upgrading.
Go check out https://gaggiuino.github.io/#/ if your into tinkering.
Your gaggia is about 250 to 300 bucks away from walking all over $3k+ machines. :)
It's a great little machine!
I ended up with a Tempurpedic. I spent about 2 hours trying every mattress at the store and bought the one that felt best. There’s probably a million hacks to get that mattress cheaper, but I regret nothing. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made. It also came with 2 “free” memory foam pillows, and my random neck pains are also gone.
those gave me my random neck pains in the first place :D
The keyboard and mouse plug in to the monitor, the Mac plugs into the monitor by USB-C (which changes it, drives the display, and routes the keyboard and mouse there), and the desktop plugs in to the monitor's USB and displayport connections. I can switch the full screen between machines, with keyboard and mouse following, or do picture-in-picture or split screen stuff with the input routing switchable through a reasonably decent on screen menu. It works really well.
We spend so much time in front of a screen, but it’s easy to stay with old tech as it still work and do the same thing, but quality and speed matter. An improvement of a few percent pay for itself many times.
Choosing the best with what you work with will push you to also be the best at what you do, it serve as a yardstick to measure your work.
Which models did you buy? I am looking over 2 months now with unlimited budget and have no luck.
Keyboard:
* standard US layout
* should be really quiet for my night sessions
* available in EU
Mouse:
* big size
* standard 3 buttons and wheel
* quiet clicking and scrolling
I have currently Microsoft Sculpt Keyboard (still working but worn out) and Logitech M330 (too small).
The dept of the key is a bit too much (I am used to the mac keyboard) but both the keyboard and mouse it’s really quiet and smooth.
The mouse is quite small but has ergonomic shape.
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B089KV4YYX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_...
Some of the basic (power)tools, drill, driver, saws, clamps. It's increadible how cheaply you can start a woodworking, metalworking fabrication projects. Trick is to dedicate some time and have a big enough garage/basement/room. For woodworking dust is the largest limiting factor in having fun for hobby shop. For metal, its the fumes, smell. Getting into machining, with lathe/mill requires a bit more space/dedication but is suprisingly clean(er), so people have done it even in their apartments.
Also for folks in the apartment, a 3D printer (full frame based ones that could be upgraded over time) and/or laser engraver-cutter (one of the latest diode 20-30w range) assuming you can ventilate the fumes, would get you and your kids endless fun.
Other than the above, for me personally, getting a good bicycle (a cyclo-cross-road type) with good all weather gear allowed me to ride anytime, anywhere and really use free time to the max (a honest recommendation, don't bother with performanse spec and weight too much, get a wider tire bike that can go anywhere with a widest range of gears, it's so much more rewarding). No other activity you can burn calories for 3-5 hours straight, and it helps away from a screen.
If you wear eyeglasses, Revision Optical Snowhawk are the best integrated glasses + goggles I've used so far (but I'd be willing to believe that there are better ones out there - plus they are a PITA to order)
A good instrument (not necessarily expensive) is indeed important.
Maybe some day I will really get into espresso and get $3000 machines and $1000 grinders, but who knows.
If you are even vaguely into fixing things, a degree of patience will save you a lot of money.
I’ve got an addiction to Mazzer grinders. Second hand they are cheap and the more beat up the better as it reduces the price and they are basically bulletproof. I pull them down, respray and add any parts I want.
Ex cafe equipment is cheaper as people don’t want large grinders. The Super Jolly hits a good spot between size, quality and price.
I like the Major and Robur - air cooled too. Overheating with 6-8 coffee a day will never happen, but the ventilation slots look so good!
Would also recommend finding a nice decaf bean if you are one whom caffeine affects easily. Now I can (did) have 3 great coffees a day instead of 1.
https://gaggiuino.github.io/#/
Spent a few months fixated on coffee machines. Went deep. Gaggiuino give you equivalent machine value of $3k machine for under $1k aud.
Coffee is ripe for disruption on a hardware end of town. So much over priced 30-50 year old tech w/ at most a pid or Arduino/esp level of grunt computer behind it. It's absurd.
