[HN Gopher] Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've eve...
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Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?
I'll go first. I think the Bialetti Brikka is exceptional:
https://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Stovetop-Producing-Crema-Ric...
Author : whitepoplar
Score : 425 points
Date : 2021-11-26 20:50 UTC (1 days ago)
| apengwin wrote:
| Craigslist. The UI is extremely streamlined. Everything is either
| a Cmd-F or a search away. it's a brutalist masterpiece
| Trasmatta wrote:
| I went to sell some stuff this month, and was very sad to learn
| that most people have moved to Facebook Marketplace. Apparently
| it's much more difficult to sell stuff on Craigslist now.
| Mountain_Skies wrote:
| Unfortunately Craigslist got loaded down with scammers and
| they never figured out a good way to get rid of them.
| Facebook has an edge since you can not only look at the
| seller's profile but you can also see how long they've been a
| member of Facebook. I'm sure zombie accounts or scraped
| accounts happen but it doesn't seem to be common, especially
| if you stick to buying from people in your community. Not
| sure how well it works for sellers.
| Trasmatta wrote:
| That's understandable, but it does suck for those of us
| that want to sell stuff but don't use Facebook. I managed
| to sell my PS4 Pro despite having an empty Facebook
| profile, but I'd imagine a less in demand item might be a
| lot harder to move, if people tend to want to see that
| you're a real person. My account probably looked like a
| scammers.
| JCWasmx86 wrote:
| GNOME. Everything is really intuitive, it doesn't really feel,
| like you use a computer, but the computer is an extension of you
| enobrev wrote:
| My original cast iron pans.
|
| I bought this no-name set of three from a small family-run
| neighborhood hardware store in Brooklyn for $20 somewhere around
| 2002. The guy behind the counter was surprised by the price and
| that they even had cast iron pans. I've used them regularly
| since. They're the oldest cookware in my kitchen by a large
| margin.
|
| I've taken them camping, and I cook with then in my kitchen
| daily. I've cooked any food imaginable in them, from crepes, to
| patched eggs, to pizza, to all sorts of meats and stews and
| sauces - on the stove and in the oven. And they still work as
| well and look like the day I first pre-seasoned them.
| innocentoldguy wrote:
| I love that you mentioned pans. I have a set of Finex cast iron
| cookware and I can't imagine cooking on anything else. They're
| almost perfect.
| corinroyal wrote:
| Came here to say this. Any sand cast iron pan, including
| enameled versions. There is no better pan for searing meats.
| Seasoning raw cast iron with walnut oil is simple, and makes
| food release so easy except for eggs. They last lifetimes, are
| abundant in second-hand stores and garage sales, are easily
| restored, and even the raw material is abundant not just on
| Earth thanks to supernovae. They suck if you live in a group
| household with people who use soap and abrasives on them that
| removes the seasoning, abandon them in the sink to rust, or
| refuse to towel dry them. Enameled cast iron is terrible for
| food release, so don't get an enameled skillet, but the dutch
| ovens from Le Creuset are amazing. They don't rust, and the way
| they hold and distribute heat, and the lids hold moisture make
| them amazing for baking bread and oven roasting. The Le Creuset
| cookware designed by Raymond Lowery are objects of lust. Do
| google them for a mind blow.
| stillblue wrote:
| The Apple Ecosystem.
|
| I've invested a lot of hard earned money into it. I have an ipad,
| iphone, a macbook air, an apple watch, airpods pro and a mac
| mini. Bought these over the years.
|
| Just the way these things work so cohesively to me is pure magic.
| The attention to detail on extremely minor things is pretty
| impressive. I haven't had to think about "doing" anything with
| tech ever since I bought apple products. You just remember to
| charge them and everything just works. I come from a pure windows
| / android background and I was mindblown by how convenient things
| were.
|
| I'd highly recommend Apple devices to friends and family.
| thn-gap wrote:
| At the same time, the interoperability of these devices outside
| the ecosystem is stupidly useless.
|
| Just this year I figured out that I can't send an image without
| internet from my Android phone to the iPad. I could receive
| images over Bluetooth between two phones more than 10 years
| ago, but not today with the iPad.
|
| I also can't seem to transfer images or videos from my Windows
| PC to the iPad with just a cable.
| feanaro wrote:
| I would and do highly recommend to my friends and family to
| stay away from Apple.
|
| Computers are meant to be interoperable and not locked into a
| single monopolistic system which then had the power to make
| your life awful.
|
| The attention to detail is also overstated when Apple cannot
| get basic things right. I have an iPhone for testing stuff and
| recently a numbered badge appeared on one of those built-in
| music related apps. It wasn't obvious what the number referred
| to, and to find out, I had to dig deep on the web on some user
| forums. The reason turned out to be that Apple pushed some kind
| of updates (e.g. new sound effects or something like that),
| which are hidden somewhere 10 menus deep. To dismiss the number
| badges, you had to go and open each of the effects from about a
| hundred of them, because there is no indicator which ones are
| new. There is apparently no other way to dismiss the number
| badge.
|
| A few days ago another badge appeared on a different app. When
| I open the app, it has no content inside and no menus. So now I
| have a little 1 there that simply cannot be dismissed as far as
| I can tell. This noise makes all of the badges useless.
|
| If this is not bad design, I don't know what is. Apple, not
| even once.
| muzani wrote:
| There are some things I like, but never fell in love with them.
| iPhones died too fast. MBP had weird display glitches because
| of the lighting adjustment. The touch bar was less useful than
| a touchscreen. Keyboard is so bad that it's often the deal-
| breaker when trying to buy a macbook. It might be useful if I
| could just plug an external keyboard into it, but I need an
| adapter for that now and the adapter gets hot with all the
| things I put on it.
|
| I mean the competition does a lot of things badly, but Apple
| products are badly designed too.
| stillblue wrote:
| I managed to dodge every single bad apple product. I never
| bought MBP's only Airs. No touchbars. No shitty keyboard.
|
| The products I've owned / own had zero problems maybe cos
| they're a subset of Apple products that do not have problems.
| What do you mean iphones die too fast? My experience has been
| quite the opposite.
| cainxinth wrote:
| Corded Wahl professional hair clippers. It's the AK-47 of hair
| styling products: indestructible, never jams, and incredibly low
| maintenance. Clean out the detritus and give it a little oil now
| and then and it will work practically forever.
| h2odragon wrote:
| Oster clippers. If it'll shave a heard of sheep, _you_ will
| never break it.
| elliekelly wrote:
| I'm not really the type to fuss over wine glasses but I was
| gifted a set of Veuve Cliquot champagne flutes (similar to the
| glasses that come in this set[1]) and they really are beautiful.
| The shape of the glass makes the bubbles fizz to the top in this
| tiny perfect spiral in the center of the glass. You can tell they
| were designed by someone who cares about champagne and pays
| attention to its presentation.
|
| [1]https://www.champagneking.co.uk/product/3904/veuve-
| clicquot-...
| edmcnulty101 wrote:
| These are the brands Ive had good success with, almost everything
| Ive bought has met or exceeded my expectations:
|
| Apple, Levis, Patagonia/LL Bean/North Face, Garmin smartwatch,
| Goruck, Toyota, Bosch or Milwaukee tools, Fender, Sonicare,
| Thule, Yakima, Ankur cables, weather tech floormats.
|
| Well designed websites:
|
| Google, Old reddit, and HN, can't believe they've stayed true all
| these years.
|
| Brands, I or a friend, has had extremely poor success with,
| enough to call out:
|
| Dell (their quality control dropped off, I think, they used to be
| great), Amazon Basics, Mini Cooper, Fitbit, Beats by Dre, Goal
| Zero Yeti, new Reddit.
| nradov wrote:
| I'm also a fan of Garmin smartwatches, they have some amazing
| functionality and are serious tools for athletes and
| outdoorsmen. But they are handicapped by glitchy software.
|
| https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/06/competitor-software-inst...
| edmcnulty101 wrote:
| Interesting article.
|
| I haven't used any of the features in that article. I do have
| a glitchy connectivity issue with a temp sensor so I cant
| disagree there.
|
| They just have less pain points than any other option
| possibly?
| WorldPeas wrote:
| Just to be the contrarian I am, I'll say that dell is still
| actually pretty good. You just have to buy the business models
| like the precision to get the best experience now
| edmcnulty101 wrote:
| Maybe that's the issue. I bought consumer XPS's. One had a
| fan go out after 1 year. One had a keyboard failure out of
| the box. My co-worker had hardware issues on theirs.
|
| It was too many issues in too short of a span.
|
| All consumer grade though.
|
| Maybe business is the way to go.
| papertokyo wrote:
| I had an XPS laptop from 2008 which constantly overheated.
| I ended up having to remove the bottom of the case and put
| it on a stand to make it usable.
|
| One day a bolt of lightning struck the house across the
| street and it died instantly.
|
| Used the insurance money to buy a macbook pro and never
| looked back.
| spacelamb wrote:
| Thanks for the recs, though Google has caused unexpected design
| problems in my usage. Sometimes it unpredictably switches to
| dark mode, then light mode on Firefox and Safari. Google's
| answer box also sometimes displays wrong information
| (infamously, "Google turned me into a serial killer" on HN:
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27622100).
|
| I'm curious about Amazon Basics and Beats. For the former, they
| sell so many products that the ones I buy are pretty good (e.g.
| office supplies), but I have run into other products with
| middling reviews. For Beats, I would expect them to be good
| because Apple acquired them, so it's interesting to hear they
| have problems.
| edmcnulty101 wrote:
| Google: I just appreciate sticking with the design simplicity
| after all these years and not going full New Reddit with the
| front page. That serial killer thing is hilarious and scary.
| Their draconian customer service may be the worst ever.
|
| Amazon Basics: is the ultimate cheap product. Everything I've
| bought has just failed alot faster than if I bought a more
| name brand.
|
| Beats: I thought the same thing about Beats. I bought the
| power beats pro and one of the buds wouldn't charge unless
| you fiddled with it and checked the phone to make sure there
| was a connection , which doesn't sound like a big deal but
| it's a hassle to do every day. And if the base was jarred
| accidentally while charging it could lose that connection. It
| was just a hassle.
|
| The amount of times I went running with only one earbud
| working was too many.
|
| I mailed them back and the new set they sent had the exact
| same issue.
|
| I have cheapo 30 dollar bids now and they don't have that
| issue.
|
| This was like immediately after it was purchased by Apple so
| maybe the Apple QA hadn't kicked in yet.
| palijer wrote:
| https://www.mcmaster.com/
|
| Fast, snappy, responsive. No banners or cookie prompts, doesn't
| ask my to sign up for a newsletter or an account to continue and
| see more selection, it doesn't load in megabytes of JavaScript to
| show me products.
|
| Plus, responsive as all heck, and there isn't any bullshit
| prompts like "click here to see our selected offerings" or "check
| out our value products here" Like, from. The short url, I'm
| already looking at the products.
| dendrite9 wrote:
| I think it works because it is like the best parts of a part
| catalog without being too cute or clever. There are issues with
| searching sometimes if you want to browse to the part you have
| in your mind but cannot think of the name of, but usually it
| works. And yes, it is expensive to buy everything from
| McMaster, but that isn't what they are for. They also can be
| quite good about identifying the actual product/source if you
| ask.
| basmango wrote:
| The UI is definitely not responsive and the website looks ugly.
| quartesixte wrote:
| That "ugliness" is beautiful because imo McMaster's interface
| facilitates turning unknown unknowns into known knowns.
|
| Having all the options and important specs laid out on one
| giant page lets you discover blind spots in your thinking.
| Need an tube adapter for a fluid systems? Open up that page
| and as your scrolling through, discover that you forgot to
| think about the pitch of threading when you find the size and
| psi rating adapter you were looking for comes in several
| thread pitch options. Not sure which? Open up the handy
| explainer at the top of the page that explains to you the
| different options available and what they mean.
|
| McMaster is primarily a B2B tool whose goal is to facilitate
| their users finding what they need, buying it, and building
| in a manner that is fast, convenient, and informative.
|
| McMaster is a masterclass in UX and understanding what is
| really important to their business model, and resisting the
| urge to switch to trendy, sleek designs simply because it
| looks prettier.
| jazzyjackson wrote:
| "content is beautiful" - old japanese proverb
| alpaca128 wrote:
| The UI is very obviously responsive, usable and fast.
| jazzyjackson wrote:
| i think they mean responsive as in it doesnt rearrange
| everything to fit on a screen 500px wide
| alpaca128 wrote:
| I know what responsive means. I went from maximized
| window to narrower than many websites can handle and it
| adapts flawlessly. No idea how anyone could call this not
| responsive.
| muzani wrote:
| There's two definitions of responsive, both of which are
| used in this thread.
|
| 1. It responds to your actions. Click stuff and it does
| that and does it quickly.
|
| 2. It gives you a different response based on which
| device you are using. You log on with a mobile device, it
| gives you a screen suited to mobile.
|
| It doesn't do the latter. I'm on a phone. It might resize
| screens on a desktop, but doesn't do it for a phone.
| spoils19 wrote:
| ...the site is not responsive at all to fit to a mobile
| device?
| [deleted]
| tpmx wrote:
| FYI: Just noticed that McMaster-Carr now seems to ship
| internationally - at least to some European addresses I tested.
| They didn't, for the longest time.
| jaxn wrote:
| Plus CAD drawings available for every part. I love Mcmaster-
| Carr
| jazzyjackson wrote:
| yes, despite peoples complaints that it's not mobile-first
| and pretty, it feels extremely futuristic to find a part
| number, download an stl, and 3D print to check for fit. never
| had a problem with ordering from them.
| MisterBiggs wrote:
| Its also an awesome repository of 3d models. Must use website
| for anyone with a 3d printer.
| johnnyApplePRNG wrote:
| That is a rewarding site to search. Reminds me of rockauto.
| Aeolun wrote:
| It doesn't work on mobile at all.
| chrischattin wrote:
| It works perfectly fine on mobile.
| nixass wrote:
| With the banner across 1/3 of the screen at the bottom
| Ma8ee wrote:
| I didn't manage to hit the small cross I the window that
| asked if I wanted to download the app, so I was redirected
| to the App Store, which was extra useless since the app
| isn't available in my market. The text is too small to read
| and it's not possible to zoom in.
| specialist wrote:
| Love mcmaster.com. I spend plenty of time just browsing.
|
| Might benefit from an image search feature.
|
| Am noob DIYer. I often only have a vague sense of what I'm
| looking for. Usually by analogy. So I'll spend a lot of time
| both foraging as well as using any search term I can think of.
|
| eg Most recently, I'm looking for "banker's clips", my SO's
| term for really long money clip looking things. Like sewing
| hemming clips, but wider, and with a finished edge (non sharp).
| Great for securing paper to backing boards. So artists can
| carry around their work.
| kuntau wrote:
| Meh. Not so much. First time I opened it show half screen
| banner to download mobile app.
|
| And the website wasn't designed for mobile at all.
| jazzyjackson wrote:
| or maybe mobiles were not designed to order screws
| johnwalkr wrote:
| Drilling down into different categories is better than any
| other site I've used. And like Costco, they curate pretty well
| and just have one supplier for each part, although the supplier
| may change. If you need a type of gear or screw, there is one
| option only, no need to compare various brands.
|
| It was just as good 15 years ago too! And it's probably not
| true not but it used to be the least possible friction to order
| things. Even if you weren't logged in, if ordering from a
| company premise it would just confirm the address and let you
| order and send you a bill later.
| quartesixte wrote:
| > Even if you weren't logged in, if ordering from a company
| premise it would just confirm the address and let you order
| and send you a bill later.
|
| This feature RIGHT HERE is probably what lends to McMaster's
| retention. No futzing around with account numbers, customer
| IDs, etc. Nope. Just a real accounting department talking to
| your company's accounting department. Onboarding 20 new
| engineers today? No problem, just tell them to make an
| account with the company email and fill out the billing info
| with accounts payable and the finance guys will take care of
| all the rest.
|
| McMaster honestly is such a gem of a company. Quadruply so if
| you so happen to live within the same-day delivery distance
| of one of their regional centers. Then McMaster turns into a
| super power.
|
| Only downside is that McMaster fails some more rigorous sniff
| tests on part traceability/quality/reliability for certain
| kinds of engineering orgs but honestly so much manufacturing
| is held together by the glue of McMaster.
|
| And if in the odd case they ever fail to deliver, there's
| always Grainger!
| jiggunjer wrote:
| Scrolling on mobile stutters.
| sprucevoid wrote:
| Bonus: Useful as a visual dictionary for us non-native english
| speakers.
| petters wrote:
| There is a big banner on mobile, asking to download the app.
| LeifCarrotson wrote:
| But the app is excellent, FWIW. No ads, more functional than
| the website on mobile. The website makes use of desktop
| screen resolution layouts and has mouse-appropriate links,
| checkboxes, and comboboxes for an appropriately dense layout
| instead of big touch targets.
|
| Also the banner is easily dismissed, and doesn't come back
| when you revisit the site.
| wrycoder wrote:
| A Gillette Pivot disposable razor.
| stitched2gethr wrote:
| Vans shoes.
| jansan wrote:
| - Casio A168WG-YES as a watch that became part of my body
|
| https://www.casio-europe.com/de/produkte/uhren/vintage/a168w...
|
| - Zwilling Professional S Universal Knife 13 cm - For the daily
| joy of cutting fresh "Brotchen"
|
| https://www.zwilling-messer.de/Zwilling-Professional-S-Unive...
|
| - Nintendo Labo series - Child toys made from cardboard for the
| Nintendo switch with an incredible level of perfection on so many
| levels
|
| https://www.nintendo.de/Nintendo-Labo/Nintendo-Labo-1328637....
| freetinker wrote:
| Actual physical books.
| LeoPanthera wrote:
| I liked to read while lying down and e-readers are an
| objectively better experience. I can never hold a book in a
| comfortable way - and ereaders are backlit.
| muzani wrote:
| I like them more as merchandise, especially hardcover, but they
| do a poorer job of transferring information, storing,
| searching.
| marginalia_nu wrote:
| The format has been around for 2000 years, so it's pretty well
| refined.
| seanmcdirmid wrote:
| 1500 years for the current bound format. The preceding
| codices and before that scrolls were much less user friendly.
| marginalia_nu wrote:
| They were making something that would be recognizable as a
| book (or booklet) at least as early as late republic, which
| ties in to my point that the format has been refined a long
| time.
| seanmcdirmid wrote:
| I think you mean the codex? It was like a book, except
| the pages were bound on alernating sides. Not the best
| design, they improved on it in the middle ages. The codex
| achieved parity with the scroll in 300 AD, so that the
| modern book format coming just 200 years later means it
| wasn't around for that long.
| marginalia_nu wrote:
| Codex is the latin word for book in general.
| seanmcdirmid wrote:
| Yes, but it is used to describe the book like thing that
| came before the modern book. We love overloading our
| Latin words.
| i_am_proteus wrote:
| W123 Mercedes-Benz sedan with an OM617A motor - the classic "300D
| Turbodiesel" from the early 1980s.
| etempleton wrote:
| My first car was a 1985 300D Turbo Diesel. It spoiled me for
| all future cars. It drove wonderfully and had a ton of charm.
|
| Not great in the cold, the controls were weird as only German
| cars can be, and acceleration was paltry by modern standards,
| but it was a tank that could seemingly drive forever. You still
| see some on the road.
| robertwt7 wrote:
| Rust. Because it's amazing
| 3flp wrote:
| The BMW G650GS was the best bike I've had. Almost zero
| maintenance. Reliable. Amazing fuel economy. Decent on road when
| sat down. No probs doing 600km days. Decent off-when road
| standing up. It could handle deep sand when fitted with good
| tires. Not very sexy looking, but the perfect jack of all trades.
| And, yes, master of none - which is why BMW could not market it
| much further, I think. Pity.
| pg5 wrote:
| Based on their cars, I was surprised to see BMW in this thread.
| 3flp wrote:
| Yeah, I think the 650GS was too good, in a way. So they
| cancelled it, and focused on marketing those over-engineered
| half-ton things that people get regularly stuck on, anywhere
| off-road.
| GhettoComputers wrote:
| Almost android device once they became more powerful and had
| root, around after 2016 is when only root matters.
|
| Full Linux CLI, all the game systems of the 90s playable, all the
| hardware devices of the 90s emulated but much better (the Pokedex
| app was very good, TI emulator, etc), OTG docking for wired
| devices or you can use BT for hardware. They can do 90% of what
| your current phone can do but everything is a bit slower and
| worst, so using it as a dedicated device for various purposes
| like a Linux man page app at your computer, a device to game on,
| attach a controller, spares your non easily replaceable battery,
| if you have an iPhone and didn't jailbreak, having a handheld
| Linux computer in your pocket is convenient to easily use CLI
| tools and SSH/MOSH.
| fart32 wrote:
| I hate how rooting became pretty much non-viable on Android.
| Losing OTA updates is a dealbreaker for me and all I really
| want is having an option to record my calls, which is legal in
| my country and often comes handy. It sounds like something a
| smartphone should definitelly be capable of by default.
| itronitron wrote:
| Epson EcoTank printer. We purchased ours in 2018 and haven't yet
| needed to refill the ink reservoirs (getting close though) and it
| comes with an extra refill set as well.
| s0rr0wskill wrote:
| Airpods.
|
| I've owned 2 pairs for 4 years total now and they just work. Very
| convenient to use and the design is great and they fit well into
| my ears. Most inconvenience I've ever had was that they sometimes
| randomly don't connect once in a while but a simple
| disconnect/reconnect fixes that each time.
| minikomi wrote:
| Recess first base yoyo
|
| Perfect organic shape affordable responsive/non-responsive modern
| yoyo. Cheap enough to use anywhere, light, great response..
| smitty1e wrote:
| I have a Tumi backpack that is so nicely laid out that it
| practically loads itself. Sunglass pouch, carkey pockets in the
| shoulder straps.
|
| Just very nicely done. When I'm finished beating it to shreds,
| I'll require another.
| stjohnswarts wrote:
| My Parker safety razor. Simple, cheap, effective, no batteries
| needed.
|
| My lodge cast iron skillet and dutch oven.
| gnicholas wrote:
| Pebble Time Steel. I've played with other similar watches, like
| the Fossil hybrid smartwatches, but those can't touch the
| software and other design aspects that Pebble nailed back in the
| day. I wish it could last forever!
| 2020random wrote:
| I used to have a large dobsonian telescope made by Orion. It had
| a good quality mirror. It came with features like automatic
| tracking.
|
| In general, a dobsonion telescope has a simple design that made
| it cheap and easier to use compared to other telescope setups.
| The dobsonion mount also allowed for a large aperture that would
| have been unwieldy otherwise. For me, it is an example of how
| complex things can be made simpler and easier to use.
| wnkrshm wrote:
| I would add binoculars in general are pretty amazing - putting
| the distance between optical elements of a refracting telescope
| into a small ergonomic package.
| cgh wrote:
| La Sportiva Miura VS climbing shoes.
| andersco wrote:
| The Technics SL-1200 turntable. The fact that the design has not
| changed except for minor tweaks since the product was released
| speaks for itself. I used it both as a DJ many years ago and now
| kept one of the turntables just for listening. The quality of the
| turntable is palpable not only in its physical weight but in the
| utter simplicity of the design. The dotted edges of the rotating
| plate are both aesthetically pleasing while also informative
| communicating rotation speed. Every detail every little part of
| the unit is functional design of the highest quality while also
| visually appealing. In my view one of the greatest achievements
| in modern electronics and industrial design.
| ghostly_s wrote:
| > The dotted edges of the rotating plate are both aesthetically
| pleasing while also informative communicating rotation speed.
|
| Isn't this pattern actually used as a rotary encoder for speed
| control?
| tomcooks wrote:
| Yes I've heard it's actually used to sync two plates
| quickthrower2 wrote:
| Yeah "Twelve Tens" we're fun!
| Terry_Roll wrote:
| Waiting list for the SL-1200 or SL-1210's in the 90's were well
| over a year and you couldnt even get B stock (ie returns
| resold) from Panasonic Technics either.
|
| I will add another one to the list, their SU-A range of amps
| with the R-core transformer.
|
| When they first came out, I was invited to a blind listening
| session with Technics somewhere in London and they had some of
| the SU-A amps up against considerably more expensive amps and
| you were shocked at the quality, you could point to where the
| different instruments were being played left and right, you
| could tell whether they were at the front, middle or back of
| the sound stage, it was an awesome experience and the low price
| meant they showed up some serious big names in the hifi world.
| Magazines were harsh to them imo.
|
| Its just a shame they couldn't replicate the quality in their
| surround sound amp's but I suspect that is more to do with the
| encoding used then and now. But the return in audiophile
| quality is not proportional to expenditure above a certain
| price, its more exponential.
| timemachine wrote:
| Agree. The device is made of long lasting parts. Easy to repair
| if needed and parts for even the oldest models are still
| available.
| sanderjd wrote:
| The Aeropress. I've made coffee in all sorts of different ways
| over the years, but for me this is the one that strikes the
| perfect balance between flavor and convenience. After a long
| period of making french press coffee, it was an absolute
| revelation the first time I popped out the little nugget of spent
| grounds from the Aeropress.
| marianov wrote:
| Leatherman tools 5 meters of Spectra rope I've owned for 20 years
| and use for everything Thinkpad X220 Shimano bicycle drivetrains
| agys wrote:
| The "Rex" potato peeler. A perfect piece of design: ergonomic,
| solid, low-cost.
|
| Small fact: the lateral "blade" to cut out the eyes of the potato
| is obtained from the removed central part of the main blade; some
| newer models have it extended from the grip...
|
| https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/rex-the-peeler-is-king-of-the-k...
| jamesdhutton wrote:
| Bit of a random one but I give kudos to the winged corkscrew.
| That's the type that has two levers on each side, which you push
| down to raise the cork. Wikipedia tells me it was invented by one
| Domenick Rosati and patented in 1930. Why do I like it? Makes
| pulling a cork easy, and the design is simple and elegant.
| cc101 wrote:
| US Forest Service picnic table. 3 kinds of simple flat cement
| castings. Held together by their own weight. Easily carried and
| assembled by two men. Cheap. Almost indestructible.
| robocat wrote:
| I presume it is limited to warmer areas: cold concrete is
| uncomfortable.
| cc101 wrote:
| Sounds like a good idea to me. Many FS campgrounds are closed
| before it gets too cold in order to prevent the water pipes
| from freezing and bursting.
| jhardy54 wrote:
| Do you have a photo / link? My searches haven't turned up
| anything.
| [deleted]
| [deleted]
| kirubakaran wrote:
| http://npshistory.com/publications/park_structures_facilitie.
| ..
| jacknews wrote:
| Which one is the simple casting that can be carried by 2,
| and supports itself?
| cc101 wrote:
| Here is a good photo:
| https://www.californiasbestcamping.com/modoc/fowlers.html
|
| A 4 inch pole from a home center through the holes is
| used to between the two end pieces while the benches and
| top and dropped on.
|
| A few more men would make it easier.
| howenterprisey wrote:
| Who wrote this? It's great.
| cc101 wrote:
| howenterprisey: thank you for your post. I am surprised
| at all the positive karma I have received. I thank all of
| you.
| kevinwang wrote:
| Robinhood was my first experience with stocks, and attempting to
| use a traditional broker's interface has really made me
| appreciate how good Robinhood's UI is. I guess it's one of those
| "you don't notice when it's working well" kind of things.
| stblack wrote:
| Victorinox Spartan Swiss knife.
|
| https://www.swissarmy.com/ca/en/Products/Swiss-Army-Knives/M...
| gautamcgoel wrote:
| I have the Pioneer and it is excellent. Amazing quality and
| good selection of tools. I do wish they included a Phillips
| head screwdriver.
| idlewords wrote:
| Any Japanese bathtub. It's deep, you can fill it to the very top,
| and it's designed to overflow rather than deprive you of the top
| 1/3 with an annoying safety drain.
| glandium wrote:
| More generally, the Japanese bathroom, which allows that bath
| design (or, most probably, was designed around that).
| spoils19 wrote:
| Perhaps tangential, but it still astounds me how Americans
| scoff whenever I mention that we have floor drains in
| Australian bathrooms. "What, is your bathroom a locker room
| or something? _snicker_ ". Setting aside how it helps with
| potential flooding* and makes the floor tiles infinitely
| easier to clean, it also allows things like this.
|
| *I've also had comments like "why would your bathroom ever
| flood???" as if nothing water related could ever go wrong.
| papertokyo wrote:
| I was also surprised that most American showers only have a
| temperature control and not pressure, and the toilets waste
| several litres of water every flush.
| papertokyo wrote:
| What are the other aspects of their bathroom design that are
| notable? (Never been but it's top of my wishlist)
| DemocracyFTW wrote:
| The good ones are quite tiny and make out of a single piece
| of fiber, at least that's what they look like. All corners
| are round and there's a floor drain meaning you can make a
| splash and not worry about it. Their small size makes them
| ideal for hotel rooms and apartments alike where space is a
| premium. Since they are prefab you can also put them into
| the garden as standalone modules which some people prefer.
| phl wrote:
| Funny, I just used my Brikka coincidentally 5 min before reading
| this post. I think you are right. It's such a simple design and
| creates better espresso than most of the expensive machines that
| people use at home usually. Roughly made of 6 replaceable parts,
| backwards compatible with other Bialettis, no plastic capsule
| waste and easy to use.
|
| Last year I picked up a HP Jornada 720 from Ebay out of
| curiosity. Considering its from the year 2000 it's impressive how
| much it can do. The build quality is sturdy, the keyboard is
| amazing and the OS feels more snappy than most of my current
| setups. I wish they would do a reboot with better screen and
| wifi. I'm not sure if it's "the best-designed" thing I have ever
| used, but it impressed me.
| effdee wrote:
| Lego is pretty high on my list: it's all about composition with
| reuseable components that have just the right size. Also, the
| basic interface is stable since 1958.
| mbrodersen wrote:
| Kinesis Advantage2 keyboard. Without it I would not be able to
| work as a software developer.
| Uehreka wrote:
| Yeah, the Evoluent Vertical Mouse gave me two working hands and
| a lucrative career. Pretty good value. Five Stars. Would buy
| again, in fact I have, so I have one for every place I use my
| laptop.
| [deleted]
| JohnJamesRambo wrote:
| The Bic Cristal pen. Works flawlessly and uses the ink all the
| way until it is gone.
