
Ask HN: What are some example of low tech improving your life? - _ylmx
I saw the same questions asked on the Bogleheads forums and I&#x27;m curious to see what the HN crowd says.
======
DyslexicAtheist
I hiked across the Alps, alone, on foot and camping in the wild for 3 months.
I had no phone with me (no GPS) and just paper maps, and a pen to keep notes
on paper. It was the best time I ever had my whole life. I thought I might get
lonely but being in the flow of walking every day actually created some kind
of an internal dialogue in my head which never made me feel lonely. I met
others who were on a similar trail but they all looked and talked like they
needed to achieve some kind of a "goal" by posting shit on Insta and none of
them would do it without GPS. Since I didn't grow up with all that nonsense
and have been using Tech since I turned 20 - I really appreciated being
"bored" again after so many years of being distracted. Paper and pen (and your
ability to walk) are all you really need. Tech is what makes things complex
and as soon as you remove all of it is an empowering experience unlike nothing
else.

~~~
agitator
I did a 10 day trek in Patagonia last year. Best experience of my life.

I totally agree. Not having any any tech with me, allowed me to live in the
moment. I remember every part vividly, and have some of the best memories
spending time with others on the trail, cooking breakfast, setting up and
tearing down camp, and enduring crazy weather. Just simple things that we take
for granted everyday, just felt rewarding and great to do. It was a crazy
realization that you don't need all of this stuff we filled our lives with.
You really can get by just fine with less.

I can't wait for the next opportunity I have to just get away from all the
tech noise.

~~~
DyslexicAtheist
Patagonia is one of my biggest dreams, I envy you!! :)

What you describe about making your day work, e.g. being forced to think about
simple things like weather/food was also what took my mind off (and why I
never got as bored as I thought I might).

There was some level of alertness in my head all the time (not really
adrenaline because it was a much more peaceful feeling) ... something kept me
focused even I had not much "to do". I remember every time I came across some
cave in the rocks, or some hunters-lookout I took a mental note and checked my
time so I would know how far back I'd have to walk back in case the weather
turns. I have never done anything this useless that made me this happy. E.g.
having a beer and a warm meal in a mountain lodge, or a hot shower after a
week in the woods ... impossible to put into words!

Nature is the best really :)

There is a cheesy series on History channel called "Alone" where one season is
about Patagonia. I think Patagonia is a lot more difficult than anywhere in
the Alps or Western Europe. Check out that season of Alone, you might like it.
:)

Also I too can't wait for spring to be here. Then I'll be off again.

------
unhashable
Low-tech wellness.

Apple Cider Vinegar instead of acid reducers (Tums, Zantac, Prilosec) for
heartburn, acid reflux, and indigestion.

Water Fasting instead of caloric restriction, weight loss pills, and diet fads
for curing metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance, mid-section fat buildup,
inflammation, diabetes).

Kettlebell, mace, stretching, and sprinting instead of a gym membership with
classes and steady state cardio (or a Peloton).

Barefoot foot strength and 0-drop shoes instead of surgery and lift-pads for
fasciitis and tendonitis.

A whole food, conservative, omnivorous diet of your ancestors instead of
becoming vegan or carnivore.

Journaling (#bujo), practicing meditation, and studying stoicism instead of
counseling and medicating.

Reading books and leaving your devices “default off” instead of aimlessly
scrolling all day.

Cast iron and glass for cooking/storing instead of Teflon and plastic.

~~~
simonebrunozzi
This list makes me think that I'd love if you could elaborate with a few
sentences for each item. I somehow perceive a lot of quality and study behind
these things, and it makes me curious to hear more.

e.g. most notable things I am very curious about: 0-drop shoes, apple cider
vinegar, glass for cooking

~~~
cm2012
My wife used to have to throw up every day, sometimes multiple times, for
years. It was miserable. Doctors, including a gastroenterologist, prescribed
antacids which made it worse. We read an article online that said her acid
might be low, and it recommended apple cider vinegar. It literally cured her
daily vomiting overnight.

------
eternityforest
I'd say reading books and spending time with friends and family are the main
low tech that shouldn't be replaced by the digital version.

