Heheh. the others in my office made fun of me when I convinced the IT people that I needed a GMMK (full) frame with kahlil jade switches. I got my sweet sweet revenge by typing at something like 100 words per minute... it's not an open office but it doesn't matter...
although, they've since asked for 'accessibility' upgrades to theirs as well...
I feel that. I'm using an old Cougar mechanical keyboard for work still, just because it has the key feel I want. Other features are nice but if I don't get that clacky sensation I just can't write code.
Got the dygma raise last year with silent pinks and the tenting. It was a massive game changer. Of course now I’m thinking of diving into the 30% ergo keyboards and that looks like a deep rabbit hole
Windsor and Newton Series 7s were my first expensive brushes. I'm rocking Raphael 8404s right now though and I've been a lot happier.
I'd say that the Harder Steinbeck Infinity series are probably the "you've made it" of mini painting with lots of little tweaks and QoL features, but my Iwata Eclipse has been a perfect work horse for me and may be a "pinnacle" for mini painting as far as overall value.
Not sure you've made it over there yet, but feel free to join us on https://kbin.social/m/minipainting. Always love to see more work over there!
I'll see if I can't get a good shot of something with my old camera to share over there.
Ironically my next big purchase will be a new SLR. Taking pictures or videos of minis to share is as big of a rabbit hole as painting them in the first place.
An industrial sewing machine, or an old sewing machine. It seems like every time I meet somebody who's dedicated to the craft, they're rocking some post-war anvil as an every day workhorse.
For me it's my home server. 110TB at the moment, running UNRAID as a VM under proxmox. Also a load of software setup to share it's resources with my friends.
As a writer and teacher, I was wracking my brains trying to think what item would be most desirable. You've summed it up perfectly, I think. I'd maybe throw on some kind of fountain pen, like a Twsbi Eco or Kaweco Sport.
For simracing - a set of pedals with a load cell brake. Building muscle memory for the force you push on the brake is so much better than trying to be consistent with the angle of your ankle. The consistency you can achieve with braking is unreal.
Home espresso - a set of accurate scales and a timer. Reducing variables when trying to dial in a new bag of beans or when chasing that perfect cup is so handy. Like the the load cell brakes for sim racing, it allows you to be consistent and just change small things at a time and then stick to what works.
You seem like a very cool person, same exact hobbies for me!
For sim racing everyone in my groups are losing there minds over MOZA hardware. I had the chance to try an R9 and instantly fell in love
For Espresso all my friends are still obsess with the Niche Zero and the Decent Espresso DE1. I roast on a Ailio Bullet and am still very obsessed with it!
You know, as someone who likes coffee, I've felt the gains at that level of precision to be very marginal. I've been at places where they calibrate the shit out of everything and I wouldn't say they're better than places that don't, or some of the stuff I've had at home.
Been into computer hardware for not very long and got dragged into the Small Form Factor PC space immediately.
The pinnacle for me for a while what getting recent hardware into a PC case as small as a shoebox
I've started with PCs as small as 20L and now have my PC in a case less that 10L. The urge to go smaller while maintaining the same amount of power is hard to resist.
There are others doing full custom watercooling loops in PCs smaller than mine but that is a whole other rabbit hole i don't think i am ready for.
In your experienced opinion, what's a good horizontal sff case that can fit in an area around the size of an old Xbox One? I want to build a pc for the tv and the media cabinet it's on has spaces that comfortably fit consoles.
A really nice laminar flow hood for mycology. It basically provides a clean area so you can work with agar without worrying about introducing contamination or stuff you don't want. You can make a basic version for around $100 (or a still air box if you can't afford one), but a really nice hood is somewhere in the ballpark of $500-1000 for what is essentially a fan with a Very good hepa filter.
Zojirushi Bread machine (I use it for the dough cycle. Don't at me.)
Electronic scale. It can be a cheap OXO, but you need one.
Banneton and liners
*Lame (honestly, my favorite is the cheapo Breadtopia one with the plastic handle--much better than the walnut-handled one my mom had)
More Emile Henry ceramic bakers than I'm willing to admit. Crown rolls, anyone?
I haven't ventured into sourdough but I'm teetering on the edge. Looking at the King Arthur crocks.