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bic_Cristal
| djsbs wrote:
| The Bic pen is genius. Im a writing utensil snob, but I have
| but the greatest respect for the bic. When you need a indelible
| pen that will just work and not run.
|
| As long as I dont have to write w/ it for too long ;)
| gypsyharlot wrote:
| I couldn't agree more. By far my favorite pen... I have a
| bunch of them in every room.
| jp57 wrote:
| The Fender Telecaster guitar. Simple, versatile, reliable. The
| design is essentially unchanged since it's debut in the 1950s and
| still popular today.
| [deleted]
| eloisius wrote:
| The EasyCard (You You Qia ) in Taiwan. It's an IC card frequently
| added onto just about every other card, like bank cards, student
| ID, or you can just buy one at the convenience store. You can
| store value on it, use it to ride metro, trains, busses, ferries,
| rent a share bike, buy groceries, anything at convenience stores,
| pay for food at lots of places, badge into buildings, and I keep
| learning more things I can do with it. The card, of course, is
| just a card, but the network and the number of things you can use
| it for is amazing.
| beervirus wrote:
| SawStop table saw. It'a a great saw in general, but what
| absolutely blew me away was the assembly. Extremely well thought
| out, from the order in which boxes of parts are opened, to the
| instructions, to the assembly procedure itself. I could not come
| up with a single improvement.
| david38 wrote:
| It's my understanding the SawStop has a Powermatic body.
| beervirus wrote:
| Never heard that. I guess it's possible, but I don't really
| see it.
| fourstar wrote:
| Chemex.
| steele wrote:
| Chopsticks
| stephenfin wrote:
| I'm amazed no one has suggested Chromecast. It just works. Click
| a button on your phone or laptop and the video or song you were
| listening to or want to listen to suddenly appears on the TV.
| Even grandparents seem to get it. Maybe Apple TV is a similar
| experience but Chromecast is as good as it gets
| csomar wrote:
| I hate mine with passion. It regularly fails and requires a
| turn-off/turn-on at best and a reset a worse.
| quartesixte wrote:
| Until you try to put it on an isolated VLAN for IOT. Then all
| hell breaks loose on trying to configure a firewall to
| correctly allow it to be discovered and cast to.
| mikeywazowski wrote:
| I agree - I have a 1st gen Chromecast and it still works really
| well after quite a few years. It doesn't always play nice with
| my wife's iphone but considering how little it cost, I'm not
| complaining.
| yumraj wrote:
| I know a lot of people seem to love Chromecast, but for some
| reason using a phone to control TV never made sense to me. I
| prefer the physical remote. And for sending screen to the TV,
| the quality was never good.
|
| Our Chromecast and the one included with TV haven't been used
| for years.
| indrora wrote:
| That was never the point, though.
|
| The Chromecast meant "oh I want to watch a movie tonight"
| becomes:
|
| 1. open chromecast on TV 2. open stream app on phone 3. push
| chromecast button 4. pick movie
|
| * it creates social actions: A bunch of friends sitting
| around can share youtube videos with each other. * it vastly
| simplifies streaming audio (e.g. spotify)
|
| I bought a chromecast so I could put videos on my tv while I
| eat dinner. That's legitimately 90% of what I use it for. The
| other 10% is streaming video from Plex/YT/etc or to dunk my
| screen for jackbox.
| mrweasel wrote:
| The Chromecast was never amazing, and having to use a phone
| or Chrome to control your TV is really weird. Having a
| Chromecast was better than nothing though.
|
| However if you've used an AppleTV you realise that the
| Chromecast is actually a pretty terrible solution, compared
| to just having a device with apps.
| johnwalkr wrote:
| I have an apple TV at home, but for the price chromecast
| works well. It's really great for 2 cases:
|
| 1. Connected to a tv in a workplace, anyone on the local
| network can easily use Chrome to share a screen instead of
| passing around an HDMI cable.
|
| 2. Lately hotel rooms sometimes have a chromecast or apple
| TV, and it's a welcome feature of the room to open netflix
| on my phone and cast to the TV. In fact I think I should
| ditch the HDMI cable I keep in my suitcase and replace it
| with a chromecast. They are pretty small, too.
|
| In both of those cases, I would prefer to only use
| casting/mirroring and not actually login to the device
| and/or install apps.
| [deleted]
| adjkant wrote:
| I used to love it, but have had very annoying connection issues
| of late. Also shuts off and restarts during some use. I had to
| switch it over to 2.4Ghz recently which I think did it in,
| which I had to do for connection of home devices with "dumb
| smart" plugs.
| betwixthewires wrote:
| Well, that's because most of that is untrue.
|
| It's not a simple system. Technically all you need is upnp to
| perform all those functions. A raspberry pi with a build of VLC
| that only always plays full screen and a slideshow of some kind
| in between use. However, with the google product specifically
| it is deliberately designed to handicap itself and require all
| kinds of extra software (google at services, the YouTube app,
| etc) on the mobile device. It may look simple from the
| perspective of someone who already has all the added
| necessities, but try playing a video on the Chromecast with
| your own choice of software and you'll see it for the nightmare
| it is.
| donatj wrote:
| I don't think that's a fair way to judge a product. It's made
| and marketed for sending videos from android phones to your
| TV, and it does that well. It doesn't handle tasks it wasn't
| built for well? That's fine.
| betwixthewires wrote:
| Useability outside of a very narrow window is abysmal on a
| product. That's not fair to say? I think it is. Imagine a
| kitchen knife that only worked with a certain cutting
| board.
| MrAwesome wrote:
| Been thinking about this a lot lately because I've been reading
| that Don Norman book, so I have several examples on the brain:
|
| - 2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder. For me, it's the perfect example of
| explicitly choosing qualities to sacrifice (straight line speed,
| utility, interstate ride comfort, safety) to maximize the
| qualities you desire (very affordable, zippy, perfectly balanced,
| convertible, charming, fun beyond belief in the corners). Doing
| so allowed them to make a mid engine convertible sports car,
| using just use the engine from a Corolla, meaning repairs are
| cheap and rare (once you or the original owner solve the oil-
| burning issue the engines are known for). There's something so
| refreshing about design that doesn't try at all to appeal to
| anyone but the target market, and does everything possible to
| appeal to them in every way that matters.
|
| - SSH. The moment I first used passwordless ssh to run commands
| on a game server across the room from me was the moment I truly
| fell in love with computing.
|
| - Rust. I won't beat a dead horse, but the borrow checker was a
| real lightbulb moment for me in programming, and finally
| established an understanding of memory management and strong
| typing that has served me well even in other languages since.
|
| - Thinkpad x220. The keyboard and the Linux compatibility alone
| were enough to convince me - the simple determined dependability
| has grown my love more and more over time.
|
| - Nasal strips. Such a simple but clever little design to solve a
| host of pretty insidious air intake issues.
|
| - Bass Ukulele. Being able to take a fully functional bass guitar
| on a plane as a carry-on is a transformative change. Helps too
| that they're fun as all heck to plunk on.
|
| - Magic: The Gathering, especially the original Ravnica block.
| The beauty, intricacy, and depth of the design has brought me to
| tears more than once.
|
| - Team Fortress 2. Same, minus the tears and plus a lot of
| hootin' and hollerin'.
|
| - Kinesis Advantage2 keyboard. The physical design an instant
| halt to my wrist pain from typing all day. It being so
| configurable is a delightful plus.
|
| - DrinkMate/SodaStream. Cheap, plentiful, easy carbonation in the
| home has helped keep this fella sober for years.
|
| - Fellow gooseneck electric kettle. No frills, no gimmicks, just
| set the temperature, set the timer when you're ready, and pour.
|
| - Loaded Bhangra longboard. Another example of sacrificing what
| you don't need (convenience, maneuverability) for what you want
| (immaculate balance and foot feel for dancing).
|
| - Sony PSP. The degree to which it was ahead of its time still
| staggers me. I had an entire library of every NES and SNES games,
| plus a music player, plus an internet browser, all in my pocket
| in 2006. I still believe that if Sony had embraced instead of
| fought 3rd party applications, they would have taken over the
| world.
|
| Honorable mentions: Marimekko backpack, Rotring mechanical
| pencils, the Shinkansen, the Taiwanese and Japanese traditional
| train systems, air-inflated blood flow restriction bands, vanilla
| rotation barbells, and the Kensington Expert Mouse with the ball
| and the 4 buttons.
|
| Also many, many many many examples of evolved design in nature
| (birds, rats, succulents) and natural languages. I'm thinking in
| particular of the tone system of the Taiwanese dialect of Hokkien
| (there are obviously many others, that's just the one I know),
| which seems unintuitive to the extreme to an outsider but allows
| for an incredible density of information and for allowing you to
| know at any moment in a spoken sentence when a clause ends,
| without the need for a pause.
| thecupisblue wrote:
| >Loaded Bhangra longboard
|
| As someone who loves dancing and skating, this is mindblowing,
| I need this. Thanks for the recommendations!
| MrAwesome wrote:
| Oh, and of course: Super Smash Bros. Melee, whose bugs & quirks
| led to the most transcendent and buttery smooth movement system
| imaginable.
| blockwriter wrote:
| Team Fortress 2 and the contents of my iPod circa my junior
| year of high school is a 1:1 substitute for heroin for me.
| lukaszkups wrote:
| Surface Book 2 - gosh, it has been 3 years since I own this thing
| and I'm still amazed about the hinge design.
|
| Surface Duo - while it has tons of flaws on the software level,
| it looks like a sci-fi device because of how slim it is!
| nazgulnarsil wrote:
| Pilot Parallel pens
|
| Gerber Suspension
|
| Geekey
|
| Sanrenmu clone of a kershaw Cryo with no spring loaded flipping
| (I consider it dangerous)
|
| Nalgene water bottle, I wrapped mine in cloth tape and it serves
| as a foam roller
|
| Concept 2 erg
|
| Mealsquares
|
| ...weird pick: Core Transformation by Connierae Andreas. After
| experimenting with a dozen different therapy modalities it blew
| them all out of the water.
| speedbird wrote:
| https://www.nichecoffee.co.uk/
|
| Very thoughtful design and execution.
| Eric_WVGG wrote:
| I'm not a knife fetishist or anything, but a weird number of my
| favorite household items are edged things.
|
| I grabbed a Global 12" chef's knife after reading about it in
| Kitchen Confidential twenty-ish years ago, reminded of its
| superiority whenever I'm in a friend's kitchen. I am sad to admit
| that IKEA makes a very decent clone, though.
|
| An old nemesis gave me a Benchmade serrated knife with this
| miraculous spring-button release, absolute joy to handle.
|
| I used to tie fishing flies in Montana as a kid; fly-tying
| scissors are fantastically sharp and useful for all kinds of
| micro projects. I often use them for extracting slivers that
| tweezers can't reach. For macro work, nothing beats a pair of
| sewing shears; get a decent set and you'll never touch a standard
| office or school scissor ever again.
|
| Oxo scissors for the kitchen, though -- the blades comes apart so
| you can clean the space between the hinge, lotta gross stuff will
| build up there in the kitchen.
| Eric_WVGG wrote:
| The best bicycle lights ever made are the Sparse anti-theft
| lights. Unfortunately their business didn't pan out, but you
| can find some remainders here and there on eBay.
|
| The current best lights are the Knog cobblers. They have three
| drawbacks: dismal battery, usb-a, and easy to remove (thus easy
| to steal). I'm hoping that an inevitable "rev 2" will solve the
| first two problems.
| Eric_WVGG wrote:
| A now-defunct company called BuiltNYC used to make the best
| minimal laptop backpack. Fortunately, Chinese knockoffs exist.
| Wonderful for jogging or cycling.
| https://www.amazon.com/Notebook-Backpacks-Lightweight-Busine...
| Eric_WVGG wrote:
| I got to handle a Leica Q2 fixed lens camera today. I don't
| know much but about photography, but the build quality of that
| thing... it puts my new 16" M1 MacBook Pro to shame.
|
| Also the Microsoft Elite game controller is just bewilderingly
| nice to handle.
| oblib wrote:
| For me it would be mostly tools I've used that come to mind.
|
| In the random order I thought of them here are a few that stand
| out:
|
| Miller 35s Mig Welder, Victor Cutting Torch, Mac Mini, Vise
| Grips, Suzuki Samurai 4x4, 1985 Toyota Pickup 4x4, LED
| Flashlight, Handheld compass, Handheld Garmin GPS with Maps,
| BBedit, Beverly Shear, Super Cat Alcohol Stove, Raspberry Pi,
| Lancaster Metal Shrinker/Stretcher.
| brightball wrote:
| Leatherman Skeletool
|
| Potato peeler
| nikivi wrote:
| https://linear.app is great. I list all sites I love here:
| https://wiki.nikitavoloboev.xyz/design/design-inspiration#we...
| rmujica wrote:
| Great collection! Thanks for sharing
| johnx123-up wrote:
| Since you've mentioned Linear, I'd add Restya Core. It has many
| interesting features. (Disclosure: I was on their private beta)
| reayn wrote:
| Is this made by the same people who made
| https://www.raycast.com/?
|
| The website design seems uncannily similar.
| nikivi wrote:
| Different teams I believe. I think Raycast team uses Linear
| for issues and I am sure they inspire each other.
|
| Raycast has Linear as one of the core extensions it lists:
| https://www.raycast.com/extensions/linear/
| voz_ wrote:
| I've said this before, but happy to write it over and over. One
| of the co-founders was my old EM at Uber. He's as sharp as they
| get, and very kind and humble to boot. If you are looking to
| support companies started by people that are definitively Not
| Jerks, check this one out.
| blt wrote:
| Mastrad silicone spatula. It's such a massive improvement over an
| old two-piece rubber spatula.
| t8e56vd4ih wrote:
| The VapCap fromm DynaVap for vaping weed. I use a Ti-Woodie
| Cocobolo for several years now. it's very robust, very simple,
| easy to maintain and clean and hands down the best vaporizer for
| small doses, absolutely efficient. I use about 0.02g for a
| session. That wouldn't be possible with almost any other
| vaporizer without. and you get everything out of the weed. also
| it's reasonably priced.
| fangirlos wrote:
| MacOSx the software and Mac laptops
| ioseph wrote:
| My Stanley no. 5 handplane. It's so simple in design but
| absolutely brilliant at doing its job, so solidly built ( I got
| it second hand I believe it's at least 15 years old).
|
| And there's just something about it's refined heft that makes it
| a pleasurable object to hold.
| saalweachter wrote:
| The 2019 Volt dispensed with the five position climate control
| dial in favor of three toggle buttons, finally allowing me to
| select "everything" or "defrost and panel".
| szemy2 wrote:
| Airplanes
| new_guy wrote:
| A Fanta bottle ( https://i.imgur.com/TVZBewX.jpg )
|
| The shape makes it really easy to hold compared to other soda
| bottles.
| throwawayboise wrote:
| 12" Mac PowerBook G4
| OccamsRazr wrote:
| 20+ year old farm equipment. They are easy to use, simple to
| maintain, often repairable by the farmer on-site (with perhaps a
| trip to the store to buy a small part). I often found myself
| marvelling at the complex things that could be achieved by an
| arrangement of gears, such as the contraption on a square baler
| that wraps the bale with two pieces of twine and ties two
| perfectly tensioned knots that will hold the hay together in that
| shape for years.
| dendrite9 wrote:
| Is this still true, or is it 20 years from when you started
| thinking about how good things used to be? I ask because
| somewhere in there I assume there is a period where ICs were
| introduced but all the kinks might not have been worked out. It
| maybe that I have the time scales wrong myself though.
| pvillano wrote:
| perhaps it takes 20 years to determine if something will last
| forever
| langcalvin wrote:
| I'll go a game route: Mario Kart. It's just so perfect. All of
| them from the SNES to the Switch.
|
| I've played countless hours and never get bored. The level
| designs are all so interesting and unique I find myself
| discovering something new every time. It's social and I've seen
| it dominate dinner parties.
| jansan wrote:
| While reading your comment I could hear my son having a blast
| with his friends downstairs playing Mario Cart :)
| GhettoComputers wrote:
| I disagree. You can game it by being last in place to get the
| best items, being first you'll get nothing but bananas or a
| green shell.
| smt88 wrote:
| This is a fascinating response, partly because of how
| passionately I disagree.
|
| I loved Mario Kart for SNES and N64.
|
| After that, Nintendo seemed to have no idea what people even
| liked about the games.
|
| They added more characters, more cars, and more level
| interference, meaning that you were competing less and less on
| skill.
|
| Worse, your choices for character and car could have enormous
| and difficult to predict effects on your performance.
|
| After the N64 game, I found that series to be astonishingly
| boring. My one friend who enjoys it can't find anyone to play
| it with him.
| client4 wrote:
| I'd second this; the N64 version still took skill. I also
| can't place my finger on it but modern version NPCs feel
| worse as well.
| maxerickson wrote:
| Nintendo sees them as kids games, hence the effort to balance
| things.
| mitemte wrote:
| MK64 was the first MK game I played. Having played titles
| proceeding it, I feel that MK Wii and MK8 are more balanced.
| MK64 has horrible rubber banding. It's to the point where
| your level of skill can mean nothing if you make one costly
| error.
|
| MK64 character driving attributes also vary, but the
| character select screen doesn't inform players of this http:/
| /tasvideos.org/GameResources/N64/MarioKart64.html#Driv...
| smt88 wrote:
| > _It's to the point where your level of skill can mean
| nothing if you make one costly error._
|
| But usually you're playing with people who are not experts
| at the game, so they also make 0-1 costly errors per lap.
| It's hard to find someone who makes no errors.
|
| Most items also favor the people who aren't first or last,
| so there's a chance those will change the outcome.
|
| > _MK64 character driving attributes also vary, but the
| character select screen doesn't inform players of this_
|
| This is true, but you can explain the differences easily
| and they're fairly intuitive (because they're all based on
| size).
| joeyjojo wrote:
| I wish Nintendo would just give us a decent battle mode, with
| the N64 levels.
| johnwalkr wrote:
| Good one! Also gives better items to slower players which is a
| very fun way to level the playing field.
|
| Just don't try the ride at Universal Studios Japan. It's a
| complete disappointment. It's just a slow-moving ride, plus
| Hololens.
| tootie wrote:
| The perfect game for me is Tetris on the original Gameboy. The
| ergonomics of the controls and form factor were so perfect.
| They fit into the neurons of a human brain like, uh, a Tetris
| piece.
| adjkant wrote:
| I'd offer Pokemon as a contender, though I love both games. Not
| to mention the switch itself, the gameboy color, GBA, so many
| things
|
| Really the note here is Nintendo know how to design.
| swah wrote:
| Less frustrating: havaianas flip flops, stairs, elevators, car,
| toothbrush, pencil, mechanical pencil, roller pens, cups and
| silverware.
|
| More frustrating: Linux on the desktop
| sdeframond wrote:
| A good old Opinel knife. Simple. Robust. Efficient.
|
| https://www.opinel.com/
| [deleted]
| mikewarot wrote:
| Turbo Pascal 7, then Borland Delphi 5 were the most productive
| programming environments ever. Very few bugs, wicked fast, and
| full proper documentation.
|
| Nothing since comes even close.
| Havoc wrote:
| Yeah plus in 5 you could still follow the source of the
| included libraries. I'm 6 the concealed them somehow
| baash05 wrote:
| I remember VS 2000.. That was a game changer as an IDE for me.
| Though yeah borland c++ was great too. Even metroworks for
| palm. Back when IDE's did their job, out of the box.
| Terry_Roll wrote:
| Is that a little dig at Topspeed's/Softvelocity's Clarion? ;-)
| fm77 wrote:
| ...in terms of software, yes, Turbo Pascal is - at least for me
| - one of the finest software ever created... 20 years ago I
| reverse engineered the command line compiler BPC.EXE, 80kB of
| code, 40kB data, absolutely mindblowing whats in there. A
| masterpiece of software which should be open sourced (never
| going to happen...) Anyway, thank you Mr. Anders Hejlsberg for
| Turbo Pascal!
| black_13 wrote:
| God they were good.
| yesenadam wrote:
| Not sure how similar they are, maybe extremely, but I really
| loved Borland C++ Builder 4. Making GUI apps was so painless.
|
| I tried XCode but it was so complicated to do anything I gave
| up after a couple of weeks of reading docs.
| mikewarot wrote:
| I looked at the C++ version, but after you built a form, and
| started hooking up events, there was orders of magnitude more
| boilerplate code staring you in the face, and it wasn't
| something that you could edit without breaking things.
|
| In pascal, you could edit the form, or the source, and
| nothing broke. There were also far fewer lines of code
| required to do something.
| yesenadam wrote:
| Well, I've nothing to compare it with, but I never needed
| to look at most of the boilerplate, (wasn't it in the
| header, which I never looked at? I think I looked at the
| pages of boilerplate once ever), could just make any
| necessary changes in the Object Inspector. Never had
| problems breaking stuff, maybe because I made changes that
| way. In fact I realized some time later that I'd been
| writing C! Like the person who realized they'd been talking
| prose all their life. Now (sometimes) I just write in C,
| never C++.
|
| p.s. I started (after BASIC) with Turbo Pascal, in the 80s.
| That was so awesome for its day.
| joeyjojo wrote:
| Synthstrom Deluge. https://synthstrom.com/product/deluge/
|
| I had an OP-1 for a number of years but I could never progress
| beyond 2-4 bar loops. When I bought my Deluge I made a full track
| in my first two hours with it, and I was pretty proud of it. I
| own a number of groove boxes now, but have only ever managed to
| completed tracks on my Deluge.
| garfieldnate wrote:
| My Casio GW-9600 electronic dictionary [1] was an amazing help in
| learning Japanese. It's perfectly optimized for quick word
| lookup: it boots from sleep instantly, the definitions are
| previewed as you type words, it has a full physical keyboard, and
| the screen is large but low-power so it rarely ever runs out of
| battery. The metal frame also makes it durable to falls on
| cement, etc. The content was, of course, also huge, almost
| guaranteeing that every word I searched for would be there. Well
| worth the money. I'm sad that the newer models became much
| slower; when you have to look up hundreds of words a day, there's
| a big difference between 5 seconds and .5 seconds.
|
| My favorite dictionary app is a Thai one from word-in-the-hand
| and Paiboon [2]. The dictionary data is quite extensive, and
| includes linked categories like "food", "pronoun", "geography",
| "counter", etc. Tapping on the category tags takes you to other
| words of the same category (great for studying, say, restaurant
| vocab) and also to articles that teach you Thai via phrases and
| cultural info, and to grammatical explanations for, e.g. counters
| or prepositions. On top of all that, it supports several
| romanization schemes and includes baked-in information to help
| you learn to read the Thai orthography. It's a fantastic
| combination of extensive dictionary with good information for
| learners. Plus it has a (limited) export feature, which is
| something that Ex-Word never supported (except for if you bought
| special hardware to export to).
|
| [1] http://gakuran.com/casio-ex-word-xd-gw9600/ [2] https://word-
| in-the-hand.com/thai-dictionary/
| kleopullin wrote:
| Zeiss Axio Imager research grade upright light microscope with
| DIC, phase contrast, and fluorescence. It's easy to use without
| training if you've had at least a high school or college bio
| course with a real microscope. It's stable and sturdy, the lenses
| rotate into position with a lovely stop, the stage moves
| steadily, the lenses are fantastic. All the microscopy perks are
| there, but just the way the basics are assembled into an
| instrument make it a gem, from focusing the eyepieces, to
| focusing the image, centering the stage, aligning the beam in the
| optical axis, inserting prisms or filters. It reminds me of my 40
| year old Husqvarna sewing machine, built solid and heavy and
| designed to be used with controls to be handled.
| tjalfi wrote:
| The Nack Pro utility knife[0][1] is a great tool; it's easy to
| operate one-handed and is virtually indestructible. The handle
| contains 30 blades in a rotating magazine; you change blades by
| rotating the base of the handle. I bought one in the early 2000s
| and it will probably last me the rest of my life.
|
| [0] https://toolmonger.com/2008/12/08/utility-knife-revolver/
|
| [1] https://www.ebay.com/itm/324381893450
| wrycoder wrote:
| A step up from the cheap plastic units with the snap-off
| blades, but if you want to cut linoleum or do some similar
| heavy task, try this:
|
| https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HVYSSW/ref=ppx_yo_dt...
| ivanech wrote:
| Mamiya 7 camera. It is ergonomically great, especially
| considering its size and large film area (6x7). Good shutter
| button with a lock.
|
| Its 65mm lens is amazing to use - the edges line up almost
| perfectly with the massive rangefinder window, so it's like
| taking a picture of what one eye sees. This is great because I
| believe the best images are the ones that look like seeing, that
| make it seem as if beauty is commonplace.
| lostlogin wrote:
| The Langstroth beehive.
|
| The parts are cheap, interchangeable, work with the bees and are
| pretty obvious in the wet, the dark and to a beginner.
| jet_32951 wrote:
| HP41C, s/n 2018A00505. Had it since the early 1980s, still works.
| PPC ROM still works.
| hackertux wrote:
| - Palmer Monicon passive monitor controller
|
| https://www.palmer-germany.com/en/products/studio-monitors-a...
|
| - Olight Javelot Turbo
|
| https://olightworld.com/olight-javelot-turbo
|
| - Dirt cheap backpack with a Puma logo, extremely light and
| virtually indestructible.
|
| - Honourable mentions: Seasonic PSU, Fuji X100F and a Casio
| SL-807A solar powered pocket calculator.
|
| http://www.calcuseum.com/SCRAPBOOK/BONUS/63572/1.htm
| ycombinete wrote:
| How do you use the Monicon?
| jpgvm wrote:
| I'm an avid collector of Japanese chef knives. They are not only
| beautiful but design of each of the distinct blade shapes have
| been honed over hundreds of years for usability. Using a knife
| for the job it was designed for is a very pleasurable experience.
| efitz wrote:
| My 2000 model year BMW M roadster.
|
| Not counting the radio, the car had a tiny number of buttons and
| switches- window up/down, headlight knob, and 5 buttons. There
| was nothing extraneous or redundant. There were no door lock
| buttons- the lock indicator was the button to lock the door, and
| the door open handle was the unlock button.
|
| Also, every darn control in the car was exactly where it was
| supposed to be. It's hard to describe it, but even from the very
| first time sitting in the car, I never had to search or guess how
| to operate anything. I would think about needing to do something,
| put my hand where I thought the control would be, and there it
| was.
|
| I've never had a machine delight me like that car in its
| simplicity and elegance of design.
| Peanuts99 wrote:
| I'd like to throw in my 2000 VW Golf MK4. Was the last model
| they made before the design turned all bubble like. All the
| interior controls were actual buttons and knobs and had a good
| feel to them. Probably one of the last cars to have glass
| headlights that don't get plastic corrosion too.
| drdunce wrote:
| cars used to be so well designed. you never had to look down at
| a screen to see what was going on, it was just there, at your
| finger tips. You could tell what gear you were in, if the
| handbrake, lights, indicators were on/off or virtually anything
| without taking your eyes off the road for even a second. The
| interface had evolved with everything being exactly where it
| ought to be. When you changed it it made a reassuring clunk so
| that you knew. Now it seems like everyone is reconfiguring the
| keymappings on a 90s flight simulator while they're driving.
| IshKebab wrote:
| The really annoying thing is that now they have touchscreen
| computers but you still need some proprietary hardware tool
| to fix software problems in the car. Why do no cars expose
| debug info / service tools in their UIs?
|
| My Skoda has an issue with headlight levelling and I'm pretty
| sure it just needs some kind of software reset or
| recalibration but they just don't let you. Infuriating!
| papertokyo wrote:
| This is why I desperately hope that manufacturers don't
| follow Tesla's example of putting everything in a digital UI.
| It makes sense when you have a limited amount of space in
| which to support infinite uses (e.g. a smartphone) but not in
| something like a car where having dedicated, tactile controls
| is both a safety benefit and a more enjoyable user
| experience.
| wiredfool wrote:
| Along the same lines, my '90 Miata.
|
| I left it behind when I moved to Europe a few years back and
| it's one of the few things that I miss.
| znpy wrote:
| some random things without thinking too much:
|
| - my regular Bialetti moka
|
| - my texas instruments ti-86 (still rocking strong since 1997)
|
| - thinkpads: T42, X220, w530, T440... they're just great.
|
| - my wenger/swissgear carbon backpack
|
| EDIT: actually my regular bialetti moka is replacing an induction
| moka (still from bialetti) because the induction moka is hard to
| open (due to the round base).
| sam_lowry_ wrote:
| T440 had abysmally bad screens
| znpy wrote:
| The overall design is nice though.
| CommieBobDole wrote:
| IBM Model M keyboard. Great to type on, just works.
|
| Built June 2, 1987. I've been typing on it for 20 years myself,
| never had any problems except issues with the third-party USB
| converter not playing nice with some KVM hardware. And I guess
| the time I spilled coffee in it.
| quercusa wrote:
| Mine's from June 10th 1987 - they may have been on the same
| pallet. If you've only spilled coffee in it _once_ you must
| live a charmed life!
| Aeolun wrote:
| I'm a great fan of my reMarkable 2.
|
| I'm also a great fan of my (Japanese) unit bathroom control
| panels. I can set the shower and bath temperature to a specific
| number, automatically fill my bath to a specified level with the
| press of a button, have it keep the bath at temperature, let me
| know when it's full when I'm in the living room.
|
| It's glorious. Every time I'm staying anywhere overseas I cannot
| believe I'm back to fiddling with a hot and cold tap again.
| dhosek wrote:
| Are these Japanese control panels available in the us?
| gautamcgoel wrote:
| Yeah I want to know this too.
| jfrd wrote:
| The Kershaw Leek pocket knife. Flips open one-handed and makes a
| satisfying "snick". I've used mine daily for 5 years.
|
| https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009VC9YK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_...
| quercusa wrote:
| I've the similar Kershaw 'Tactical' Blur for 12 years; they are
| great knives.
| samsolomon wrote:
| Have had the exact same Kershaw knife for about the same period
| of time. It's my go-to for opening boxes and things around the
| house. It's a great product.
| nullwarp wrote:
| Kershaw Skyline for me, been my favorite go to knife forever.
|
| Even lost it for a couple of years in the yard until the
| chickens dug it up one day and I just cleaned it up and it was
| as good as new.
| raz32dust wrote:
| Google flights is fantastic. Don't know if it is "the best-
| designed thing I've ever used", but it is on top of my mind as I
| just used it yesterday. Google doesn't get enough credit for the
| things that they did do well - including Search and Maps.
|
| Another is Macbooks - the pre-2015 ones at least. I haven't used
| the latest M1 ones, which I hear great things about. The Aluminum
| body, the flawless screen, magsafe, great sound - there is so
| many things I love about Macbook hardware. Such a beautiful
| marriage of form and function.
| kyawzazaw wrote:
| You can add this Google Flights Leg Room extension on Chrome to
| see legroom on each flight too.
|
| https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/legrooms-for-googl...
| newsbinator wrote:
| One incredibly irritating thing about Google Flights is it
| ignores and overrides my currency settings every time. And
| often my language settings too. At least on Safari. No
| combination of being logged into Google and selecting the
| currency in the sidebar will result in the currency, rather
| than the local currency, being set for next visit. That means
| every single use of Google flights involves going to the
| sidebar to set currency, either first or more likely upon
| searching.
| bellyfullofbac wrote:
| One time I was in a foreign country but looking for hotels on
| Google Maps for a future weekend getaway in my home country.
| Despite being logged in and Google having my home address,
| and with each account needing a country to comply with
| differing data protection laws, it was still showing me
| prices for hotels in my home country in the foreign country's
| currency. Helpful? Not!
| hermitcrab wrote:
| Still using my ~10 year old MacbookPro pretty much every day.
| The little plastic feet have fallen off and I'm on my second
| power adapter (and that is looking a bit ropey), otherwise it
| still works great.
| tim333 wrote:
| You can get new feet for not much on ebay https://www.ebay.co
| m/itm/174018177659?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&has...
| hermitcrab wrote:
| I tried replacement 'feet'. They fell off as well. ;o)
| fredophile wrote:
| For flights I've never found a site that was better than
| hipmunk.com. its a shame they shut it down.
| wildrhythms wrote:
| I have multiple close family members who are still using the
| old Magsafe Macbook Airs. I ask them every year if they want to
| upgrade to a newer model, and they decline, they just love the
| laptop. I replaced the battery in each one to the OWC upgraded
| battery kit.
| auraham wrote:
| New MacBooks seem to be good again, especially the model with
| MagSafe. However, non-replaceable SSDs is a big deal for me. I
| know that a MacBook can have a long life span, but I'm not sure
| how long its SSD will work with any issues.
| Misdicorl wrote:
| I must disagree with you on maps. Google maps is a fantastic
| geographic aware search.
|
| It is a horrific map. On any given screen there is an 80%
| chance that the major road I'm interested in is not labeled.
| Finding the name of a relevant cross street is a nightmare.
|
| I feel like it used to be better. Way better. I think the map
| aspect has been dropped entirely as a real feature now that
| they supply directions (search) primarily instead.
| djmips wrote:
| I agree with this 100%. And there needs to be something in
| the design to allow you to zoom the text size. It's comical
| to witness myself trying to read too small text and
| reflexively zooming only to have the same sized font.
| systemvoltage wrote:
| I didn't know how badly I would like to see this until now.
| I love static-ness in UIs.
| clusterfish wrote:
| Honorary mention to altitude level labels in terrain mode.
| They're like one millimeter tall on mobile, and not much
| better on desktop.
| wanderingstan wrote:
| Agreed. As my eyesight has gotten worse, I rely more and
| more on being able to do a quick pinch-to-zoom to read
| small type. Ironically, this pushes me away from native
| apps and onto the mobile browser!
| johnwalkr wrote:
| Even worse, it seems almost random which zoom levels have
| text. Often, especially for train line and station names,
| zooming in makes the text disappear!
| sam_lowry_ wrote:
| Use OsmAnd~ for lots of options and Guru maps for easy
| handling.
|
| Both based on OSM, of course.
| raffraffraff wrote:
| I have OSM and Google maps installed. If I'm trying to
| navigate to a specific town or street, I'll use OSM because
| it's "just a map" that isn't trying to sell me shit. But if
| I'm looking for a business (restaurant, shop etc) I'll always
| use Google Maps because they're trying to sell me shit, and
| because OSM is absolutely pitiful in this regard.
|
| I have tried to help out here by adding business in my area
| but the process of slow. Not sure who is in charge of
| approvals. Google, on the other hand, almost defaults
| businesses to being on the map even when they don't want to
| be. (My wife ruins a small business that doesn't have a
| bricks and mortar store - it's just online. Since it's
| registered to our home address, she absolutely didn't want it
| in Google Maps, but it took a good bit of clicking to get it
| _off_ the map. Hence, they 're reliable A.F. for finding
| businesses, even if they don't want to be found
| mormegil wrote:
| > I have tried to help out here by adding business in my
| area but the process of slow. Not sure who is in charge of
| approvals.
|
| There are no approvals at all. After you submit your
| changeset, it's in the primary public database. Some
| relatively short time after that, the affected tiles are
| rerendered and the change is visible on the main map layer
| (Mapnik) on openstreetmap.org. But if you use an
| application (e.g. OsmAnd) or some third-party map rendering
| (e.g. by Mapbox), the changes might take quite some time to
| get there.
| briga wrote:
| Have you tried the alternatives?
| hn_throwaway_99 wrote:
| If the alternatives include "Google Maps from about 6 years
| ago", then yes, yes I have.
|
| I don't really fault Google that much for their design
| decisions here, as Maps have really morphed into "Local
| Search", which makes sense for most use cases, but I agree
| with the GP, if you are just, for example, wanting to look
| at a map of a new area (i.e. not where you live), I think
| Maps is worse than it was some years ago.
| [deleted]
| [deleted]
| grech wrote:
| I just got an M1 Macbook Air this week to replace my 2014
| Macbook Pro. Performance is cool (lots has already been
| documented about that), but the battery life is on another
| level. Charged it on 4 days ago and after about 7 hours of use,
| it's still at 48% at the time of writing this post. Ditto to
| what you said about "a beautiful marriage of form and
| function".
| hvgk wrote:
| Yep they are damn near perfect. I love mine.
| simplezeal wrote:
| Typing from M1 MBA I picked this weekend. I don't think I
| enjoyed any device since 2012 MBA so much. Love keyboard,
| unlock by watch, portability, and unparalleled battery life.
| Screen is a compromise (coming from 2019 MBP 16") but I am
| okay with that.
| dukeofdoom wrote:
| These are the best products I've used in the last decade:
|
| 1. 2013 Macbook - Still us it. Though bought the new m1 today.
|
| 2. Pelican Kayak - Special edition for costco (has detachable
| bags). Probably not the best kayak. But at $300, probably the
| funnest thing I've purchase per $ spent. I've explored so many
| places with it; beautiful, sublime places filled with birds and
| wildlife. Super fun. 70% of the world is water.
|
| 3. K2 Rollerblades - Hate running, but rollerblading feels like a
| superpower
|
| 4. Delonghi Expresso machine + Oat milk.
|
| 5. Sony FDRx3000. Like a Gopro, but better. Though now badly
| needs an update.
|
| 6. DJI drones.
|
| Best deal ever: All you can jet pass from BluJet. Flew around the
| world for $600 for a month. (plus some minor fees).
| fdiskl wrote:
| thule chariot bike trailer
| scotty79 wrote:
| Macromedia Fireworks. UI was better than any other graphics
| program I tried, ever.
| steve_adams_86 wrote:
| You're not kidding. I loved that application. I started my
| career with it!
| JaggerJo wrote:
| TS-100 Soldering Iron.
| programmarchy wrote:
| Loom is fantastic for quickly creating and sharing desktop
| screencasts. I use it frequently to demo features to clients, or
| make recordings to supplement a question or comment for
| colleagues.
| micro_cam wrote:
| Knipex Plier Wrenches ... so much better than an adjustable
| wrench and useful for all sorts of small tasks beyond bolts.
|
| Park AWS-1 three way hex wrench. Makes working on bikes so much
| faster.
|
| Dynafit Ski Touring Bindings... the patent has expired and there
| are loads of copy's based on the original idea now but they
| changed the sport of ski touring in a way that can't be
| overstated. (tlt5/6 boots and now the scarpa alien rs are up
| there too as well as modern powder skis)
|
| Petzl Nomic Ice Tools. Again much imitated but they way they work
| with the human body to make climbing ice (or rock) easier was
| revolutionary and is something you can feel just by picking them
| up.
|
| Leica M6 - or m series in general. what if we made a camera from
| a squished piece of pipe.
| ISL wrote:
| <looks up micro_cam>
|
| HillMap -- I use it all the time; it just works.
|
| :).
|
| (Also, pintech-bindings are the best. They changed the course
| of my life. The TLT5/6 design is sublime as long as you're not
| scrambling in talus.)
| micro_cam wrote:
| Hah thanks! Unfortunately hillmap is in a semi defunct state.
| Most of the apis that made it work are gone or really
| expensive and i haven't had time to make my own replacements.
| dendrite9 wrote:
| Oh man! Thank you so much, It is hard to convey how much I
| have used hillmap. I just had to check in and make sure the
| site was still up. Anytime I want to roughly get a sense of
| distance it is my first and only thought, from planning
| offtrail backpacking and ski trips, to trying to figure out
| how far I ran on a given day, or trying to talk my
| girlfriend into swimming various point to point routes.
|
| I'd say of the pin bindings the race style are the ones I
| think of when I admire the design.
| micro_cam wrote:
| Thanks! It is all almost all client side and easy to keep
| hosted but the elevation and slope stuff has stoped
| working. If you or anyone on here wants to figure out a
| cheap alternative to the google elevation service and
| slope angle layers and wire them in let me know.
|
| Yeah the original u spring design now used in race
| bindings is classic (I use afk trofeos now) but really it
| is the boot binding interface that is important and
| remarkably versatile/long lived.
| dhosek wrote:
| In high school, I occasionally used my grandfather's M3. That
| was one damned fine camera. Some great glass too.
|
| The telephoto lens was great for sports photography because I
| could see the activity outside the frame with the viewfinder.
| corinroyal wrote:
| Redwing boots with a steel shank and toe cap. Totally
| indestructable, classic styling. Once broken in they conform to
| your foot shape to provide amazing support, comfort, and
| protection from puncture or crushing. They are American made, and
| the town is gorgeous.
| convolvatron wrote:
| ech. I used to wear redwings. i could only get a year or two
| out of them.
|
| I've been switching off between two pairs of wescos for 20
| years now and while one of them is finally about to go, the
| second one is still in solid shape.
| dmoy wrote:
| This is a cop-out answer, but:
|
| EvapoRust
|
| It's not a "thing" that was "designed", insofar as it really is
| just a specific chemical solvent.
|
| But god damn it's some black magic stuff.
| tamade wrote:
| HP 12C. The best RPN calculator ever created. Mine is over 20
| years old and still going strong.
