Post AbnzOcILMSGHjRQJsW by tikitu@mastodon.social
(DIR) More posts by tikitu@mastodon.social
(DIR) Post #AbmKYOe8fbu91FCdqS by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-13T23:05:58Z
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Sometimes, when I'm buying tools and technology, I want the best I can affordSometimes, I *prefer* the cheaper stuffIt's intriguing to ponder when and why I actually like the cheaper warezAn essay on "four tools where I buy as cheap as I can": https://clivethompson.medium.com/when-cheap-tech-is-good-enough-a44c31d347ccA free friend link, in case you don't subscribe to Medium: https://clivethompson.medium.com/when-cheap-tech-is-good-enough-a44c31d347cc?sk=21cf33407e9f4286948034b09241665d
(DIR) Post #AbmNQSKhNc83zx10HQ by emag@strangeplace.me
2023-11-13T23:38:14Z
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@clive before the image for the link loaded, I'd assumed "tools" meant "hand tools". And that's another place where "cheap" can be "good enough". If I don't know if I'll have more than 1-3 uses, I hit up Harbor Freight. Then use it until it breaks & get a better quality.
(DIR) Post #AbmNgeF4rwBxZG6guO by EpiphanicSynchronicity@pkm.social
2023-11-13T23:40:17Z
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@clive > Moving to the internal circuitry, the genuine AirPods are a marvel of miniaturization and precision engineering. They use a combination of rigid and flexible printed circuit boards to pack components densely and ensure that every millimeter of space is used effectively.Reminds me of the story about Steve Jobs dropping a prototype iPod or early iPhone in the fish tank in his office, and saying that the bubbles coming up proved the engineers could squeeze it into a more compact form.
(DIR) Post #AbmNtbao1zhX7BRslE by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-13T23:41:35Z
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@EpiphanicSynchronicity Aha, I hadn't heard that one!
(DIR) Post #AbmO63PqPXdqskG1r6 by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-13T23:41:04Z
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@emag I just edited that to "gadgets and technology", because your perception is right -- "tools" isn't as often used to mean "tech stuff we use in our daily lives"I mean, *I* use it that way, but it's not as normal/normativeGood catch, thank you!
(DIR) Post #AbmOMxHEULSMlWHwvo by apples_and_pears@mastodon.world
2023-11-13T23:48:48Z
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@clive Expected useful life for it's intended purpose helps determine quality of product I'm willing to pay. Sometimes I want a single use item other times I want something that will still be in use multiple generations from now."Quality" is a 4-letter-word to many manufacturers. They prefer to talk about "planned obsolescence."
(DIR) Post #AbmPB5ImvRQ68Mv4r2 by hehemrin@social.librem.one
2023-11-13T23:58:47Z
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@clive What I have started to enjoy last years is a somewhat differerent route for less expensive electronics: buy refurbished business grade computer and go the Linux way; somewhat older with quality, less expensive but in many aspects modern thanks to alternative sw (as a non-pro-writer, non-pro-photographer...). Started to explore same idea for mobile.
(DIR) Post #AbmRoxwRuU2UnXcDEe by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-14T00:27:28Z
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@apples_and_pears Yeah, that’s a really good point “How many times will I use this gewgaw?”
(DIR) Post #AbmRwAcj9ora9opH3Q by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-14T00:29:36Z
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@hehemrin yeah, I 100% do that with used laptops Is it viable with mobile?
(DIR) Post #AbmVnDzXfKUXoUUGmm by hehemrin@social.librem.one
2023-11-14T01:12:54Z
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@clive Possibly. 1. I explore Android-alternatives. I'm newbie, but I have started to use /e/OS - that mobile is max Android 10 on original but currently Android 11 on /e/OS and I think they work on further upgrades; based on LineageOS that is on Android 13 on same device, as I recall. 2. It seems as both Apple and now also Google becomes better to extend security support. So: Ok, depend on needs if viable. I guess many companies swap phones which opens for a commercial refubished market.
