
Ask HN:What’s the best product you discovered this year that improved your life? - yarapavan
Inspired by Shane Parrish&#x27;s tweet - https:&#x2F;&#x2F;twitter.com&#x2F;ShaneAParrish&#x2F;status&#x2F;1207271914227609601
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ElCapitanMarkla
Robot Vacuum Cleaner - we have a dog and 2 cats and it’s amazing how much hair
it picks up. It’s the Xiaomi brand, it was cheap at $300NZD but China does now
have a map of my house and where everything in it is :)

~~~
ArtWomb
Speaking of vacuums, while doing some home remodeling I needed a replacement
Shop-Vac type wet / dry cleaner. The replacement I got for $99 at Home Depot
was made with a metal drum instead of plastic. And the seal is so much more
effective! I now use it everywhere, inside and out ;)

I can't say the same for the $69 power washer I bought from Amazon...

~~~
giardini
Which model shop-vac did you buy?

I have been warned against the metal drum units b/c they may rust easily
unless dried after every wet use. Did not realize that they also had an
advantage (better seal).

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UrbanPiper
Not a product but Intermittent Fasting (IF)

Some products/services

\- Daywise app ([https://getdaywise.com/](https://getdaywise.com/)), to get
phone notifications at set times \- Brave browser (on all devices) + Pi-Hole
in router. Adguard (all devices) \- Bouncer app (Android) to control
permissions requested by various apps. \- Wireguard VPN self-hosted.

~~~
dozcom
ADF - alternate day fasting is another variant. Besides getting the supposed
benefits of a 24 h fast, you also get to save 15 d worth of money spent for
groceries within 1 m. 1 m of ADF yields 15 d of fasting and 15 d of feasting.

Example: 0 kcal on fasting days and for feasting days: your BMR + 500 kcal.

if(male == True): bmr = 24 * your_weight_in_kg

Tip for fasting days: consider supplementing with minerals such as calcium
citrate, potassium citrate and magnesium citrate. Also DHA/EPA for your brain
either algae based (vegan) or fish-based. Also consider taking a multivitamin
as well.

edit: For me: ADF + OMAD (one meal a day) - saves you time!

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erhserhdfd
A remote start for my car. I live in a chilly part of the country and
unfortunately have a long commute. Being able to get into a warm car is really
comforting!

------
shanecleveland
So many ...

Love these pants: [https://huckberry.com/store/proof/category/p/54482-rover-
pan...](https://huckberry.com/store/proof/category/p/54482-rover-pant)

Loose-leaf tea from Upton Tea Imports and these steeping baskets:
[https://www.amazon.com/Infuser-Cooking-Threaded-
Connection-S...](https://www.amazon.com/Infuser-Cooking-Threaded-Connection-
Single/dp/B075K57B73/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=tea+steeping+basket&qid=1576776833&sr=8-5)

Web Dev Tools: Reincarnated VirtualHostX Pro and hosting at opalstack.com

If you mix protein or nutritional/exercise drinks of any kind and you are not
using a blender bottle, then you are doing it wrong.

Daily Metamucil and probiotic.

Set up an aquarium. It's a fun process that requires some patience and adds an
interesting element to the house.

------
pro_zac
Libby
([https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/](https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/))

I have a long commute and I've gone through many audio books without paying a
dime!

~~~
shanecleveland
Yep. Our whole family uses it. We have to limit the amount of time our kids
walk around the house with headphones on!

------
niklasmtj
[https://www.headspace.com](https://www.headspace.com) \- started half a year
ago and meditated everyday since then.

------
AwesomeFaic
I got an Ender 3 3D printer for last Christmas and while making gadgets and
toys and gifts has been fun, it's fundamentally reawakened my interests in
being creative again. I've learned new skills with silicone and resin, gotten
back into 3D modeling (and finally learned Blender), discovered a bunch of new
visual artists, and found new online communities to inspire me after a long
day looking at code.

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JohnFen
Hmmm... I had to think long and hard about this, as the pickings are pretty
lean.

The two standouts for me, though, are Stitchfix (don't laugh! I'm
aesthetically impaired, and they have seriously taught me how to dress better.
I'd never been complimented on my clothes until I started using them.), and
for this winter, a pair of electrically heated gloves.

~~~
g8oz
What brand are the gloves?

~~~
JohnFen
Paxcess, although I've seen the same glove sold under other brands as well.
They cost me about $70. They're fully waterproof, and are in the style of
motorcycles gloves. They're as warm as heavy gloves should be without the
heater being on at all, and when I need the heat, I usually use the low or
medium settings.

The heating elements cover the back side of your hand and fingers. They're
powered by four 18650 lithium ion batteries (two in each glove). At full heat
(which is very, very warm), the batteries last about 2 hours, on medium, about
4 hours, and on low about 6.

The only actual complaint that I have is that it's very easy to accidentally
hit the button that controls the heat settings (it's on the back of the
wrist).

Also, if you buy these, be aware that the sizing is smaller than American
sizing. I have large hands and bought the largest size (XXL). I usually wear
Large gloves. The gloves fit well enough to work, but I would really prefer a
size larger.

I wasn't sure about them at first, but they're one of my favorite things this
year.

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iSloth
Zwift - Makes getting and staying fit enjoyable

------
jppope
[https://tryspider.com/](https://tryspider.com/) => Amazing for ad hoc
scraping projects

[https://www.fullhelp.com/en](https://www.fullhelp.com/en) => great issue
tracker, which doubles for internal documentation

------
unraveller
Scroll Anywhere firefox browser add-on - it's way more ergonomic to hold right
mouse to scroll a webpage

MING SHI 2000S ADJUSTABLE SAFETY RAZOR - the Merkur Futur patent lapsed and
now one of the best shavers on the market can bought legally for less than $10
posted.

------
tboyd47
Podcasts. Turns my commute from something I hate that stresses me out, into
something I look forward to that puts me in the right mood.

------
farseer
Razor Pit keeps the Gillette blade sharpened enough for about 2 weeks of
shaving. This has been a descent money saver.

~~~
keiferski
I recommend looking into Safety Razors. You'll save money, help the
environment, and (subjectively) look cooler while shaving.

------
0x70dd
Bitwarden

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Blakestr
Sam Harris's Awaken App. I've used Headspace and other apps; they've all
helped with stress. Sam's approach seems to be more procedural, more of a step
by step (if such a thing as true mindfulness can have a step by step).

I've meditated for the better part of a decade but after doing his 50 day
course (on the app) I experienced that awakening that they talk about. While
it's helped with staying focused and getting work done, I've connected more
with my children and wife I have in years.

I highly recommend it to anyone whose tried or thought about meditation but
just can't seem to "get it."

[https://wakingup.com/](https://wakingup.com/)

------
paulMachi
My HMA VPN is the best proeduct which I discovered in this year. I like that
which I download from [https://freeppsspp.info/ppsspp-games-
download/](https://freeppsspp.info/ppsspp-games-download/)