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-12C
| djmips wrote:
| I got a 16C from my father as graduation gift and almost 40
| years later I still use it.
| timonoko wrote:
| I like the wick-based kerosene stove the Chinese have recently
| invented. Pressure-based kerosene stoves can be really difficult
| with some old fuel you got from rusty barrel in Eskimo village.
| And they are dangerous too.
|
| Wick-based works like a lamp, but with 8 wick. Very clever
| burning chamber makes it burn with blue flame. Probably works
| equally well with any kind of oil, example diesel.
| beforge wrote:
| usb untill version 3
| japhyr wrote:
| If you split your own firewood by hand, a Fiskars splitting axe
| is insanely better than any standard splitting maul you'd find in
| a typical hardware store: https://www.fiskars.com/en-
| us/gardening-and-yard-care/produc...
|
| For mechanical pencils, the Rotring 600 is the best thing I've
| ever written with: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AZWYUA4/
| djsbs wrote:
| As a pencil enthusiast, I love the rotring 600. I have two. I
| also loved rotring's Tikky 1 (not the subsequent ones)
|
| Other great pen/pencil:
|
| - Pentel Ortez. I have the 3 mm and, if used properly, the lead
| wont break
|
| - Zebra delguard. Also wont break. I have it in 0.5 mm
|
| - Rotring's artpen. My favorite fountain pen, but it appears
| discontinued :S
| patentatt wrote:
| I'm about to blow your mind: https://www.kindlingcracker.com/
| ElCapitanMarkla wrote:
| A young kiwi girl Ayla Hutchinson designed that when she was
| only 13 years old -
| https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1222-ayla-
| hutchins... pretty cool seeing something like that get to
| market
| minikomi wrote:
| Do you think their shorter axe (n12) would be good to take bike
| camping?
| hutzlibu wrote:
| Unless you want to make a fort at night, I really would not
| bring an axe along. Finding firewood for a campfire is
| usually not a problem.
|
| But a too heavy bike is.
|
| I did it bike camping a lot and my advice is, only bring what
| you absolutely need. Without extra burden, everything is much
| more enjoyable and you will have more energy to reach the
| nice spots.
| jcims wrote:
| X11 or X7 would probably be a bit lighter and more durable. I
| know its 'plastic' but I've beat the shit out of mine for 15
| years and it hasn't loosened up at all. Wood handles get
| finicky in the elements. The Fiskar plastic handles are
| hollow, too, you might be able to pack a flint kit up in
| there for energency use.
|
| Something like an Eastwing is goong to be a better chopper,
| but these will split better. Both are useful.
| tomcooks wrote:
| To bike camp bring a small foldable saw, so instead of
| spending 1+ hour splitting wood after a long riding day you
| can spend that time enjoying camping
|
| I have a carpenter axe which is very compact and somewhat
| lightweight, but gave it up because I never had to use it
| speedcoder wrote:
| Link?
| gkfasdfasdf wrote:
| Any advice on technique with the splitting axe? Use the same
| way as the maul?
| jcims wrote:
| So happy to see the Fiskars mentioned. Grew up with farmers
| in the midwest US but love my fancy little splitter hitter
| from across the pond.
|
| I find a subtle lift on the handle right at the end of the
| stroke, almost like a whipping action, seems to help a
| little. It may be in my head, but it seems to stick less.
|
| Use the full length of the handle, the horn at the end
| provides a positive grip and you get more speed.
|
| On large rounds don't start in the very center, bisect the
| round but start near near the far rim so the crack is only
| supported on one side and has a better chance to propagate
| through the length of the round. Work your way back towards
| you and repeat if needed.
|
| Always focus on where your strike lands. Most smaller logs
| will be one hitters but aim precisely anyway. On larger
| rounds stitch strikes together in one continuous line across
| the face. Don't get sloppy, if you're more than an 1/8" off
| left or right hit it again. Repeat across until she gives.
| Precision beats percussion.
|
| Set your rounds on top of the biggest round you can find when
| splitting. This flattens the contact (tip #1) and the large
| round below provides some inertial resistance. Splitting
| directly on the ground provides more bounce, reducing
| effectiveness, and the bit gets dulled by contact with dirt
| and rocks.
|
| Keep the cover, its durable, provides a great hanging handle.
| The blade doesn't need to be razor sharp like you would want
| with a cutting axe, but it should be sharp and clean.
| Toutouxc wrote:
| > start near near the far rim so the crack is only
| supported on one side
|
| I have no professional background, so maybe I'm totally
| wrong, but I would advise against that, because if you aim
| a bit too far or the wood gives too easily, most of the
| impact will be against the haft instead of the head, and
| the haft can break this way.
|
| I usually start at the near side and then work towards the
| far side, which is only dangerous if you don't have a wide
| base (another log maybe) under the piece you're currently
| splitting, because if you miss the near side, the axe is
| flying towards your feet.
| jcims wrote:
| Good to call this out because it's something people
| should think about.
|
| > because if you miss the near side, the axe is flying
| towards your feet.
|
| Had a close call here once and have gone the other way
| ever since. I've missed long and broken old wooden handle
| splitters this way, but the Fiskars are incredibly tough
| and just sting the shit out of your hands if you miss.
| bregma wrote:
| > Set your rounds on top of the biggest round you can find
| when splitting.
|
| That's fine advice for someone who wants to burn a campfire
| for a night. I heat with wood in remote Canada and I
| estimate I split somewhere between 600 and 800 bucks for a
| season's supply of firewood. If I had to lift each one of
| those into the air and balance it (if possible, and it's
| often not possible) on another piece of wood I'd never get
| enough split to warm me the whole winter while my back
| recovers.
|
| I just tip the buck up on the ground and use a dull maul
| because I don't have time to baby the edge of an axe.
| Mostly these days I just use a hydraulic splitter because
| I'm old and grumpy especially when I'm as behind in getting
| my wood in as I always seem to be.
| jcims wrote:
| You'll get no argument from me about using a hydraulic
| splitter. Around my property there are a few species (I
| don't know which) that are quicker to split by hand.
| Anything that I have to sit there and smack on gets the
| ram. I burn 3-4 cords per year but mostly to keep from
| going broke on propane.
|
| >especially when I'm as behind in getting my wood in as I
| always seem to be.
|
| I'm convinced anybody that isn't behind on getting
| firewood for the season has too much time on their hands.
| xD
| KineticLensman wrote:
| I also use a manual hydraulic splitter as I never
| developed axe skills when young. It works fine for most
| sections of trunk and gives a nice upper-body workout. If
| I load it with two sections of trunk the rearmost one
| significantly reduces the distance I need to move the ram
| before the section at the front makes contact with the
| splitter.
| japhyr wrote:
| I split about three cords a year, all by hand. It's mostly
| hemlock and alder. The biggest rounds are 24-30" in diameter.
|
| I thought I'd need a heavy maul for the large rounds, but I
| use the axe for everything. On the larger rounds, start at
| the edges and work your way around. One nice thing about
| working in from the edges is that the edge pieces with bark
| are thin and have lots of split surface area, and all the
| inside pieces have no bark. So everything dries faster. I
| don't have any trouble missing strikes with this method.
|
| The knottiest pieces for me tend to be spruce rounds from
| mid-trunk. I use the axe to get as much off as I can, and
| then either stack the larger knotty pieces in one area and
| burn them whenever they've dried enough, or use the chainsaw
| to cut through them one more time.
|
| I haven't picked up my maul in 3 years.
| mtreis86 wrote:
| Put a heavy bungee cord (the rubber type) around the log a
| bit above the bottom, then the pieces don't go flying.
| bstpierre wrote:
| Even better, use an old tire.
|
| I like to set the tire on a large round, place a few
| smaller pieces inside the tire (so they don't go flying
| out) and then chop them all before clearing and refilling.
| Also works with a single medium piece inside the tire.
| Large pieces you can quarter first, I don't have much
| trouble there with pieces flying around.
| shimonabi wrote:
| I have this Fiskars model, but I haven't used it in more than 5
| years. I had to chop up 2 huge cherry trees and this thing was
| useless.
|
| For splitting wood, I now always use this:
| https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ochsenkopf-OX-3509-Log-Splitter-Rot...
|
| Now THAT is really good design.
| robocat wrote:
| > Now THAT is really good design
|
| Perhaps explain why it is better? A personal opinion is not
| as useful as an insightful explanation.
|
| > was useless
|
| You haven't said what was wrong with it. Also I think your
| wording is awfully close to breaking site guidelines: "That
| is idiotic; 1 + 1 is 2, not 3" can be shortened to "1 + 1 is
| 2, not 3." https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
| Disclaimer: not a mod, I'm just a hippy that wants us all to
| get on well together!
| [deleted]
| mukti wrote:
| I love Rotring pens and pencils - I used a Rapid Pro mechanical
| pencil throughout college. Nowadays I use a Rotring 600 or 800
| with Ohto ballpoint refills. The knurled grip is great, the the
| overall weight of the pencil is much better than your average
| plastic pen.
| mkl wrote:
| Speaking of well-designed Fiskars tools, I got this weed puller
| recently: https://www.fiskars.com/en-us/gardening-and-yard-
| care/produc...
|
| Videos of how it works:
| https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fiskars+weed+pu...
|
| It's been making difficult weed removal trivial.
| ElCapitanMarkla wrote:
| I just got one of these on Friday. It's so so satisfying
| filoeleven wrote:
| Someone I know designed a wood-splitting axe where the central
| part of the blade has a high center-of-mass and freely pivots
| in order to kick apart the pieces once the axe hits the wood.
| It's an ingenious design based on simple physics, and works
| quite well. There's no purchasing info at the link below; it's
| a small company whose main focus is on machines for metal
| roofing, so I suppose it requires a phone call or email to them
| to find out more.
|
| https://www.esemachines.com/hand-tools Search for "super
| splitter"
|
| The patent description is more informative:
| https://patents.justia.com/patent/5020225
| akeck wrote:
| My absolute favorite pencil with which to do math is the Pentel
| Kerry .7mm. It feels so good.
| graycat wrote:
| I wrote my Ph.D. dissertation in applied math with a Pentel
| 0.5 mm. Soooo, there's also a Pentel 0.7?? GOOD. Thanks!
| ISL wrote:
| I recently borrowed a Fiskars x25 for the first time, after
| reading about them for many years. They really are better.
|
| Splits better than my maul and weighs less. I was surprised to
| find that the latter was more important. If it takes less
| energy to cycle, you can split the same log more times without
| it feeling like a burden to do so.
|
| The next time I need to split more than a trifling amount of
| wood, my first step will be to acquire a new splitting axe --
| the overall time to completion will be faster.
| atulatul wrote:
| Wolf Garten tools are good, too.
|
| https://www.wolf-garten.com/
| FunnyLookinHat wrote:
| I'm in the market for a new splitting axe - thanks for the
| recommendation!
| slimmons wrote:
| Absolutely. I started felling trees and splitting wood
| recently, and I went through a few axes. The Fiskars have been
| amazing.
| Terry_Roll wrote:
| Trangia cooking stove.
|
| It will be something to pass on to your kids if you like camping.
|
| I have a version of the doussal they dont sell anymore which is
| one of these https://shop.trangia.se/en/trangia-stove/trangia-
| stove-25-la...
|
| a kettle https://shop.trangia.se/en/kettles/200325.html a green
| cutting board/strainer
| https://shop.trangia.se/en/accessories/multi-disc-md25.html and I
| got a 1Litre fuel bottle as an extra
| https://shop.trangia.se/en/accessories/fuel-bottle-1-0l.html
|
| The kettle and green cutting board fit inside the main setup
| (pots) so it takes up no extra space and you can stuff a couple
| of knives, forks and spoons inside the setup as well.
|
| You can comfortably cook for two with this so its weight between
| two backpackers with other equipment like tent is not that heavy!
|
| All you need to clean it is hot water and a metal scourer like
| one of these https://www.diy.com/departments/stainless-steel-
| scourer-pack... which fits nicely inside the kettle.
|
| I got the Stainless Ally combo because you need to clean it and
| stainless cleans easily with a simple metal scourer, you can even
| get black soot off it easily so you cant ruin it like you can
| with non-stick coated camping stoves.
|
| You can run it on pure alcohol, methylated spirits, petrol
| (gasoline) and other flammable liquids, although Meths is
| recommended and with a push even small twigs, branches and
| kindling if you run out of flammable liquids.
|
| You can also get a pressurised gas burner for it as well which I
| dont have so cant comment on.
|
| I've cooked for 2 near Ben Macdui wild camping on the Cairngorm
| plateau in a few feet of snow one Easter when the UK was getting
| hit with plenty of snow, a Met Office amber alert gale force
| storm not far from The Devils kitchen, Snowdonia another time I
| like to test things to destruction and this is one tool which
| gets my recommendation!
|
| Plenty of decent evening meals, none of this freeze dried just
| add water nonsense and a decent cooked breakfast in the mornings,
| namely sausages, bacon, hash browns, baked beans, black pudding
| and eggs with HP Brown Sauce. Most of the weight in my rucksack
| when I go wild camping is good food!
|
| The two pots are slightly different sizes so they fit inside each
| other russian doll like one way but the other way they stack on
| top of each other so with the green cutting board for a pot lid,
| you can keep cooked food warm/hot whilst cooking the rest of a
| meal up. Yes you may be swapping two stacked pots with the frying
| pan periodically if you want to do a fryup for breakfast or
| steak, mash and veg for an evening meal, but if you like cooking
| thats part of the challenge of having decent food in the most
| remote inhospitable parts of the world.
|
| Its very bash proof as well, I've seen state of the pressurised
| gas burners break out of the box on expeditions whilst being
| pumped where as the Trangia has no moving parts to break, its the
| best designed product for me because of its simplicity and
| ruggedness. You could chuck your rucksac down the side of a
| mountain and it would still work!
|
| A little tip, if you like a Full English breakfast dont take a
| bottle of cooking oil, take some hard solid blocks of pure
| saturated fat aka beef dripping. It doesnt melt except in the
| hottest of environments so its still solid during a British
| summer and you wont risk a flimsy bottle of cooking oil splitting
| inside your rucksack and you dont have to have the weight of a
| ruggedised bottle to store cooking oil inside your rucksack.
| Every good chef knows, is where the flavour comes from whilst
| giving you the calories to do some very nice expeditions.
|
| When camping in the snow when its below freezing, take a couple
| of fuel bottles as you will burn through more fuel especially if
| the only water around you is melting snow.
|
| All in all it gets my top marks, best designed, could not
| recommend it enough prize, design award, etc etc every time.
| timonoko wrote:
| Except the fuel issue is annoying. Alcohol is bloody stupid
| fuel in the long run. It vaporizer easily and just disappears.
| And does not burn at all in -30C, That is why I modified my
| Trangia to accept Primus multifuel burner. Except in Chile it
| totally stopped working. because the local kerosine was so low
| quality.
|
| I was finally happy, when AliBaba invented cheap Wick-based
| burner. It burns just about anything oily, from Diesel to Lamp
| paraffin. I modified it to accept Trangia top and kettles,
| maintaining good wind protection and flame shield. However
| infamous Polar Explorer explorer Alex Hibbert was not
| impressed: https://youtu.be/FU0cPkkjPkk
| moneywoes wrote:
| Old can opener
| flog wrote:
| Porsche's.
| CamperBob2 wrote:
| Like BMW, you kind of have to qualify that statement by era,
| though.
| jftuga wrote:
| My Roku 3 is great. I bought it years ago and am still using it
| on my 1080p TVs. It just works, even behind a Pi-Hole ad blocking
| DNS server. It may crash once or twice a year (but then auto-
| reboot itself) and very rarely do I ever have to manually reboot
| it.
| dmurthy wrote:
| The ring/silent switch on an iPhone. It just works.
| silvestrov wrote:
| Not for me: I always forget to enable it again.
|
| I would love a "on silence for next 1/2/3 hours" button which
| then automatically reenables ring again.
| wellthisisgreat wrote:
| Swiftpoint Z mouse. Such a joy to use. Alas they aren't producing
| anymore.
|
| Obsidian.md - such a joy to use it for keyboard-based notetaking.
|
| Zulip - group chat that is not Slack and not Teams and the
| threads actually work for comms.
|
| Supernote A5X - a tangible upgrade over the pen-and-paper
| notetaking.
| RickJWagner wrote:
| I have a John Deere riding mower where you have to raise the seat
| to get at the battery and other mechanical components.
|
| To raise the seat, you have to swivel a tiny by stout metal latch
| that keeps the seat from bouncing around on it's hinges. The
| metal latch is held in it's position by gravity-- you have to use
| your finger to swivel it when you want the seat to move.
|
| This is engineering at it's finest. Effective, durable, efficient
| in it's purpose. Timeless design as well-- I don't think it could
| be improved upon.
| timemachine wrote:
| Kitchenaid direct-drive stand mixer. I have one from the 1950s
| that has been used multiple times a week since it was bought new
| by my grandmother.
|
| The dough hook, whisk, and other attachments secure in place with
| machined fittings so there is no play or wiggle. This has made
| them last.
|
| I took the top off of it 10 years ago to make sure it was still
| properly lubricated. That's all the maintenance it has ever had.
| (Well I broke one of the Pyrex mixing bowls...but eBay)
| corinroyal wrote:
| I just got one, and am impressed that the attachment port has
| not ever changed, so any attachment will work on every
| Kitchenaid mixer. Can I ask what you use yours for? I'm still
| trying to figure out what its best at.
| dkobia wrote:
| Dyson vacuum products are pretty damn impressive. I have an 9
| year old Dyson DC33 and every time I take it apart to clean it, I
| can't believe how thoughtful the engineers were. Repairability is
| 9/10 and built like a tank.
| steve_adams_86 wrote:
| Yes, I've fixed my animal vacuum in major ways 3 times and it
| was very easy to do. The vacuum has been running well for a
| very long time in vacuum years.
| 2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote:
| My father hid the Dyson vacuum in the trunk of his car when my
| mother divorced him.
| PaulDavisThe1st wrote:
| I would respectfully disagree. We have that Dyson, about the
| same age. The basic (plastic) engineering is very clever, but I
| think also made to fail in the long haul, in ways that can't be
| fixed. That's what has happened to ours over the years: it
| still sort-of-kind-of functions, but suction is terrible,
| various clips and mating profiles no longer really engage
| fully...
|
| Last month, I decided to go all in on a Miele. Time will tell
| if the incredible expense turns out to be worth it in the long
| run. It is WAY easier to use in most situations that our Dyson.
| pmcollins wrote:
| roost v2 laptop stand braun classic analog alarm clock apple IIGS
| keyboard
| Diesel555 wrote:
| My most useful watch for daily life and my job (pilot) has been a
| Citizen Navihawk JY8035.
|
| I have many styles between the Apple Watch and a Garmin Fenix to
| a 5$ Casio. The functionality is amazing both day and night.
|
| Features I wanted:
|
| Automatic time updates to the second
|
| Analog face
|
| Digital second readout
|
| Solar
|
| Visible at night
|
| Secondary time without any button presses (I use UTC)
|
| I list it because it is the best designed watch I've used. I'd
| use it over a breitling any day for functionality. However I
| would gladly give up one of those circular dials for a date
| readout. It takes one rotation to switch between the secondary
| time and the date currently.
|
| https://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Eco-Drive-Navihawk-Timekeepin...
| (Deal of the day..)
| walterbell wrote:
| Is there an option for leather or metal watchband, either from
| Citizen or aftermarket?
| colechristensen wrote:
| Almost every watch has a standard replaceable wristband.
| walterbell wrote:
| Looks like this one is a non-standard 23mm instead of 22mm
| width.
| Bradlinc wrote:
| A few things that jump out to me: Toyota LandCruiser 100, Casper
| Glow Light, MacBook Air and Design With In Reach Theater Sofa.
| couchand wrote:
| The Blichmann BeerGun (v1 -- I'm sure v2 is fine but it's not the
| same).
|
| It does exactly what it is supposed to. It's better than the
| "pro" tools, despite being marketed to homebrewers. It always
| reliably fills bottles, to a consistent fill, with quick and easy
| pre- and post-purge with CO2.
|
| Moreover, the engineering is beautiful. Every part has a purpose.
| Everything that could be a stock part is. Each custom part is
| machined as simply as can be.
|
| Just a joy to use.
| 2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote:
| M4 carbine
| wallflow3r wrote:
| Goruck backpacks. They remain unbelievably comfortable with heavy
| loads, last forever and the clamshell design makes them easy to
| pack and more importantly find your stuff. The only backpacks I
| will buy anymore.
|
| I've been using the gr1 26L for work, grocery shopping and
| travelling for 5 years. https://www.goruck.com/collections/gr1
|
| The gr2 and gr3 are excellent travel bags when you need something
| bigger. Only backpacks of that size that I have found comfortable
| to carry with just shoulder straps.
| lowkey wrote:
| Tonal <www.tonal.com> is amazing. It is the fitness system of my
| dreams. A resistance training setup with digital weights that
| hangs on the wall. It is filled with high quality content that
| showcases how to take full advantage of the tech. An ai combined
| with a well designed adjustment system and suddenly weight
| training is so fun and fluid I can do it every day.
| david38 wrote:
| If you have the space, get a squat rack or half rack instead. I
| can't stand the idea of paying a subscription for equipment.
| samspenc wrote:
| I've been looking into a home gym and am torn between Tonal,
| Mirror and other offerings. Just curious if you've compared
| Tonal against Mirror, Peloton, etc?
| WorldPeas wrote:
| I don't want to come off as aggressive or smug saying this,
| but I was considering buying one of these and my friend gave
| me a used book called solitary fitness and I got a nice
| muscular build without needing a gym. When the gyms closed
| because of the pandemic nothing changed for me, because you
| can't take whats in your noggin. Plus it's muuuch cheaper.
| Just tryin to save ya the trouble
| bittercynic wrote:
| I've spent about the past 30 minutes reading the beginning
| of the book based on your recommendation, and really
| enjoying it.
|
| Thank you for the suggestion!
| maxerickson wrote:
| Tonal are inveterate spammers.
| brundolf wrote:
| I genuinely loved the second-generation Zune. The aluminum case
| felt lovely in the hand, it had swipe-based momentum scrolling
| before that was common (without even a touchscreen!). It had a
| matte paint on the front that felt almost like velvet, the
| buttons clicked nicely, the UI was both gorgeous and practical,
| the desktop software was the same (after the first couple
| revisions). I was really sad when mine got stolen from my dorm
| room a couple years after I got it, even though I had a
| smartphone by that point.
|
| Bonus entry: the GameCube controller. With that huge, luscious
| analog stick and that huge, luscious A button. And the overall
| shape fit the hand really nicely too. For any game that didn't
| make prominent use of the secondary analog stick, I think it was
| and still is the best game controller out there.
| kypro wrote:
| I was a huge fan of Windows Phone which based it's Metro UI on
| Zune. I miss my Window's phone dearly. I always felt the UI was
| far more intuitive and simple compared to iOS/Android.
| barbs wrote:
| Re: Gamecube controller: Agreed! It really did (does?) feel
| like the most ergonomic controller out there, though I do wish
| they had a z button on the left side.
|
| Also, can't forget the notches in the analog stick area to
| accurately indicate direction.
| fatboy93 wrote:
| My first smart phone was a Windows phone. I loved the OS's
| responsiveness and the feel of the Lumias.
|
| Years later, nothing still comes close.
| koyote wrote:
| I loved my Zune as well (it also got stolen, weirdly), not only
| because of all the reasons above but even the headphones were
| of excellent quality and lasted as long as the device did (in
| comparison, both iPod headphones I've owned broke after around
| 2 months).
|
| The only major flaw it had was a lack of fonts to display
| unicode characters! I know it was mostly (only?) sold in the US
| but wanting to display artist names in Chinese or cyrillic
| characters must surely be a basic feature.
| colordrops wrote:
| I bought a Breville Barista Express when everyone started working
| from home. It's one of the best product investments I've ever
| made. It's beautifully designed, reliable, and makes amazing
| coffee. Has a steamer and grinder included. And I probably paid
| it off in all the coffee I didn't buy from coffee shops.
|
| Second would be the Tesla Model 3.
| papertokyo wrote:
| Breville also does some great toasters and juicers.
|
| Fun fact: the company started out making radios in 1932.