(DIR) Post #AbmeyyJQgZIoFPSvz6 by emag@strangeplace.me
2023-11-14T02:55:00Z
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@clive in the right context, it wouldn't have even been confusing to me, as I use the same. I just happened to be thinking about home maintenance, building and disassembling office furniture, etc at the time, and looking at the bag of cheap hand tools I kept at my desk at $job[-1] (cheap, so I didn't care if they walked).
(DIR) Post #AbmfxMwYElDQ0wZ2lE by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-14T03:05:55Z
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@emag Yeah, that's probably true about your immediate context triggering that association ... But I still think it was good for you to highlight the ambiguity there
(DIR) Post #AbmnLCnqI2iJC2nu9Q by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-14T04:29:25Z
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@hehemrin Cool to hear!
(DIR) Post #Abn2tUlBWyNo2pMyO0 by tikitu@mastodon.social
2023-11-14T07:22:55Z
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@clive one more category for you: exploratory buying. Especially for “this hobby seems really cool but will I actually stick to it long enough for it to bring me joy?”Nyckelharpa is a *wild* Swedish instrument that I really want to try out, but they’re super-niche so they cost thousands. But there’s a kitset version (the “nerdyharpa”) for much cheaper! Will it be a concert instrument? No. But it’ll let me figure out if I should start saving.
(DIR) Post #AbnzHwhB788SyZrJ6u by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-14T18:17:13Z
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@tikitu Excellent point! Exploratory mode is key for propelling cheap-tech purchases
(DIR) Post #AbnzOcILMSGHjRQJsW by tikitu@mastodon.social
2023-11-14T07:25:09Z
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@clive More in the “tech stuff” line: camera gear is *very* much in this category for me. It’s easy to go *way* overboard on kit that sits on the shelf.
(DIR) Post #AbnzOd1Mf4H3z4UH3I by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-14T18:17:51Z
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@tikitu Yeah, this is what prevents me from buying a nice cameraI realize the most important camera in your life is the one you always have with you, which is ... my phone
(DIR) Post #Abo05IUuqIWcmfeipc by tikitu@mastodon.social
2023-11-14T18:25:25Z
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@clive during lockdowns I got into macro, which phones still don’t do so well. But that’s very much “I’m collecting all my macro gear and going for a macro outing”. Glorious fun though!
(DIR) Post #Abo36in6rxTmU3XKS0 by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-14T18:59:25Z
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@tikitu I'll bet!
(DIR) Post #AbusZnGc6tuEo6JgHo by irwin@saturation.social
2023-11-18T02:04:58Z
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@clive I had the same exact thought and have both Airpods and the $25 JLab earbuds for the same reason. The only problem is your iPhone can’t play to both at the same time when, say, your son takes a pair and you want to co-play.
(DIR) Post #AbuytDra3964WMFs9I by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-18T03:15:46Z
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@irwin There is a slightly more expensive Jlab set of earbuds — $50 I believe — that can pair with three devices simultaneously; which is the most hilarious form of software-defined rent-seeking, because my strong suspicion is that the difference between the two is a single line of code 😂
(DIR) Post #AbuyzeP0I6JiZGxBVA by irwin@saturation.social
2023-11-18T02:07:02Z
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@clive I had a beat up old chef’s knife that I absolutely loved. It wasn’t top notch but it had the right balance and weight and I didn’t feel bad beating it up. And then the handle broke. I got a new fancy knife, but it’s TOO nice and I don’t want to scuff it up.So I end up using the crappy old broken one more, even though it’s falling apart.There needs to be a term for this.
(DIR) Post #Abuyzfb5qda8H3cLz6 by 990000@mstdn.social
2023-11-18T02:12:27Z
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@irwin @clive I also sometimes hold out on getting a replacement for something, knowing that when I get the new one I will be too precious with it (like sneakers). It's often more enjoyable to use something that you don't have to be overly cautious with.
(DIR) Post #Abuyzga4BwM3KA931U by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-18T03:16:06Z
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@irwin @990000 Totally
(DIR) Post #Abv4GbWKl3r0K9HlkO by clive@saturation.social
2023-11-18T04:15:40Z
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@irwin 100%We need a long German word