Biggest bonus was being able to set the height of the desktop to fit my short legs. Having a desk top at 26" looks somewhat comical, but now I can sit with my feet flat on the floor, knees at right angles, thighs resting on the seat, elbows and forearms resting on the armrest and hands resting on the desktop/peripherals. Nothing bent at an odd angle and no pressure points. The difference has been way more than expected.
Second best part is having a big L shaped desk with nothing to bang my knees on from one end to the other.
M1 Macbook Pro 14". I don't know how to entirely put it into words, but this recaptured what I loved about my MBP from 2015, and did it better in every way. I'm truly impressed with the engineering and the form factor, it just "feels right", in a way that my 2017 and 2019 MBPs do not. A big piece of this is a return to the prior keyboard design, getting rid of the unnecessary touch bar, and bringing back useful features like the SD card slot (this replaced my 2015 MBP as my carry along during travel for photography). And, maybe the surprise for me above all else, is it has EXCELLENT battery life. Realistically using it for 11-14 hours on a single charge, and it's been great at playing Mac games off Steam.
IV-Works AV3 Custom Ergonomic Keyboard (AV4 is now available). Getting ergonomics right for my home office has been literally life changing. On the previous thread I mentioned the Evoluent vertical mouse, and with this keyboard and that mouse, I was able to pretty much solve my thumb and wrist pain without requiring surgery. I bought into both after finally going to see a specialist about my hands and wrists, and after an adjustment period my typing speed is back to what it was beforehand, and I was able to avoid the recommended surgery. I essentially have no pain anymore, and I still get to use the heavy mechanical switches I'm used to.
If you haven't had a chance yet, try to get your hands on one just to try it out. You'll immediately see what I mean. It has both an SD card slot and an HDMI port built-in, which I think were two things that were inexcusable to remove from a "Pro" device in the 2016-2019 generations, and yet it doesn't feel clunky or bulky.
It's a truly great machine.
Turns out I use my steam deck for watching movies and as a portable linux handheld. I do play some games, but it's such a great form factor for a small beefy, uh, pocketop?
What's smaller than a laptop, larger than a handheld? Is that a pocket-top?
I browsed Facebook Marketplace for a bit and was able to piece together a set consisting of a power rack, bench, and a couple hundred pounds of free weights for probably $600. We're in a post-pandemic glut of home fitness equipment, so with some patience you can find gently used equipment for a fraction of the new cost.
I run pretty regularly, and used to swim pretty regularly, but since having kids the latter has fallen by the wayside because it's just too difficult to coordinate between the pool's schedule, my work schedule, and my kid's daycare schedule.
While I've done a good job avoiding any parental and pandemic weight gain, I definitely noticed my body composition changing without regularly swimming anymore. It's been great to start reversing that, and I forgot how much I enjoyed the post-weight lifting endorphin rush.
It's been a bit humbling, though - I used to weight lift pretty regularly when I was in high school/college and I'm a lot weaker now than I was then!
Since then, I also got an Advantage360 Pro (> 500 in the EU) and replaced the controller of the Advantage2 with a KinT [1], so that I can program it with QMK. I can now keep similar configurations between the 2 and the 360 Pro (which uses ZMK).
The Google setup has been pretty nice, though sometimes it gets into a weird state where wireless performance goes into the toilet.
I'm currently playing with a Ruckus R620 from ebay, which seems to be some really solid Enterprise gear that you can get for around $250 on ebay, used.
I am looking at ubiquiti, meraki go, and aruba instant but am open to ideas.
[1] https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-network-unifi-os-cons...
litter box: a deep stainless steel full hotel pan (like you see in a food serving line)
Litter Genie (and generic inserts)
location: in my bathroom where I frequent enough that I can pretty much scoop after each time my cat uses the litter.
Right now I'm experimenting with a handheld cordless vacuum cleaner to pick up litter.