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breville
| ronyfadel wrote:
| It's amazing to see the Aeropress being mentioned so many times
| (11 so far), compared with the Kindle (8 times), iPhone (22
| times), iPod (12 times).
| papertokyo wrote:
| I was thinking the same thing, but having travelled with my
| AeroPress for almost 7 years now I have to agree it's an
| amazing device.
| derwiki wrote:
| thanks for summarizing!
| TheRealSteel wrote:
| The Galaxy Z Fold 3 I'm typing this on is really well
| implemented. It's not perfect but it's a marvel of engineering
| and an excellent implementation of an ambitious idea.
|
| The app Sync for Reddit Pro has basically precisely the UI I want
| from a reddit app. There's almost nothing I would change.
|
| I absolutely love the feel of just about every part of the Xbox
| One controller, and you can even get back buttons on the Elite
| model.
|
| My 2005 Prius feels great to sit in and operate. Foot operated
| park brake, keyless entry and pushbutton start, comfortable
| seating and controls, plenty of space, sensible layout.
|
| All models of Macbook Pro except the TouchBar era have been a
| pleasure to use.
| Dowwie wrote:
| I think the aeropress coffee press was very well designed. It's
| made of three sturdy, plastic parts that wash easily and last a
| very long time. It makes a great cup of coffee.
| https://aeropress.com/
|
| I'm also impressed by the MSR whisperlite international camp
| stove. The international edition is designed to work with a
| variety of fuel types-- white gas, kerosene, etc. The stove
| compacts down to a very small size. It produces a jet sufficient
| for boiling a pot of water in less than 10 minutes. It can be
| easily maintained and there is a market for parts.
| https://www.msrgear.com/stoves/liquid-fuel-stoves/whisperlit...
| arriu wrote:
| Spoon, who would have thought? It just works
| _jstreet wrote:
| I find it interesting that most of the comments are about
| physical products.
|
| The 'best design' is often something that's so frictionless and
| easy to use that it's invisible in day-to-day use. Everyday
| infrastructure like steps are something that's noticeable when
| they're off (e.g. spaced too far apart, or too steep); most are
| designed well.
|
| It's easy to find things that are designed poorly. But much less
| tangible to find a 'best designed' item.
| dionidium wrote:
| > _The 'best design' is often something that's so frictionless
| and easy to use that it's invisible in day-to-day use_
|
| OK, here's something I use every day that's reliable and clever
| and works almost as if by magic, even though nobody appreciates
| it: a three-way light switch. Simple, elegant, interesting --
| and nobody notices or cares.
| roeles wrote:
| I think you're absolutely right. Some obvious things come to
| mind: electricity, water as mentioned.
|
| Here in NL I think the roads are particularly well-designed. We
| have well-designed junctions that prevent accidents in a very
| passive way (good visibility, the ability to make eye contact
| with crossing traffic).
| ISL wrote:
| Agreed. It's real tempting to answer, "indoor plumbing". It's
| really nice to flip a lever and get clean, safe water. It's
| real good not to need to stroll to the outhouse, too.
| poglet wrote:
| Mostly unrelated but I would like to be able to set the
| temperate and water pressure for my shower so I can just
| enter and press a single button. This would also be great for
| those showers where you can never get the water temperature
| or pressure right so you have to keep adjusting it.
|
| I would also like to run a bath by doing the same thing, and
| having the water stop when it's at the right level. Maybe
| there could be a heating element that keeps the water at the
| right temperature so you don't have to occasionally top it up
| with hot water.
|
| I'm sure this already exists but I've never seen it anywhere.
| rgreasons wrote:
| Stayed at a hotel with a faucet with some of the features
| you described - button-push and straightforward temperature
| control - and it was one of the best shower experiences
| I've ever had. Would be putting one of these in my own
| master bathroom if it wasn't so expensive.
|
| https://www.hansgrohe-usa.com/articledetail-showerselect-
| the...
| theaeolist wrote:
| Everything about fancy hotel bathrooms is a usability
| nightmare. Sometimes there are two showers (hand-held and
| ceiling-mounted) operated by a single lever which sets
| temperature, pressure, and which of the two showers is
| active. The risk of giving yourself a too hot or too cold
| burst is significant. I usually cower into a corner while
| sloooooowly messing with that lever.
|
| For an extra bonus: You usually have three identical
| looking small bottles with 'shampoo', 'conditioner', and
| 'shower gel' only distinguished by a tiny label, something
| like black-on-brown or yellow-on-white. Good luck if you
| are wearing glasses.
| maccard wrote:
| Thermostatic mixer showers are very common (in the UK at
| least) and are very affordable (sub $100) and as reliable
| as your hot water supply. My understanding is that water
| pressure is much harder to control for; there's so many
| variables that you just can't do anything about, and
| without installing a giant tank and a pump if your pressure
| is low it's always going to be low.
| jerkstate wrote:
| Thermal regulating shower/bath faucets are relatively
| common: https://www.deltafaucet.com/design-
| innovation/innovations/sh...
|
| I have one in my master shower and it's fantastic. Of
| course, the water starts out cold (because the water in the
| hot water pipes are cold) but once it's up to temperature,
| it's very consistent, even if you have a toilet flush in
| your house which would reduce the pressure of cold.
| quadrifoliate wrote:
| > Of course, the water starts out cold (because the water
| in the hot water pipes are cold)
|
| No, this should be considered a failure condition for a
| constant temperature shower. I don't care how they do it,
| just bleed the cold water into a separate pipe off to the
| side or something.
|
| We have sent people into space, I want _actual_ uniform
| temperature water.
| z2 wrote:
| I've seen a few apartments in Asia have small electric
| water heaters right before the faucet. They provide
| instant hot water until the main boiler's hot water
| arrives.
| akjssdk wrote:
| This is fairly common in newish kitchens in the
| Netherlands too, especially if the kitchen is far away
| from the boiler. Sometimes even with a boiling water tap,
| so you don't even need a kettle anymore.
| jerkstate wrote:
| ah, you want this, which also exists:
| https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2013/03/07/hot-water-
| circul...
|
| the way I do it is just turn the shower on about 30
| seconds before I get in, which works the same with half
| the piping and less energy loss due to circulating hot
| water (but some water loss)
| kortilla wrote:
| A toilet flush should either:
|
| - not drop the pressure of the cold water at all
|
| - drop both the hot and the cold equally (due to house
| input being limited)
|
| The hot water is fed by the same input pressure as the
| cold, so they are the same pressure system. A temperature
| drop on a toilet flush is a pretty big fuckup by the
| plumber in the bathroom.
| muzani wrote:
| Coming from a developing country, I was very impressed that
| you could get drinking water straight from the tap in some
| countries. My wife, a civil engineer, couldn't believe it
| either. There's just so much complexity involved in it,
| including storage, which can have rats and rust.
|
| Normally we just filter the stuff between the tap and cup.
| And as a kid, we had to boil and store it, and just learned
| to tolerate the metallic/dirt taste at times. This was when
| soda peaked.
| mortenjorck wrote:
| _> This was when soda peaked._
|
| Somehow I never put the international explosion of Coke and
| Pepsi in this context. The things late-20th century
| Americans took for granted!
| noduerme wrote:
| A local I knew in Mexico told me that the water in his
| town was safe to drink, and that the theory of unsafe tap
| water was a disinformation campaign by gringos/Coca-Cola.
| Spoiler: Was not safe to drink the water.
| balaji1 wrote:
| You are right, people are probably missing a lot of things in
| plain-sight. Most of the comments are about some esoteric
| product or software - so nothing to add to the shopping list :)
|
| Only recognize Google apps and Apple hardware from the other
| comments - they are great.
| rvba wrote:
| Those faucets that allow you to control three things (amount of
| water, amount of hot water, amount of cold water) using a single
| joint (random picture from imgur https://m.imgur.com/G3Yydd9 ).
| People use taps/faucets with 2 knobs in 2021??? Wtf.
|
| European style windows (
| https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/4kjsnp/european_win... )
|
| Excel (before latest reskin which made it less productive because
| there is less space for user)
|
| Pivot tables
|
| I could probably list few mobile phones. Each were good for their
| time (nokia 3310, nokia e52, samsung galaxy s2).
|
| Nintendo entertainment system (put the game and play...).
| thom wrote:
| I loved my TiVo, almost everything about the end to end
| experience was flawless. Just recalling the 'be-bip' sound of
| interacting with the UI still brings me joy. The interface was as
| simple as you could ever hope for (and structurally similar to
| the navigation in iOS). Up, down, left, right, pause, rewind,
| fast forward, thumbs up and down. Everything was built on simple
| consistent primitives and everything felt immediate, in a way no
| TV has to me in more than a decade. Even the control felt nicer
| in your hand than the usual slab of plastic. Coming home to new
| episodes of Star Trek it had kindly decided to record always gave
| me a warm feeling that this smart little box was on my side. Too
| many devices feel like a fight against something utterly soulless
| these days.
| indrora wrote:
| Four things come to mind:
|
| * The AK-47. Love or hate guns, the AK was designed with
| tolerances that encouraged simultaneously good maintenance
| patterns and using it as a gorram hammer if the need came to it.
| * Nalgene bottles. Impact resistant, infinitely screen printable,
| polycarbonate body, cheap and everything you could want. * The
| venerable aluminum drinks can: The sheer amount of engineering
| that has gone into making a bit of aluminum for canning but with
| the design constraints of pressure and temperature, it's a very
| neat design. * Fluxx, the game. Fluxx has one rule, the only base
| rule: Draw a card, play a card. There's no resolution order, no
| many pages of legalese text like Magic. There is Fluxx.
|
| And that's one of the things that makes Fluxx well designed. I
| can teach someone how to play Fluxx in 30 seconds: "Draw a card,
| play a card. When the conditions for winning have been achieved,
| the game ends." The one thing I don't like about Fluxx is the
| later addition of Creepers, but those are easily one of the most
| write-off-able types of cards ever created.
| MichaelMoser123 wrote:
| i don't think that the AK-47 was optimized for accuracy. Also
| there is an upgrade, the AK-74 (almost fifty years old now,
| OMG)
| noir_lord wrote:
| The AK-47 is an interesting example because while the base
| design _was_ amazing it also has had numerous design changes
| over the years that kept it (somewhat) competitive with "state
| of the art" designs - the original design was so good that it
| allowed that to be the case.
|
| In addition to its linear descendants, it was widely copied and
| some of the copies where arguably better (the Isreali Galil,
| the Finn RK62, Vector R4).
|
| One of the few guns to appear on national _flags_.
|
| All of that said, for a professional army there are many
| _better_ (where better is context dependent as most things are)
| service weapons but for "was a farmer, now an insurgent" use
| the AK has few equals.
|
| Also for the pedantic, what most people think of as the AK47 is
| actually an AKM, the actual AK47 had a relatively (compared to
| its entirety) short service life, the Soviets started phasing
| them out in 1959.
|
| The family of rifles has change remarkably from wood furniture
| in 7.62mm to modern polymers and 5.45mm and while they've
| rejigged the internals and changed things around an
| AK<anything> is immediately recognisable and you can see the
| AK47 in all of them.
|
| The only other platform that I can think of that is remotely as
| adaptable is the AR-family.
|
| I don't own guns, I think civilian ownership of guns is fine
| _if very heavily regulated and with a purpose - even if that
| purpose is "I like shooting targets"_ (UK model of gun control)
| - I'm just fascinated by the history/engineering.
| blantonl wrote:
| I would add that the Glock 19 might be the perfectly designed
| handgun. it is intuitive enough for someone who has never used
| a handgun before to be familiar in 30 seconds with how to clear
| it, how to load it, and how to shoot it.
| e12e wrote:
| I can recommend Kalashnikov's autobiography - a short and
| interesting read:
|
| Mikhail Kalashnikov - The Gun that Changed the World
|
| https://www.amazon.com/Gun-that-Changed-World/dp/0745636926
| jounker wrote:
| The Oxo potato peeler. It's comfortable, durable, and it works
| beautifully.
| baalimago wrote:
| The osthyvel:
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_knife#Cheese_slicer
|
| Creates slices of cheese. Very cheap, very efficient at what it's
| supposed to do, and the more you use it the better it gets (it
| gets slightly more bent = more cheese per slice).
|
| Buy one for 2EUR, use it every day for 10 years.
| kitd wrote:
| Came across this when I was visiting Norway. Agreed, a very
| easy to use device.
| gypsyharlot wrote:
| Finally some appreciation for (just about) the only invention
| to come out of Norway!
| ichydkrsrnae wrote:
| This $14.88 pair of wireless Bluetooth headphones from Walmart's
| ONN brand. You'd swear you spent $1000 on a pair of Grado cans. I
| don't know why they're so good, but they are. I bought 3 pair for
| backup in case the first fails. I'm convinced it's a COVID
| anomaly, like upscaling because you can't source cheaper parts,
| or something similarly unusual.
|
| https://www.walmart.com/ip/onn-Bluetooth-On-Ear-Headphones-B...
| krisrm wrote:
| "Things" is pretty broad.
|
| Thinking of software, probably early "beta" Gmail. There was so
| much about the email experience that was improved by a stable web
| client, with what felt at the time like unlimited storage.
|
| Thinking of hardware, I've never been much for Apple products,
| but the iPhone (particularly early models) is undoubtedly a
| design marvel.
| znpy wrote:
| early gmail was just magic.
|
| modern gmail is trash.
|
| i switched my personal gmail account to html-only mode (no
| javascript) and it's definitely better.
| jbullock35 wrote:
| > Thinking of hardware, I've never been much for Apple
| products, but the iPhone (particularly early models) is
| undoubtedly a design marvel.
|
| I am surprised that no one else has mentioned the iPhone. It
| seems to me like an obvious choice.
|
| I'm speaking of the hardware, not of iOS. There's a lot to
| admire about iOS, but it also has its share of design flaws.
| [deleted]
| papertokyo wrote:
| I deeply miss my iPhone 5. Small, light, pleasingly minimal.
| I'm so glad they released the new mini models.
| smoldesu wrote:
| Things has a really good open-source clone called Planner[0]
| that I quite like. Now, if only they'd package it some way
| other than flatpak...
|
| [0] https://github.com/alainm23/planner
| tkgally wrote:
| The iPad, too. I spend hours with it every day--mostly reading
| and watching videos--and I rarely have to think about it as a
| device. It just lets me get absorbed in whatever I'm looking
| at.
|
| I don't use it much myself, as I'm not an artist, but the iPad
| app ProCreate seems to be a masterpiece of good design, too.
| bullen wrote:
| I think you can still use the old by following this URL:
| https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/h/
| quercusa wrote:
| Estwing Nail Puller: https://www.estwing.com/products/estwing-
| nail-puller Perfectly designed for the task and good-looking too.
| cgranier wrote:
| Thankfully not what I expected when I read "nail puller."
| Peanuts99 wrote:
| I have a Nokia (now Withings) Steel HR watch. Very minimal design
| as far as smart watches go but is extremely reliable and the
| battery still lasts a month even after 5 years of ownership and
| daily use.
| eps wrote:
| Thermapen
|
| Unfold, stick in, see the temperature.
|
| If it's dark, it will highlight the screen, If it's upside down,
| it will flip the screen.
|
| Very fast, because it uses gradient descend and not linear
| estimation.
|
| Pull it out, place it down and it switches off. Move it, it
| switches on.
|
| Single moving part, no buttons. You want it in Farneheights -
| open it up with a screwdriver, flip a microswitch.
|
| Fairly big in size for no other reason but to be convenient to
| hold and to read.
|
| Battery last for ages.
|
| And on top of all that it is also very well made.
|
| https://www.thermoworks.com/thermapen-mk4/
| colinwilyb wrote:
| Thank you so much for this. I've been through 3 terrible
| thermometers in the last year and have been looking for a
| replacement.
| eps wrote:
| Happy to recommend it. Take a look at Meater too. Same type
| of functional minimalist design, really well-executed.
| djsbs wrote:
| - HP products before Corina took over. Especially the HP-28s and
| HP-48GX
|
| Hp basically put a lisp machine into your hands. The 28 is better
| than the 48 except for I/O, battery door, and screen and CPU
| speed. (What can I say. I love the clamshell)
|
| - mechanically, anything by Honda
|
| - Lada Niva. A relative has one in S. American. While out w/ him
| a cop pulled us over just to tell my uncle that he had better:
| "take good care of my little Russian!"
| idatum wrote:
| HP calculators are such gems. The HP-48 survived my school
| backpack and always "just worked". Really great products.
|
| Will have to also acknowledge the BSDs along with ZFS for
| storage.
| chocks wrote:
| Perfectly cooked eggs every single time, bought this in 2014
| still going strong: KRUPS F23070 Egg Cooker with Water Level
| Indicator, 7-Eggs Capacity, White
| https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00005KIRS/
| GrinningFool wrote:
| My dryer door. It opens both horizontally (easy to take things
| out) and vertically (eaay to put things in). And it does so in a
| totally natural way, based on where you naturally grab it when
| you're coming into to load or unload it.
| mcherm wrote:
| What model has this feature? I haven't seen such a thing.
| GrinningFool wrote:
| LG DLE7300WE.
|
| The rest of the features of the dryer are fine - it has wifi
| that I don't use, but it dries the clothes the way it's
| supposed to. But it was totally worth it for this door...
| loufe wrote:
| I have been blown away by how reliable and convenient my Growler
| is (a Stanley Classic Easy-Pour Growler 64oz). I love carbonated
| water and work in an underground mine, I fill that thing full
| every day I work and bring it down. I never lose pressure (aside
| obviously from when it's opened), it stays cold seemingly
| indefinitely, the safety latch ensures the swinging lid hits
| nothing, and the thing is so solidly built it hasn't sustained a
| single nick despite falling on rock, etc. I'm a happy customer.
| hkt wrote:
| I lived in a brutalist concrete block and the interior, fixtures
| and general way of life (big communal garden, waste disposal
| rather than weekly bin collections, community spaces in the
| building etc) were far superior to anything I've ever
| experienced.
|
| https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Hill,_Sheffield
| staindk wrote:
| I think my keyboard [1 - pic][2 - site] is almost perfect. It is
| not full-sized but I don't have to compromise on features etc.,
| as with a simple Num Lock toggle I can move between having a
| numpad and having access to arrow keys and the 'home row'.
|
| My singular gripe is the fact that I can't assign macros to any
| of the numpad keys - "Num 1" and "Num 3" do literally nothing
| when Num Lock is off which is a bit of a waste. Was hopeful that
| a firmware update would come along to help with this but AFAIK
| none has.
|
| [1] https://cdn.coolermaster.com/media/assets/1017/masterkeys-
| pr...
|
| [2]
| https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/peripheral/keyboards/ma...
| Datagenerator wrote:
| ZFS. Complete research companies unknowingly depend on the utmost
| reliability and flexibility ZFS has to offer. Started right with
| the first version included in FreeBSD in production use and never
| failed once while being the central storage connected to multiple
| HPC clusters with millions upon millions of rather small but also
| some vary large files. While offering five nines of uptime we
| even had to ability to send efficient binary forever incremental
| differential snapshots to remote DR locations. Meanwhile we saw
| many large crashed sites at companies which had downtimes of
| weeks using lustre. ZFS even got hated by management because it's
| not giving them fancy relationships with the normies using
| HP/Dell. So the last ten years are probably the best ZFS got here
| because some instructed architect is looking for commercial
| replacement but nothing better seems available.
| reacharavindh wrote:
| This. I replaced a couple of NetApp and Isilon arrays at a
| smallish HPC cluster with 1.2 PB of research data. Ended up
| saving a few million Danish Kroner every friggin year, and got
| so much better reliability than the commercial offerings. ZFS
| (by extension, FreeBSD) truly is an engineering marvel in our
| world.
| dheera wrote:
| The documentation is shit though, I spent a full hour digging
| through forum answers trying to increase my swap space. All
| this bpool zpool crap.
|
| And then my system /boot got full of some snapshot (wtf I never
| asked for this), apt-get failed to live up to its promise of
| magic, got more hell about a 20% preservation rule (again wtf).
|
| Was cutting and pasting some zpool zsysctl zc -a -f -foo -bar
| and then some sudo zfs destroy bpool npool
| zpool/blah/autosys@ubuntu_h2h3rc4h stuff. I cut and pasted a
| bunch of stuff off the forums I didn't understand until apt-get
| worked again.
|
| I didn't understand a word of it, and there was zero
| documentation in the obvious places.
|
| I'm done with ZFS. Back to ext4. It just works.
| dijit wrote:
| Solaris used to come with a user manual, it was easily the
| best thing about the buying experience because it was so
| detailed and obviously written for engineers.
|
| If you can find one of those manuals on the internet you will
| be set for life on understanding ZFS and dtrace.
|
| There's also a C, C++ and ASM manual that is bundled too, but
| you can skip those.
|
| If you can't find any, I'll send you mine.
|
| I know it sounds like I'm asking you to RTFM- but the
| experience of reading these manuals is really a joy.
| aozgaa wrote:
| Is this the document you had in mind?
|
| https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E26505_01/pdf/E37384.pdf
| dijit wrote:
| Looks extremely similar!
| Archelaos wrote:
| The first thing that came into my mind is the 4-colour pallpoint
| pen from Wedo: https://wedo.de/4_colour_ballpoint_pen_chrome
|
| It is very practical if you want to use different colours for
| note-taking away from your desk.
|
| I had my first one aprox. 40 years ago when I was a school boy.
| Its design hasn't changed since.
| perilunar wrote:
| I've never seen the Wedo pen, but the Bic 4-Color is a classic.
|
| https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bic+4+color+ballpoint+pen
| theduemmer wrote:
| McMaster-Carr has the best shopping website I've ever seen. The
| UI is beautifully intuitive; even if I don't know exactly what I
| need, odds are I can easily find something that will work and
| they can have it at my doorstep in under 24 hours, no matter how
| obscure. Even if I don't plan on buying anything, it can be
| helpful to click through the site just to see what is available.
| Because most categories of parts have surprisingly well written
| descriptions and breakdowns, the sire can actually be a good
| engineering resource.
|
| I've bought from them many times before and have yet to be
| disappointed with what I got. It is definitely expensive compared
| to other suppliers or Amazon, etc. But you pay for the
| convenience.
|
| I hear they aren't very good outside the US though, which is a
| shame.
| robk wrote:
| Raptor supplies is the non usa equivalent but less usable
| Rebelgecko wrote:
| McMaster-Carr's website is great for finding items, but it's
| really irritating if you're just ordering one or two things and
| want to know what it'll actually cost. Unless it's changed in
| the last few years, they won't let you know the grand total
| until AFTER you place your order. Maybe it helps them simplify
| order fulfillment, but it's really annoying.
| qrohlf wrote:
| They changed it, you get a total before ordering now
| sb057 wrote:
| Honorable mention to Rock Auto, which has a similarly dead
| simple shopping UI.
| elil17 wrote:
| This has actually created a huge bias in my company. People try
| to solve problems with parts from McMaster because it's so easy
| to search, but we often overlook other company's (e.g. Cole-
| Palmer) products (which may be much better suited for our
| applications) because it's a pain to find them on their
| websites.
| jbay808 wrote:
| I'd love it if they added a price filter option! If I want a
| clear plastic tube I don't always know whether I'll get a
| cheaper price with acrylic, UV-resistant acrylic, static
| dissipative acrylic, ultra-strength polycarbonate, high-
| temperature polycarbonate, etc... It can take a lot of clicking
| to find the cheapest option!
| theduemmer wrote:
| Unfortunately I don't see them creating a price filter as
| they are mainly geared at businesses vs. hobbyists or
| consumers, where "get it here fast" is more important than
| saving a few dollars. That being said, I find adding all of
| the prospective parts to the cart works well for me when I
| want to compare prices
| elil17 wrote:
| As a business user, I'd like the price filter too. For
| instance, I might be okay with any material for a valve in
| a prototyping application as long as it's the right size, I
| just need to find the cheapest one (with one day shipping
| of course!)
| kortilla wrote:
| I've yet to work in a business that doesn't care about the
| price of something. This is particularly true when we are
| evaluating parts that might be used in production at scale.
| theduemmer wrote:
| For what it's worth, I work in industrial controls. More
| or less all of the machines we design are one-offs so
| engineering and labor time dominates the cost of projects
| vs. materials.
|
| Additionally, unplanned downtime is extremely expensive.
| If a machine breaks down and a replacement part isn't on
| the shelf, getting that part _fast_ is much more
| important than saving a few dollars. Same goes for if we
| end up with a bunch of guys waiting around for a part to
| get installed.
| jbay808 wrote:
| Often, the _only_ reason you wouldn 't choose, say,
| stainless steel over regular steel, or UV-resistant
| polycarbonate over ordinary polycarbonate, is because of
| the expectation that one is cheaper. So price can't be so
| unimportant. And one version always is cheaper, sometimes
| by a factor of five or ten times. But sometimes there are
| surprises and the stainless version is cheaper for other
| reasons. Maybe the non-stainless bars of that particular
| size are only available with super tight tolerances, for
| example.
|
| So why force the customer to know and guess which material
| grade they want as a _proxy_ for price, when you can
| directly let them find the selection that meets their needs
| at the lowest price?
| zinekeller wrote:
| > I hear they aren't very good outside the US though, which is
| a shame.
|
| I hope that this comment won't be interpreted harshly, but
| their familiarity with mainly American measurements really
| handicaps them elsewhere. It's not really their fault, but
| counterintuitively from where I am it's still miles better than
| other (domestic or international) suppliers for smaller
| quantities.
| stjohnswarts wrote:
| What do you mean familiarity with American measurements? Unit
| conversion is a solved problem.
| Aeolun wrote:
| It's also a problem that shouldn't exist any more in this
| day and age.
| apendleton wrote:
| I assume they meant that they default to making things that
| come in imperial-unit sizes (e.g., quarter-inch nuts
| instead of 6mm ones or whatever). It's not really practical
| to mix and match.
| modriano wrote:
| McM is just a warehousing and distribution company; they
| don't make any of the things they sell. They define
| products by specs rather than manufacturer (is few brand
| names are used in the catalog/site), which makes it much
| easier to stock parts of every nearly every flavor
| (imperial, metric, dozens of odd pipe threading
| standards, thousands of ASME/ANSI/DIN/other-standards-
| body-standards).
|
| McM absolutely mixes and matches.
| brirec wrote:
| > It's not really practical to mix and match.
|
| Tell that to my computer, with both 6-32 and M3 screws.
| kube-system wrote:
| Tell that to my computer, with a bunch of stripped out
| threads.
| dendrite9 wrote:
| So both types of screws work?
| kube-system wrote:
| Only if you try hard enough
| theduemmer wrote:
| I was more referring to issues with shipping and ordering
| outside of the US. But you are entirely right about them
| focusing on American measurements, their selection of metric
| parts is much weaker and more expensive than their customary
| (main?) Sizes of parts. I do wonder if they are or will be
| working on improving that any time soon.
| version_five wrote:
| Shopify pay (I think that's the name) that texts a code to
| complete the checkout at web stores I think is a great friction
| reducer.
|
| Modern tents that just have a couple of elastic cord connected
| structural members the tent hangs off that go up in seconds.
| Anyone who put up a tent 25 years ago must see how much
| innovation there has been.
|
| Almost everything about cars - if you think of the conditions and
| amount of use they have to survive (and despite massive annoying
| failures). I had a Mazda 3 with rain sensing wipers that I loved,
| I've driven lots of more expensive cars without them and I don't
| understand why they're not ubiquitous
| adjkant wrote:
| +1 to Shopify. I wanted to hate it, but it's just that good.
| amarshall wrote:
| The Kinesis Advantage keyboard [1]. The height of the keys in
| each column are different because, well, the length of each of
| our fingers is different. It's so naturally comfortable that it
| goes unnoticed and one's fingers just fall into the right
| position. Placing one's fingers offset left or right is so
| obviously uncomfortable that it's basically impossible to have
| off-by-one typos. There is a lot of subtly well-designed
| ergonomics to this keyboard (though also some not great bits--
| looking at you, function row).
|
| [1]: https://kinesis-ergo.com/shop/advantage2/
| acidburnNSA wrote:
| > Contoured keyboard designed to provide maximum comfort and
| productivity for Windows and Mac users.
|
| As a Linux user this leaves me really second guessing.
| Accacin wrote:
| I have this keyboard and use Linux and it works perfectly.
|
| Best of all, all keyswapping and other layout changes are
| done via the keyboard itself so absolutely no software
| required to be installed :)
| pfortuny wrote:
| I use it with linux+emacs and definitely the best keyboard
| ever. Already 15 years old.
| mismatchpair wrote:
| Could you share how you remapped your modifier keys for
| optimal emacs use on the Kinesis Advantage2?
|
| Thank you in advance.
| convolvatron wrote:
| I put all the modifiers on the thumbs. so meta and mac
| option need to be mapped, and I put a control key on each
| thumb, space, backspace and newline. so all chords are 1
| or 2 thumbs plus a normal key.
|
| I guess that leaves 3 on the thumbs unused ... I should
| look at that
| Oddskar wrote:
| It was very good about 5 years ago, and is still quite
| comfortable.
|
| However I would say that today this has largely been superseded
| by a myriad of better choices. For the adventurous type there's
| e.g. Dactyl Manuform. If one does not care so much for the
| keywell there's Lily 58, Iris or Kyria. For built-in tenting
| there's ZSA Moonlander, Redox etc.
|
| All of these have better customizability, repairability and
| portability than a Kinesis Advantage.
|
| Want to try diffent key switches? Use hot-swap sockets.
|
| Want wireless? Drop in a nice!nano microcontroller.
|
| Want to create a crazy custom key layout or macros? You can do
| anything you want in QMK and flash it to the microcontrollers.
| wy35 wrote:
| I own a Kinesis Advantage 2, a Lily, and a Corne, and tried a
| Dactyl Manuform. IMO the Kinesis still wins hands down. I've
| tried dozens of keyboards but the Kinesis is the one I will
| always go back to.
|
| Why? To be blunt, I don't care at all about fancy
| keyswitches, or wirelessness, or portability. I'm simply
| looking for the most comfortable input device possible.
|
| If non-ergonomic rubber dome keyboards feel like plastic
| chairs, all of the other keyboards you mentioned feel like
| fancy wooden chairs. Some of them might be incredibly well-
| crafted and contour to your body! But the Kinesis feels like
| a top-of-the-line high-tech massage chair. I've tried dozens
| and dozens of ergonomic keyboards --- and even made one, by
| designing a PCB and printing it out --- but at the end of the
| day, the Kinesis is the keyboard I will ALWAYS reach for.
| amarshall wrote:
| There's a project to replace the board in the Kinesis with a
| QMK-driven one. One day I'll get around to it.
|
| https://michael.stapelberg.ch/posts/2020-07-09-kint-
| kinesis-...
| marcodiego wrote:
| This keyboard remembers me the guy who built his own SGI
| laptop:
| https://web.archive.org/web/20050212100138/http://www.jumbop...
| alpaca128 wrote:
| I use a custom keyboard with a similar columnar stagger. In
| addition it's small enough that I can reach every key without
| moving my hands, which means my accuracy is noticeably better.
| There's no chance I'm ever going back voluntarily. Typing all
| kinds of symbols all day just doesn't get more comfortable.
|
| This is why I'm always so annoyed by all the "qwerty vs.
| dvorak" arguments. It's pretty much the least problematic part
| of conventional keyboard design.
| Oddskar wrote:
| Could not agree more. Especially for programmers I would
| argue that the alphabetical character layout matters _so much
| less_ than where one reaches special characters and the
| modifiers.
|
| Having used a DIY columnar staggered keyboard for about a
| year a laptop keyboard feels like using a device that is not
| designed for humans.
| fleaaaa wrote:
| 100% agree, most of qwerty keyboard with flat staggered
| layout as in typewriter is faulty and ancient design yet it's
| widely adapted for some reason.
| MrDresden wrote:
| I have no one thing (these are the things that pop into my mind,
| all within their own category/niche);
|
| * My _Hilleberg Akto_ single person hiking tent scores very
| highly. It is designed for lightness, durability and simplicity
| when setting up. It can better be set up /torn down by one person
| in a storm than most other tents I've owned.
|
| * My _Leatherman_ multitool has been with me for years in some
| fairly bad conditions. It just keeps working and sometimes in
| ways that I hadn 't imagine it could be used.
|
| * My _Aeropress_ portable coffee maker is in my mind amazingly
| designed and portable for making a decent cup of coffee anywhere
| in the world.
|
| * _SSH_ is simply amazing. I think it can be overly too easy to
| forget what it gives us the ability to do.
|
| * _SQLite_. It is amazingly designed in pretty much any way you
| can look at it (requirements, speed, size, resource use etc).
|
| * My _Kindle_ (and other such devices) is an amazing piece of
| tech. I carry around my whole library in only a few hundred
| grams, and its power usage levels are so low that I need only
| charge it for an hour or so each month.
|
| * The _Kotlin_ programming language. Such a breath of fresh air
| after having been stuck with Java (pre 9) on Android for so long.
|
| * Android's new UI design toolkit _Jetpack Compose_ is a seismic
| shift in _native_ Android development where everything looks and
| feels like it has had some serious thought put in behind it.
|
| These are obviously subjective, and I have no longing to get into
| discussions on the merrits of the software I mention here. There
| are plenty of places that has been done before.
| muzani wrote:
| I agree on kotlin. It's probably the only language where I feel
| like the code is practically pseudocode.
| bobcostas55 wrote:
| The kindle hardware is excellent, but the kindle software is
| one of the worst pieces of garbage ever. Just filled from top
| to bottom with utterly deranged behaviors.
| theragra wrote:
| The thing that drives me crazy is that when you select word
| to translate, it includes commas and points. Then, dictionary
| can't translate!!! This is such a basic issue and still
| exists for years. Ppl from Amazon, I pray to you to fix this
| codingclaws wrote:
| What setup do you use for new Android apps? I dabbled in
| building an Android app months ago and sort of gave up because
| I couldn't decide on the best "framework".
| MrDresden wrote:
| I do native (Java/Kotlin) and Flutter development, for 10 and
| 2 years respectively. Just this year moving into the Jetpack
| Compose territory, and enjoying it immensly.
|
| Regarding the question about what you should choose, well
| that really depends on the problem space and the end goal you
| have in mind.
|
| If the application is generic, will not really leverage
| platform specific capabilities and will be made for both
| Android & iOS I'd say go for _Flutter_. Here I mean that
| specific sensors and OS capabilities will not be used, as
| well as sharing of code for different platforms such as TV,
| car and wearables.
|
| If the application is ever going to be Android only, I'd say
| go for the native UI toolchain, which would be _Jetpack
| Compose_. The ramp up from 0 to 100 is quick given how much
| good material is out there to get started (for instance go to
| and use the Android /Kotlin community slack channels). This
| route would require you to use Kotlin.
|
| Skip looking into the old view system. Any relevant
| information from that space will come in time, and the rest
| wont be relevant anymore.
|
| If you want to create a code base that can be leveraged with
| web, then go for some of the JS frameworks.
|
| If you do have some piece of framework in mind you want to
| learn, then use that.
|
| It all depends. Just keep Voltaire's words in mind:
|
| _"..best is the enemy of the good "_
|
| edit; formatting
| Acutulus wrote:
| I echo your sentiments about a Leatherman.
|
| I carried a cheaper Wingman religiously for five years. I
| bought it on a whim during a sale at a hardware store thinking
| I would keep it in the car for emergencies. It quickly became a
| pocket staple. Over the five years that thing fixed my car on
| the side of the road, was used at my job every 30 minutes,
| hammered loose nails, fell off a roof, cut my dinner. You name
| it.
|
| Another thing to mention is how well the tools that comprise
| the leatherman itself are integrated into the package.
| Depending on the loadout/model you choose, you can have an
| array of quick-access functionality without any fumbling. The
| hinge mechanism for the exterior tools I have used were always
| taut and locked strongly, and had very smooth deployment
| action. I could have my knife tip scraping at something faster
| than I could pull a phone out of my pocket.
|
| I lost that Wingman but it was quickly replaced by a Wave+.
| Should you have an eye for tinkering, fixing or tweaking things
| a leatherman will elevate you at least a few percentage points
| towards having super powers. I was astounded at how many
| situations can be handled more effectively if you have a bit of
| mechanical advantage. And a knife.
| cinntaile wrote:
| Hilleberg tents are amazing quality but they are not light.
| They can't be because that would impact the quality.
| MrDresden wrote:
| I don't know what you'd consider light but the Akto packs to
| around 1.3-1.5 kg.
|
| Given that I've been in it during weather reaching up to 35
| on the Beaufort scale (~20m/s) with severe rain I feel it
| packs a fantastic punch for its weight.
|
| I'm sure there are some niche ultra light space age material
| tents out there.
|
| But that would be like saying a Tesla isn't a good car
| because it can't reach space.
| cinntaile wrote:
| A solo tent needs to be below 1kg before I'd consider it
| light.
|
| Maybe it is the lightest tent when considering the weather
| it can deal with, but this was not mentioned in your
| original message.
|
| I don't get the analogy with the Tesla going to space? You
| don't expect cars to fly. What would be the tent
| equivalent? Using the tent as a boat?
| pps wrote:
| Macbook Air M1 gold. I love every detail of this machine.
| hendry wrote:
| dwm window manager https://dwm.suckless.org
|
| incredibly influential and the source code is amazing
| wly_cdgr wrote:
| You said things, so I am excluding software (like the original
| version of the Square web app)
|
| JVC Flats
|
| GBA SP (the pocket clamshell one)
|
| Retro microwave with the original-ipod style single knob controls
|
| More generically, forks
|
| Grand Prize Winner: wood Staunton chess set - beautiful, durable,
| affordable, practical. The piece design is exquisitely balanced
| between representation and abstraction
| TulliusCicero wrote:
| GBA SP would be great except for the lack of headphone jack.
| What a bizarre omission.