The other big thing is taking time off from smartphones.

I haven't written more than maybe a page a month on paper in years, I never
buy incandescent bulbs, I don't want a film camera or a record player. There's
very few appliances I wouldn't chose the smart version of.

But nothing is going to replace planting things in the garden, lighting a
campfire, or reading a book(Although e readers are just fine now).

In general, I'm not a fan of low tech. Man-made items done without silicon
tend to be heavy, delicate, and hard to use compared to the digital ones, and
things made of modern materials.

Things that actively involve living beings very closely, like clothes and
food, are sometimes but not always better off low tech.

Things that are, or should be be, mostly hands off, like the insulation
material in a house, the network stack in a computer, or a power plant, should
usually be as high tech as possible.

~~~
g4d
It's odd that we've reached the point where this comment is the odd one out,
despite being (I imagine) the way the that the vast majority of people live.

------
egypturnash
I recently got my first multitool and it has sort of changed something
fundamental about how I view the world to have a small, basic toolkit in the
bottom of my bag at all times.

I live a life where cycling everywhere is very feasible. My bike is cheap, I
get exercise.

I made a sunscreen for my laptop out of illustration board, drafting tape, and
some magnets. When the weather's nice (and I live somewhere where it's nice a
lot) I can go out to a park and work in the middle of trees while debating if
I should share my snacks with the raccoons and squirrels and birds.

I meditate. There is not much lower tech than "sitting quietly in one place
for a while". It has done some very interesting things to my brain.

A lot of my reading has been physical books again after most of a decade of
e-books. I'm supporting my local economy when I buy some from actual stores
instead of Amazon, and being able to pick up a pen and take notes in the
margin is really really pleasant.

~~~
navyad
"sitting quietly in one place for a while". One of the hard thing to do in
today's times. I am also planning to do same every morning :)

~~~
egypturnash
It’s well worth the effort IMHO.

If you need more detail on technique I have found _The Mind Illuminated_ to be
a super good book on the subject.

------
shrikant
I don't know if this counts as low enough tech, but I disabled the equivalent
of "auto advance to next episode" on my Netflix and Prime Video subscriptions.

This means that watching the next episode of a show has to be a conscious
choice on my part as opposed to the inertia of just letting it happen. Just
the small added friction of having to hunt down the remote control and hit
"Play" gives me a few seconds to (albeit involuntarily) reflect on whether I
really need to watch the next episode, or if I could really be doing other
hobbies / chores around the flat.

The result has been a notable decrease in binge-watching, a cleaner and more
organised home, more/better sleep, and the subsequent improved health that
follows the aforesaid.

~~~
alistproducer2
I did the same thing and I enjoy Netflix much more. My maim gripe was that it
always treated the ending music and credits as disposable. However, sitting
and listening to the music and reading the credits helps me reflect on what I
just watched and get the full experience the artist intended.

------
lammalamma25
Stretch ~15 minutes a day. You don't need a special routine or a bunch of
research. Stretch whatever is sore/stiff. If you can't think of anything start
by touching your toes. Think of it as general maintenance on your joints. The
effort compounds and starts to feel really good after a few months.

~~~
dota_fanatic
Overall good advice! But trying to touch your toes, while not inherently a bad
thing to do, is one of the last things a typical person should be doing in
terms of hips, shoulders, etc.* Similar kind of thing going on with planks,
reverse planks are going to help a lot more for most people.

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i69PC4PJdAQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i69PC4PJdAQ)

~~~
JSeymourATL
Great share. Cavaliere's content always solid. Thanks!

The J-Curl would seem to mimic the same range of motion as touching ones toes.

Yet, comes highly recommended >
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AYwOuNBzqk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AYwOuNBzqk)

------
nobody_nothing
At night, I plug my phone in across the room from my bed, turn it on airplane
mode, then power it down.

It's a wonderful moment that marks a healthy "disconnection" from the outside
world, allowing me to have some quiet time with myself (or my partner).

