Mastodawn

RanchOnPancakes

What is something really stupid you purchased that turned out far better than expected?

https://lemmy.world/post/1400491

What is something really stupid you purchased that turned out far better than expected? - Lemmy.world

I bought a piece of 1.5 inch stiff foam to try to fix a sag in a bet. It didn’t work but having that thick piece of solid foam around has been a life saver. Need something flat to put a laptop on? Throw it on the foam. Going to be doing something that requires you to be on your knees for a while? Get the foam! It went from stupid purchase to something I’d gladly replace if it broke.

JesterRaiin Jul 12, 2023

Ajazz 308i keyboard.

I’m quite satisfied with it, even though it was meant to serve as a toy…

RanchOnPancakes Jul 12, 2023

It looks like its made of tums

JesterRaiin Jul 12, 2023

It surely does.

But it’s surprisingly enjoyable to use with CEMU and Zelda:BotW

unlimitedolm_sjw Jul 12, 2023

What do you do for motion control? Tried this but was at an absolute loss as to how to shoot arrows, aim sheika slate runes effectively before I just broke down and bought a pro-controller

JesterRaiin Jul 13, 2023

There’s no situation in BoTW where high precision is needed. Keyboard provides enough of it.

And, after you destroy the “ninja” clan, there’s an abundance of bows that shoot 2 arrows. Then, when you deal with flying divine Beast, you acquire triple arrow shooting bow that you can fix everytime it breaks.

musicmind333 Jul 12, 2023

@RanchOnPancakes lol what a great visual 😅

Golfnbrew Jul 12, 2023

Interesting user name. Nothing I’ll ever consider…😝

AncillaryJustice Jul 12, 2023

Interesting, I bought one once and didn’t like it. Much rather use a real mechanical keyboard, and they make plenty that are compact.

FartsWithAnAccent Jul 12, 2023

I do like my Meko Blink

wjrii Jul 12, 2023

Even a run of the mill gamerboard with no-name switches is better than pretty much any membrane board, but particularly one that's competing on looks. You can even grab a set of of circular keycaps for $15 or less if you must have the typewriter look.

Flying Squid Jul 12, 2023

A cheap little green alien soft dog toy. My dog has destroyed every soft toy we’ve ever given her except that one. The head ripped a little at the seam, but we just re-sewed it. She hasn’t made a big hole to pull out the stuffing somehow. And she loves it.

I wanted to get a backup, but the company doesn’t make that toy anymore. I got an alternative from them and it got torn apart within a few days. I guess it was too good of a dog toy.

Dojan Jul 12, 2023

I have a similar thing going on with a Barbapapa soft toy. Though we didn’t buy it, my dog found it when out on a walk. Initially I put it on an electric cabinet in case someone came back for it, but a week later he found it again under a bench and I figured we gave it a shot so we brought it home.

Thing is shockingly resilient. It has a few perforations, which I fixed, but all the dog toys we’ve had break one way or another and are almost impossible to mend. Even ones specifically advertised as sturdy. This one just keeps going. It doesn’t have a squeaker either!

no banana Jul 12, 2023

The best dog toys seem to be the children’s plushies att IKEA. They are built to be abused.

magic_lobster_party Jul 12, 2023

Quite ironic, considering IKEA popularized cheap disposable furniture.

no banana Jul 12, 2023

I’m guessing it’s because requirements about children’s toys are pretty strict here in Sweden.

Buddahriffic Jul 13, 2023

Compared to other particle board furniture I’ve had, I’d say IKEA produces affordable furniture rather than cheap. I don’t go for the bottom tier stuff (which tbf does look cheap), but the IKEA furniture I’ve used has lasted well so far, including through a move (some disassembled, some moved as is). It’s all still solid while I had an expectation that it would end up flimsier after a move.

scutiger Jul 14, 2023

Ikea has cheap-ass furniture and high-end furniture as well. The more expensive stuff tends to be quite durable.

constantokra Jul 14, 2023

My large dogs will tear up even the most ‘durable’ dog toys in a matter of minutes. Nylon? Kevlar? Doesn’t matter. But if I give them toys meant for really small dogs, they don’t tear them up at all. Go figure.

danhasnolife Jul 12, 2023

My wife got me a fitbit. I resisted a little bit because I didn’t want to have yet another device to monitor, charge, and maintain etc. I’ve been really surprised and impressed and how effective it has been in subtly encouraging me to make some small improvements in my habits. Not a bad deal for $100.