| whitepoplar wrote:
| Software is a thing too!
| Lhiw wrote:
| Hakko 950 soldering iron. It's an analog dial version of an
| extremely awful digital interface. It's small and compact so
| takes up little desk space, heats up fast, has incredibly stable
| heat and adjustments don't require looking at what your hand is
| doing.
|
| https://www.hakko.com/english/products/hakko_fx950.html
|
| There are similar things on the market but nothing that ties it
| altogether quite so succinctly.
| vort3 wrote:
| Call me old, but Total Commander.
|
| So much functionality and extensibility in a pretty small
| software, it almost didn't change in years, and still does its
| job very efficiently, and my favourite part is that you can
| literally do every possible action with just a keyboard.
|
| I love software that doesn't require a mouse. Terminal emulators
| and shells are obviously things I love using (hello vim users),
| but Total Commander is probably the only GUI software I respect
| because I could do just fine if my mouse got broken.
|
| ---
|
| Also, Keypirinha + Everything search. Both of those individually
| are great and do their job well, but the fact that you can
| combine them makes them even better. Oh, and Total Commander also
| can use Everything search.
| PaulDavisThe1st wrote:
| Arcteryx Bora 95 backpack. Big, heavy, but super-durable and what
| you need if you're doing long backpacking trips and are not of
| the contemporary super-lightweight inclination. Mine is 25 years
| old and everything is still perfect. Out of production, their
| current backpacks are no substitute (and they know it).
|
| Dewalt power tools. Not absolutely perfect, but normally
| everything about them just seems right, and the durability over
| 28+ years so far has been perfect (with one exception: a jammed
| chainsaw motor).
|
| My Bourgeat 24cm vertical-sided saute pan. When I moved from
| Seattle to Phila. in 1996, I drove 400 miles out of my way to
| pick this up from a tiny kitchen store on the Oregon coast. It is
| the best kitchen tool I have ever owned. 25 years later, it
| remains my go-to pan for more than half of my cooking. Encased
| copper base, stainless body, I can burn the shit out of something
| in here, and after a night's soaking it cleans up like new with
| almost no effort. Sadly, although Bourgeat are still in business,
| they dropped this particular model a few years after I bought it.
|
| Sandisk Clip+ music player. This is far from perfect, but it's
| also so far ahead of almost everything else when it comes to
| portable music _while exercising_. No touch sensing, just
| physical buttons, usable with gloves of various sizes. Storage
| size limited only by SD card availability (I 'm at 120GB right
| now, could go larger). Battery lasts longer than I tend to
| remember. Rockbox firmware makes it work better. Plays every
| format that matter, plus a few that don't. Tiny, weighs almost
| nothing. Not what I want to listen to at home, but if I'm out
| running, cycling, skiing, snowshoeing ... I've just never found a
| better device. Out of production.
|
| Ableton Push 2 control surface for DAW workflows. The tactile
| quality is outstanding, the screen quality is gorgeous, the knobs
| have just the right level of resistance to turning, it's just a
| thing of beauty. But what makes it so much better is that Ableton
| fully documented every aspect of this beast, which allowed me to
| make it work with my own software. The documentation is almost as
| lovely as the Push 2 itself.
| yobbo wrote:
| > Sandisk Clip+
|
| Agreed. As they age and the screen goes out, they can still be
| used thanks to voice ui in rockbox.
| pentagrama wrote:
| Mixer Tap. In the '90s when my parents installed one of those in
| the bathroom, it was radical, blew my mind.
| johnwalkr wrote:
| Non-mixer taps had an important design purpose too. To prevent
| mixing in potentially dangerous water from a hot water tank
| into your drinking cup.
| throwaway6734 wrote:
| Various versions of the kindle. It's got excellent battery life,
| is easy to travel with, feels great in my hands, and is just what
| I want from an e-reader. Especially the new version w/ the metal
| body and yellow-back light.
| erikschoster wrote:
| Legos; also the ender 3d printer. I had a nostalgic time putting
| the ender together. Felt like a lego set. That's not saying it
| was trivial (it challenged me) but that I trusted it every step
| of the way not because of previous experience, but because of the
| obvious well-designed aspects of the experience as I was putting
| it together. For example: I put on a part sloppily, and trying to
| attach anther part was the first real resistance I felt in the
| entire process -- physical that is, I had to study every page of
| the manual for a minute or two before even being able to figure
| out what the next step would need to be, but it was always clear
| after studying.
| gorbachev wrote:
| I'm sorry, but 3D printers, while quite an innovation allowing
| cheap and fast prototyping, are not well designed things. I own
| three, and talk to friends who collectively probably own close
| to 100.
|
| They, including models with great reputation (e.g. Prusa
| printers), break all the time. Also the mere fact that there
| are thousands of mods for all of them on sites like
| Thingieverse to make them better is another indication they
| aren't really all that well designed.
|
| Things like manual leveling, heat creep, bottom layer adhesion
| issues are common problems across all models.
|
| They're finicky things with PLENTY room for improvement.
| johnwalkr wrote:
| At work I've had several over the years and the Markforged
| Mark 2 is hands-down the best I've used. Easy to use, great
| software (the preprocessor/slicer is online and the support
| material becomes easier to remove with each update). Above
| all else, great documentation and easy to follow maintenance
| guides. It has 2 nozzles, one that dispenses carbon-fibre-
| filled nylon and one of which dispenses a single carbon fibre
| for reinforcement. Those wear out fairly quickly but they
| have wear indicators so you can quickly judge if they need to
| be replaced. Unlike your example, it doesn't have any upgrade
| parts as far as I know and hasn't been updated or replaced in
| 4 years.
|
| Unfortunately it's like $15k and material is also very
| expensive.
| steve_adams_86 wrote:
| I agree. Inedible exciting and rewarding machines, worth the
| time investment, but it's still very early. I'm sure I'll be
| blown away by what's possible in ten years or so. Today I'm
| still babying each print and the machine itself. Jams are the
| worst.
| alpaca128 wrote:
| I think the last consumer paper(inkjet/laser) printer I've
| seen with the same reliability as my Prusa Mini broke down 20
| years ago.
|
| I haven't had a single print come off the bed by itself and
| never had to level anything. In ~150 prints there was one
| failure. Of course I'm just a hobbyist, but still. It could
| be worse.
| dekhn wrote:
| With the exception of having to occasionally replace the
| print head my mk3s are excellent. No leveling problems, solve
| all layer height with live z. Flex filament works great
| kunle wrote:
| Pic's creamy peanut butter: https://picspb.com/products/creamy-pb
|
| I don't even care for peanut butter and this just hits. Super
| smooth, not too sweet - i eat it by the spoonful. I literally did
| not think there was any difference between different peanut
| butter brands until I had Pic's.
| muzani wrote:
| I've been searching for a PB that didn't literally add trans
| fat. After a few years of searching, Pic's was the only good
| one.
| thih9 wrote:
| There are peanut butter brands where the product is just
| blended peanuts. Though they can be more expensive and the
| texture is different.
| aimor wrote:
| I love Kroger's natural peanut butter (ingredients:
| peanuts,salt) for $1-$2/lb. It's amazing to me that the
| hydrogenated crap is more expensive, and the name brand
| natural stuff is more expensive still!
| einarvollset wrote:
| AFAIK approximately all "no-stir" peanut butters only have
| peanuts in them. People don't buy them because the oil
| floats to the top and causes a mess and if you don't stir,
| then the bottom 1/5th is like glue.
| otterley wrote:
| My truck is to stir up separated peanut butter in the jar
| with a handheld electric mixer using the whisk
| attachment, then put the jar in the refrigerator to slow
| down future separation.
| thetwentyone wrote:
| Or Teddie's Super Chunky if you like chunky peanut butter:
| https://teddie.com/product/old-fashion-natural-super-chunky/
| whalesalad wrote:
| AirPods.
| Tomte wrote:
| A Hario teapot. It never drips from the spout, no matter how
| clumsily I pour the tea. No teadrop running along the outer glass
| wall, never.
| nabi_nafio wrote:
| For me, it's undoubtedly my Macbook Air. Everything about it is
| near close to perfect. Apple really knows how to beautifully mesh
| hardware, and software.
| acomjean wrote:
| My Honda Element. It's so versatile with the large side loading
| doors and the flip down removable back seats. You can toss a bike
| inside easily. It also is surprising short and has a small
| turning radius. I put 200000 miles on my first one before buying
| a second. Not a great looker though.
|
| https://www.core77.com/posts/61976/The-Honda-Elements-Unsung...
| samsolomon wrote:
| I'm not sure about the best designed things ever, but here are
| some purchases in the last year, that I've really appreciated:
|
| Corona 10-inch Pruning Saw
|
| I had been using an old pair of loppers to trim most of the low
| hanging branches in my yard. This pruning saw is so much easier.
| It can cut through a 4-inch branch like nothing. Also it folds up
| so there's no need for a sheath.
|
| EGO 650 CFM Blower
|
| Electric lawn tools are amazing. No dealing with fuel and oil.
| Plus they are so much quieter. This blower has been a life saver
| this fall. Planning to purchase an ego mower soon.
|
| Leatherman Skeletool CX
|
| The skeletool has replaced my pocket knife on camping trips. It's
| not like most leatherman tools with 100 functions. The skeletool
| has about 7, but pocket knife, pliers and bottle opener cover
| most of my needs.
|
| Outdoor Voices Sunday Short
|
| Bar none my favorite pair of athletic shorts. Extremely flexible,
| comfortable and they look pretty good. I can wear them working
| out, lounging around the house or out to run errands. I probably
| own 6 pairs.
| gigatexal wrote:
| As a piece of kit, purely hardware, my iPhone. Sometimes I just
| take the case off an marvel at it.
| jordanpg wrote:
| Brother HL-2070N black and white laser printer. 14 years and
| still going strong.
| mongol wrote:
| I have the same. Mine is only 11 years. Yet to change toner.
| zestros wrote:
| Same here, the one criticism I have is that I had to put tape
| on the toner cartridge to defeat the toner empty sensor.
| After doing that I've been able to continue to use the
| "empty" cartridge for an additional 5 or 6 years (I only
| print maybe 50 pages a year though).
| bschwindHN wrote:
| The 1zpresso J-Max coffee grinder - beautifully engineered, very
| clicky and satisfying to use, and creates great coffee grounds.
|
| Airpods Pro - Again, the physical design and "sound" interactions
| when placing the buds in the case, closing it, opening, etc. all
| give a sense of satisfaction. The noise cancelling is great, and
| it's not fussy like other bluetooth earbuds.
|
| Pilot Frixion pens - I played with erasable pens when I was kid
| and they always kinda sucked. The Frixion pens behave how I would
| imagine an ideal erasable pen would. Great for designing things
| on paper, especially the multi-color pens.
|
| 3M Command Strips - They hold shit on the wall and they're super
| easy to apply.
| asalahli wrote:
| I've been a happy user of Frixion pens for the past 10 years
| and Moleskine notebooks for about 4. It's a shame the two don't
| really go well together however, at least in my experience
| LeoPanthera wrote:
| The original iPod, the very first one with the wheel that
| actually turned.
|
| I don't think I've ever known a product I loved more. I got so
| much pleasure from it that it made me want to learn more about
| product design.
|
| I thought the later static touch-wheel wasn't as good, and
| firewire was such a great way to load it with music, fast
| charging and super fast data transfer.
|
| I've never been as happy with anything "cloud based" - something
| is always broken somewhere.
| eddieroger wrote:
| I had the first-gen, spinny-wheel iPod. While I love (still
| have it) as much as you, I don't think it was as good as the
| touch wheels that followed shortly after. By the end of mine's
| daily use life, the wheel had loosened up enough that the music
| would get louder as I walked because my gait would rotate the
| wheel. Past that, it was perfect and I cherish still owning it,
| I just wish the wheel had held it's firmness.
| jackcosgrove wrote:
| I'm going to go a bit more low-tech than most, and say a simple
| wooden reamer. Nothing juices an orange better, and it's
| literally something you could whittle. I don't think the design
| has changed in centuries, and I don't think it can be improved.
| satisfice wrote:
| Tivo
| klelatti wrote:
| Hacker News.
| invalidator wrote:
| GearWrench ratcheting wrenches. They're compact and fit in places
| that sockets never will. The ratcheting mechanism is very fine,
| with low backlash, which matters a lot in those tight places.
| They feel great, and they're a delight to use.
|
| Wirewrap tools. They're mechanically simple, easy to learn, and
| let you create neat, dense hobby prototypes faster and easier
| than soldering.
|
| Wago Lever Nuts. These let you join a wide range of wires, from
| 24 to 12 AWG, stranded or solid. They're quick: strip, insert and
| flip. They're verifiable: you can check that it's done right just
| by looking at it. They're reliable: the spring pressure ensures
| they never come loose, even with vibration and heat over many
| years. I'm never going back to twist-on wire nuts.
|
| Ruby. The seamless blend of OO, functional, and imperative
| programming is beautiful. It can be dense without being obscure.
| irb and pry make it easy to explore code and data. The syntax is
| mostly conventional and easy to learn. The standard libraries are
| well designed, and have consistent interfaces. The documentation
| is concise and easy to scan. I won't say its "The Best", but of
| the dynamic, interpreted languages I know, Ruby is the most fun
| to use, and it starts with the clean, well-considered design
| right at its core.
| mberning wrote:
| Great list. Having specialized hand tools and using them to
| great effect is an intoxicating experience.
| rsync wrote:
| "Wago Lever Nuts ..."
|
| These are great but you need to strip a specific length of
| insulation of off the wire - within a certain range, that is.
|
| That's not that difficult but I wonder if there is an
| adjustable stripping tool that can be fixed to a certain length
| to get repeatable strips over and over ?
|
| It seems like this is what I am looking for:
|
| https://www.amazon.com/C-K-TOOLS-T3757ESD-Adjustable-Strippe...
|
| ... but the largest wire it strips is 20ga and I would
| (usually) be stripping 12 or 14ga ...
| invalidator wrote:
| I use manual strippers because I only do small jobs. I
| compare the length against the template on the side of the
| lever nut and it's easy to keep it in tolerance.
|
| If you want to do a lot of connections, I recommend using an
| automatic stripper.
|
| https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B8WB5U Knipex
| https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OQ21CA Irwin
| https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BC39YFQ Klein
| transfire wrote:
| Largely agree about Ruby, but I'm still disappointed by how
| they implemented Refinements.
| djmips wrote:
| Speaking of hand tools, how about Channel Lock pliers developed
| by Howard Manning.
|
| https://patents.google.com/patent/US2592927A/en
| mitemte wrote:
| Pliers wrench are also excellent and a far better alternative
| to adjustable wrenches. The parallel jaws and pressure added
| from squeezing prevents rounding of nuts.
|
| https://patents.google.com/patent/EP0421107A2/en
| nicbou wrote:
| Wago connectors are great. I used them on my powered motorcycle
| panniers to make them field-repairable. They're brilliant
| little devices.
| ethbr0 wrote:
| > _GearWrench ratcheting wrenches_
|
| There are also hex bit ratcheting wrenches (go by a variety of
| names). They key is they take a standard bit, and are only the
| depth of the bit + a few millimeters. Lifesavers on doorknobs.
|
| If you really needed the clearance, you could probably grind
| part of the hex end of a bit down too.
|
| Something like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/VIM-
| Tools-1-4-in-Hex-Bit-Ratchet...
| princevegeta89 wrote:
| Netflix. Amazing and consistent user interface on every platform
| thih9 wrote:
| I cancelled netflix more than a year ago, maybe something
| changed since then.
|
| But at the time I'd list it as an example of user hostile UI.
| It had lots of unpredictability (few fixed UI elements). Also:
| autoplay and a search that never says if an item is not there
| but tries to offer alternatives.
|
| I disliked it so much that whenever I wanted to watch something
| on netflix, I'd first check whether they actually have it and I
| used a different tool for that.
| Oddskar wrote:
| I imagine the design challenge that Netflix faces is that
| they cannot keep movies forever due to publisher prices being
| too high, and customers are always looking for something new
| to watch.
|
| Thus they have to try to make the most out of
| recommendations, and try to maintain a bit of an illusion
| that their current catalogue is bigger than it actually is.
| sas224dbm wrote:
| My Sony ICF SW-1 shortwave radio. Perfect backpacking travel
| companion in Asia in the 90s. It just worked.
| timonoko wrote:
| Cassette player was just too finicky to fix and maintain. I
| would prefer the same device, but with SD-card recorder. But
| then alas, there is nothing to listen on SW-bands anymore.
|
| BTW. I have now modified my Sony, the cassette player is
| totally removed, but in the cassette bay there is a loose wire
| with 3 mm plug, which has suitable dampening so that it acts
| like cellphone headset microphone input. I can now record
| programs with my cellphone.
| jounker wrote:
| The Aerostich Roadcrafter single piece motorcycle suit. It's not
| the best protection, it's not the most weather resistant, it's
| not the warmest in cool weather, it's no the best ventilated in
| warm weather, but it is the best all round motorcycle suit I've
| worn.
|
| Best of all you can step into or out of one faster than most
| people can take off a jacket. Every time I put it on I feel a
| rush of joy and satisfaction.
| johnwheeler wrote:
| Benson amps Vinny Combo.
|
| Built-in attenuator, excellent spring reverb, and easy to dial in
| edge of breakup. Great clean and dirty tones
| scandox wrote:
| A garlic press. It's the only thing I ever asked my parents for
| that they owned. They had it since the 70s.
|
| The reason I know it's great is because all the others I've ever
| used are inferior.
|
| This one is in two distinct pieces which you place together to
| work. The metal is kind of grey and dull but it's incredibly
| strong.
|
| It's easy to clean. Indestructible. Powerful.
| egwor wrote:
| Easy to clean is so important. My parents' garlic press is far
| superior to the one we have
| muzani wrote:
| I'd love to know where you guys are getting these, because
| every garlic press I get falls apart.
| scandox wrote:
| As far as I can tell the one I have was made in France in
| the mid 1970s and is irreplaceable.
| aristofun wrote:
| Telegram app on ios & macos. One of the few near perfect
| consumers applications there are.
| jzellis wrote:
| My Doc Martens. The design of a shoe is pretty well worked out,
| but the devil is in the details, and my Docs have been carrying
| my fat ass through deserts and snow and jungles and cobblestones
| and pavement for twenty years, and I got em used. That's not just
| down to materials, it's down to design.
|
| The Gerber Chameleon (and its Remix followup) pocket knife
| design. (https://www.gerber-tools.com/Gerber-Remix-22-01969.php)
| Absolutely brilliant - the pivot itself is a ring, so when you
| use the knife you have zero chance of slipping and cutting
| yourself, and instead of a side to side motion for cutting, you
| just use your hand naturally, the way you would a handsaw.
|
| And the iPad stand and mount I use, whose brand escapes me. It
| folds compact to fit in a bag and the legs and main clamp
| separate for easy carrying, but the feet pivot outward or can be
| used, when pivoted inward together, as a base that can be slid
| into a holder (that came with it) or anything that can hold it
| up. I often slip the feet behind the vertical pipes in our
| kitchen to watch videos while I'm doing dishes, and I've built a
| lap desk that uses pipe strapping to allow me to slide the stand
| feet underneath the desktop, so the iPad itself doesn't take up
| any space at all on the desktop - it's just hovering over it like
| an IKEA worklight. Fantastically simple and useful design.
| grech wrote:
| This may be a normie response - but Apple Airpods Pro are one of
| the best products I've used. After years of using several
| bluetooth headsets that get finicky (with connections that is),
| having a set that just connects and works every single time is
| refreshing. They really changed my behavior - I went from not
| liking phone conversations at all (getting agitated after a few
| minutes)to comfortably having long phone calls. I would replace
| mine immediately if they were lost / broken.
| dionidium wrote:
| > _I went from not liking phone conversations at all (getting
| agitated after a few minutes)to comfortably having long phone
| calls_
|
| I love my Airpods. One of my favorite products of all time. But
| I've found them to be totally useless on calls. I'm on my third
| pair -- that's another thing: they wear out if you use them a
| lot -- and I've had 3 different phones in the meantime and
| nobody can ever hear me when I talk on them. I've tested it
| myself and they make the speaker sound very quiet and far away.
| It must not affect everyone, because I see people using them
| for phone calls, but I've never been able to make that function
| work.
| ycombinete wrote:
| I can't bring myself to spend this much money on a device
| that has worse mic audio than my free airpods. And it's the
| same for all wireless buds, the mic is just in the wrong
| position.
| arendtio wrote:
| Sounds great, I bought a pair just yesterday ;-)
|
| I am really looking forward to trying them out. So far I have
| $40 NoName true-wireless headphones [1] and Sennheiser over-ear
| ANC headpones (MB660). I really like those $40 headphones, but
| sadly they last for 4-5 hours only and I reach that limit a few
| times per week. But since the true wireless headphones feel
| very different to the over-ear headphones, I decided to buy
| another pair and wanted to try out some high quality ANC in-ear
| headphones.
|
| Given the factor 5 price difference and the fact that I am
| quite happy with my current headphones, I am very interested
| how the Apple AirPods Pro will perform.
|
| [1] HolyHigh BE1018. They look exactly like these:
| https://www.amazon.com/-/en/dp/B07XFMHQDP
| rp1 wrote:
| I agree with this. I remember buying mine in a busy part of SF.
| I opened them on the street and my iPhone instantly recognized
| them and paired. I didn't even need to open the Bluetooth
| settings menu. Then, as soon as I put them on, the street I was
| on, which was so busy and chaotic just prior, became dead
| silent. I hadn't experienced magic like that in a long while.
| ghostly_s wrote:
| And I would rank them near the bottom because they don't fit in
| my ears without causing significant pain within a few minutes.
| servercobra wrote:
| Even with the 3 different tip sizes? The old EarPods/AirPods
| worked alright in my ears but never great. The Pros have been
| fantastic for me personally.
| olex wrote:
| Not the OP, but I have the same issue. Tried the 3 original
| tip sizes as well as 3rd party foam tips - no use, they
| either hurt after a short while or don't seal properly,
| causing ANC to barely work at all and the headphones to
| fall out when jogging or doing exercise. Guess my ears are
| not shaped for the Pros, or any in-ear earbuds for that
| matter - it has always been the same story with any brand I
| tried over the years.
|
| However, the 1st/2nd gen "base" AirPods are a perfect fit
| for me, so I just ordered a new pair to replace my 3 years
| old 1st gen with almost completely failed batteries.
| Would've used something like Podswap, but unfortunately no
| such service is available in my country that I could find.
| javajosh wrote:
| Interesting. I returned my airpod pros because I kept losing
| them and/or their case, and had anxiety until I found them. And
| I knew it was only a matter of time before I didn't find them
| again. Also, the audio quality on the other end of my calls was
| actively bad. I've reverted to wired earbuds with a mic in the
| cable, and am (very) grateful I was stubborn about keeping the
| 3.5mm headphone jack on whatever phone I'm using. (Perhaps my
| experience would have been better with an iPhone, but there is
| no way I'm buying an iPhone, for lots of reasons.)
| mrsuprawsm wrote:
| Since the latest iOS minor version (some time in the last
| month or so), certain models of AirPods are integrated in the
| Find My network, meaning if you lose them, other
| (participating) iPhones in the area (~1b worldwide) will
| report their location as they go past. Meaning they should be
| much harder to lose.
|
| https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207581
| https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/5/22711557/apple-lost-
| airpo...
|
| Speaking of, the Find My network also seems excellently
| designed. Reminds you if/when you leave any tagged item
| (keys, wallet, etc) behind.
| Zanni wrote:
| Yes! They're so easy to misplace. I lost my first pair of
| Airpods Pro, so I picked up a Catalyst Case [0] for them that
| I can clip onto my belt loop or messenger bag. Much more
| peace of mind. Haven't come close to losing them since.
|
| [0] https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HP0B2ZM/A/catalyst-
| waterp...
| csomar wrote:
| If you are losing them at home, they can make a small sound
| through the Find iPhone page in iCloud.
| riffraff wrote:
| Sadly, you can't setup find my.. for them if you don't have
| an iPhone, which seems blatantly anticompetitive behavior
| from Apple.
| kortilla wrote:
| Does that actually work when they are in the case? I
| haven't gotten it to...
| hedgehog wrote:
| If they are the original version consider getting them tested
| at the store to see if they are covered by the recall. Free
| replacement with the new model (apparently with improved
| adhesives).
| bm-rf wrote:
| I've owned both the pro and the max. Returned the max because
| the pro has noticeably superior noise canceling. Also weight +
| portability.
| carlgreene wrote:
| I agree, unfortunately however I've recently developed
| worsening tinnitus that I've attributed to them. There appear
| to be several others who have a similar experience[0].
|
| I've stopped using them in favor of my over-ear VModas the past
| couple weeks and my tinnitus is significantly better. I rarely
| listen to music loud and the volume only seldom goes over 50%
| so I'm having a hard time attributing it to excess listening
| volume.
|
| [0]: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250886390
| Demcox wrote:
| This is something I've been concerned about for quite some
| time with nose-cancelling in-ears.
|
| Being an avid user of my AirPodsPro for commutes, working out
| and just taking calls in general, I figured that the constant
| noise cancellation, and tight seal in the ear canal, might
| cause tinnitus.
|
| I haven't experienced any symptoms yet but I fear that
| prolonged use will further highten the chances of such a
| diagnosis. I'm sorry to hear that you might be experiencing
| tinnitus from AirPodsPro use, but I can't say that it haven't
| cross my mind, that it would lead to that.
| kortilla wrote:
| I'm curious, did the amount of time you used go up
| significantly with the airpod pros? I enjoy mine so much I
| use them for multiple hours every day, which is quite a shift
| in usage compared to the other awful earbuds I would use
| before.
| Demcox wrote:
| Yes, most definitely hence why I also began to wonder, if
| the increased usage time may come with caveats.
|
| This is just a thought, but I pondered that the noice-
| cancelling is further worsening ear health. I'd argue that
| AirPodsPro NC causes this because it feeds additional sound
| in (ie. cancelling) which takes an extra toll on your
| hearing. Again, just a thought. I have no science to back
| this up.
| alok-g wrote:
| I hear the latency is high, which is a challenge for all
| wireless earphones. So good for music and calls, but not for
| videos, games, singing. Do I understand correctly? :-)
| oriolid wrote:
| The basic AirPods are the lowest latency Bluetooth headphones
| I have tried. In A2DP mode the latency is somewhere around
| 30ms that is almost good enough for playing an instrument
| through them but certainly good enough for games or phone
| calls. The theoretical minimum for AAC is around 21ms. For
| calls the problem is that somehow Apple didn't invent a
| proprietary extension so you're stuck with HFP sound quality.
| oriolid wrote:
| Replying to myself since I can't edit the post above: I
| can't reproduce the low number any more. With current iOS I
| get 197ms which is not worse than competition but not that
| good either.
| alok-g wrote:
| That is good indeed. I was reading that the numbers are
| higher than 200 ms.
|
| https://semiserious.blog/airpods-pro
|
| Is the latency under A2DP mode specified somewhere?
| oriolid wrote:
| My numbers are from measuring round trip latency through
| headphones and phone's built in mic and then basically
| guessing which part is input and which part output
| latency (they're both small). 200ms is certainly in line
| with most Bluetooth headphones. I'm not sure what the guy
| is doing differently from the app I'm working on, but for
| us AirPods are clearly the lowest latency choice.
|
| EDIT: Ignore what I wrote below and see the update. I'm
| getting similar latency numbers.
|
| Generally, the guy is getting so massive latencies that I
| suspect he's doing something wrong. The app I'm working
| on has MIDI to wired audio latency around 10ms when audio
| buffer size is dropped to 128 samples, so 70ms sounds
| really excessive. Touchscreen is both slow and the timing
| is all over the place (try playing drums in GarageBand to
| see) so it might explain some of it.
| alok-g wrote:
| Great! Thanks.
| oriolid wrote:
| Ok, I'll take back what I wrote above. I tried the
| measurement again and got 197ms round trip for the same
| 2nd gen AirPods and iPad Mini4 running current iOS. It's
| not the worst, but certainly not better than most of
| Bluetooth headphones. I'm not sure why I got the low
| number before and whether it was a measurement error or
| changed in a software update.
| alok-g wrote:
| No worries. Thanks for updating.
|
| From what I am reading, the best of the Bluetooth
| headphones are claiming say 120 ms, and some have as high
| as 300 ms.
|
| I just hope manufacturers keep making wired ones with
| active noise cancellation (ANC). Already it seems ANC is
| seen less often for wired ones than for the wireless
| ones.
| oriolid wrote:
| My guess is that since ANC already needs DSP and small
| headphone amp, it doesn't cost much to add a Bluetooth
| receiver. Removing the cable input socket and ADC could
| even recover some of the cost. On the other hand, it
| seems that there's limited market for wired headphones
| right now.
| dijit wrote:
| "It depends", it's not high latency enough to notice on
| calls, music is obviously fine- but it's not going to be able
| to keep up with a graded DAC+Mic in a professional setting
| (like a recording studio).
|
| I haven't tried it for video editing, though I suspect it
| might cause your scrobbing to stutter because macos will
| "pause" media playback until the headphones have been
| instructed to play, so you don't have desync issues.
|
| But that's not what it competes against.
|
| There's no noticeable latency when using the phone/iPad, Mac
| as a normal consumer, calls, music, video conferencing.
| jessriedel wrote:
| Useful observations, but is this really a comment on design?
| The key feature, a robust connection, is just software/firmware
| quality.
| ozzythecat wrote:
| I don't quite understand this comment.
|
| As a customer, I don't care what a firmware is or if it's the
| best software or if it runs in Azure or iCloud. To me, it
| just works. I don't care how. The fact that it works way
| better than competitor products I tried over the years is
| enough to say it's well defined.
|
| The key is a frictionless experience.
| jessriedel wrote:
| The topic of discussion isn't product performance, it's
| design. If a certain car model has a high top speed, this
| may be suggestive evidence that the engine is well
| designed, but the top speed itself is not considered an
| example good design. So it would be fine if we had
| something to say about the design of the Apple software
| that _produced_ the reliable Bluetooth connection, but just
| the fact that something doesn 't break isn't good design.
|
| That's my understanding anyway.
| ozzythecat wrote:
| > If a certain car model has a high top speed, this may
| be suggestive evidence that the engine is well designed,
| but the top speed itself is not considered an example
| good design.
|
| I don't think this is a useful analogy. Top speed is a
| randomly picked metric, which presumably most car buyers
| don't care for.
|
| Once you get into the exotic super car car segment, then
| one could say that a super car that only tops out at
| 60mph or is 0-60 in 8 seconds is poorly designed... and
| more so if they care about performance over other
| measures (reliability, crash safety, fuel efficiency,
| comfort, etc).
|
| A design document has both functional and non functional
| requirements.
|
| > but just the fact that something doesn't break isn't
| good design.
|
| If your non functional requirements optimize for
| reliability and consistency, and that's exactly what your
| implementation does while making reasonable trade offs,
| that's the exact hallmark of not just a good but great
| design.
| jessriedel wrote:
| > I don't think this is a useful analogy. Top speed is a
| randomly picked metric, which presumably most car buyers
| don't care for.
|
| My comment applies to any metric that is an unalloyed
| good, not just top speed. Saying "AWS has high up-time"
| or "This car rarely needs repairs" or "I never spill
| coffee with this cup" are suggestive that something has
| been designed well, but they are not themselves
| substantive comments about the design. For that you'd
| have to say _how they achieved those things_. It 's the
| difference between a goal and the method.
|
| > that's the exact hallmark of not just a good but great
| design.
|
| Talking about trade-offs between goals would be
| substantive discussion of design. That one metric got
| high marks without saying anything about how is not.
|
| I don't think this digression into semantics has reached
| diminishing returns.
| CamperBob2 wrote:
| The hardest part is making it look easy.
| jjj123 wrote:
| Firmware and software that influences user experience is
| absolutely valid for a design discussion.
|
| Prioritizing ease of connection was a design decision, and
| not one that's inevitable (see a dozen other duly wireless
| earbuds that don't do it as well).
| jessriedel wrote:
| I agree that if the prioritization decision was made as a
| _trade-off_ then this could be a question of design, but
| something would need to be said about that. Saying "I like
| the design of my car because it goes fast" doesn't really
| make sense unless you bring up what was changed (e.g., the
| aerodynamics, or the missing backseats, or whatever).
| jjj123 wrote:
| You think a car going fast (faster than most others) is
| not part of the designed user experience of that car?
| jessriedel wrote:
| Speed is part of the user experience, and good user
| experience is the goal of, and usually relies on, good
| design. But the _result_ -- speed -- is not itself
| design. Otherwise there would be no distinction between
| good products and good design.
| vanilla_nut wrote:
| I bought Airpods soon after they came out, and got a pair of
| Airpods Pro just a couple of years ago as a gift for my
| girlfriend.
|
| I just switched back to a pair of $50 IEMs (Tin T2 Pros) with a
| replaceable MMCX cable and foam tips. Fortunately I use a phone
| that has a jack.
|
| The removal of the headphone jack is an absolute crime.
| Everyone I know struggles with Bluetooth regularly, but even
| the Apple models with special pairing chips don't ALWAYS
| behave. Meanwhile, I do have to deal with a cable on these
| IEMs... but honestly, after 2+ years of suffering with
| Bluetooth, I'm more than happy with that tradeoff.
