Probably it doesn’t quite count as a gadget, but repurposing my old PC as a home server. Firstly it makes a great mass storage solution making all my media accessible from any device, no matter what architecture it is and what apps it can run. I also self-host Home Assistant, Syncthing, Radicale, Navidrome, Jellyfin and UrBackup. The ten years old 2 core Pentium with 8GB of RAM can do it all, it’s much cheaper to run than half a dozen subscription services and I have total control over my data and privacy.
If it counts, definitely the Steam Deck. With that and emulators, it’s like having almost every game I’ve ever owned in one portable machine.
In a similar vein, I love my ps vita. Hacked, it’s an absolutely amazing console, and is able to boast the “actually fits in my pocket” award.
Last time I needed new headphones for going out, I bought a Shockz bone conducting headphone.
While the specific one I bought was the wrong choice (the Run I got is slick but needs a proprietary charging cable instead of the USB-C the Move uses, and they sound 100% the same), overall the concept is really good. I enjoy hearing people around me, for someone who more listens to podcasts and radio shows not music the quality is perfect, and I can wear these on my bicycle without having to worry I won’t hear something.
Also, since they don’t sit in the ear not enclose it it’s easy to semi-forget them there as they’re so comfortable, no stuffed feeling or sweaty ears. I sometimes just use them at home instead of shifting a podcast onto the sonos speakers. Just easier.
Yes. I love mine. I originally got some bone-conduction headphones to use at my job because I work in a high noise environment and they still work while you’re wearing earplugs, but I use them pretty much constantly now. It’s really nice to have my music or podcasts and still be able to hear when someone asks me a question, or to be able to hear traffic coming if I’m out walking or jogging.
I’ve had a couple pairs of them now and weirdly bone-conduction headphones seem to be the one electronic device that under promises on its battery life. I don’t know if maybe I just got lucky, but the cheap no name set I got off Amazon promised 5 hours, but even after a year still regularly lasts 8 or 9. My Shokz Open Run Pros promise 10 hours, and I routinely get 15 or 16 hours. So that’s nice.
Out of curiosity: did you ever test noise cancelling headsets in that high noise environment? I’d think that in-ear and over-ear nc headphones should work quite well too.
No, because active noise cancellation doesn’t offer any hearing protection. It doesn’t make the noise go away, it works by sending out an extra soundwave which is a mirror inversion of noise to be cancelled, sends out peaks where there were troughs and troughs where there were peaks, and they cancel each other out as far as your brain is concerned. But to work the destructive soundwave has to be as loud as the sound it’s cancelling, and now you have two sound waves blasting away, still moving air and putting pressure on your eardrums, and it’s that pressure causes the damage to your hearing.
Proper PPE has a passive barrier that physically blocks the bulk of the vibration from reaching your eardrums in the first place. Active noise cancellation does kind of the opposite of that.
Bone conducting ear phones, I have tiny narrow ear canals and can’t get any type of ear bud to go in my ears, the bone conductors are a revelation for listening to audio books, radio and music when I’m out and about
Got a brand to recommend? Sounds awesome.
Mine are Shokz, I’ve had them a couple of years now with no issues at all, the battery lasts for many hours, I’ve never had then run out for.my use case
Very late reply, but thanks a lot for this info! I’m actually kind of excited to try those now. You’ve opened a door for me with this.
Thanks again!
A bidet 💪 even a cheap one is nice.
Cold water tho
Gotta get a heated one
I find the cold water refreshing. That said, I’ve never tried a heated one.
Warning. Purchasing a bidet will ruin travel because you don’t feel clean the entire trip
I recently started carrying one of these in my travel kit. Absolutely recommended for just that reason.
As someone who speaks Spanish
culoclean
choking on my White Russian
Same here my friend! They nailed the name.
A Blunt Metro umbrella. Makes me happy every time I get to use it. It’s aesthetically pleasing, it oozes quality, it’s easy to bring with you.
WTH is a blunt metro umbrella? (Retorical I am about to search it but still …)
I’m guessing some sort of collaboration with Snoop Dogg? 🤷♂️
An Ice Cream Maker. Been making my own Ice Cream for years now and its amazing. The cheap machines which requires you to freeze the bowl is nice, but the one with a heat pump built in is amazing. In 3 hours I can make batches of Mint, Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream.
Woah! I didn’t know they made heat pump ice cream makers (for non commercial users) at a decent price.
Amazon sells them with the search term “with compressor”. I got this one 2 years ago, it’s pricey but you can get smaller ones with less volume for cheaper. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01FXMW4AS/
I love kitchen gadgets and thought to myself… dang! Will get one… then saw 600… I don’t eat that much icecream lol…
I found the $600 to be reasonable considering how much I make. But they do sell smaller ones for 200-300 the bowl just has a smaller volume.
I bought a semi professional meat slicer , and a decent dehydrator. Now I make my own beef jerky and saving tons.
I’ve read several reviews that suggest DIY beef jerky is only slightly cheaper, and it’s a surprising amount of work per pound. The TL;DR of those reviews was that it’s just not worth it.
Has that not been your experience? I love to eat it but it’s pretty expensive.
It was a lot of work without the weight tools. It takes me about 5 min to cut meat, prepare marinate … Then next day about 5 min to set dehydrator. The advantages? is variety of flavors, no bs chemical, volume. I buy a full round beef for 30 bucks at Costco and that makes the equivalent of about 70 dlls of packaged beef jerky.