Captain Poofter Jul 12, 2023

This one really shocked me, too! I got a Fitbit to monitor my heart rate because of a genetic condition, but fast forward a couple years and I’m running a mile and exercising multiple times a week.

Didn’t see that coming, but a nice result!

Tbh, I hate the Fitbit though. I hate that it’s owned by Google and charge me to see my own data. I’d love to switch, but I can’t find alternatives that check all the boxes from a Charge 5…

calmnchaos Jul 12, 2023

Charged to see your Fitbit data? What does that mean? I have no problem going back years across various devices.

Captain Poofter Jul 12, 2023

They hide their in depth graphs and readings from you unless you pay for premium. You can get basic data going back years, but if you want to know how long it took you to enter REM sleep for example, your only option is trying to guess using their vague graph charts, or pay premium for the in depth graphs.

The Picard Maneuver Jul 12, 2023

Did they change it recently maybe? I got one earlier this year and could see my sleep data before getting premium (just using the free 6 months now).

Captain Poofter Jul 12, 2023

You get sleep data, but you get more sleep data with premium. If you don’t have premium, it completely hides the area from you where the new charts are and the only way to see them is to dig up your past premium data. But even then you can only see for months that you had access to premium, it doesn’t give you the data if you don’t pay, despite it constantly taking all the same readings as normal.

I suppose it’s not technically true they’re keeping your data from you. What they’re actually doing is refusing to crunch additional numbers for you and show you nice graphs for them if you don’t pay. Normally this wouldn’t bug me, but since it’s already taking all my data and and since I know crunching those numbers doesn’t cost 10$ a month when I already paid 150$ for it to do exactly what they’re trying to charge me more for it to do…well, now I’m just rambling 😄 it bugs me is all, and I’d gladly try another manufacturer if I could find something more competitive.

I’m already on my 4th Fitbit in 6 years from them breaking (one of them the screen separated from the device. Just peeled out), so I don’t exactly have confidence in their build quality anyways.

The Picard Maneuver Jul 12, 2023

I see. Well I’ll drop premium when my free trial is over and see if I feel like I’m missing anything.

I really hate subscriptions…

Captain Poofter Jul 12, 2023

Ever read Ubik?

Give it another 10 years and the refrigerators are gunna have us tapping our phones to get some milk.

The Picard Maneuver Jul 12, 2023

Thanks, I hate it.

pebble3292 Jul 12, 2023

Albeit a bit more pricey I love the Garmin Forerunner Smartwatches. There is a very wide variety at many different price points, no subscription and access to all data, integrates well with other services. Not sure about the OLED versions but I love the non OLED ones. Touch display, color (although not as vibrant), smartphone connectivity (e.g. notifications) and even payment (credit card on the watch, no phone needed)… with all that the battery still lasts about 2 weeks.

Sorry for shilling. There was a time when I hated Garmin. But their watches have come a long way.

ArrantKnave Jul 12, 2023

I wrote a huge reply about Garmin watches and felt like a shill, too, but it got lost. I will just add on to your reply to say Garmin watches rock. They cost more upfront but it feels like I’m wearing a scientific instrument vs a watch, for all the info it gives. Battery life is amazing, as you said.