Airplane mode ensures sure I'm not flooded with notifications first thing upon
turning on my phone in the morning. Even if I need to use an app in the
morning, I can take 15 minutes to an hour before I switch off airplane mode,
which makes for calmer and more centered mornings.

The only thing you'll need if you want to adopt this change is an old school
cheap alarm clock. I've been doing this for probably five years, and haven't
looked back.

If you're anxious about missing emergency calls, you can optionally get a
landline phone whose number only close friends & family have, and know only to
use in case of emergency -- this step is optional, but can be achieved with
Google Voice & some hardware for under $100.

~~~
Double_a_92
I do the same, but I just turn WiFi and mobile data off. Nobody _calls_ me
anyway, especially not in the middle of the night, so it's still available for
emergencies. Also I still use the phones alarm clock, that ensures that I
really have to get out of bed to turn it off.

------
rchaud
It's not as low-tech as some of the examples here, but I'll say that an
e-reader with Pocket sync functionality has dramatically improved my life.

Reading long form articles on an offline device with no incoming
notifications, no games, no podcasts etc has been a great boon to my ability
to focus and really dig into what I'm reading. Plus these days, getting any
kind of screen-off time is valuable.

~~~
rciorba
Oh my! I've wanted this for a while now. Which reader do you use?

~~~
rchaud
Kobo Mini e-reader from 2013. It had been sitting in a drawer unused for years
until one day I turned it on, and an updated installed over wifi with the
Pocket sync option.

------
dgudkov
1\. A powered height-adjustable table. Now when I work I stand more often, and
sit less. It has a 4 position memory, which makes changing the height as
simple as a button push, so I switch between standing and sitting as
frequently as I wish.

2\. An oven with electric grill and a timer. It makes cooking healthy whole
food so easy. Just throw it in, set the timer, pull it out, and eat. I use the
oven to cook chicken, fish, beets, carrots, potatoes, sweet pepper, zucchinis,
and eggplants. It's low-effort, requires little time, and tastes great. The
timer is important for someone whose work requires a lot of focus
concentration. The louder, the better :)

~~~
londons_explore
So many ovens come with timers that just beep - yet they keep on cooking.

Who on earth thought that was a good plan? If I wanted a timer, I'd have used
my phone.

~~~
nsomaru
Turning the oven off isn’t going to help much anyways because most of the heat
will remain and continue cooking the food

~~~
londons_explore
Slightly burnt pizza still beats 'literaly on fire' pizza any day.

------
wespiser_2018
Casio F-91W watch, as "low-tech" of a digital watch as you can get.

\- They cost about $15 USD, so I can travel with a spare, and have lost at
least one.

\- Feature wise, it's a watch with a timer, a dead simple interface I am very
familiar with, and perfect for taking to the gym to time myself between sets
without getting distracted by my phone.

~~~
cyberjunkie
Oh, I use the A158, which looks like a metal version of the F-91W. Really
basic, but functional tech.

------
subpixel
More like less-tech but my phone is on permanent-silent mode. I miss calls,
but see exactly who called and can return the call or text as needed.

~~~
unhashable
Same.

The iPhone is slowly getting there. Latest updates make robo-calling less of a
thing.

Wish list: allow perm do not disturb, enable whitelisting for allowed callers,
allow total removal of phone app.

~~~
OrangeMango
> allow total removal of phone app

Apple still produces the iPod touch, and it runs iOS 13!