|
| By the way, the headphones I have now are absolutely fantastic.
| Especially with the foam tips, noise cancellation is just about
| as good as my Airpod Pros, and I can either wear them like
| normal headphones, or hooked above the ear, to keep them more
| secure (mostly while running).
|
| They're also built out of solid aluminum like absolute tanks.
|
| If anybody is skeptical about Bluetooth headphones, please seek
| out phones with the jack and try out something like these IEMs.
| I think you'll be very happy.
| pks016 wrote:
| or/and Try something like FiiO BTR5.
| f0e4c2f7 wrote:
| Crock Pot. Cheap and makes cooking feel easy.
|
| https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-SCV700SS-Stainless-7-Quart-...
|
| OP-1. Expensive and makes music feel easy.
|
| https://www.amazon.com/Teenage-Engineering-002-AS-001-OP-1-S...
|
| LG Tone Flex HBS-XL7. The best earbuds with the worst name. I
| really like this form factor. I often forget that I'm wearing
| them and this particular model is the most comfortable of the
| ones I've used over the years.
|
| https://www.amazon.com/LG-HBS-XL7-Bluetooth-Wireless-Neckban...
|
| Kindle Paperwhite. I have the older model. I've heard the nooks
| are good too. The simpler the better. Nothing to break or
| distract. Don't use the backlight and the battery lasts ages. I
| know a lot of people are partial to physical books but I've read
| hundreds more books than I might have otherwise read since I
| started using my kindle. It's probably my favorite thing I own.
|
| https://www.amazon.com/All-new-kindle-paperwhite/dp/B08N38WQ...
| roeles wrote:
| +1 on Crock Pot. It's so easy to create something tasty with
| it. If I had to reduce my kitchen to as little items as
| possible, this would be my first pick.
| _inq wrote:
| - Canon 5D classic. Fits my hand perfectly and the way colors are
| popping is something that i chase in photography to this day
|
| - Older Intuos drawing tablets. Super sturdy, great experience to
| work with, and battery-less pen tech which for many years was
| offered only by Wacom products
|
| - iPod Classic. Great interface idea with the touch circle, nice
| metal back.
|
| - HHKB Keyboard. Something i use to this day and don't really
| plan to change, even as I'm strongly into custom keyboards as a
| hobby. The layout is just too perfect for programming, especially
| if you're used to Vim.
| fretn wrote:
| Yes the 5D classic, that camera had something my other camera
| never had.
| _inq wrote:
| to this day when I upload any photo from it people are asking
| me what exactly did i do in post and are suprised when i
| honestly answers there's no post besides cropping the frame.
| To this day this is my fav camera.
| __alexs wrote:
| Zojirushi thermos flask.
| guidovranken wrote:
| BitTorrent is amazing. It just works. Anyone anywhere can create
| a torrent of their files, dump the magnet link somewhere, and
| everyone else can reliably retrieve it. It is self-reinforcing;
| the more people using a torrent, the better the robustness,
| redundancy and download speeds. You can often get better speeds
| from downloading something via torrent than from a web server.
| It's an open protocol that is relatively easy to implement, it
| has a diversity of lightweight clients for all OSes and is fairly
| resistant to censorship. To me it's pretty much perfect tech that
| solves a real problem. I hope Bram Cohen got rich off of it
| somehow.
| jiggunjer wrote:
| Why this over ipfs?
| 0x264 wrote:
| BitTorrent is 20 years old, IPFS only 6. So, might just come
| down to familiarity. Definitively many more people, even
| outside tech crowd, have heard of BitTorrent whereas IPFS is
| still mostly unknown.
| 5e92cb50239222b wrote:
| Because I pushed petabytes of data over it for the past 15
| years and it never failed me, not once. Simple as that.
| patentatt wrote:
| One benefit of ipfs is that you can use cloud flare as a
| gateway, which is pretty cool. Don't know of anything
| similar for torrents (from a reputable company).
| dpflug wrote:
| Speaking from my own experience, I've had a harder time
| getting data from here to there via ipfs. It's been a year or
| two since I last tried, but as I recall my troubles were the
| following:
|
| * Transfers never starting, or not being able to exceed kbps.
| * Large amounts of data makes client performance worse. *
| Adding data to the store doubles the disk space used unless
| you take extra steps to mitigate that.
|
| Meanwhile, I can point mktorrent at a folder, load it in my
| clients, and have it saturate my link within seconds/a couple
| minutes.
|
| I'm keeping a close eye on IPFS and the Dat Project to take
| over here (and my use of Syncthing), but I'm hoping some
| refinement can happen first.
| dsizzle wrote:
| Honest question: how much of the torrent content is corrupted
| in some way? I dabbled with file sharing back when Kazaa was a
| thing and I infected my computer to the point I had to
| reinstall the operating system and I "learned my lesson." But
| maybe I overlearned the lesson, and it can be used reliably?
| [deleted]
| boomboomsubban wrote:
| Kazaaa has nothing to do with torrents, but what do you mean
| by corrupted?
|
| Torrenting can cause a fragmenting issue, but defragging
| clears that up. And like anywhere else, random executables
| sometimes contain malware but there's nothing inherent in
| torrents that makes that more likely.
| dsizzle wrote:
| I meant "file sharing" more generally not "torrents"
| specifically (I edited my previous comment). I don't know
| what exactly happened to my computer but I suspect malware.
| While not inherent to torrents, it does seem inherent in
| sharing of random executables. Have the trust issues
| improved? What are some good use cases of torrents?
| thih9 wrote:
| I don't think torrents are any different in that aspect
| from the rest of the web.
|
| Just as you would download and run an executable from a
| trusted source, you can download a torrent of an
| executable (from that trusted source) and run it.
|
| E.g. many Linux distributions offer torrent links next to
| regular downloads; if you trust that website, you can
| download either file.
| wyldfire wrote:
| > . I don't know what exactly happened to my computer but
| I suspect malware.
|
| Yes, that's very plausible.
|
| > Have the trust issues improved?
|
| If you're retrieving executable code, the source giving
| you the magnet link is usually given some implicit trust.
| A good practice is to distribute a hash or better still a
| signature of the file(s). Though I would expect
| BitTorrent is designed to protect the shared contents'
| extents via hashes too.
|
| If the content is some multimedia, then ideally it could
| be untrusted. Your favorite OS probably has much more
| robust libraries handling the multimedia content than it
| did a decade ago. But ultimately if the content
| distributed is infringing then it probably comes from a
| less trustworthy source. In which case you should have a
| different posture when handling these untrusted files
| than the generally untrusted interwebs content.
| lostcolony wrote:
| So while Kazaa and the like eventually got the ability to
| actually download from multiple sources, and be able to
| see that a particular source is popular, as I recall from
| the early 2000 days, back then it was pure point to
| point. That is, if you chose to download something, you
| also were implicitly choosing what source to download it
| from. So even if five people had the file "Foo", you
| chose which one to download, and there was no way to know
| that 4 had the same file "Foo", and 1 person had
| something else, with no way to know which was what you
| wanted.
|
| Torrents avoid many of those issues; you can see how many
| seeds a file has (though Kazaa and the like later added
| that). And you had to have gotten the magnet link from
| somewhere, which would have its own evaluatable trust.
| It's the difference between downloading file called "Foo"
| from random internet user's computer, and going to a
| website, that you know, and downloading a file called
| "Foo" that you also know has been downloaded, and
| retained, by X number of users.
| boomboomsubban wrote:
| It's mostly like the rest of the web, though another
| commenter is right that seeds demonstrate a small amount
| of trust. If I'm on some random public warez site, my
| executable is likely to be malware. If I'm on something
| like the Internet Archive, Debian's site, or
| /r/datahoarder, their torrents are likely just a more
| efficient way to share data.
| enos_feedler wrote:
| Also getting to like 98% and not completing the download.
| Very aggravating
| ethbr0 wrote:
| Does the BitTorrent protocol have an announcement / stored
| metadata of "recently highest percentage of file seen"?
|
| This seems like one of the biggest problems with more
| decentralized torrents (i.e. ones not backed by a community
| / core seeder), but also most a UX issue and seemingly
| trivially solvable.
| kevincox wrote:
| QBittorrent will tell you if the swarm is _currently_
| missing any pieces. But it doesn 't have historical data.
| allset_ wrote:
| No, but clients do advertise how much of the torrent they
| have, so you can glance at your peer list and if you have
| 2 peers stuck at 10%... there's a good chance that you
| won't get more than 10%.
| ethbr0 wrote:
| Yeah, and while current peer % is useful, it doesn't
| answer the other user question of "What percent of this
| thing has been seen anywhere recently?"
|
| Which seems a pretty reasonable question for a user to
| have, if we're talking about fully decentralized torrents
| without a tracker.
| mkj wrote:
| I'd assume he got rich off Chia - not nearly as elegant as
| bittorrent.
| johnnyApplePRNG wrote:
| I don't think he did unfortunately.
|
| He's currently creating a cryptocurrency.
| Buttons840 wrote:
| Wish browsers had built in support for it. Imagine if by
| default most downloads were through BitTorrent, and your
| browser would then seed the file for 1.5x the download size and
| time.
| [deleted]
| no_time wrote:
| A major browser supporting torrents would be a disaster for
| public torrent culture. Since everyone closes their browsers,
| people would seed substantially less. I have a theory that a
| good chunk of people seeding any given torrent on a public
| tracker are doing it unintentionally.
|
| EDIT: closes their browser is a bad way to phrase it. The
| problem is that the fact that they are seeding would be more
| in their face instead of hidden away in a notification icon
| on hover.
|
| I wonder if intellectually "property" groups thought of this
| playing out.
| mouzogu wrote:
| > a good chunk of people seeding any given torrent on a
| public tracker are doing it unintentionally.
|
| a person i know (totally not me) only seeds the rarer
| things. for more popular stuff they only seed for a couple
| of days.
| squarefoot wrote:
| Support in the browser would require the browser to stay on
| the whole time, along with the computer. Bittorrent clients
| are better run on small less power hungry boards (RPi, etc.)
| or on hardware that is meant to be running 24/7 anyway. For
| example, I run the Transmission daemon on my XigmaNAS home
| file server. The NAS is headless, but I can control the
| daemon through its remote GUI, so as soon as I click on a
| torrent or magnet link on the browser, it calls the local
| Transmission GUI which sends the info to the client on the
| NAS which starts the download freeing the browser and the PC
| of any further work.
|
| https://xigmanas.com/xnaswp/
|
| https://github.com/transmission-remote-gui/transgui
| sleavey wrote:
| It doesn't require the browser to be always on, unless you
| want to download something (which is the same as a normal
| download). Do you mean it's better for the health of the
| swarm for a particular file? Otherwise I'm not sure I get
| your point.
| squarefoot wrote:
| > Do you mean it's better for the health of the swarm for
| a particular file?
|
| That is one of the main points. Some files are shared by
| thousands users and can be downloaded in seconds, but
| others are much harder to find, so that I like to keep
| the client on to help other people getting it quickly. I
| usually am annoyed when a file with a single seed reaches
| like 97% then it dies until the following day because the
| seeder had to turn off the PC, so I try to avoid this,
| especially since it costs me nothing as broadband is flat
| and the client runs on a machine that is always on.
| bmn__ wrote:
| https://press.opera.com/2006/02/06/opera-integrates-
| bittorre...
| WithinReason wrote:
| It would absolutely not require that, it only requires that
| _someone 's_ browser is open when you're trying to
| download, which is likely since most people have their
| browsers open a lot.
| ycombinete wrote:
| I don't know about others, but my browser is open about
| 100% of the time
| Lhiw wrote:
| Yea this was a super weird complaint. My browser is open
| for far more time than my torrent app.
| toomuchtodo wrote:
| WebTorrent gets you pretty close.
|
| https://webtorrent.io/
| als0 wrote:
| BitTorrent itself doesn't provide any privacy, which is
| critical for something like a web browser. If anyone in the
| world can query what you've downloaded, it can escalate into
| real issues.
| redthrowaway wrote:
| Brave supports bittorrent natively and is basically a
| reskinned Chrome without the spyware.
| bajsejohannes wrote:
| The Opera browser did for a short while. If I recall
| correctly, it was taken out since sysadmins at schools,
| workplaces, etc would ban the browser. Of course that
| behavior unfortunately ensured that bittorrent would remain a
| protocol mostly for piracy.
| johnx123-up wrote:
| I'd add uTorrent... it was created in few kb and AFAIK that
| started the no-bloatware awareness for sometime.
| stavros wrote:
| I don't know if it started the no-bloatware awareness, that
| was a remnant of the 90s, where programs were non-bloated by
| default (with Winamp being the most non-bloated program to
| ever have been created).
| glenstein wrote:
| Even just in the universe of piracy programs, Kazaa and
| it's offshoots got bloated, so Kazaa lite became the no-
| bloat version of that
| EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK wrote:
| But you also need to find the file first. And sites to search
| for files are unreliable, often get banned. I remember long
| before bit torrent there were protocols like napster, edonkey,
| imesh etc that included search function and were superior to
| bit torrent in this aspect. Unfortunately, bad design won.
| grammarnazzzi wrote:
| > But you also need to find the file first
|
| No. He's describing a distributor's options. You are
| describing a consumer's problem. Specifically pirate
| comsumers.
|
| He doesn't need to find his own file; he needs to distribute
| it. Publishing is a separate issue. With napster, you only
| had one publishing option: napster.com. With torrents, you
| have many. As he said, "just dump the magnet link somewhere".
|
| > Unfortunately, bad design won.
|
| You're comparing apples and oranges. Napster and bittorent
| are different tools that solve different problems.
|
| He's describing general issues involved in distributing
| something.
|
| You're describing specific issues involved in stealing.
|
| Saying "bad design won" is like saying hammers are a bad
| design compaired to hypodermic needles because you can't use
| a hammer to inject yourself with heroin.
| urbanmiffs wrote:
| Qbittorrent client has a built in search engine. Add the
| jackett plugin and you can search every public tracker in one
| click.
|
| I haven't visited a torrent site in years.
| klntsky wrote:
| This is cool, but unfortunately the best content is on
| private trackers (you also need them to reduce the risk of
| abuse reports to your provider).
|
| Not sure if the need to use private trackers can be fixed
| by the protocol, though. But, maybe adding a bit more of
| anonymity would be enough? i2p torrents provide that, but
| sacrifice speed. Clearly it's a spectrum and we need more
| "points" in the middle of it.
| urbanmiffs wrote:
| I disagree completely. I downloaded my first torrent
| months after the first client was released and my latest
| yesterday. In those 17 years I've never failed to find
| what I need and never had any problems with ISP(and would
| use a VPN if I did). I've never felt the need to check
| out private trackers.
| urbanmiffs wrote:
| I disagree completely. I downloaded my first torrent
| months after the first client was released and my latest
| yesterday. In those 20 years I've never failed to find
| what I need and never had any problems with ISP(and would
| use a VPN if I did). I've never felt the need to check
| out private trackers.
| herbstein wrote:
| It depends on how niche your tastes are, or how specific
| you are about quality. Getting Blu-Ray REMUX files for
| smaller, forgotten movies on public trackers is nigh
| impossible in my experience. Meanwhile, private trackers
| gives the community incentive to seed these large
| torrents with tiny swarms.
| AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote:
| It is probably a matter of what kind of content you're
| after. I do retro game preservation and private trackers
| are often the only option for certain sets and certainly
| the most up to date ones.
| swader999 wrote:
| Stihl MS 262 pro saw. Used it for days this summer. Thing never
| quit.
| 4kelly wrote:
| Darn Tough socks. You won't be able to go back. Great feel, super
| durable, different styles and thickness for any use-case.
|
| Oh and a lifetime warranty (I have personality returned one pair
| 5 years later for a new pair).
| jerome-jh wrote:
| I liked the HVAC controls of my 2005 Honda CR-V. Three big knobs:
| fan control, temperature, direction/mode. The temperature knob
| had one notch per degC. Simple and robust. All three were a
| pleasure to use even after 15 years, usually while keeping the
| eyes on the road. Oh and the vertical hand brake freed a lot of
| room between the front seats. No car is perfect of course.
| https://duckduckgo.com/?q=honda+cr-v+2005+dash&t=ffab&iar=im...
|
| Wifi router WNR3500L with DD-WRT. True eventless running for 10
| years. Cannot tell the same of my current setup. On PC the Debian
| GNU Linux distrib is pretty good for peace of mind.
|
| I like Vim for its modal interface with old-school menus as a
| fallback and mplayer for its complete command line and keyboard
| controllability, and its effective OSD.
| defterGoose wrote:
| The second gen CRV is a study in "where else can we stuff
| something useful into this car?"
|
| Mine is affectionately named "Truckquito" and he recently got a
| full length camper bed installed in the back.
| enz wrote:
| A 4-Color ballpoint pen.
| donatj wrote:
| My Cuisinart PerfectTemp water kettle.
|
| I bought it 11 years ago, a couple years after moving out. It was
| more expensive than many of its competitors, but the build
| quality seemed worth the investment. Early in my career, it was a
| big investment.
|
| I have used it nearly every single day in that time, and honestly
| never stopped to think about it until now. It's been a fixture of
| my life. Other than the occasional descaling, it's been perfect
| without maintenance.
|
| Beyond that, as someone who drinks a lot of coffee - I'd also
| like to mention my classic Bunn coffee maker. It has a reservoir
| of water it keeps hot, the new water you add displaces the old
| water like a water heater, so you're able to make an entire pot
| of coffee in under 3 minutes.
| reggieband wrote:
| I have one of these and I use it about once or twice a week. I
| have one major design gripe with mine: the Keep Warm
| functionality is enabled by default. It does at least remember
| if you turn it off but for some reason it resets to default if
| my power cuts out. I happen to live in a slightly rural
| location where a 1-2 minute power cut happens now and again. If
| I use the kettle after the power outage it keeps reboiling the
| water until I realize I have to once again disable the Keep
| Warm switch. Other than that, it is a really good kettle.
| infocollector wrote:
| Isn't it true that in design the hot water touches non-
| metallic parts, which is not good for you?
| donatj wrote:
| There is a removable filter on the spout which is just a
| wire mesh attached to a plastic frame, and a little bit of
| plastic that attaches that to the metal. Cuisinart states
| it to be BPA free.
|
| I don't find any of it reason for concern though. It's not
| submerged during boiling when at the max fill line, and
| even then I'm sure it's a heat safe plastic. The filter
| itself is easily removable, the mount is probably removable
| with a little effort. I'd much rather have the filter,
| given my hard water and the little chunks of limestone the
| filter likes to catch.
| Grimm665 wrote:
| K2 Cinch bindings. If you snowboard with skiers, who are
| constantly complaining about the time it takes to do up your
| bindings after getting off the lift, these things are awesome.
|
| https://k2snow.com/en-us/p/k2-cinch-tc-snowboard-binding
| slipwalker wrote:
| a bic (cristal) pen
| EMM_386 wrote:
| Samsung T5 SSD.
| temporallobe wrote:
| Late to this thread as usual, but I might as well submit mine:
|
| My Fender Telecaster. It's a paradigm of simplicity, reliability,
| playability, and tone. From the original barrel-style string
| saddles to the 2-pickup/3-way switching system to the high-output
| single coil to the bolt-on neck construction to the straight
| string-pull head stock, there is no better guitar on the planet.
| What's even more impressive is that it was designed by a non-
| guitarist and was one of Leo Fenders earliest designs (and is
| largely considered to be the first mass-produced electric
| guitar). I own far too many guitars of various styles and cost,
| but I nearly _always_ perform and record with my Tele. It's my
| proverbial desert island guitar.
| elsherbini wrote:
| I'm relatively new to electric guitar and have a Tagima
| telecaster clone (T55pwh). I love it - it has no business being
| as good as it is for as cheap as it is.
|
| One thing about telecasters that you mentioned that is probably
| not the best design is the 3 barrel string saddles that make
| intonation challenging (since you can't adjust the intonation
| of one string without changing another one too). My favorite
| telecaster player Tim Lerch has a video explaining the way he
| sets up his teles, and one of the things he does is change to
| compensated saddles.[1]
|
| [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5l54uQzKjk
| jimmies wrote:
| Zorijushi rice cooker. It can cook rice perfectly and can hold
| cooked rice for days.
|
| Facebook portal. Yeah Facebook privacy and all that but that's a
| good product that allows me to call people without having to mess
| with the phone. The audio and video is super clear. I use it
| despite it's from Facebook.
|
| Work sharp knife sharpener. It's superior to sharpening the my
| knives with the stone.
|
| Apple airtags. I often forget where I put my keychain so this is
| really well executed. Apple airpods. They just work and they are
| nice enough.
|
| Hakko soldering station. I don't know if the recent Chinese usbc
| ones are better but the hakko one I have work well enough for
| everything I want to do.
| mikeklaas wrote:
| I'm surprised to see the Portal listed. We have one for letting
| the grandparents talk to the kids, and it is the most
| unreliable piece of technology I've owned. Constant connection
| issues and laggy UI.
| pedalpete wrote:
| I'm curious about your thoughts on airtags. Had you tried Tile
| before? Are the airtags really better, and not just a knock-off
| product?
| otterley wrote:
| I have owned both. AirTags are superior to Tile tags in
| several major ways: (1) the batteries are replaceable
| (although I understand newer Tile tags also have them); (2)
| when you get close enough, the Find My app can give you
| directions to the tag; and (3) there are far more
| iPhones/iPads out there than Tile users, so if you leave your
| tag somewhere, its location is much more likely to be found
| with pinpoint accuracy.
| muziq wrote:
| A 2011 era 27" iMac, that never booted to OSX, instead was
| installed from new with Windows.. Sheer, and unexpectedly, pure
| blissful experience..
| donatj wrote:
| Mine is still going usefully for me, albeit with High Sierra.
| For most tasks, it's performance is on-par with my 2019 MacBook
| Pro - which I suspect comes down to thermals more than
| anything.
|
| A lot of what I use it for is just headlessly running FFmpeg
| over ssh.
| wirthjason wrote:
| Why is the bottom smooth and not flat like traditional octagon
| design? As far as I can tell that's the only difference from this
| pot and their other ones.
| tejohnso wrote:
| Maybe I'm too easy to please, but every day since I unboxed my
| Kobo Forma I've been impressed with it. The backlight is
| adjustable down to barely noticeable for night reading with the
| lights off, and in bright light the e-ink looks great. The weight
| in the "spine" is perfect, and the rest of the unit feels near
| weightless. The battery lasts weeks. And the device has performed
| flawlessly for over a year now, which is honestly more than I
| expected for a somewhat niche electronics product. I use it for
| queued blog posts via Pocket, or some light fiction before bed or
| during lunch break.
| TehShrike wrote:
| Oh hey, good call - I got a Kobo Libre H2O recently, and I'm
| loving it too. It's just... great for reading!
|
| I have some quibbles on the firmware front, but on the whole
| it's a great Thing That Does Its Job Well
| aristofun wrote:
| Airpods pro, ipod, logitech k308 keyboard, typescript language
| gnopgnip wrote:
| For the keyboard, why this one specifically? A k400 is perfect
| for a home theater pc. Sometimes it is nice to have a trackpad
| at work and switch off using a mouse
| aristofun wrote:
| I like its small size, layout, super long battery life,
| multiple Bluetooth channels and durability.
| ruslan wrote:
| Atari 130XE - manufactured in 1986, works till this day (with
| some SIO mod), brings joy to me and to my kids.
| mhb wrote:
| Concept 2 rowing machine.
| PaulDavisThe1st wrote:
| Definitely an amazing piece of design. The electronics/digital
| part can be a little unreliable on heavily used machines, but
| the mechanical part is sublime and so robust.
| [deleted]
| bookofjoe wrote:
| iPod touch: for $200 you get an extra screen that looks great on
| a device that's almost ethereally thin.
|
| RayBan Stories glasses: for $299 you get functional wearable
| normal-appearing glasses that take pictures and make 30-second
| movies. Wonderfully easy to set up and use.
|
| Ultra Heavy-duty Scotch tape dispenser:
| https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Invisible-Photo-Safe-Engineere...
|
| Giant Foot doorstop -- works with doors with up to 2" clearance:
| https://www.amazon.com/Giant-Foot-Heavy-Clearance-Yellow/dp/...
| Zanni wrote:
| Hydro Flask pint glasses (sadly, now discontinued). The big win
| is that the insulation prevents condensation, which is a real
| annoyance in warm weather. The textured coating has a really nice
| feel to it, and I love the colors. Added bonus: they don't break
| when you drop them. They're twenty times the price of actual
| glass dollar store pint glasses, but worth it. Mine make me happy
| every time I use them. Sadly, they're now discontinued, but a
| couple of places have some (dwindling) stock. (Hydro Flask also
| makes a 16oz Tumbler, which I don't like as much.)
| joe-collins wrote:
| Such a little thing, but: the Rules Reference card in
| introductory-level Magic: The Gathering products. Magic's full
| rules are 250 pages of legal-lite text, and yet, this little
| folded insert, with just five cardface's worth of text, amply
| covers everything a complete beginner needs to play. It's a
| brilliant example of cutting an explanation to the bare minimum
| and piggybacking on background knowledge.
| MildlySerious wrote:
| In terms of physical things, my Audio Technica ATH-M50x
| headphones. I have been quite literally wearing them all day,
| every day for the past three years and got no complaints.
| Thristle wrote:
| The value for money on those is insane
| ycombinete wrote:
| I've used my m50s so much over the last 10 years that I've
| replaced the cups, and worn out the headband. I fixed the
| headband with a tennis racquet grip
| tekstar wrote:
| Try Sonarworks headphones edition if you want to hear an
| awesome software update to improve the audio quality.
| phdelightful wrote:
| I got the predecessor of these (ATH-M50) in high school and I
| still use them 15 years later. Have a bit of peeling where the
| headband touches my head, but working perfectly otherwise.
| mattgreenrocks wrote:
| Sennheiser HD600 headphones: gorgeous sound that is very detail
| oriented without being clinical.
|
| Fractal Audio FM3: guitar amp+FX modeling done incredibly well.
| Guitar is now a fully addictive hobby for me.
|
| Fish shell: I use it 8 hours a day and have very few complaints.
| Performant, ergonomic, and thoughtfully maintained.
| joelhaasnoot wrote:
| Palm OS
|
| Simple yet efficient, solving everyday problems and having some
| of the best apps. You are missed almost daily.
| toomanyrichies wrote:
| One example of quality design which I gleaned from reading Don
| Norman's "The Design Of Everyday Things" is the metal plate I've
| frequently seen on doors which are meant to be pushed.
|
| The only affordance of such a plate is its push-ability, and the
| fact that someone actively installed a metal plate (instead of
| just relying on the door's natural flatness), as well as its
| location at the point of maximum leverage (all the way to the
| right of the door, in the door's vertical center), is a clear
| signifier for such push-ability.
|
| Not only that, but it does its job without offering any other
| confusing affordances (such as a vertical handle which is also
| _technically_ pushable, but which many would interpret as being
| meant to be pulled).
|
| Whenever I need a relatable, succinct example of affordances and
| signifiers for my engineering comrades, I turn to this one.
| Anyone interested in design is doing themselves a dis-service by
| not reading Don Norman's classic.
| extrapickles wrote:
| The plate also makes it easier to clean as without it peoples
| handprints will be in a wider area. For wood doors its even
| better as wood can be time consuming to clean well.
| rakwoelq wrote:
| I always avoid touching that metal door plate, I've gotten
| 'stainless steel cleaner and polish' on my hands too many
| times for me to consider using it again.
| rambambram wrote:
| Now that you mention it, I do the same unknowingly. I
| always go for the wood above the plate, just because
| unconsciously I think it's cleaner than the metal plate.
| kqr wrote:
| The metal is easier to clean, but the wood (depending on
| treatment) might be naturally a bit more antiseptic
| because it dries up quicker.
|
| Unless, maybe, the plate is copper?
| loceng wrote:
| The natural wear or polishing that occurs further acts as a
| signal to draw one's attention to it as wwll
| loceng wrote:
| The natural wear or polishing that occurs further acts as a
| signal to draw one's attention to it as well.
| amarshall wrote:
| Perhaps ironically, the opposite door design (one where it's
| not clear whether to push or pull) is thusly called a Norman
| Door [1]. The term is sometimes applied more generically beyond
| doors.
|
| [1]: https://99percentinvisible.org/article/norman-doors-dont-
| kno...
| ctack wrote:
| I'm guessing the vox office featured door has that bar
| because a flat metal plate wouldn't seem right applied to
| glass? Going without the plate the glass would get dirty.
| alpaca128 wrote:
| While this is true I often wonder why so many of those doors
| don't just open towards both sides. They exist and I think it's
| the best compromise because it's just not possible to use it
| the wrong way.
| e12e wrote:
| If the door isn't transparent - it's a great way to collide
| with someone coming the other way... And getting the door in
| your face.
| michaelhoney wrote:
| A couple of possible reasons: one-way doors can have a solid
| frame, making them easier to secure; and they are better at
| sealing against weather.
| tommoor wrote:
| and fire. one way swing allows the frame to wrap around on
| one side - increasing fire resistence
| Knufferlbert wrote:
| I like the affordability too, but it also does not take into
| account edge cases.
|
| Our office door has this metal plate, it pushes outside (I
| believe it is that way for fire safety reasons). If there is
| strong wind on the outside, the door has the habit of whipping
| around after pushing it a bit, leading to shattered glass once
| every year or so.
|
| Closing the door in strong wind also means grabbing it on the
| edge and pulling it, the wind kind of reverses on the last
| couple inches, I have no idea how that did not lead to broken
| fingers yet (you do it once, then you never try to close it
| again).
|
| I guess it's a failing to consider all use cases of the door,
| and the metal plate thing should only be used indoors.
| toomanyrichies wrote:
| I spent about a year living in Chicago (also very windy and
| cold) and many office buildings use revolving doors for their
| exterior-facing entrances/exits. I suspect for the exact
| reason you mention. I can imagine what a PITA it would be to
| close a traditional door while battling icy-cold wind gusts.
| [deleted]
| roland35 wrote:
| That is a great book! There is so much discussion around doors,
| and rightfully so! I can never walk through an unusual door
| again without thinking about it since reading that chapter.
| kevinmchugh wrote:
| I'm currently in a country where I can't read the language and
| memorizing push vs pull feels so unnecessary when you could
| just design a door with obvious operation mechanics
| ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
| _> "The Design Of Everyday Things"_
|
| That book changed my life.
|
| Totally agree. Anyone that designs things to be used by other
| people, would be well-served, reading that book.
| hooande wrote:
| "When a device as simple as a door has to come with an
| instruction manual--even a one-word manual--then it is a
| failure, poorly designed."
| eropple wrote:
| I ran into a door today that had a handle on the push side. Not
| even a crossbar - an aluminum folded-over handle, one on each
| of the double doors. It is, unmistakably, a _pull handle_ , and
| it had "PUSH" written above it and even underlined, and still
| it gave me pause.
| robocat wrote:
| I see so many glass doors designed like that. The doors
| usually have a sticker that says "PUSH" on the push side,
| however the sticker is invariably printed with a transparent
| background so you can read it from the pull side. I don't
| notice when I am reading something backwards/mirrored, so I
| am always pushing on the pull side...... Arrrrrrgh!
| laurent92 wrote:
| At this point I believe it's a tradition to design push
| doors this way.
| usrusr wrote:
| The part of my brain that deciphers the mirrored text is so
| proud of its stupid little achievement that it shouts down
| the result from the easy version so that the part that
| tells my hands what to do only gets the mirrored
| instruction. Every single time.
| dalmo3 wrote:
| I also often fall for those signs that can be read from
| behind.
|
| Also somewhat related, I hate road signs written on the
| road that read bottom up.
| mattzito wrote:
| When I worked for squarespace, their beautiful new offices
| had glass conference room doors that swung one way, the other
| way, or slid on a track, depending on the room configuration.
|
| However every one of those doors had the same handle on both
| sides, giving you no clue as to which scenario this door was
| providing. You saw people pull/push the wrong way all the
| time, and then look up/to the side to see the hinges and
| where the door stop was. I eventually mentally dubbed that
| quiet look upwards before you touched a door the,
| "squarespace peek".
|
| After a while I'd heard that the original plans had the
| typical plate and handle for push/pull and the ceo felt like
| it messed with the design of the doors.
| akg_67 wrote:
| It reminded me of my experience at a Japanese Onsen (hot
| spring) last week. While entering the Onsen, the sliding
| door is automated and slides to open on it's own. While
| exiting, the automated sliding doesn't work. It has handles
| with no indication of pull or push or slide. The design of
| handles suggest most probably pull. I kept trying to
| pull/push with no movement. Finally, realized I am supposed
| to use those handles to slide the door left and right. That
| was one funky design, imo.
| aidog wrote:
| Sliding doors are very common in Japan. My home has them
| and they are great for saving space. They are sometimes
| hard to spot outside.
| e12e wrote:
| One possible saving grace for this design is that
| mechanical sliding doors/panels are "traditional" in
| Japan - ie: tradional architecture makes use of sliding
| doors - often without clear "handles".
|
| See eg: https://youtu.be/MfQkeIf2IjA
| deckard1 wrote:
| That design is everywhere in Japan, and can be quite
| embarrassing for tourists.