CoffeeJunkie Jul 14, 2023

Pro tip from a fellow rambler: before submitting a lengthy, in-depth, top-tier comment. Highlight some text. Hit ‘Select All’. Copy. That way your shit isn’t lost & your time isn’t wasted. 🙂

The internet wants your honest, detailed opinions. That’s how we all learn! 😌

ArrantKnave Jul 14, 2023

Agreed, I should have known better, sound advice!

krispfinish Jul 12, 2023

I used to think Garmin watches were way overpriced but then I got involved in wearable fitness monitor validation studies as part of my graduate degree lab and they were by and far the most reliable and accurate for everything we tested. I went from a Fitbit Versa to a Garmin Instinct and loved it so much that after it broke, I got their Fenix 7X. It’s literally everything you could ever want In a fitness tracking watch with smart features. A full charge lasts me nearly 20 days due to the solar charging.

murphislaw Jul 13, 2023

youtube.com/@TheQuantifiedScientist has a lot of detailed videos on smartwatches’ accuracy

The Quantified Scientist

Looking for a scientific view on wearables? Look no further! My name is Rob, and I am a scientist who is into all sort of wearables, but wants to make sure they are accurate. On this channel, I test different devices, and see how I can use them to improve my life. Support the channel and become a member🙏: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChNWxrTlmh4IRSevon1X93g/join I am life-logging and quantifying everything about my body, mind and surroundings. My measurements take more than 11 hours a week and include a weekly brain MRI, sleep EEG and gut microbiome composition. I am quite possibly doing the ultimate "quantified self". As a scientist, I specialise in biological informatics, which means I write computer programs to analyse data. I now use these skills to learn more about myself and I try to improve my life. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quantified_scientist/ Twitter: @QuantifiedRob Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-ter-horst-90756a4a/ Website: www.robterhorst.com

YouTube

kenblu24 Jul 13, 2023

I went from a Pebble Time to a Garmin Forerunner. Amazing battery life (2 weeks vs 5 days). But the software on the now defunct Pebble was massively superior. Sleep tracking on the Garmin sucks despite it having many more sensors. The Pebble pretty much always recognized short naps, and was pretty accurate with sleep/wake times.

The Garmin’s UI is also dogcrap. For example, if you get a text, it first pops up with the name of who’s texting you. You have to wait two seconds before the actual text shows up. If someone texts you again, the name pops up. You kinda have to wait for the other person to stop sending texts to be able to read anything.

I wish we could have Pebble’s software in the body of a Forerunner. Sadly Fitbit bought Pebble and subsequently threw it in the trash.

Captain Poofter Jul 13, 2023

Appreciate the mention, haven’t heard of this brand and definitely going to consider them as soon as this Fitbit goes kaput in probably 6 months or so.

I’m loving that garmin battery life! Charging things is as much of a curse as sleep ☠️

ShakeThatYam Jul 12, 2023

I haven’t checked if this works with all the premium features but I know for the sleep tracking ones you can get them by linking your Fitbit account to Google Fit and viewing it in the Google Fit app.

Captain Poofter Jul 12, 2023

I’ll check that out! They might at the very least have more there.

They also give you a cute “animal” profile for your sleep style when you pay. It was meaningless, but fun. I always got the dolphin during my free trial because I apparently have no idea how to sleep for more than 3 and a half hours.

ShakeThatYam Jul 12, 2023

Oh the animal thing does not cross over. I would totally pay if it was a reasonable price but $9.99 a month is kind of ridiculous

Captain Poofter Jul 12, 2023

Ya, that effectively nearly doubles the price of the device itself. Not worth it.

grue Jul 13, 2023

Tbh, I hate the Fitbit though. I hate that it’s owned by Google and they charge me to see my own data. I’d love to switch, but I can’t find alternatives that check all the boxes from a Charge 5…

That’s the issue that so far has kept me from buying a smart watch/fitness monitor.

I’ve had my eye on a PineTime for a while now, but I’m not sure if it’s ready for general consumer use or still an early-adopter kind of product. (Although I’m an engineer, I don’t necessarily want to buy a project in this particular instance.)

PineTime | PINE64

Open source smartwatch powered by the community. Notifications, Health features, and all-week battery life.

PINE64

fmstrat Jul 14, 2023

Some insurance providers cover the low end ones, or offer discounts.

WytchStar Jul 12, 2023

I bought an Ember mug because I thought it was silly. I ended up really liking the temperature control. I don't rush my coffee/tea. Now every sip is as hot as the first one.