~~~
throwaway752183
iPod touch or like Android product that doesnt have a phone but still has
access to mobile data would be killer. I know you could carry a hotspot with
you but thats another device...

~~~
wilsonnb3
It’s a little big for pockets but the iPad mini would work well if you carry a
bag.

------
geoffchan23
I got back into working out about a year ago. The amount of workout apps and
online resources was SO overwhelming, I didn't know where to start. I decided
to just ask my brother (who is big into working out) to show me a few basic
exercises with dumbbells and body weight that I could do at home. Then I just
used a notebook and pen to keep track of my progress. I love not having the
phone around while working out. I feel like it can be such a distraction. And
there's something about writing out a log with pen and paper that is just
really satisfying. I love looking back and seeing pages and pages of workouts
that I wrote out. It really helped me to get back into working out on a
regular basis and make it a habit.

------
mumblemumble
Sewing machine.

It turns out that making basic garments for oneself is really relaxing, and,
if you have a hard time finding things that fit well in stores, practical.

It felt like a clear upgrade from DIY wearable electronics and suchlike as a
hobby. It's not as bloggable, but the price- and effort- to payoff ratios are
immeasurably better. It's nice to be rediscovering some leisure activities
that don't involve screens, too.

------
Yetanfou
A 17th century farm with all that comes with such: cooking on a wood-burning
stove, heating the house with wood, building out the place with wood taken
from the forest (I have a log saw for this purpose, driven by a 5KW electric
motor but still fairly low-tech). Farm life combined with more intellectual
pursuits make for a good mixture of the manual, the menial and the more
mentally challenging activities.

------
somesortofsystm
For most of my very high tech life, I ignored gardens.

Now in my later years, my garden is one of my most treasured pursuits.

It is pretty low-tech, although you'd be surprised at how valuable debugging
skills can be when it comes to the seed-box and sprouts and things.

Mostly, you just do a couple basic things - care for the plants, encourage a
system, use your resources - and things will grow.

A garden will always heal you.

------
BonoboIO
Going back from ToDo-Lists in Apps to simple paper and tick mark them.

~~~
rchaud
I have tried and failed to follow the GTD philosophy many times. After a
while, I too went with a simple checklist. I can indent that list with sub-
tasks, but that's it.

Mark as checked if it's completed. Leave as it is if it's not and come back to
it the next day. Kinda refreshing.

~~~
bkanber
Check out Bullet journaling. It's a simple checklist plus one or two other
"tick types" that's quite helpful.

~~~
wenc
I tried adopting the standard Bujo symbols, but they weren't intuitive to me.
i.e.

⋅ = task, ⊙ = in-progress, × = completed.

I replaced them with my own, which to me made more sense.

◯ = task, ◐ = in-progress, ● = completed.

~~~
jolmg
The ones I use are:

    
    
      [ ] - task
      [/] - in progress
      [x] - completed
      [-] - canceled
      [|] - moved to next day / another time
    

This is all with pen and paper, of course, with the [ ] being boxes. Once
something is marked in-progress, I can still mark it completed, canceled, or
moved by just adding another line.

~~~
wenc
This makes much more sense. How do you move from in-progress to canceled or
moved though? If you do a horizontal/vertical strikethrough, doesn't that
create a new symbol which look like completed upon glancing?

With the standard Bujo symbols, you can't really move from in-progress to
completed without a making a completely new mark. Also, I need more visual
differentiation than just tiny dots so I can scan a page of bullets quickly.

~~~
jolmg
> doesn't that create a new symbol which look like completed upon glancing?

Well, not if you make your diagonals hit the corners and your
verticals/horizontals hit the sides/top/bottom. In ASCII, they look like
they're contained inside, but I actually make the lines cross the box border.
For multiple contiguous items that I'm moving, I may even just make a single
line to cross multiple boxes. I'm trying to reduce over-committing, though.

------
AdmiralAsshat
I guess a French Press would be an example of "low tech" I've embraced to make
an awesome cup of coffee every morning.

But being a perfectionist tech geek, I had to ruin it by investing in an
expensive Barzata conical burr grinder, so I guess it's not low tech anymore.

Does it still count if I switch to a manual burr hand-grinder? :P

~~~
axaxs
It's funny I just posted about the same thing. If you're interested, check out
vintage Elma grinders on ebay. I have one we restored and it looks nice. If
something smaller, Kalita makes nice ones too. Somehow I now have 3 total.
It's not as fast or simple as electric, of course, but there is some
satisfaction to its simplicity.

~~~
JackFr
I have them grind it for me at the store. It's definitely improved my quality
of life. I prefer drip to press, but my wife is the other way around, so I
deal with it.