|
| First time I went to Japan I walked up to my hotel late
| at night. I went to the door. There was no handle or
| obvious way to open it. I stood there like an idiot for a
| minute or two. I walked back out to the street to make
| sure I'm at the right building. I walked back to the door
| and finally got it. The trick... you have to wave your
| hand directly in front of the door an inch or two. Places
| in Japan often do not put the motion sensor ahead of the
| door, but straight down. You start feeling like a Jedi at
| times, waving doors open.
| astrange wrote:
| They might want to prevent false activations since the
| doors tend to play annoying melodies when you go through
| them.
| akg_67 wrote:
| Usually, the doors have a strip or label indicating
| press/touch/wave here but typically in Japanese or hand
| wave/ double chevron symbols. As a visiting foreigner, we
| typically are not used to seeing such signage. Over the
| years living here, I have started to recognize tell tale
| signs of automated doors in Japan.
| bouncycastle wrote:
| Reminds me of this japanese comedy sketch
| https://youtu.be/ZkQNP2cqG2I
|
| Another tricky thing is figuring out how to flush the
| public toilets. The user interface is non standard on
| every toilet. The most surprising way I've encountered
| was to step on a button on the floor. (Remember to never
| press the big green button)
| masklinn wrote:
| > Remember to never press the big green button
|
| Is that one that automatically opens the door, or one
| which automatically starts a full wash of the entire
| toilet cabinet's interior?
| bouncycastle wrote:
| Worse. It raises an alarm and automatically sends down a
| bunch of security guards to check on you, lol
|
| Sometimes the button is red, but it can be any color,
| sometimes it looks like a flush button.
| masklinn wrote:
| Wow, never heard of that one, pretty nice variation on an
| awful pattern. Is it in handicap stalls or does it also
| exist in "regular"?
| codetrotter wrote:
| > Remember to never press the big green button
|
| One of my greatest fears :p I saw someone do that one
| time actually, and the door that the button opened was
| really slow moving and irreversible until it had
| completed opening fully. This was on a train, with all of
| the passenger seats facing the door in question. The guy
| that did it had to quickly pull his pants up and then
| stand there awkwardly while the door finished opening so
| that he could close it again.
| estaseuropano wrote:
| Friend, you missed the biggest news of 2017:
|
| https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38660860
|
| Although it probably takes a few years for all toilets to
| be replaced...
| bouncycastle wrote:
| Haha! It's almost the end of 2021 and I haven't noticed
| any changes! Squatters are still around too, lol
| onion2k wrote:
| This is known as a "Norman Door". There's a great episode of
| 99% Invisible about them.
| https://99percentinvisible.org/article/norman-doors-dont-
| kno...
| wmwmwm wrote:
| There used to be a coffee shop opposite my office that had a
| pull handle on the push side of the double doors. The right
| hand side doors were also often locked. I once sat at the
| nearest table to the doors and watched a dozen people pull
| then push on the right door, then pull and finally push on
| the left door, and often end up visibly aggravated by the
| time they got in and joined the morning queue!
|
| The next day my debugging instinct kicked in, I bought some
| PUSH stickers and did some covert guerrilla ergonomic
| stickering. Problem solved and it made me smile every time I
| went past that cafe!
| toomanyrichies wrote:
| You're doing the Lord's work. I'll buy you a beer if we
| ever run into each other.
| fredophile wrote:
| Double doors where one door doesn't actually open are one
| of the most frustrating designs I commonly encounter.
| cgranier wrote:
| To this day, I can't understand the thought process
| behind opening only one half of the door and locking the
| other one. I used to go around unlatching the offending
| doors, but got tired of it.
| conductr wrote:
| I can think of one door in a place I frequent for lunch like
| this which I have repeatedly ran into. Now, 80% of the times
| I start thinking about it about 20 feet away as I'm
| approaching it. My internal dialogue goes something like
| "Ignore how it looks, it's a push door." The other 20% of the
| times I still fumble the opening. It's the most unintuitive
| thing I've experienced in a while.
| joconde wrote:
| It's well-designed as a means of exchanging viruses with all
| the other users. At least its purpose is clear, so I can avoid
| it when I see it.
| mpclark wrote:
| That'll be (part of) why doors often also have a similarly
| designed 'kick plate' on the bottom edge
| pmyteh wrote:
| They're traditionally made of brass, which is naturally anti-
| microbial (the copper, specifically). Not clinically secure,
| of course, but far better than nothing.
|
| You can push them with a covered elbow as well, of course.
| Nemi wrote:
| I use a similar example when explaining when to document code
| and when to write it so it is easy to understand. When coding,
| if you find yourself saying "I need to document this", you
| should ask first if it is easily understandable by someone with
| no knowledge of the code and possibly rewrite it first. Only
| once you have exhausted how it is written should you document
| it.
|
| Everyone always nods at this but often do something else in
| practice, so as an example I use the real-world example of
| glass doors that only open one way but have identical pull
| handles on both sides. Users always walk up and loudly and
| embarrassingly push/pull incorrectly. But instead of fixing the
| root problem, the people who put them in think, "I know, I will
| document them!" and put those plaques on each side that says
| "Push/Pull". And true to nature, no one reads the signs and
| still loudly bangs the door the wrong way only then to look at
| the "documentation".
| TomGullen wrote:
| Here in the UK a lot of bathrooms in pubs and other places have
| push to get in, and handles to get out. Never understood that,
| I'd like to push to get out once I've washed my hands!
| bonaldi wrote:
| Those doors are often on corridors. You don't want them
| unexpectedly opening at speed into passing non-bathroom
| traffic. Conversely, people approaching the door from the
| inside will be further away as they have their hand out in
| readiness to pull, will expect the door to open -- it's
| generally lower risk.
| aqme28 wrote:
| Usually that's because the door is in the hallway and you
| don't want doors swinging out unexpectedly into people
| walking through a trafficked area.
| KineticLensman wrote:
| Inside the bathroom itself, the doors on individual stalls
| usually open inwards. One pragmatic advantage of this
| approach is that if the door opens while you are seated, you
| can push it closed without getting up. Or requiring help from
| someone else outside. This also drives the use of push-in-
| pull-out handles.
| egypturnash wrote:
| One major disadvantage of this approach is that if you are
| coming in with a bulky bag, or more (hauling carry-on
| luggage in an airport for instance), you have sharply
| limited space within to maneuver you and your stuff to a
| position where you can lift your skirts and do what you
| came here to do. Every time I go to a public bathroom with
| stall doors that open outward I am delighted.
| tinha wrote:
| You are forgetting about pregnants and bigger people.
| They usually have a hard time getting into the stalls.
| paxys wrote:
| The bigger reason is that space is usually tight in
| bathrooms and you don't want to slam the door into someone
| waiting outside when leaving the stall.
| milesvp wrote:
| In the US this is a fire code issue. Doors need to swing
| inward to avoid people getting trapped inside from outside
| obstructions.
|
| edit: I seem to be misinformed about firecode. I may also be
| over extrapolating from what I know about bedroom doors as
| well. The general idea of obstruction is more valid there. It
| seems the more common reason bathrooms would not be allowed
| to swing outward is obstructing the minimum width of
| hallways.
| reportingsjr wrote:
| Not sure where you picked this up, but I don't think it is
| correct.
|
| From the 2018 international building code (which is what
| the US building code is based on): https://up.codes/viewer/
| illinois/ibc-2018/chapter/10/means-o...
| iudqnolq wrote:
| FYI the international building code has a deceptive name.
| It's essentially the US building code.
|
| > it is the International Building Code ... used in
| multiple locations worldwide, including the 15 countries
| of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM),
| Jamaica, and Georgia. Furthermore, the IBC has served as
| the basis for legislative building codes in Mexico, Abu
| Dhabi, and Haiti, among other places.
|
| https://blog.ansi.org/?p=8429
| an_ko wrote:
| Huh. In Finland, fire code requires that external doors
| swing outward. It's intended to make it faster to exit the
| building since you can just walk forward, and to prevent
| people getting trapped indoors if a panicked crowd tries to
| push out through the door.
| fredophile wrote:
| I believe the post above was only meant to be applied to
| interior doors. The explanation I've gotten in the past
| is interior doors open in so they don't block people
| outside the room, typically in a hallway, from being able
| to move towards the exit; Exterior doors open out so that
| the crowd of people rushing towards the exit can leave
| and you don't have a mass of panicked people stopping
| those at the front from having room to open the exterior
| doors.
| ethbr0 wrote:
| Oxo's old style ice cream spade (apparently discontinued?)
| https://www.surlatable.com/oxo-ice-cream-spade/PRO-208926.ht...
|
| Solves all the problems with an ice cream scoop. Critically, this
| version had a rounded front. They seem to have moved to a
| straight front, which I can't imagine being as effective?
|
| 40s/50s Gillette Super Speed
| https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/wiki/Gillette_40s_Style...
|
| Shaving was a cheaply and effectively solved problem by the
| 1950s. Everything since then has been bullshit.
| car wrote:
| I find this scoop designed by IDEO for Zyliss absolutely the
| best scoop ever invented. It has a high thermal mass and just
| works a treat.
|
| https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/11/human-centered-prod...
| PaulDavisThe1st wrote:
| In my late 20's, I tried to spend a couple of years with those
| old-school Gillettes. Was not a fan. It did teach me a lot
| about why contemporary razors work better and are safer, and it
| felt worth learning that before going back to my Gillette
| Sensor. Also, nod to the Venus (primarily marketed to women).
| That razor makes even the Sensor look savage, and gives such
| great shaves on rounded surfaces.
| ethbr0 wrote:
| Someone once quipped that modern men's razors are just worse
| versions of women's razors. I'm inclined to believe it.
|
| I imagine a ton of success or failure is beard consistency
| too.
| tootie wrote:
| Almost everything oxo makes is great. Their tongs are perfect.
| yumraj wrote:
| I agree on the razors. I was using my dad's old Gillette DE
| razors but have come to love Merkur slant. It's expensive but
| is fantastic. It's very hard to cut yourself with it and gives
| a fantastic shave.
| a3n wrote:
| Metal fork, spoon, knife, ceramic plate, ceramic mug.
|
| Thank you, long forgotten prehistoric people.
| fattybob wrote:
| You have clearly never tried to make a second cup - Allessi
| produce a far better designed coffee maker that shows a far more
| comprehensive design philosophy- I've been using mine for almost
| 40 yrs ( arghh so long!!!!)
| yumraj wrote:
| Second generation Toyota Prius.
| theragra wrote:
| I really like my LG monitor controls. First, it it joystick that
| allows to select options really easily.Hundred times better than
| buttons. Second, sounds of turning on is very pleasant.
| rawland wrote:
| This toaster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OfxlSG6q5Y
|
| It's older than my partner and me together and still works like a
| charm.
| Havoc wrote:
| Zojirushi rice cookers. Even though the shell is plastic it has a
| durable feel to it like you don't find it kitchen appliances
| anymore. It'll still work in 20+ years type feel
| atribecalledqst wrote:
| I still use the Zojirushi rice cooker I grew up with after my
| parents bequeathed it to me. We probably got it around 2000
| give or take a few years. So definitely bumping on 20 years.
| GhettoComputers wrote:
| Personally hate them, they're slow, can be replaced with an
| instant pot, and old crappy rice cookers still with decades
| later. Cute logo, good for keeping rice warm without drying it
| out. What appliances are you using that don't feel durable?
| fredleblanc wrote:
| I'll second this. Got one for Christmas last year and have used
| it twice a week all year. It makes the process feel foolproof,
| and is the easiest appliance to clean in my kitchen.
|
| Never made a bad batch of rice, and have accidentally left rice
| on keep warm for hours and hours and everything was perfectly
| fine.
|
| And, yeah, it's solid. I highly recommend.
| langcalvin wrote:
| I'll second pretty much any old rice cooker with only one
| button design. There's a reason every Asian home considers it
| integral.
|
| More than just rice, you can do so much more than one would
| think in there. I cook a Spaghetti Squash by just placing it
| inside on warm. No oil or anything. Then I go to work, come
| back 10 hours later and it's perfect. Can open it with a
| butterknife.
|
| I'll take it over a slow cooker any day because it can set to a
| boil. The warm setting is perfect for most things and I've used
| it to make stocks, confits, yogurt, stews, curries and eggs
| without worrying about burning down my kitchen when I'm away as
| it will set itself to warm when there's no more water to
| evaporate.
| madengr wrote:
| HP 8566B spectrum analyzer and 8510C network analyzer. HP RPN
| calculators. Really any late 80's and early 90's HP test
| equipment. Built like tanks and designed by engineers for
| engineers.
| CamperBob2 wrote:
| +1, I was tempted to cite the 8566B myself.
|
| I know a couple of the guys who worked on that. The in-house
| code name was "Doomsday." It pretty much was, for the
| competition.
| madengr wrote:
| We probably had 10+ 8566A/B at work, and the CRT power supply
| is the only failure (slow degradation) I have seen.
|
| I have one at home and I'll likely get the LCD retrofit kit.
| thiht wrote:
| I love my electric toothbrush. It cost me 20 bucks and it's
| amazing. I analyzed it from a UX point of view and couldn't come
| up with any designs flaw.
|
| - it's waterproof, so easy to clean
|
| - it has a single physical button, nothing else
|
| - it has a small flat stand on the back, so I can put it
| somewhere horizontally and it won't roll, and the brush won't
| touch the surface
|
| - the heads can be easily changed, so we share the same
| toothbrush with my SO but have our own brush. The heads have a
| different color ring so they're easy to recognize
|
| - the charging station is small, holds in place and is generally
| painless. You just put the toothbrush on it and that's it
|
| - the battery itself easily lasts 2 weeks
|
| - when using it the brush buzzes every 30 seconds but that's it,
| you can ignore it if you wish. If you accidentally turn the brush
| off but turn it back on quickly, it remembers where you were and
| won't start the buzzes from the beginning
|
| - the best thing about electric toothbrush is that they
| gracefully degrade to a normal toothbrush. I love graceful
| degradation
|
| I talked about users of more expensive electric toothbrushes
| (100-200$), but I'm confident mine is the best.
| mprovost wrote:
| "I like an escalator because an escalator can never break, it
| can only become stairs. There would never be an escalator
| temporarily out of order sign, only an escalator temporarily
| stairs. Sorry for the convenience." - Mitch Hedberg
| losvedir wrote:
| Turns out this isn't true. A Boston subway station had a
| pretty grim escalator failure a month or two ago[0], where
| the escalator broke and the stairs started to free-fall
| backwards piling people at the bottom.
|
| [0] https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/mbta-investigates-
| back-...
| muzani wrote:
| What's the model?
| thiht wrote:
| It's the Oral-B Vitality 170
| analog31 wrote:
| My double bass, "designed" in the 17th century, gradually evolved
| over the years, made in Romania in 2010.
|
| Sturmey-Archer AW 3-speed bicycle gear hub. I'm running 2 of
| them, both 50+ years old, still going strong. Originally designed
| in 1948.
|
| Pretty much anything made by Mitutoyo, glorious quality and
| aesthetics.
|
| "Ideal Stripmaster" wire stripper.
| cranium wrote:
| It will only talk to Swiss people but we have an app called
| Fairtiq that makes taking a ticket for public transport super
| easy. You basically swipe in when you enter the bus/train/boat
| and swipe out when you arrived at your destination. It can be
| many changes or hours later and the right tickets are bought for
| you behind the scene.
|
| On the topic of transportation, the official app for the Swiss
| transports (SBB CFF FFS) is also a joy to use: input your start
| and destination and you have your minute-by-minute travel plan
| with changes. It's fast, precis and tells you about alternative
| and delays if needed.
|
| It sounds like a marketing post but I just realized how grateful
| I am to have to travel around. (I have no car)
| mrg2k8 wrote:
| I don't know whether it has been a while since you last used
| the SBB Mobile app, but it also offers the same functionality:
| start the trip by dragging a slider, stop it at the destination
| and the price is automatically calculated and charged from your
| card or invoiced at the end of the month. It works with the
| half-fare card, as well. Works all over Switzerland on trains,
| busses, cable cars etc. I haven't tried it with boats yet. :)
|
| Like you say, a joy to use!
| contingencies wrote:
| _Bicycles_ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycles
|
| _Chinese knives_
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_knife#Chinese_chef.27s...
|
| _Chopsticks_ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopsticks
|
| _CPUs_ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_processing_unit
|
| _Fiber lasers_ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiber_laser
|
| _IP_ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Protocol
|
| _Mail_ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail
|
| _Trimarans_ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimaran
|
| _Unix_ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix
|
| PS. This is a very interesting question. Although I suspect the
| OP was looking for products and UI/UX, I think higher-level
| categories are more objective and timeless bastions of design
| excellence.
|
| PPS. Note these which stand out to me fall roughly in to two
| categories: those which harness physics, and those which avoid or
| abstract it.
| WorldPeas wrote:
| Ip?! Perhaps v6 but not v4 by a longshot.
| contingencies wrote:
| _Those who do not understand IP are condemned to reinvent it,
| poorly._
| WorldPeas wrote:
| God i love my pebble so much, oldest piece of tech I've kept, but
| the most reliable. Good if you can get your hands on one but I
| have a feeling they're going the way of the radiant cobtrol
| toaster in that their prices are set to go up
| ptidhomme wrote:
| I'm fond of OpenBSD, especially because of its clean design
| (user-facing at least, can't speak of internals).
| intricatedetail wrote:
| Mitutoyo caliper. Always get perfect measurements. It saved me a
| lot of money.
| mrich wrote:
| Rust and Python, in that order.
| IgorPartola wrote:
| A peg board for organizing tools.
|
| Fiskars splitting axe. Estwing hatchet (the leather handled one).
| Kershaw knives. Victorinox knives.
|
| First generation Honda Rebel: this bike is two bolts and a nut so
| super easy to work on, reliable, and gets amazing gas mileage.
|
| Molle style backpack as a diaper bag.
| nicbou wrote:
| MDN and the NHS website are some of the best knowledge base
| websites I know. Each do a really good job of communicating
| information. They put a lot of thought into the language they use
| and it shows.
| loufe wrote:
| Conversely, the "F1" help in so many other Microsoft
| (especially windows) help page - which often ignores preferred
| browser - is the absolute worst help system I've ever seen.
| Literally never once has that page aided me in any way.
| nicbou wrote:
| I also have an axe to grind about my city's website. It's
| disorganised and confusing, in the image of its bureaucracy.
| jacquesm wrote:
| Most handtools. Estwing hammer, some pliers that probably go back
| to the 50's, chisels, planes, saws etc. You can use them all day
| long, every day and they 'just work', hardly require maintenance
| and will most likely outlast me.
| sam_lowry_ wrote:
| Amazfit Bip wrist watches. Light, durable, always-on
| transflective display. Can be used with GadgetBridge so it does
| not leak your data.
|
| I bought one for each family member.
| chalcolithic wrote:
| Amiga :)
| shaolinspirit wrote:
| I would be more from a dev perspective here
|
| *nix OS's and their terminal with various commands. The idea of
| pipe operator in terminal is just mind blowing, high praise to
| the guys who came up with this, they literally included FP
| concepts inside a terminal back in the late 60's.
| johnwalkr wrote:
| Google maps on iPhone 1. Even with Edge network speeds and
| without proper GPS, an online map in your pocket with pinch zoom
| was simply a gamechanger. Everything was intuitive to use and the
| virtual keyboard worked better than anyone expected. Behind the
| scenes, I understand it was due to a predictive algorithm.
|
| If you think about it, airplane toilets. Small and efficient.
| They tend to have a clear design cue to know how to push open the
| door. The door lock also turns on the light, so it's almost
| impossible to accidentally leave the door unlocked.
|
| Frequenter suitcases. Only available in Japan, they have
| completely silent, user-replaceable wheels. The one I have is
| exactly the largest possible carryon size for most airlines.
|
| Anker 45W usb-c GaN charger. It's not much bigger than a standard
| iPhone charger. Overall a bit smaller since actually, since the
| power blades fold inside which is a nice touch. I just travelled
| for a month. I brought only this charger, one lightning cable and
| one usb-c cable. It was good enough, with a little bit of
| foresight to swap things out, to keep my all of my work and
| personal stuff charged (2 MacBooks, 2 iPhones, Nintendo switch,
| mouse and usb-c shaver). Made possible by the standardization of
| usb-c. It's a bit of a nightmare for all of the various
| incompatibilities for data transfer and video but for charging
| it's great!
|
| GPS in cars, in Japan. They are usually slow and have terrible
| UIs. But, they usually give a picture perfect view of which lane
| to be in, even showing you the highway signs exactly as they
| appear in reality. And even 10+ years ago, a highway radio system
| broadcasts traffic conditions and (I think) highway toll
| information to the GPS units.
|
| 3M command strip hooks. Essential for home renters and have a
| clear indication of how to remove them.
|
| Ski boots with a walk mode. At the lower end they let you walk
| easier but may be a bit less stiff. At the high end, they let you
| choose between touring mode and downhill mode, barely have a
| stiffness penalty and as a bonus let you walk easier. If you have
| a budget of under $800 don't even try high end ones on because
| they are impossible to not buy. These are interesting to research
| too because it turns out there are only a handful of high end ski
| boot designers in the world and some of them are on the ski boot
| forums to answer your questions.
|
| My biggest one is AirTags. They seem to be completely
| unadvertised recently, probably because when they first came out
| there was discussion about privacy. Like AirPods, you just open
| them and they sync and start working.
|
| They are cheap for what they are, I got 8 of them and put one in
| every bag I use. I'm a forgetful person and have left many things
| behind over the years.
|
| So far I've conveniently been able to find stuff I've left in
| another room, which is nice and once was alerted when I left my
| suitcase in one of the main stations in Paris. I got the alert
| that I left it behind well before I got on my train without it.
|
| When I demo them to people, they are usually blown away when they
| realize they work anywhere there is an iPhone nearby. Not only
| near my iPhone.
|
| I also put one in expensive shipped items for work. Has been
| great to be able to see where stuff is. It works reliable to
| things show up on the tarmac as soon as a cargo flight lands.
| logotype wrote:
| Mahlkonig PEAK. It's a coffee grinder, the build quality is
| really, really good. Super solid, and heavy.
| elil17 wrote:
| I love Pleco as a Chinese dictionary.
|
| Most Chinese dictionaries have a different search bar for English
| words and latinized Chinese words (pinyin). Pleco let's you
| toggle your search from English to pinyin and back again with a
| button. It also lets you navigate from words to their characters
| and from characters to words that use them.
|
| Most importantly, it color coded characters so you can see how
| they're pronounced more easily which is incredibly useful for
| beginners.
| beforge wrote:
| usb until version 3.
| wh313 wrote:
| My Aeropress coffee maker. It feels more convenient than a french
| press, and much cheaper than an espresso machine.
|
| https://aeropress.com/
|
| Also a bidet. Americans really need to start using it more.
| sien wrote:
| The Nanopresso is also excellent.
|
| I used an Aeropress for years and then switched to the
| Nanopresso.
|
| https://alternativebrewing.com.au/products/wacaco-nanopresso...
|
| The Nanopresso gets a crema which is remarkable for a fairly
| cheap, portable device. I have one at home and one at work.
| They are good enough that they keep me away from cafes.
|
| Both the Aeropress and the Nanopresso are so well designed.
| sanderjd wrote:
| Whoops I said this too before I saw your comment. It's so
| great!
| idontwantthis wrote:
| Been using an aero press for years, but the seal wears out.
| Need to press very carefully or the air goes out the top
| instead of the bottom.
| Diesel555 wrote:
| I almost listed this as mine. The design is still really good
| for the cost. Ease of use / cleaning / disposing of grounds
| is a smart design. I accept that the seal will wear, I
| actually think not over-engineering the seal and making it
| triple the price adds to the design.
| bittercynic wrote:
| It's not too hard to get a replacement rubber seal, and
| easy to swap in the new part.
|
| They say it will last longer if you don't store it with the
| seal compressed in the tube, but I always leave it like
| that and it still lasts years.
| jtwaleson wrote:
| If you just push it all the way through, the tip of the
| seal won't be compressed. No effort to do it like that.
| masklinn wrote:
| I don't really understand why you'd do that though, do
| you not rinse the press after every use? Just stow it
| with the pieces separated unless it's in "travel mode"
| no?
| jtwaleson wrote:
| Well, the beauty of aeropress is that you don't have to
| rinse the inside of the cilinder every time. It cleans
| itself. Most of the time I just clean the rubber. Also,
| storing them separated takes more space in the cupboard.
| skemper911 wrote:
| replacement seals are cheap $6
| idontwantthis wrote:
| Do you know if you can get a real one on Aliexpress? I've
| looked at replacements but wouldn't want to get a fake that
| will leech at high temps. I'm not in the US.
| stjohnswarts wrote:
| Aeropress is great if you like to experiment. I've long since
| given up on it and settled for the simplicity of using a moka
| pot.
| muzani wrote:
| Bidets are something I take for granted. It was only during the
| covid toilet paper shortage that I became really grateful we
| had them.
| DevX101 wrote:
| It's well designed and convenient but I threw mine in the trash
| last week. Putting hot liquids in plastics is a bad idea for
| reproductive health.
| hn_throwaway_99 wrote:
| As an espresso snob, I'm going to go with a Breville Double
| Boiler machine. Many espresso machine snobs used to crap on
| Breville as being "consumer grade", but they really succeeded
| with their Double Boiler machines, especially their more recent
| models that make it easy to descale the boiler at home.
|
| The BDB includes features that can cost literally 5X as much on
| Italian machines (stainless steel boilers, a preheating tube
| that pulls brew water through the steam boiler first, an
| electrically heated grouphead, etc.) but it still has fantastic
| temperature stability.
| cibyr wrote:
| I owned a Breville Dual Boiler for a few years, was always
| happy with the coffee it produced, and I thought it was very
| good value for the price... until it failed in a manner that
| caused it to constantly trip a GFCI. I brought it back to the
| shop where I bought it (who service all varieties of espresso
| machines), and they told me that Breville won't sell them
| parts for repair. I then contacted Breville, and they wanted
| me to ship it back to them for maintenance, at a cost of
| several hundred dollars. So I wound up with one of those
| much-more-expensive Italian machines, which has now seen
| daily use for a few years and not needed anything more than a
| replacement group head gasket (which cost $10 and any idiot
| can replace one at home).
| lostlogin wrote:
| I used my fathers Rancillio Silvia for 10ish years after he
| used it for about that long. It's still good but I have
| upgraded. It had a US$70 service after about 15k coffees
| and was still fine at 20k. It's got a little surface rust
| on the drip tray. Fantastic machine.
|
| This pales compared to some machines though - I was
| recently reading about someone has a '60s Faema e61 that
| has made nearly 5 million coffees.
|
| https://www.home-barista.com/advice/faema-e61-original-
| vinta...
| hn_throwaway_99 wrote:
| Don't disagree, and I realize this isn't the solution for
| most people, but home-barista.com has some excellent forums
| on how to make the most common repairs yourself.
|
| For a tripped GFCI, dollars-to-donuts you had a leaky
| o-ring on your boiler, which was letting steam into the
| innards of your machine. The replacement parts can be
| acquired very cheaply and there are great YouTube videos on
| how to do the repairs.
|
| With the BDB there are a couple of primary failures after a
| couple years (failed o-rings, pump or solenoid that needs
| replacement, new grouphead gasket), which have fortunately
| been well-documented in online forums and YouTube.
| quickthrower2 wrote:
| Lance Hedrick (latte art champion YouTuber guy) raves about
| the BDB and would be my top choice if I don't already have
| another model.
|
| In addition to being great and having features of more
| expensive machines it can be trivially modded for flow
| profiling. You can now do what decent/slayer/lever owners do
| and pressure profile. Ok maybe it doesn't quite compare to
| those but they are a multiple of the price, and now you can
| do the coffee shots, turbo shots, blooming shots and all that
| fun stuff.
|
| If mine breaks down and I'm not in the mood to spend $5k on a
| machine id get the dual boiler.
| silisili wrote:
| Oddly enough, my answer would be Secura's french presses. All
| metal, no seals. Just works...seemingly forever.
| pg5 wrote:
| I have a Secura french press, and while it works well, I seem
| to have to use so much coffee to make a reasonably strong
| brew. I've been sticking to some no-name steel version of a
| Bialetti moka pot for a few years now.
| silisili wrote:
| Yeah, it's a very basic soaking method. You either have to
| add more grinds, or wait longer. I grind up about 60g for 2
| large cups of coffee.
|
| It works for me because I don't mind letting it sit while I
| prepare lunch. If in a hurry, you can keep stirring it to
| get slightly faster results.
| jiggunjer wrote:
| Wow 60g would take me 20min on my cheap hand grinder.
| silisili wrote:
| I used a beautiful wooden Japanese grinder, Hario,
| because I loved its simplicity. But, same as you, it
| takes forever. And sadly, I didn't even know it was
| taking longer than usual as I didn't have a baseline. Try
| one of these linked below. You can knock out 30g in about
| 20 to 30 seconds.
|
| https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07ZNXQF4S
| GordonS wrote:
| It looks like a one-cup French press - what I missing that
| makes this better?
| masklinn wrote:
| > what I missing that makes this better?
|
| The main part is that you unscrew the filter piece, so you
| can just push out the puck of coffee then rinse / dry through
| the tube. This makes them much easier to clean and dry than a
| french press where you have to send a jet of water through
| the bottom in case you had a bit too much coffee, then need
| an implement to actually reach the bottom of the device. Also
| makes it easier to throw the grounds into a dedicated (or
| semi-dedicated e.g. organics, composting) bin without the
| additional rinsing water.
|
| The second draw is that it's paper-filtered by default, there
| are metal filters but the paper filters mean way cleaner cups
| (less residue going through). This also provides a wider and
| more flexible grind-range.
|
| The third draw is that you filter directly into your mug, or
| bottle (if the mouth is wide enough), and can e.g. filter
| onto ice cubes for iced coffee, so less option for miss-
| pouring and mess.
|
| The fourth draw is it's all plastic so it travels really
| well, and because the plunger is hollow you can stow things
| into the plunger (e.g. many hand grinder will fit), so it
| also makes for a nice travel / hiking device.
| papertokyo wrote:
| Seconded. I've been nomading for much of the past 6 years
| and having an AeroPress + Hario hand grinder means I can
| always make good coffee. It's compact, easy to clean, and
| as long as you're using good beans, somewhat difficult to
| brew a bad cup.
| kcplate wrote:
| Honestly, I'd prefer my coffee maker to not do double duty as a
| butt washers, but maybe I am funny about these sort of things
| edmcnulty101 wrote:
| I'm sure they have separate ones for bidet usage and coffee
| usage.
| masklinn wrote:
| Why? The boiling water disinfects the device when you make
| your coffee, no sweat.
|
| Think of it as home-made kopi luwak.
| [deleted]
| edmcnulty101 wrote:
| Doesn't it have to process through the civet intestine
| though to get the effect?
|
| This would just be a little poop infusion which could
| definitely add a little robustness and richness to the
| mix. Sort of an earthy tone.
| masklinn wrote:
| > Doesn't it have to process through the civet intestine
| though to get the effect?
|
| Home-made recipes are not always as good as the real
| thing.
| innocentoldguy wrote:
| You say that now, but just wait until you splash yourself
| clean with an Aeropress while sipping an espresso.
| langcalvin wrote:
| I think in space it comes in handy. But best not make coffee
| again after that.
| ycombinete wrote:
| Coffee enemas are coming back into style
| elihu wrote:
| Pilot 402 stapler. Peavey T-60 electric guitar (especially the
| knobs -- Peavey is the only guitar company that really nailed
| good knob design). The Haskell language (not because it's
| perfect, but because it demonstrated what was possible). Rust as
| well, for the same reason. The modern steel-frame piano. The 1981
| Mazda GLC. Suzuki Omnichord. The Moog 960 sequencer (which I've
| used in the form of its Behringer re-implementation for eurorack
| modular).
| betwixthewires wrote:
| Honestly, android M was the peak of mobile experience and it has
| only degraded since.
|
| The one plus 3t is the best phone I've ever used. Close second is
| the nexus 5.
|
| It's a difficult question because you don't really think about
| things that work seamlessly in your life, you think of the ones
| that have UX sticking points.
| desio wrote:
| - WD40 - Duct Tape - zip ties - Pilot's "Better Retractable"
| ballpoint pen - Rhodia reverse book dot book note pad - Thinkpad
| x220, x230, and x250 - MacBook pro 2015 - Nokia 5110 and 3310 -
| Henckels Professional Chef knife - Emacs Orgmode - Microsoft
| Paint - Microsoft Excel - Lego - ipod shuffle 4
| hn_throwaway_99 wrote:
| It kind of pains me to say this, but I'll say Sonos from about
| 5-6 years ago. When I first got a couple speakers, I touted it as
| the best consumer electronics experience I'd ever had to except
| maybe some Apple products.
|
| Unfortunately, it has been consistently downhill the past couple
| of years. What used to "just work" now constantly has issues and
| glitches, and speakers I got just a few years ago that work great
| are now essentially EOLed in their software. I've definitely
| purchased my last Sonos product.
| dash2 wrote:
| I find Anker speakers pretty nifty.
| shepherdjerred wrote:
| Sonos + Spotify have been so spotty. Playing music from Spotify
| consistently starts tracks halfway through a song. Sometimes no
| music plays at all even though it displays as playing in
| Spotify. Sometimes Spotify just cannot connect.
|
| I have something like $3500 in Sonos speakers; it's really
| disappointing how unreliable they are.
