Electric wheelchair.
Pretty much been housebound since 2018. I can walk short distances, but large stores like a grocery store or a Home Depot were out of reach unless they had their own scooters available, which were often broken, or un-charged.
Malls were out entirely. City centers? Not a chance.
The wheelchair opened all that back up to me!
Tough comment to follow
Ultimately trivial cost-wise and to install, but game-changer:
butt game changer.
That would have made my post so much butter.
What I was about to post, too. It’s ridiculous how much better something as simple as taking a shit can be.
Not specifically mine but definitely that of my wife: a company called Beurer in Germany makes this little tool with a small ceramic plate that you can heat. Press the hot thing against a mosquito bite and not only does the itch go away, the actual inflammation is diminished. For 20 euros one of the best impulse buys I ever did.
We’ve also put in an order for an electric bicycle which I think will lead to us leaving the car now often.
This is probably going to be life changing for my wife and daughter. They’re both super reactive to mosquito bites to the point of not wanting to be outside. Luckily, we live where there are only flies and moths so most of the time at home this is literally not a problem. However, when camping in the mountains it can be. Thanks for the tip!
You can achieve the same thing with a metal spoon dipped in hot water, like after stirring a fresh cup of tea. It should be hot enough to hurt but not to burn/damage your skin. I’ve been doing this trick for ages and it works every time :)
wife and daughter.
oh no
They
oh phew
You can also run a spoon under hot water for a more improv tool. Works great.
It’s the same principle, true enough. But this tool I think reaches higher temps which makes it more effective.
I looked up the bug bite thing. Im glad that someone paid attention to the way most proteins in bites/stings break down if heated. I bet it works pretty good
I doubt that you can get your skin hot enough to denature those proteins without damaging yourself. I’ve given myself a blister before trying.
it says it gets to 170F. thats hot enough to get shallow stuff like mosquito bites and most stings.
That temperature is dangerous, will burn you, and the mechanism of action for these things isn’t denaturation.
Over many years, I’ve settled on hydrocortisone cream followed by an ice cube. Those little buggers love me.
I suffer from eczema pretty badly so I always have some sort of cortisol cream nearby. They clear up any bug bites quickly. Luckily, mosquitos prefer my wife’s blood over mine.
Custom molded ear plugs. I can play for hours and still hear the full spectrum of frequencies and no ringing.
More please, what brand did you go with? Cost?
I’m also interested. My work provides moulded ear plugs, but they definitely don’t let the same range of frequencies through.
I have molded plugs, the filters are etymotics. Cost was about 200$ at an audiologist that did the molding. You can get filters with varying levels of attenuation, I think mine are 20db and they recommend 25 for drummers.
I had etymotic musicians earplugs before, but they never worked that well. I couldn’t understand lyrics with them in, for instance. But I can with these.
Thanks! $200 sounds expensive but probably very worth it to save you from tinnitus or from going deaf.
Too late on the tinnitus, but at least it doesn’t seem to be getting worse. Lost count of how many concerts and even movies I’ve used them in by now.
While I wouldn’t recommend this avenue… A trip to the ER and a 2 week quarantine stay at the hospital. I had pancreatitis that was suspected to be caused by a contagious virus? Idk after I was placed in my room I wasn’t allowed visitors and I was pretty isolated aside from blood draws every 4 hours. Cliché but it allowed me to reflect on my life and identify faults in myself and devise ways to become a better.
Still working on a lot of things, but comparing myself to me 6 months ago, I feel amazing about my growth that I don’t think I could have otherwise achieved without this major life event. :)
An e-bike. I used my regular bike for errands but the e-bike just made it so much easier to pedal in high winds or when I was hauling my trailer full of groceries. Plus it increased my range because I knew I could go farther in the same amount of time. I bought a class 1 e-bike so I always have to pedal, like a normal bike. Because I use it more, I think I actually get MORE exercise despite the assist. I really love it.