~~~
AdmiralAsshat
The problem with grinding them at the store is you vastly decrease the
lifespan of the beans in terms of quality. Whole bean coffee, properly stored,
can keep in the pantry for months. Once the coffee is ground, it starts losing
its aromatic qualities within hours (even if you are storing it in an
airtight, opaque container). It won't go _stale_ or rancid that quickly, but
there will be a noticeable drop in quality. So I really wouldn't recommend
pre-grinding unless you go through the bag within a week.

~~~
axaxs
This mirrors my own experience. I was grinding a lot at home and storing it,
but the next day it just felt flat. I'm one of those people that likes heavy
aromatic Konas. Grinding for what you're making now is the way to go for sure.

------
tomp
Exercise. Standing desk. Focusing on productivity. Dieting (not _that_ goal-
oriented, just trying different diets (keto, vegan, carnivore, paleo, IF) and
seeing the effect they have on my body). Meditation (not as much as I'd want
though). Talking to people (come in positive, usually making a funny comment
on something or just introducing myself). Buying stuff (carefully chosen...
like new socks, new gym shorts, kitchen aid like a stick blender... with high
total lifetime expected value).

------
matthberg
I got a mechanical automatic watch with a day and date window (Seiko 5,
affordable and well featured). It was a direct result of a few days with a
soft bricked phone due to Lineage OS issues, I realized the thing I missed the
most was knowing the time and everything else was replaceable (texting too due
to Google voice).

Also I've found a wall mounted white board with colored markers to be quite
helpful for personal organization and brainstorming. It's also great for
leaving messages and pictionary.

------
stevenfoster
I started journaling daily back in 2016. No apps, no computer. just paper and
pen. Some days pages pour forth of writing. Other days I simply set a task of
finding and writing down a good quote to save for later. This investment of
time for me has yielded better discernment as I can look back at interactions
I've documented and how I felt when events unfolded. Bonus, there are no
notifications to interrupt you and in a world full of interruptions, the pen
and paper have none.

------
diminish
I recently started using scissors more in the kitchen. It made my life easier.
/ I hope it's what you mean by low tech.

~~~
g4d
Do you cut meat? Vegetables?

~~~
diminish
Yes vegetables and paxkagings. A solid steel scissors can do anything

------
odiroot
I use candles in the evening to get more pleasant, soothing light in my
apartment. Much better for the mood than LEDs.

Does Aeropress still count?

~~~
sputknick
I've considered more candles in the evening. How long before bedtime do you
switch to candles? do you use them in multiple rooms? Obviously it wouldn't
make sense to use a computer by candle light, but what activities are you able
to do productively?

~~~
odiroot
Usually not more than 2h, just in the living room. No light at all in the
bedroom, no devices/food either.

I try hard to get away from my laptop by 11pm. Then it's just Kindle without
backlight/paper books or small chores like folding laundry.

------
bentaber
The referenced Bogleheads thread:
[https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=302399...](https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=302399&newpost=5002942)

------
rciorba
Not sure it qualifies as low enough tech but: a power socket with a timer. I
would put my laundry in the washing machine and set the socket to turn on at
7:30. It would finish at about 9:00, I'd hang the laundry to dry then leave
for work.

------
suuthoni
Using a bidet instead of toilet paper. I live in Canada, and this is an
uncommon practice.

~~~
cven714
I bought this inexpensive one from amazon and my life has never been the same.
Once you go bidet there's no going back.

[https://www.amazon.com/Astor-Non-Electric-Mechanical-
Attachm...](https://www.amazon.com/Astor-Non-Electric-Mechanical-Attachment-
CB-1000/dp/B003TPGPUW)

~~~
wenc
I've always wondered, do you connect it to the cold water supply? How would
this work in the winter where cold water can be really cold?

~~~
blaser-waffle
Also in Canada and yeah that would be a concern.

Might be a good replacement for coffee -- that jolt would wake me up quickly
in the mornings...

------
magnat
Switching back to dumbphone. It turns out whole economy didn't crash when I
read and replied to emails next day and I didn't die of boredom during 30 min
commute.

~~~
unhashable
Which one did you go with?

~~~
magnat
Nokia 225. Three weeks on one charge.