The new Ember costs, I think, half again as much as the first iteration. It's a cute gimmick but I certainly wouldn't pay what they're charging now.

RanchOnPancakes Jul 12, 2023

I have long considered something like this.

inattentive_person Jul 12, 2023

I like my mug a lot. It helps a lot with because I refuse to drink my coffee and tea that has gone cold.

Dojan Jul 12, 2023

I got a heating plate for my home office, but none of the mugs I have really seem to work well with it. They all have this lip/concave bottom that means most of it doesn’t make contact with the plate. At least I think that’s the culprit. It does help a little but not a lot.

I hate cold tea at least if it was meant to be hot.

no banana Jul 12, 2023

IMO tea can be hot or cold but never room temperature.

Dojan Jul 12, 2023

Well yes, I like ice tea, and I enjoy cold boba, but when my previously piping hot rooibos cools down to ambient temperature ten minutes after I sat down with it, I become a sad bean.

Flying Squid Jul 12, 2023

Somehow, reheated tea in a microwave is awful too. I’m not sure what that’s about.

Flying Squid Jul 12, 2023

I must drink my morning tea out of a HotJo Travel Mug. This is non-negotiable. I had a beautiful black one which I dropped and smashed and now the only one available is white. Or I can get it with some crappy logo on it from eBay. So I drink out of a white one. It’s less enjoyable somehow, but still more enjoyable than not drinking from a HotJo Travel Mug.

(Incidentally, if it looks familiar to you, it was used on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but that’s not why it’s my mug of choice.)

GoronKing Jul 13, 2023

Wow, those mugs do look pretty nice.

Usually_Lurker Jul 13, 2023

My wife and I each thought these were cool but refused to buy these for ourselves. Instead, we got them for each other for Christmas/Channukah one year. It is the best “stupid” gift I have ever got. I have a little Aeropress set up in my office and it’s great. Nothing like coming back to your desk to a hot cup of coffee after you have been away for an extended time. I think they were like $100 when we got them.

ritswd Jul 13, 2023

I wasn’t familiar with Ember mugs; but I have a USB coffee mug warmer at my desk which does the same thing provided you don’t need mobility, and was like $20 I think. I love that thing.

Poggers Jul 12, 2023

An Aeropress Go.

I’m far from a coffee snob, but figured I’d give this $25 piece of plastic a try because a good friend was raving about it. In the year since, it’s been my favorite way to make myself a cup of coffee-- the ritual of it helps me structure my Saturday morning, the coffee tastes better than I thought coffee could taste, and I’m more excited to look at the flavors and whatnot from locally ground coffee.

Fireinthesky7 Jul 12, 2023

My parents got me one to use on motorcycle camping trips a few years ago, and it’s so handy. I’m thinking about one of the larger ones to keep at home.

inattentive_person Jul 12, 2023

Oh second this, had one, used it for couple of months. Pretty nice overall for cost vs quality.

justhach Jul 13, 2023

Cheapest and easiest way to get into espresso-adjacent drinks. Is it going to give you that espresso experience? No, but for literally 1% of the cost of an actually decent espresso machine, you can up your coffe game extraordinarily.

Get an Aeropress, a good grinder with fresh beans, and a digital temperature kettle, and you’ll be shocked at how good coffee can taste.

oatscoop Jul 12, 2023

ANTAGEN dishbrush. I was at IKEA and saw they had dish brushes for less than a dollar a piece, so I stocked up on a few.

They last forever as far as dish brushes are concerned. It did clean-up for 2 large meals every single day for over a year before it started getting worn out. We’d throw it in the dishwasher at night to clean and sterilize it.

ANTAGEN dish brush, white

ANTAGEN dish brush, white The scraper edge makes it easier to remove stubborn food. The dish-washing brush has a hole in the handle so you can hang it up when you’re not using it.

IKEA

mikkL Jul 12, 2023

Best comment - even though I like their brush with the suction cup mere 🤗

the_artic_one Jul 13, 2023

I’ve never gotten mine to actually stand on its suction cup but it’s lasted me a ridiculously long time.