| adjkant wrote:
| I know this is very different target markets and product
| desires, but I have 3 Google Home mini speakers I have spent
| under $150 on + my privacy from our overlords. Works very
| well with Spotify and solid sound for someone who isn't an
| audiofile, and while not amazing design, very solid. My
| condolences to the OP on their failures of late :/
| stillblue wrote:
| Anecdotal but anything + spotify is very glitchy. The Car
| audio system, bluetooth speakers / headphones etc., where
| other apps seem to work just fine.
| ronyfadel wrote:
| * The Fellow Carter mug [1]
|
| * Amazon Kindle PaperWhite
|
| * Chrome Industries backpack [2]
|
| * A.P.C. denim jeans [3]
|
| * Stan Smith sneakers
|
| * My Nexstand laptop stand
|
| * Surprisingly, these cheap Theragun knock-offs you can get on
| Amazon for a fifth of the price.
|
| [1] https://fellowproducts.com/products/carter-everywhere-mug
|
| [2] https://www.chromeindustries.com/
|
| [3] https://www.apcstore.com/petit-new-standard-iai-
| codbs-m09047...
| fattybob wrote:
| Good design? I have a brompton bicycle which certainly scores
| high, and also a strida bicycle which scores high also , even
| though quite different in design.
| sincarne wrote:
| My Withings Steel HR. It is just enough smart watch for me.
| Fitness tracking is good, sleep tracking is okay, app works
| better than the FitBit app, and has better Apple Health
| integration. Battery lasts weeks. And I think it looks pretty
| nice. I think it fits into the category of "calm technology",
| which is tough to do for a device that has notifications as part
| of the core functionality.
| rstat1 wrote:
| I have to say one of my new favorite tools as of this year is
| Tailscale.
|
| To steal Apple's annoying marketing phrase: It just works. I've
| never had to fiddle with it's settings or spend a bunch time
| figuring out configuration crap. I just install, and login and
| that's it. There's no need to care about manually configuring
| Wireguard devices or to care about key management, which I would
| think would get annoying quick as you add in more and more
| devices.
| bryanrasmussen wrote:
| I just got a new pram, the Baby Jogger city elite (sort of a
| cross between a stroller and a pram but I call it a pram), as a
| general rule I find prams badly designed and this does have some
| things that I think could be improved, but two things are really
| superior on it: the locking mechanism, and the folding mechanism.
|
| The Locking mechanism is the less impressive but still useful,
| most locks on a pram are done by the foot and you have to push
| down on a bar or some other lock near the wheels and then when
| you want to start you need to kick up on them. Fair enough,
| although obviously now you are putting your locking mechanism
| near the area most likely to get dirt and rocks in to wear it
| down, and other potential ways it can be damaged.
|
| Furthermore since you are using your foot to lock and unlock it
| can be something of a hassle because let's admit it, most people
| are not very good at manipulating things with their feet.
|
| The city elite locker is by the handle, you can pull it up to
| lock, pull down to unlock. That's nice. You can easily see if it
| is locked, because it's at hand level not down at foot level, you
| use it with the part of your body most people use for
| manipulating objects - the hand - and finally it is unlikely to
| be damaged because you ran over some big rock.
|
| The folding mechanism is the impressive part, in the middle of
| the seat is a thick strap with some instructions on - I think it
| says 'Pull up to fold' but I'd have to go down to check the exact
| wording. When you pull up by this strap magnets on the sidebars
| of the pram are released somehow and the pram folds in half
| automatically.
|
| Yesterday I had to take a taxi with it, when the taxi driver saw
| this action his eyes bugged out and he laughed and said "now
| that's smart" (in Danish though) he commented on how he had a
| lady the day before who could not figure out how to close her
| pram and mine was so easy. Indeed some of our previous prams have
| been so irritating to fold that my wife generally left it up to
| me to do. It is equally easy to unfold.
|
| Everything has a downside, and this ease of folding means that
| sometimes you can be doing something with the pram and
| accidentally start the folding process, but because it is easy to
| unfold you can stop it as you feel it starting and put it back
| right. Believe me, this sounds more irritating and problematic
| than it actually is but I figured I should note it anyway.
| harrydehal wrote:
| Sony MDR7506 Professional headphones -- haven't changed since the
| 80s (on which a lot of classics have been recorded/mixed with).
|
| Honda S2000, particularly the F20C 2002-2003 model years. High-
| revving 9000 RPM redline, completely driver-focused cockpit
| (tachometer from the Senna-era Honda Mclaren F1 cars), minimal
| computers besides ABS, hidden radio, et al. Bolt-action gearbox.
| The driving experience is sublime.
| kpozin wrote:
| MDR-7506 -- The fact that the cable isn't detachable makes no
| sense to me.
| indrora wrote:
| They're a $100 pair of headphones. By the time you break the
| cable you can ask yourself: "Do I get a higher end pair of
| monitors like an Audio Technica set? Do I just slap down
| another benny for a second pair?"
|
| That's literally the cost-to-good ratio you're looking at:
| They're so good that a super common mod I've seen is to
| replace the cable with a [$4 mini-xlr
| connector](https://www.redco.com/Redco-TB3M.html) once you
| kill the cable, which will be about 10 years from when you
| buy it. They're _so_ good for the cost that you can easily
| justify slapping down $100 for a new pair delivered next day
| from Amazon. They 're cheap enough that these things are what
| I've seen medium-end _museums_ put in for a good, durable
| headphone to play media with. Looking to mix a few tracks on
| the cheap? Absolutely tolerable to mix against. Need
| headphones for the sound guys at that event? Got you. Need
| cans for the DJ whose ATH-m50s got dunked on? Keep a few
| pairs of these and _nobody_ will complain in a pinch. Need
| something that has the range for field recordings from birds
| to heartbeats? MDR-7506 will do you just fine.
|
| They're also _everywhere_. I once saw a bucket full of them
| on a movie set. I 've seen stacks of them in college sound
| rooms. Sound folk on a TV station set? Right there. Radio
| engineer? Yup. Talk show host? Probably.
|
| They're not the best headphones in the world. There are
| people who will fight to the death over which Grados with
| which DAC and amp and what not will give you the best sound.
| But even they will concede that "I need decent headphones for
| under a c-note that will last me" can easily be filled by the
| MDR-7506.
| throwaway6734 wrote:
| >Sony MDR7506 Professional headphones -- haven't changed since
| the 80s (on which a lot of classics have been recorded/mixed
| with).
|
| Agree. a great pair of headphones
| SteveNuts wrote:
| Stormy Kromer cap
| peterfield wrote:
| Cable-ties
| spyrefused wrote:
| In its day I really liked Ableton Push (and 2 of course). The
| best hardware - software integration and experience I had ever
| tried. It allowed, at least in the "sketch" part, to start
| producing music by taking your eyes off the computer using
| software.
| jasonvorhe wrote:
| Google Inbox: The perfect modern frontend for mail. RIP.
|
| Sonos Playbar (got the Arc for free, sold the Playbar): Perfect
| sound, a timeless design, software was dope around 2015-2016. All
| downhill from there, when Sonos decided to pivot to supporting
| Alexa/Google Assistant and attempting to become smarter.
|
| Google Pixelbook: Super thin, light weight, super clean Linux
| system with first class support for Progressive Web Apps, Android
| and Linux apps. Chrome OS features the simplest software update
| process I've seen in action so far. The design is unique, the
| keyboard was perfect when right when Apple decided to ship shitty
| butterfly keyboards. 7 years of software updates.
|
| Rancilio Silvia: Budget Espresso maker that's close to
| indestructible. Everything can be serviced, replaced, upgraded,
| there's no shortage of replacement parts, the Espresso is great
| once you know how to use it.
|
| Aeropress: Simple to use, fits well into almost all travel
| luggage, and produces great coffee with little effort.
| mellavora wrote:
| My Sylvia is 20 years old and the coffee gets better every
| year.
| junon wrote:
| https://reddit.com/r/buyitforlife for those of you who, like me,
| always want a good suggestion when I buy something I intend to
| keep.
|
| Figured it was relevant here.
| 1ibsq wrote:
| https://old.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/
|
| ;)
| cpach wrote:
| Thermapen
| Wistar wrote:
| I just got the new Thermapen One and used it yesterday for
| Thanksgiving dinner. Although it is a relatively small
| evolutionary step from the ThermoWorks Classic, it is still a
| great design.
| black_13 wrote:
| Mechanical pencils and engineering paper
| sound1 wrote:
| Fujifilm Mirrorless Cameras (mine is 2nd gen XE2). First ever
| interchangeable camera I carry with me to all my family trips.
| Excellent build quality, physical controls, high quality lens
| options and not to mention insanely great jpegs straight out of
| the camera. I have taken so many wonderful pictures and captured
| so many precious moments of my family and kid, it is easily the
| best purchase I made by a long shot.
| SteveNuts wrote:
| My Technivorm Moccamaster coffee maker
| jamroom wrote:
| Have had one for 10 years and would never buy a different drip
| coffee maker. Makes the perfect cup of coffee. Definitely a
| "buy it for life" purchase.
| roamingryan wrote:
| I second this. I picked up one second hand a while back. The
| placard indicates it was built in 1997. It needed a good
| cleaning and had clearly seen a lot of use, but is perfectly
| functional. The shower arm was showing slight signs of rust
| around the hole but getting replacement parts is trivial as the
| design hasn't changed in decades.
| DoneWithAllThat wrote:
| Leerburg police leash (for dogs), although the one they sell now
| is (of course) a crappier version of the one I've owned for 10
| years now. It's a leash with a snap at both ends, and three o
| rings at different points along the length to attach the top
| snap. It can be held like a regular leash, or slung over your
| shoulder if you're for example at an outdoor eating place. I keep
| it on the shortest length while on walks on sidewalks and at the
| longest on parks and such. It's so amazing I'm shocked it's not a
| standard leash design you can buy in pet stores.
| [deleted]
| squarefoot wrote:
| I loved the SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip players I owned during past
| years. They needed to be reflashed with the RockBox firmware (but
| tbh pretty much every portable player firmware is inferior to
| RockBox) however hardware wise they were fantastic: light, well
| shaped, buttons in the right places, very readable display
| despite the small size, audio was excellent, FM reception too,
| battery lasted hours and hours. I brought them on the beach and
| kept them running for hours while sunbathing or walking like 1
| meter above sea level, and they worked for years. I had to ditch
| them eventually when the headphone jack began to fail, but that
| happened when the battery had already became old and other
| buttons unreliable, so repair which was often destructive was out
| of question. Unfortunately SanDisk cut corners in later models
| (less RAM, smaller CPU etc.) and RockBox became harder or
| impossible to install, so I got a much cheaper Agptek player,
| which can't run RockBox as well but costs a fraction, and that's
| it.
| SparkyMcUnicorn wrote:
| I forgot about this. Sansa with RockBox was the best.
| Paul_S wrote:
| Same here, I bought 4 more when they discontinued it, gave
| away a couple and the rest died by now. Why can't a company
| make something like this again?
| yobbo wrote:
| Apparently, the SOC used in sansas was EOLed, and the newer
| ones use a cheaper and much less capable chip common in
| chinese music players. Attempting a rockbox port was deemed
| wasted effort. There doesn't seem to exist an off-the-shelf
| SOC comparable to the original.
|
| The more expensive audiophile-orientated players use more
| power-hungry mips SOCs running linux, and the product is
| then designed to justify the expense and bulky battery.
| raffraffraff wrote:
| I bought a bunch of Sansa Clip+ when they were being
| discontinued because they were dirt cheap and with Rockbox and
| a huge sdcard, they "rocked". My last one died about a year ago
| :(
|
| I didn't go for the Agptek because they can't run RockBox, and
| I got bitten very badly by the awful ui on a Shanling player.
| So I bought a teensy Jelly Pro and hacked it into my favourite
| ever mp3 player.
| walterbell wrote:
| Recent discussion of MP3 players,
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26870648
| fri_sch wrote:
| > I'll go first. I think the Bialetti Brikka is exceptional:
| https://www.amazon.com/Bialetti-Stovetop-Producing-Crema-Ric...
|
| Sorry for the shameless plug but I have a problem with the
| Bialetti Brikka. I think it's great, but recently I did a full
| cleaning of all parts and since then it stopped working. Each
| time when the coffee is starting to boil up it spurts out of the
| hole in the lid and makes a huge mess. I checked everything but
| didn't find anything that might be causing this. Any ideas how to
| fix it? Thanks!
| raffraffraff wrote:
| Garmin Fenix 5s Sapphire: notifications from my phone with custom
| replies, 6 day battery life, buttons. No touch screen (operate it
| "blind" and in the wet), waterproof, scratchproof. You do need to
| pay extra for the sapphire screen.
|
| Swiss Army knife (they're sooo well made)
|
| Under armour underwear: no seams, last ages, extremely
| comfortable.
|
| Darn tough socks: extremely comfortable, last forever, never
| smell.
|
| Altra Lone Peak trainers: foot shaped, light, comfortable, quick-
| dry. Right now every pair of shoes I own are Altra (but I'm
| trying out Topo Athletic phantom 2 next)
|
| Gore-Tex. And Neoprene.
|
| Docker. People like to hate a winner, and they've gone the paid
| route, and they did just take already-available kernel features
| and wrap them up... But man, they did it well and they
| revolutionised software development and deployment.
|
| Debian, XFCE, Tailscale, Syncthing, rsync, ssh, ffmpeg
| pxeger1 wrote:
| What's your experience with Tailscale? Have you compared it to
| alternatives (ZeroTier, Nebula, OpenVPN...)?
| jonplackett wrote:
| Just seconding Under Armour underwear - especially the mesh
| version. So comfortable and never sweaty!
| Lhiw wrote:
| Gore-tex isnt that great these days, there are better options
| now.
|
| It requires dwr to function, as soon as the dwr fails (pretty
| fast depending on your usage levels) its ability to breath
| ceases to function, at that point you're wearing a heavy,
| expensive, water proof coat that doesn't breath so it rains on
| the inside instead.
|
| It's saving grace is that it's durable in heavy brush.
|
| For a better alternative take a look at Columbia outdry, it
| doesn't require dwr so its breathability lasts for the life of
| the garment instead of requiring retreatments of dwr.
|
| Frogg toggs are another option, way less durable but as far as
| breathable rain proof it doesn't get better.
|
| Both outdry and frogg toggs are also way lighter than goretext.
| Though look around for the outdry they have heavy duty and
| light versions.
| joconde wrote:
| > Docker. People like to hate a winner, and they've gone the
| paid route, and they did just take already-available kernel
| features and wrap them up... But man, they did it well and they
| revolutionised software development and deployment.
|
| They made design decisions that prevent simple things like
| "installing a .deb package from the host filesystem without
| keeping the package in an image layer", then fixed _some_ of
| these with that weird buildkit thing that you need to enable in
| the settings.
|
| It's very useful for sure, but I wouldn't call its CLI
| interface well-design.
| raffraffraff wrote:
| Nothing is perfect and it definitely presented problems, but
| what other technology made cgroups that easy back then? Your
| choice was: VMs. And they were a pain to build and haul
| around.
| oftenwrong wrote:
| You don't need buildkit for that; you can use multi-stage
| builds without buildkit to exclude your deb file from the
| final image.
| joconde wrote:
| I don't find it satisfying: I can copy files from one stage
| to another, but I can't _install_ a .deb (or any other
| package for that matter).
|
| Copying a list of paths will break if the package changes,
| and it can't easily do anything done by pre-install and
| post-install scripts (like changing a file, registering a
| GPG key, etc.)
|
| The official excuse from Docker is that "multi-stage builds
| cover that use", but that's not true if you need to install
| local packages. I think the buildkit feature that lets you
| mount folder in the build container is a hidden admission
| that this is wrong, but it's annoying that the build
| process will then only work on machines where a non-
| standard option is set.
| spodek wrote:
| The bicycle wheel. I can't believe 16 hours and nobody mentioned
| it (that I found anyway). You will find few things that serve
| their functions so well with such a minimum of material.
|
| The General Public License. The foundation of Linux, Wikipedia,
| and more. Every company and government agency that took it on
| lost. It uses the rules it wants to subvert to subvert them.
|
| The United States Constitution. So far it has withstood
| onslaughts and survived. We may be seeing the end of it, but
| people have said that before. It's inspired many others. The
| United States may be young, as cultures go, but our Constitution
| is, I believe, the oldest.
| I_complete_me wrote:
| bic biro, light switch, mouse, calculator, bulb, fingers,
| bicycle, curtains, sheets, armchairs, roads, cars, glasses,
| floorboards, radio, computers, forks, toilet paper, books, steel;
| pxeger1 wrote:
| YouTube's video player (almost the entire rest of the site is
| beyond crap, don't get me wrong! I'm just talking about the
| watching experience) (assuming you have an ad-blocker, which you
| obviously should). Plenty of other video players have _some_ of
| these features, but YouTube has almost everything.
|
| - click to pause
|
| - double-click to fullscreen
|
| - customisable captions
|
| - speed controls
|
| - sensible keyboard shortcuts for practically everything (press ?
| to see them all)
|
| - theatre mode
|
| - picture-in-picture
|
| - loop (on the right-click menu)
|
| - dark theme
|
| - all settings are saved and synced across multiple tabs (with
| the irritating exception of video speed, but that can be fixed
| with a browser extension)
|
| - hover to preview
|
| - drag to seek
|
| - video chapters
|
| - clear and subtle indication of video buffering
|
| - auto-resume when you come back to a video after navigating away
|
| - easy and obvious translation of all controls to live-streams
| and "premieres"
|
| - pretty animations and obvious cursor changes that make it
| really obvious what you're doing (looking at you, Twitch)
|
| - you can scroll in fullscreen
|
| - "instant" page navigation that never gets out of sync with
| itself
|
| - 4K support
|
| - HDR support (not very good, but still)
|
| - 60+FPS support
|
| - 360deg support
|
| - all of Google's CDN resources behind it so it never lags
|
| - excellent video quality detection that never picks an
| unnecessarily low-quality option when my computer could handle
| better, nor a too-high one that my connection can't manage
| hunter2_ wrote:
| I have a few minor gripes:
|
| 1. Click (pause) and double click (full screen) interfere with
| each other. I don't really want pause to have more of a delay
| than it already has, but that's the only way to allow a non-
| pause double click.
|
| 2. I'd prefer if spacebar paused unconditionally. When focus is
| on other controls, it activates those instead, which I
| understand for a11y, but it's a bit annoying when other players
| do grab every space for pause.
|
| 3. I think < and > used to nudge by a single frame (when
| paused) but no longer do?
| freyir wrote:
| > _assuming you have an ad-blocker, which you obviously should_
|
| Stating the the obvious, but these features were developed by
| real people and revenue pays these developers, pays for the
| infrastructure, and pays the content creators. As an
| alternative for those who have the means, you can also sign up
| for a subscription to remove ads. I've gotten more value out of
| my youtube subscription than most other streaming services I
| pay for.
| bquest2 wrote:
| Its an ok player, but its not designed well:
|
| - No stop button
|
| - No way to easily stop buffering
|
| - Auto pops open the mini player when you navigate away from
| the page
|
| - Autoplay being agressively enabled by default.
|
| All of these make it like an nightmare ex-spouse situation
| where all you want to do is have it stop draining your
| bandwidth to play videos but it won't let you go.
| musicale wrote:
| It may be designed well for Google, but not for users:
|
| - need to right-click twice to get picture-in-picture on
| macOS
|
| - obnoxious (and often unskippable) pre-roll and embedded
| advertisements
|
| - no download button
|
| - no audio play feature
|
| - background play is unreliable on iOS
|
| - unstable back end API that keeps breaking playback in VLC
| MichaelMoser123 wrote:
| pokemon-go, i mean it is a game, it doesn't really exist, but it
| does exist, because of the augmented reality thing. (playing it
| with my kids, don't really know if it is good for them, as it
| blurs the line between the real and the imaginary...)
| aidog wrote:
| I picked up this nice bluetooth keyboard the 3E neo recently.
| It's a japanese brand. It fold's into pocket size but feels so
| sturdy and the keys are the perfect size. So satisfying
| gsruff wrote:
| Do you know if this can be purchased in the US?
| quiffledwerg wrote:
| Bialetti is at risk of going out of business so buy them while
| you can.
| pfortuny wrote:
| The traffic lights (the vertical ones, obviously).
|
| The important sign (red) is at the top. So simple and so
| important.
| ironman1478 wrote:
| This mechanical pencil https://uniballco.com/products/kuru-toga-
| elite-mechanical-pe... It just feels so good to write with and it
| just doesn't break. I've used so many mechanical pencils and some
| feel better, but they have quality issues. This pencil just
| works.
| azeirah wrote:
| Forks are great! I've literally never had a problem with any of
| my forks
| erezsh wrote:
| "Ever" is a tough one but ..
|
| Python is still the best-designed language I ever used, warts and
| all. It's often grouped with Javascript because they're both
| interpreted and "duck-typed", but imho the gap between them is
| huge.
|
| Svelte is amazing for UI logic. It makes hard things feel easy
| and simple, and really hard things to feel possible.
|
| QBasic was a horrible language, but its IDE (if you can call it
| that) was incredibly helpful for beginners. Maybe I'm nostalgic,
| but I never experienced such helpful hand-holding in programming
| ever since.
|
| Sorry it's all about programming. Most real world design is
| either too trivial or too impossible to make an impression.
| cjtoth wrote:
| It feels pretty disingenuous to write off all real world design
| as trivial or impossible to make an impression. For instance,
| aluminum cans are a great example of quality design
|
| https://youtu.be/hUhisi2FBuw
| etse wrote:
| Toyota Sienna minivan. Having driven only sedans and coupes, and
| grew up riding in 90s-era SUVs, I was shocked to discover what
| modern "minivan life" is like... as a parent. For me, my
| reference for modern is the past two weeks of a mundane 2010
| Sienna LE. Every couple days, I notice something new and
| thoughtful.
|
| The side doors are powered and can be controlled from the remote,
| since kids won't often open doors for themselves or you.
|
| The last row of seats can fold down flush with the floor, since
| we alternate between having more cargo space and passenger
| capacity (like trips with grandparents or for instance, equipment
| for sports or music).
|
| The car windows come tinted. One less worry/discussion about
| harsh glare or sunlight on our young kids.
|
| There's a second lighter outlet right beside the first, which is
| handy for our electricity-dependent lifestyle.
|
| There is a compartment on the driver's side, near your head, that
| reveals sunglasses.
|
| There are cupholders upon cupholders on every interior panel,
| which seemed absurd to me, until I saw them used by my own
| family. And when you've filled them all, pop open the coin tray
| and a slow reveal unfolds... yet another cupholder, like digging
| into the hesitation before the punchline of a joke.
|
| Newer minivans cover more use cases, like automatically popping
| the rear door by waving your leg, or changing the middle row
| positions to accommodate side-by-side car seats, and I'm curious
| to see which features have staying power and which don't.
|
| We often applaud elegant solutions to a well-defined problem as a
| good design, or at least I feel like software engineers tend to,
| but I have a growing admiration for designs that solve a problem
| complex enough to resist being defined once-and-for-all. Those
| problems tend to be "human" problems that are as deep as human
| psychology and change as our society changes.
| tomjen3 wrote:
| The remote feature of VS Code. It is so good that I completely
| forgot I was on a remote machine and was pissed it had crashed -
| until I realized that my internet was down.
|
| It is even so good that if you start something that listens to a
| TCP port, VS Code will just forward it for you.
|
| VS Code itself is still not nearly at the level of things like
| IntelliJ.
| fuzzfactor wrote:
| Everything from Valco Instruments, where the founder and CEO
| (Stan Stearns [0]) launched using his own engineering designs and
| continued to maintain a prototyping bench indefinitely, long
| after he had numerous gifted engineers employed.
|
| [0] https://www.vici.com/heritageaward2020/
| CamperBob2 wrote:
| Not familiar with the hardware that Vici sells, but it sounds
| like you'd be describing HP test equipment if you were
| describing tools used by EEs and techs.
| anfractuosity wrote:
| I rather like the Westmark: 'Hermetus' Bottle Cap Opener, which
| can seal a beer bottle nicely, to save for later
| drakonka wrote:
| A Huskee Cup. Low maintenance, made from coffee husk, great seal
| with the lid, and I love that it can hold hot coffee but not burn
| your hands due to the fins running along the body. Many local
| coffee shops also give me a discount on takeaway coffee if I
| bring my own takeaway cup, and some offer a Huskee Cup swap
| program where you can leave your dirty cup with them if you've
| been carrying it around after drinking your last coffee and get a
| clean one for your next order (personally I prefer to just keep
| my own though).
|
| https://huskee.co/huskeecup/
| quiffledwerg wrote:
| The best thing I ever used was iPod shuffle mini.
|
| It was the perfect design, nothing could be added nor taken away
| to make it better.
|
| But apple being Apple they redesigned it to be crap then
| discontinued it.
|
| On the topic of designing great things and Apple .... Can I say
| that I hate Apples "minimalism above all else" approach to
| design. For example I want computers with lots of ports - what's
| the point in buying a minimal Apple computer only to instantly
| plug it into another box that provides the basic ports I need for
| keyboard mouse external disks and camera? Somehow though the
| designers at Apple think this is the optimum design. I do
| acknowledge recent Macs bring ports back but still not enough.
|
| I also hate it that Apple got rid of the standard headphone jack
| - for gods sake why? Answer: Apple designers.
| kevinmchugh wrote:
| I was skeptical, I liked my ports. Now I plug in all my devices
| at once, through a dongle. I like that a lot. It works well for
| how I work: either at my desk, with everything plugged in, or
| away from my desk with nothing plugged in.
|
| They probably should've moved the ports to the power brick.
| That would've been ideal.
| papertokyo wrote:
| They did this for the new iMac, albeit only the ethernet
| port. It's the one that makes the most sense and doesn't
| appear to result in a larger brick, which I imagine would be
| considered a requirement by Apple.
|
| I believe there's some third-party hubs available that
| provide power and ports galore via one or two thunderbolt
| cables, but you're looking at at least $200.
| egypturnash wrote:
| Power brick as cable hub is a really interesting idea. Feels
| like you'd have to move away from "brick plugs directly into
| the wall" to make it work though - imagine sitting in a cafe
| with your power plug six feet away, and wanting to use both
| that and some other device.
| NikolaNovak wrote:
| I loved the original iPod Shuffle - the one that looked like
| spearmint pack of gum. This may or may not be what you're
| referring to, but to me it was Perfect; the only Apple product
| I've truly enjoyed without the 5-25% incredible frustration I
| typically hit when I stretch my usage of any other Apple
| product. It felt like Apple philosophy distilled - beautiful,
| minimalistic and stylish _but_ usable and useful too, even well
| priced and reliable. In fact I still have mine!
|
| The following generations lost the allure somehow. Smaller, but
| that smaller form factor didn't actually work for me; it did
| not fit in my hand or in my pocket as nicely, you now needed a
| cable to charge it (how very Un-Apple in theory, how very Apple
| in practice!).
|
| But the first one was just perfection. I got a couple of other
| MP3 players since in as similar format as I could find, both
| no-name clones and big-name versions, but nope, none of them
| were as smooth and easy.
|
| P.S. Do * _NOT*_ get me started on loss of 3.5mm port ;- <
| LeoPanthera wrote:
| Which one?
| ingvul wrote:
| Probably the 4th generation
| (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Shuffle#4th_generation)
| quiffledwerg wrote:
| The early shuffle mini.
| TheRealSteel wrote:
| There's no such thing, the Shuffle and Mini were separate
| models.
|
| The Shuffle was the size of a USB drive, used solid state
| storage, and had no screen, the Mini was the one with the
| first touch Click Wheel and metallic colour choices, and
| used a 4GB spinning hard drive.
| jazzyjackson wrote:
| the 2nd generation Shuffle moved to a more miniature
| clip-on design and required a dock to charge and sync, I
| gather that's what OP is referring to
| TheRealSteel wrote:
| Never used a Shuffle, but the original iPod Nano was absolutely
| beautiful. Just a bit too easily scratched and maybe _too_
| small.
| gaze wrote:
| Moore Jig Grinding machines.
| GrumpyNl wrote:
| Older car interiors, all the knobs on a familiar place.
| timwaagh wrote:
| Outerknown Pacifica jacket. It's not often you see extraordinary
| looking fashion from the land of the stars and Stripes. Mostly I
| wear European brands. I remember falling in love with it and
| buying like the last one. Too bad that other than its amazing
| design it has little going for it. There were a bunch of loose
| threads on mine and it felt kind of itchy. But I still have it
| and when I wear it it often gets noticed.
| https://www.gearpatrol.com/style/a505232/outerknown-fall-201...
| vermaden wrote:
| ThinkPad laptops (W520/T420s/X220/...) up to 2011 - with 7-row
| keyboards.
|
| Also Dell Latitude D630 laptop with great idea on the extended
| battery that extended up front as additional rest pad - also with
| 7-row keyboard.
|
| I did not realized how great they were until they were gone ...
| now all laptops have these counter productive island type
| keyboards ...
| Causality1 wrote:
| The Leatherman MUT. I've carried it clipped to my pocket every
| day for ten years now and it's still going strong. Carrying six
| two-ended driver bits, replaceable blades, and a hammer end has
| covered such an enormous percentage of my use cases it's unreal.
| Having a steel poking stick on you at all times is surprisingly
| useful.
| sound1 wrote:
| I do have leatherman skeltool and I love it
| brailsafe wrote:
| I really like my Microsoft Sculpt keyboard, and my Gameboy SP. I
| can't imagine ysing a different keyboard at this point. I do wish
| they'd properly iterate on it somehow, but it's great.
| micimize wrote:
| This easy-clean garlic press recommended by America's Test
| Kitchen: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CD0HX
|
| Clean-ability turned the press from a 1/mo to a near-daily usage
| frequency.
| MrFantastic wrote:
| I've broken 2 of those. Don't try to crush more than 2 cloves
| of garlic at a time.
| egypturnash wrote:
| When I was a kid, the tub in the bathroom had two knobs to
| control the faucet and shower: one marked with a red H, one
| marked with a blue C. Easy to understand, consistent with the
| faucets in the kitchen and bathroom sinks, easy to control. There
| was the little thing to pull up and redirect the flow from the
| faucet to the showerhead.
|
| Every tub/shower fixture in the apartments I've lived in and all
| the hotels I've visited since has been different. They have all
| replaced this simple arrangement with some godawful thing that
| tries to combine the two variables of "amount of hot water" and
| "amount of cold water" into one knob/lever/dial/whatever. Usually
| with absolutely no markings. It takes an annoying amount of time
| to figure these out the first time and sometimes they remain
| annoying forever - the one in my current apartment is mounted at
| a weird angle, so "off" is _slightly_ to the right of pointing
| the handle straight down; maximum hot water is somewhere below
| pointing straight right, and pointing straight right is cold.
| Pointing straight down is an annoying, chilly trickle.
|
| Every time I take a shower I miss the simplicity of two knobs,
| clearly marked.
|
| ----
|
| The humble handlebar-mounted bicycle gear shift. So much more
| pleasant than reaching down to a little lever mounted on the
| frame like I did before these became standard on even the
| cheapest bikes. Just move my hand over on the handlebar a little,
| grab, and twist: there's a little resistance, then a distinct
| _click_ as it moves to the next spot, which changes the tension
| in the cable and makes the derailleur do its job of moving the
| chain from one gear to another. It is not perfect, but its
| failure modes are much more prone to "a little out of alignment
| and now you skip over a gear or two in the middle" than "it's
| super easy to shift the chain off the gears entirely". People
| have come up with other ways to alter the gear ratio between the
| crank and the wheel but they are all much more complex and power-
| hungry than the grip-shifter and derailleur combination.
|
| ----
|
| If you want a specific brand and model of thing, my Tom Binh
| "Pilot" bag is really nice. Durable, reasonably cute, carries my
| computer and everything I need for a day going out to cafes to
| work, with enough room for a change of clothes or two if I stuff
| it tightly. Has some nice touches like a pocket in the center
| with a drain hole for a water bottle or a compact umbrella, and a
| pocket in the back that unzips on the bottom so you can empty it
| and slide it over the extended handle of your big rolling bag
| when traveling. I've had it for like half a decade and it's been
| my main bag for a lot of that time.
| https://www.tombihn.com/collections/travel-bags/products/pil...
| multjoy wrote:
| Di2/Etap is going to blow your mind.
| kryogen1c wrote:
| i dont know if this is exactly in or exactly out of the HN
| wheelhouse, but: my keychain. it's a small hoop of plastic-coated
| braided strand cable with two threaded ends that screw together.
|
| the plastic coating hasn't ripped, torn, loosened, or discolored.
| none of the metal has rusted. the thread pitch is big enough to
| screw and unscrew quickly but small enough to not loosen on its
| own and has good clamping force. the threaded end for passing
| through keys is small enough for all my fobs and keys. its tough
| and strong but pleasant to handle. no part of it is worse for
| wear even though i fidget with it and have changed keys multiple
| times. it also currently has like 11 keys and a large fob on it.
| ive had it for ~5 years and I'm fairly certain it's the most
| reliable thing i own. it's easy to use and easy to understand and
| it always does its job.
|
| and to top it all off, it was like 70 cents.
|
| it's a god damn marvel.
|
| looks like this, although mine is smaller:
|
| https://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/281726615218-0-1/s-l1000.jpg
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