------
teepo
I hired a housekeeper that comes every other week. This raised the base line
of how tidy my home is that I can focus household chore time on organizing and
refining my living space. This has created a virtuous cycle of constant
improvement and much more enjoyment at home.

------
zelon88
I bought a 2 stroke gasoline engine kit for a bicycle last year for about $80
and it was the best money I spent in a long time. The thing is a POS, it hurts
to ride long distances, it drops parts all over the road, breaks down all the
time, and the original engine wore out after 2,500 miles or so. I have a
larger motorcycle but still, for $80, three moving parts, and a couple hours
work there is nothing more fun than this thing. I've got some motor parts
coming in the mail to get it ready for spring.

I love lawn tractors too. Done up right they can be just as much fun as a
typical 4 wheeler but for a fraction of the price. There's just something
about detonating dollar bills that put a smile on my face.

------
hprotagonist
I have a bicycle I built myself from components and frame.

the only electronic thing on it is the dynamo hub, which frees me from
recharging headlight batteries.

it is made of leather and steel and aluminum and rubber, and it’s freedom on
two wheels.

~~~
sprobertson
Sounds awesome, do you have a build log or anything?

------
fierarul
When my Apple Watch battery broke I bought, with the little money I received
from selling it for spare parts, a cheap CASIO G-Shock.

This low-tech CASIO does all I needed from my smart watch: shows time and date
and gives me a timer for cooking.

I never have to charge it or take it off and I can even shower with it.

Added advantage is that it doesn't constantly radiate on the WiFi / Bluetooth
spectrum.

~~~
woutr_be
I still don't understand what drove me to buying an Apple Watch years ago, I
had to force myself to wear it, and it only brought more distractions. I ended
up muting all notifications, so eventually it was just a dumb piece of tech on
my wrist, especially since it only showed me the time when I twisted my arm
(which didn't work like 25% of the time).

I was told it would improve my health, but I never felt the effect. It's been
lying in a drawer for over a year now.

~~~
xur17
I've been noticing the same thing. I mute all notifications since it was too
distracting.

I do really like having it to track runs, but I'm considering purchasing a
dumb watch for everything else.

------
axaxs
I have a few, which have happened one at a time over the years. Mostly between
tired of cheap junk breaking, tired of plastic, or tired of staring into a
screen, so I'll share a few.

I wear a watch. Sometimes solar, but usually automatic. It looks nice, and
lets me avoid getting trapped into staring at my phone in public.

When I want to send a long communication, I use a fountain pen and write it on
paper and mail it. Not for everything of course, but it elicits a different
reaction from folks vs an email or text.

I shave with a Feather ASD2. I never liked shaving before, so I turned it from
a chore to a pleasure, with the soaps, brushes, hot towels, smells, etc. Now I
genuinely look forward to it! I also appreciate the lack of plastic waste vs
disposables.

If my wife or I make coffee, we use an old school Elma coffee grinder, a
kettle, and a metal aeropress. It's so much nicer than drip.

~~~
OrangeMango
> I use a fountain pen

As an experiment in waste reduction and to see if it could end up less
expensive as well, I started to use a fountain pen instead of my favorite
Pilot Uni-Ball Deluxe pens.

I paid $45 for a pen, converter and 50mL of ink. At this point, I have
definitely reduced waste but I'm not sure that it will end up being less
expensive. The pen will need to last for ~4 years of daily writing to succeed
and I don't know if it will.

~~~
carapace
FWIW, I got a decent fountain pen at Daiso for $5.

(Shout out for Uni-Ball Deluxe!)

~~~
OrangeMango
Does it have a refillable reservoir? If so, that's a great bargain if you like
the way it writes!