Instead we now need to empty the container weekly (pull bag out, close bag, replace bag) and cleaning the machine monthly.
All parts are made of a sturdy plastic and can be disassembled them nicely to clean them, without any electronics in the parts in contact with the cats.
Pricy but well worth it
More work than the Litter Robot, but a lot cheaper.
I know it was too expensive, but it has definitely paid for itself in reduced martial friction by removing a shared chore and making the area around the cat box more pleasant
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.
1. The mechanism is fairly finicky. Every 3 or 6 months it would jam, and require some debugging. It's mechanically not as simple as I would hope.
2. My cat developed a UTI, and it was hidden for longer than it should have been because I was not watching the litter box as closely as I would if it required more frequent cleanings.
3. After 16 months it developed a smell that was very hard to clean. I spent a week with it disassembled, washing the many bits and bobs, letting it dry and checking the results. It was broken into more than a dozen small pieces, but a few of the pieces were stubborn. Afterwards, it needed this deep cleaning about every 9-12 months. Traditional litter boxes can be cleaned very easily with hot soap and water. Traditional boxes require more frequent upkeep, but I find the task to be less stressful with very little cognitive load.
We were trying to debug why one of our cats just won't poop in the box, and the LR4 hasn't fixed this entirely. She will pee in the box, but no matter the type/size/placement/robotness of any box she will almost always poop just outside of it. But our other cats use the LR4 and that's been wonderful.
But overall, it seems worth it so far. My partner and I put off buying an automatic box for years because of sticker shock, and I'm glad we finally got one.
getting closer and closer to having the tech my HN username had by the day.
Hercules 500 mixer and an Omni turntable. Been flogging myself as a one man band MSP the last 2 years. Got this for a self bday prez last year. Been using it to wind down and have some hangouts w my stepkids. Music is great for breaking barriers and DJing im finding is a way to keep kids in touch w music as their peers fall out of the early childhood learn X instrument phase.
Simple stuff but huge returns. Next up is plumbing in and getting a dishwasher.
It just blows my mind. I run maybe 1 load/week, tops, sometimes every other week.
Curious if you have any recommendations there.
For #2, the exercises that seemed to help me the most were the various towel stretches, rolling with a lacrosse ball, and doing a lot of calf raises. I even briefly went to a few barre classes on a friends' recommendation, which was kind of fun (and very humbling), but probably helped because we did tons of calf raises with what I thought were tiny weights, but was super challenging.
I also tried to flex my foot whenever I could think about it.
But it did still take a good six months to go away.
i have all the stuff. i still make a french press every morning for my partner.
don't get me wrong, i love it. i love pulling a 'god shot' every now and then. i roast my own coffee and that's a fun learning curve. it's a community to engage with.
but it's not better than any other coffee prep. just very technical, and for me that's fun.
Nothing. Some weird online status signalling maybe. Just do what you like.
Personally, I like nursing a cup of hot coffee + milk for a little bit, so I don't drink espresso. It gets cold too quickly unless you chug it immediately, and then it's just disgusting.
Personally tho a vacuum press makes the best mix of flays and extraction density. Just takes a bit long to smash out in the morning if your time pressed.
Coupled with Abranet, I can now sand indoors virtually dust free. It makes doing DIY so much more pleasant. Expensive but I wish I'd bought them both earlier.
This morning I was watching Becky Stern showing off her shop setup, and it included this Festool dust extractor that I liked the look of. May have to look into that ffurther.
(Another downdisde: these headphones are “open”, meaning they have no hard enclosed outer shell, so your coworkers will hear what you hear, but if you work from home and/or buy a closed back version then they might work for you.)
As for all the espresso machines comments, I totally get it, but folks, might I suggest you just get an Aeropress and give it a try :)
I'm also on the lookout for replacement earphones with clear midrange/vocals and neutral but lively sound and extended but non emphasized bass/treble. I have some discontinued JVC HA-FXD80 imported from Japan but it seems to be getting a bit worn though still pretty good and I want something for when they finally give out.