A lot of people make fun of me for having an ebike “it’s not proper cycling etc”, but they all want to ignore the fact that without it, I would be driving (as they are).
Yeah, it’s pretty BS. No one would ever make fun of someone driving a car for not being 100% human powered.
I will say that the only time I get a little uptight about ebikes is when I come across them on trails/paths that are designated for non-motorized traffic only. Somehow people think that motorized only means combustion engines.
Interestingly, a good pair of noise canceling in ear headphones. I have ADHD, and being able to block out the world to focus on what I need to do is a godsend.
Can you share which one you are using? I am looking for good ones.
It depends on if you’re on Android or Apple. The Bose Earbuds 2 and the Apple Airpods Pro 2 trade blows pretty well, both in noise canceling and sound quality. I personally prefer the sound stage of the Apple ones but if actually care about stuff like that, I pull out my cans.
Robot vacuum. Used to drown in collie fur and the constant angst of vacuuming.
Requires a fair amount of maintenance but still a massive time saver.
Still gotta empty the thing quite often
The dock has a decent size bag. The long hair is the maintenance killer, have to pull the rotating brushes and cut off the hair regularly.
I have an ancient one with a glorified matchbox container that requires dumping sometimes twice during a run.
Did you go with a name brand? A refurb? I hope this is my next luxury purchase.
We’ve had both a Roomba and now a Bissell thinking that the longtime vacuum company would be a better choice.
I’d give the roomba a 4.5/5 and the Bissell a 3/5 at best.
Stick with the robot companies.
I got a TP-Link. Seems to work well and already had the Tapo app.
Headphones to sleep with. It’s a big stretchy headband with flat speakers sewn in, and it works on Bluetooth (speakers are removable with a little effort to wash the band). I’ve always needed stories to fall asleep, and now I can’t believe how many years I spent propping my phone just-so against my ear to not bother my sleeping partner.
Game changer for sleepless me.
If people are here to receive recommendations, I’m preaching to the choir. But responding the question directly, a computer of my own. Being able to go online or work on digital stuff whenever I want to has changed my life for the better.
Tech to make day to day chores easier have had the largest impact for us. The automated self cleaning liter box for the cats, the cordless vacuum, the cordless electric mop (such as Tineco), electric lawn mowers (no maintenance), smart outlets and automations via home assistant.
Another big one is the RO water filter at the kitchen sink. No more bottled water. Bonus points if you get one that tells you when fillters need to be changed. So nice.
Boox Palma, a phone sized e-reader that runs Android. I read a lot more books and I think the e-ink display makes it easier to fall asleep.
This is the first I’ve heard of this device. How fully might it replace my smartphone? I see it does messaging, photos, and has access to the Google Play Store. Does it play music? Does it render Google Maps? I love e-readers, and though while I’ve been impressed by the Kindle, I do detest Amazon.
I was interested in the Lightphone when it came out, but it was too pricey and I’m still going strong on my Pixel 3a. I’ll need to move on someday though… Thanks for any info.
It’s full Android with the Play store but wifi only, no cell modem. You can install whatever you want just like on a phone, you just can’t do calls or SMS. I haven’t tried Google Maps on it but I’m sure it works, although you might need to adjust things to make it look better. I’ve used it to send audio to Bluetooth devices but haven’t tried the built in speaker, I wouldn’t expect it to sound good.
- A new apartment with all new home appliances. Big quality of life change right there.
- New hybrid bike, with proper bottle and lock holders. Takes me to work very quickly.
- A big set of iFixit tools to fix electronics and toys for my family. (The manta kit, and the pro tech kit.)
- Other proper tools for fixing bikes and such smaller adjustment work.
- A proper power drill.
Can you expound a bit on the hybrid bike? Make, model, price point? Wifey and I are very keen, but we’re lost amongst all the options, costs…
I understand it all depends on what “we’re” looking for, but I’m interested in what others do, to see what matches.
It’s a Nishiki Pro Air from 2015, they are handmade here in Sweden. (Probably in other places as well.)