First Apple product I've purchased since the 2005 iPod Video. It does live to its hype for publicists/designers: Ridiculously powerful/optimized device for its form factor, P3 color calibrated 120Hz display covered by laminated glass, and with the support of software like Nomad Sculpt, Affinity Photo/Designer/Publisher, Procreate, DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools and Final Cut Pro.
I think the only thing we're missing is a hard-surface modeling package like Blender, and actually usable IDEs like JetBrains Rider, but this thing which is the size and weight of a magazine is already an amazing professional toolbox.
As a photographer who also did some video services, I simply cannot imagine doing work on that tiny screen and limited storage space without a full blown OS. I don't know how some of you do it.
It's super easy and comfortable, actually. The only thing that might bother me a little is iPadOS, which has been a little buggy lately. Otherwise, 13 inches of screen and storage isn't an issue at all.
The screen is not small IMO. If it is for you, you can hook it up to an external display via USB-C to USB-C/HDMI or wirelessly via Airplay and basically turn it into a laptop/desktop with all the bells and whistles like external sound cards, keyboards, mice, external displays, MIDI instruments, microphones, HDDs/SSDs, etc.
I went for the 256 GB model which always has 100+GB of free storage because I always archive the finished projects onto either cloud or my own server, and delete them from my PC/iPad. Storage has never been an issue for me for as long as I can remember, but the iPads go up to 2 TB of internal memory.
I think that my only frustration with this thing is that it has the same hardware as the iMac/MacBook, and only because of the OS I can't install desktop programs on it. In your case, what part of a full-blown OS would you miss if you were to use an iPad to edit photos?
I work on two 30"+ monitors; 11-13" for a secondary machine is fine, but if it's my main I want bigger, and if I'm hooking all that up I might as well work on a desktop system that has a much higher TDP limit; power and flexibility-wise I don't think a tablet is something I'd be happy to settle with. This is before I get to the OS even, where I don't like not working with a full-fledge file system and a command line. And proper multitasking too.
There's no real pinnacle for cycling as there are too many disciplines and brands, but what was eye opening for a beginner was the price.
It's often noted that the price to performance ratio just about levels out at $3,500 for a bike (top end carbon frame and wheels with a 105 groupset for example); anything above that is really for people being paid to race. That doesn't stop people with money burning a hole in their pocket from spending 5-12k on a bike thinking the 60 seconds it will shave over an hour long ride is somehow worth it.
Throw in shoes, helmet, bib shorts/shirt ($300 each) and you're looking at one expensive hobby.
Meanwhile most beginners are out there looking for a sub $1k bike wondering why there's nothing available.
Kinda...MTB's at that price point come with front suspensions that aren't really worth the added weight. You're adding complexity with the extra parts that you "should" be spending at least double that.
But yes, below 1K you're looking at entry level "fitness" bikes with flat bars, or something from Poseidon or Decathlon. Luckily the used market is vibrant if you have someone experienced helping you out (that's where reddit bike communities came in handy)
I really should have said "were"; I haven't been in a bike shop for over a decade. You're right that the front suspension fork is not the best at those price points; even then they were always kinda so-so until you hit about 1.5k
Still have my Scott Expert Racing that's unfortunately gathering dust fo the past 5-6 years. XD
When I was looking around at new bikes, a wisened bike shop employee said "can you outrace your bike, or can your bike outrace you?" Here I am, many years later, still on the same bike.
Photography: Peak Design quick detach clips, strap and baseplate.
Photography is just a hobby for me, so I tend to lean towards 3rd party lenses and accessories that have a good price to quality ratio. I can not overstate how substantial a difference these clips and straps have made for me. There is no comfortable way for someone to hang a camera around their neck or over their shoulder for more than a few hours with the OEM straps, let alone a full day. With these things I have backpacked multiple long weekend trips, taking my camera out of my bag in the morning and having it out all day. I can transition from a cross body dangle, to hanging from my backpack strap in seconds which is critical if I need to free my hands quickly.
Might well be this one: Repurposing an Accom Axial Control Panel
as it combines my previous career in TV, my lifelong interest in programming, my nostalgic tendencies, and my sheer love of buttons galore!
(Work in progress, full write-up is here.)
That's wonderful! I have a 1994 AIO machine I just acquired as I moved; I need to set up a workstation and get to fixing it. You should join the retro computers community on the FMHY instance.
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