A replacement phone with really good analog out would be nice too for when my discontinued LG goes.
Don’t know about replacement for the phone, but maybe a discreet player would work for you? Some old multibit Hifiman or a small but punchy Fiio could be fun and maybe even really cheap, depending on your location etc.
As for the headphones, did you consider Hifiman Sundara? It’s not an upgrade too expensive (relatively speaking ofc), and I heard they can be tailored well to one’s taste with eq, so maybe that could be an option.
I know the new MBPs are more powerful, and they have better connectivity. I'd love to have HDMI and SD slots, to be sure. But picked up my wife's new MBP, I'm happy to make the feature/weight tradeoff (and she's jealous of my featherlight MBA!).
Pretty awesome breed for someone looking for a house cat. Lots of meme worthy quirks too
climate town has a fun video about it, he's a climate policy and science grad
A huge amount of time is spent on video calls these days, and although there are more advanced webcams out there these days - a camera which is geared towards video (the ZV-1 is aimed at vlogging) will produce significantly better video for any calls you're on.
Spending a little bit of time optimising your setup so that you're the one in the call with good quality video/audio is worth it. Get a decent camera, get a good microphone, improve your background lighting.
- Apple Watch: I now walk and exercise a LOT more
- Canon mirrorless camera. I now enjoy walking outdoors because I'm taking photos
- M1 - switching from a Windows desktop to a super-snappy macbook removed so many pain points I didn't even know I had. Huge performance, mostly cool to the touch, days-long battery life means that I'm now truly working anywhere, for the first time ever, despite owning laptops for a long time.
Not always. I was going to restore a Faema E61 and discovered that the basic model is almost identical to the original. Parts are interchangeable. It’s manual, it’s beautiful and it’s expensive.
I went down the espresso rabbit hole during covid, as did a good buddy of mine. We both upgraded from setups in the ~$1k range and are experiencing much better results in the cup. Obviously you'll see diminishing returns at some price point, but most of my friends/family agree that a latte from my new setup is noticeably better than one from my old setup.
I'm not sure if OP bought an all-in-one, but I wouldn't recommend those, they don't do any of their tasks particularly well, when you could spend the same amount and get much better coffee.
I love my Nuobell adjustable dumbbells ($745)!
There are cheaper adjustable dumbbells out there, but these ones look and feel so good: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BB8D5VTW
Technically mine was over 10 years ago, but its amazing to think how many more times I've "gone to the gym" (lifted) just because the full weight rack was right in my home.
Generally speaking, if there's something you don't particularly enjoy but want to do more of for some reason (health, aesthetic, etc.) then I always advocate for spending money to lower the barrier of entry.
Nice big refurbished sturdy motorized desk. Nice improvement. Now I have more room to pile junk and it doesn't wobble like slightly cheaper Ikea one. Should go get an other one as my home office is too small to have any hardware or multiple laptops and screens.
Anova Precision Oven, got it under 500€, but now it is certainly more than 500. Have to get more use out of it, but the steam is interesting and having app even if I hate idea of IoT is nice to see when it is at temp or even could do some programming.
Anova Chamber Vacuum sealer. So much better than side sealers, ordered some meat from online and packing it for freezing was a breeze. Probably also need to get around to toy with bit more things.
Steam Deck, nice bathroom gaming PC. Not really changed my life, but still fun toy occasionally.
Going on 2-3 day bike camping trips in the summer is a blast!
We replaced a projector in our conference room with a 65" TCL Roku 4K TV. Meetings have never been better, and text is really crisp. Even in Zoom and Google Meet Meetings, it is so much easier to see and read what's on shared screens by participants.
A couple safety tips though, for anyone considering an escooter versus ebike. On an escooter, the wheels have a very small diameter, which means that they are much less stable when you go over bumps. If you're going 15 MPH it's not a huge deal, but if you're going much faster than that things can get dicey.