It cost me around 16,000 SEK at the time, but they seem to be around 13,000 today.
Excellent.
cheers,
My pleasure. I hope you find something that works well for you!
Aer Daypack 2 work backpack. I replaced my older shoulder bag with that and it’s so much easier to carry around my work laptop, etc.
Things I love:
- Protective fleece sleeve that protects the laptop
- Pocket for a tablet and/or pad of paper in front of that
- Plenty of smaller pockets in a separate compartment for pens, mouse, keys, etc.
- Small fleece lined pocket up top to hold sunglasses, wallet, etc.
- Bottle holder on the side that fits a 24oz Thermoflask with rubber bottom.
- Zippers can hide in bottle pocket for security
- Made out of Cordura ballistic fabric (had it on my last bag that still looks brand new after 20 years)
- Shoulder strap holders
- Removable sternum strap.
- Top handle is made out of multi-layered silky seatbelt fabric. It’s the most comfortable handle I’ve used.
- Strap on the back that can be slipped over carry on luggage handles.
- Built to stand up on its own even when loaded
I freaking love the thing. Unfortunately, they no longer sell it as there is a newer model, the Day Pack 3; it adds a few things like an AirTag pocket and side handle but removes the removable sternum strap (according to one reviewer, the picture looks like the buckle can slide up and off the new strap rails), and changes the inner pocket fabric.
I have their duffel pack 2, I’ve had it since 2018 or 2019? Great for a gym-going office worker who packs lunch, doubles as a good personal item for flights. Love that bag.
I will sound like a shrill, but I love everything they make. Even though the City Pack Pro X-Pac became, accidentally and relative to initial cost, the single most expensive bag I own due to my stupid brother.
I live in Europe, and you have to pay big taxes on any imports by mail. So I asked my brother if I could mail to him and he’d mail it to me, like in the old days (20 years ago or so). Sure, he says no problem, when do you need it? I say not in a hurry but leaving for a trip in like three weeks, so if it made it here by then that would be nice.
Two weeks later he texts me saying I owe him USD 120 for shipping. I said WTF? He sent it express, like an idiot. The bag costs about USD 239. So, ok fine it least I’ll have it for my trip.
Nope. Three weeks later I call the UPS center. They got my bag, all right, but I owe EUR 135 in taxes and duties. My brother - who used to know how to do these things, insured it for USD 400 and wrote on the item description “brand new back pack.” That fuckwad (whom I love, but damn bro, you grew up stupid sometimes).
Anyway even at that price it’s worth it, and it too has all the features you mention above + in X-Pac + with a contrasting interior color. I may have gone to their flag ship “store” (a tiny, tiny little store front) in SF and fanboy’ed for an hour or so before buying a small inside bag. And I may or may not have ordered two of their computer peripheral storage bags, one for me and one as a bribe/tribute to our head of IT…
Anyway, ahem. It’s the ultimate combo between a carry on bag and an (largish) urban commuter bag. /Shrill, and if anyone from Aer is reading this, a discount code maybe?
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A bunch of stacking prep bowls for the kitchen. Previously, I had nesting sets of glass and metal bowls, each with three sizes. I still kept the glass set for microwaving, but I gave away the set of three metal bowls. In their place, I got 8 medium bowls and 12 mixing bowls. They are great when prepping ingredients for mise en place style cooking. The mixing bowls are a bit larger, so I also use them for making salads, soaking chickpeas, and so on. It’s nice to never need to scramble for bowls, but at the same time they stack perfectly so they don’t take up much space. I bought extra because I am assuming the bowls with get damaged over time, but the company will eventually stop making them.
Me too! I have a stack of maybe 7 small metal bowls, and they’ve been amazing for prep. What are the mixing bowls you refer to? Just slightly steeper walls so nothing gets out while stirring?
The opposite, they are three quart bowls with rounded bottoms. That makes it so that food doesn’t get trapped in the corners like you would get with steep walls. The medium bowls have walls that are basically straight, which is space efficient for prep.