Part of what spurred me to try this experiment is the feeling that the quality
of the Uni-Ball lineup has been dropping, including the Deluxe. I still have
some 10+ year old Uni-Balls (matte black plastic, not sure the real model
name) that are better writers than recently purchased Deluxe modules. A true
shame :(

~~~
carapace
> Does it have a refillable reservoir?

No, plastic cartridges, but you can get a refillable cartridge.

I was worried it would be crap, because who makes a good fountain pen for $5,
right? But no, it's sturdy and serviceable. You wouldn't write wedding
invitations with it, but for day to day handwriting it's fine. (Daiso is a
Japanese "dollar store", and everything in there is about $1.50, so $5 is
high-end there, eh?)

I know what you mean about Uni-Ball's quality. I had some of the old black
ones from my dad (it was his favorite pen as well) and it does feel like the
new silver ones aren't quite the same, eh?

[https://uniballco.com/uni-products/deluxe/](https://uniballco.com/uni-
products/deluxe/)

It might be something as simple and subtle as weight of the plastic.

------
airbreather
Solar cooking, most people don't believe how easy and effective it can be
until they try it.

Just one example of many -
[https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Windshield_Shade_Solar_...](https://solarcooking.fandom.com/wiki/Windshield_Shade_Solar_Cooker)

------
Double_a_92
I got one of those old-school double edge razors. Blades are essentially free
(bought a 100 pack 5 years ago for 15$, and half of them are still there), and
it doesn't terribly clog like a cartridge would even if you have a longer
beard.

------
fruzz
I use a typewriter and write letters. It's distraction free and produces a
hard copy. I use a cast iron pan daily and use a French Press/Aeropress to
make my coffee. I use candles for soothing light.

------
lunias
Might not be super low-tech, but I just got a bunch of Schiit Audio gear for
my desk. I wanted analog controls for things like volume, EQ, input / output
selection, etc. In an era where everything has a remote and tactility is an
afterthought, I still enjoy a good analog potentiometer / switch.

I detailed the setup on my blog if you're curious:
[https://ethanaa.com/blog/thats-a-lot-of-
schiit/](https://ethanaa.com/blog/thats-a-lot-of-schiit/)

------
alistproducer2
French press coffee maker, silicone dish sponge, manual food processor
machine, sliding glass shower doors, and an old radio/tape player.

These are all things I've purchased recently to replace the standard way of
doing things that are outperforming the alternatives.

For example, I wanted some coffee one day. I had coffee and a coffee machine
(a kcup machine) but no pods. I couldn't make coffee. I realized that while
the kcup machine has it's use cases, as a home coffee machine it was way over
engineered for the problem.

------
ydnaclementine
Ever since graduating and getting my own place, I love my dishwasher and
laundry machine. I love setting the delay for the dishes to wash at night, and
I wake up to clean dishes! It really is robots doing something useful for us

There’s some story where they ask 2 very old ladies (100+) what there favorite
inventions were of their lifetime, and they both answer laundry and
dishwasher, because it saves them so much time!

~~~
Pete_D
I didn't appreciate how big of a deal washing machines were until mine broke
down and I had to do all my laundry in the bathtub for a couple of weeks
waiting for a replacement. Hand-washing is a lot more of a workout than you'd
expect, and getting things dry without a spin-cycle afterwards is a pain too.

------
vharuck
Blankets within reach of anywhere we sit at home. Our new house has a
programmable (i.e. difficult and sometimes disobedient) thermostat, so this
was our lazy solution. Turns out, it's a much better solution.

Writing "to do" lists on notecards and sticking them in my keyboard when I
leave work or go to lunch. Also lets other people know I'll be away from my
desk for a while.

------
blaser-waffle
Knife sharpening course. I do a lot of cooking at home and it's definitely
sped things up

Cast iron pans and dutch ovens -- cook big dishes low and slow, store for the
week

Walking a lot -- health benefits plus getting out of my head

Getting a lot of jeans / pants / clothes (but mostly the 2 former) tailored or
patched. Ditto for some good glue, a bandsaw, and resole-ing my boots.

Whiteboards and simple paper calendars

------
aaron695
A good, reasonably large, covered in laundry basket.

When things have a place it's easier to automate the process of cleaning.

Packing cells for travel.

Maybe cheating for low tech but throwing out dishes that are not dishwasher
safe (Or just dishwash them until they maybe break) Similar for undergarments
and dryers.