On an escooter, the thrust that pulls you is coming from your hands (not seat/feet), and that's where the throttle is. As a result, if you hit a bump or divot, your hand will often end up jerking on the accelerator by accident. This can cause problems. As I have ridden more, I've learned to try to only have my hand on the throttle when I'm on obviously clear pavement, and disengage when going over any sort of bump or pavement transition. It makes things much safer.
If I had to do it again, I might get an ebike. They're much more expensive, and I'd feel like it's lazy to choose that instead of my regular bike to go most places. But it might be safer than an escooter (though the latter is more fun IMO!).
It was a very disheartening experience looking at shed reviews from all the typical garden/DIY suppliers in the UK and seeing all the negative reviews - really bad quality - bad materials, not fitting together etc.
Powersheds however had great reviews on Amazon and they proved true. A nice modular selection to get the size/door/roof/window combination that you want. Putting it together was very satisfying, looks great and the extra storage space has been wonderful.
- A good stereo (Wharfedale Linton/NAD Amp) - A simracing setup (Fanatec DD/8020 Rig/Triples)
I listen to music probably 60+ hours a month and watch a movie every couple days, and it's a lot nicer not using headphones or a soundbar.
After using an entry-level sim wheel and pedals, I decided it would be cheaper and almost as fun to build a good rig compared to going to the track. Not to mention that I can race throughout the winter and in cars I otherwise wouldn't be able to experience.
For privacy conscious people, you can mod these things with firmware that keeps everything local.
Along with that, I paid for a solo 401k service as well as an accountant that saved me enormous amounts of money. Did you know that you can save ~$62,000 per year per company you work for, tax free (or deferred)? I did not, until I looked into it. That along with all my business purchases allowed me to pay a mere ~3% in taxable income from my overall income in 2021. Insane.
Had after-tax deferrals available through a Fidelity plan at an employer once, it was great being able to roll that over into an IRA. Hopefully I'll have it again soon - it's an underrated perk for sure.
Do you happen to have a link or pointers?
"""
The business owner wears two hats in a 401(k) plan: employee and employer. Contributions can be made to the plan in both capacities. The owner can contribute both:
Elective deferrals up to 100% of compensation (“earned income” in the case of a self-employed individual) up to the annual contribution limit:
$22,500 in 2023 ($20,500 in 2022; $19,500 in 2020 and 2021), or $30,000 in 2023 ($27,000 in 2022; $26,000 in 2020 and 2021) if age 50 or over; plus
Employer nonelective contributions up to:
25% of compensation as defined by the plan, or
for self-employed individuals, see discussion below
Total contributions to a participant’s account, not counting catch-up contributions for those age 50 and over, cannot exceed $66,000 for 2023 ($61,000 for 2022; $58,000 for 2021; $57,000 for 2020).
Example: Ben, age 51, earned $50,000 in W-2 wages from his S Corporation in 2020. He deferred $19,500 in regular elective deferrals plus $6,500 in catch-up contributions to the 401(k) plan. His business contributed 25% of his compensation to the plan, $12,500. Total contributions to the plan for 2020 were $38,500. This is the maximum that can be contributed to the plan for Ben for 2019.
A business owner who is also employed by a second company and participating in its 401(k) plan should bear in mind that his limits on elective deferrals are by person, not by plan. He must consider the limit for all elective deferrals he makes during a year.
"""
Per company means that if you contract for one company (with your own LLC) and work W2 for another (or work 2 W2s), you get ~22k total for employee contributions, but ~40k per each company you work for, ie 2 * 40k = 80k, therefore you can make 80k + 22k = 102k entirely into your 401k accounts. However, since it's a max of 25% per plan of each income, you'd have to be making very high six figures for it to get to such a maximum.
If you have your own LLC, you can set up a solo 401k easily, but for an employer, it's much harder as they must support mega backdoor Roth IRAs, ie allowing you to add your own after-tax money as part of their employer contribution.
Very good electric mobility device in-around town and on trails
but newbie riders should at least wear a helmet, and install fangs to protect themselves from nosediving. These are a must, I would say
I don’t watch a lot of shows, bit when I do there is almost no technology friction.