------
m3kw9
Coffee grinder to make great coffee for cheap. Saves ton of time than going
out to buy. Unless you walk which then you’d lose exercise.

Pepper grinder, tastes way better.

Get lots of extra Dish washable utensils so you don’t run out and need to wash
until end of each day. Dishwasher Required.

------
davidjnelson
Going for a hike in nature. Both the exercise and the nature are great for
your health.

------
paulorlando
I keep most of my notes of things I need to do in a given day on paper. Also,
if I'm walking around for meetings I often draw a paper map rather than
relying on my phone. Easier to mentally visualize.

------
jerome-jh
An hot-glue gun. Glue is very cheap, non stain, serves in many situations.

------
ofrzeta
A Danish dough whisk for mixing bread dough. It might not be an actual
improvement but at least I feel better, baking bread every week, not having to
rely on an electrical mixer.

------
tashoecraft
box cutter. I get so many boxes and having a tool actually designed for this
is just so awesome. It's cheap, the blades are cheap, and it just does the
job.

------
david38
Manual kitchen tools - fork instead of mixer, string pull food processor
instead of electric.

Less washing, space, cost, and I can take them camping.

------
zcw100
The cognitive dissonance with describing hiking in Pategonia as low tech is
amazing. How exactly did you get there? Probably in a jet powered aircraft.
What were you wearing? I’m guessing it wasn’t wool and cotton but some of the
most sophisticated synthetic materials produced.

I’m sure it was a great time and it sounds like loads of fun but let’s not
pretend that tech wasn’t involved because you didn’t have your phone with you.

------
emcq
Tubeless bike tires. Lower tire pressures improve comfort, reliability, and
traction even on the roads.

------
lmiller1990
I use the "screen time" feature on my iphone, and aim to have <1h average for
the week.

------
quickthrower2
I ditched webpack for a day and built a site using JS in script tags.

------
Finnucane
How low is low? Wheel good, fire good. Knife, mixed results.

~~~
muzani
I suppose anything where there's a higher tech option. Clothes and bread are
still the highest tech option for the same solution. Pencil vs smartphone
counts. Or recently, maybe TV vs online streaming.

------
juststeve
buy albums on cd/lp/cassette/mp3.

------
sys_64738
I use a pencil to type on the keyboard.

------
te_chris
Dead tree books.

~~~
unhashable
Underrated comment.

------
dx7tnt
I enjoy carrying a paper diary and using it along with a fountain pen to take
notes and remembrances. Looking back through them is much more valuable than
looking back through any sort of digital calendar or journal, while being much
less expensive and prone to disintegration.

Gardening and the simple joy of starting seedlings and watching them grow into
fruitful plants is another life-improver enhanced by the most minimal of tech
(although choosing seeds online and their low cost delivery to my home is
probably mediated by some considerable tech nowadays).

~~~
DyslexicAtheist
I vouched for your comment since it seems to have been downvoted into
oblivion. I don't understand why people took offense with what you had to say.
paper diaries are a lot more valuable and require totally different parts of
the brain than idiotic cloud enabled note-taking apps.

~~~
Diederich
I don't believe this person was downvoted; look at their history:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=dx7tnt](https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=dx7tnt)
Most of their posts are dead going back to, roughly:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20280125](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20280125)

This person was a little naughty seven or so months ago, and the result of
that has carried forward.

~~~
DyslexicAtheist
thanks that explains it. fwiw I don't think it's OK to punish them because
they've been naughty in the past. there are a lot of depressed and ill people
here too. Remember the templeOS guy who was constantly ousted from HN for his
remarks? After he killed himself the HN crowd was all "what a sad story". you
don't know what people go through on the other end of the wire. people do
deserve a chance I think and downvoting stuff that is OK is like saying "f you
there is no way in hell we're going to put up with you even if you try".

~~~
guidance
In point of fact, there was nothing at all "naughty" about their comment in
the first place. It was just a comment. A comment that the Nazi mods of this
place, in their Naziism, didn't like.

For the record, this is my second ever account on HN. The first account was a
few months ago. It was shadowbanned within 15 posts. Simply for expressing my
opinion.

