55ba5999ed
Some things were kinda out of date ... Change-Id: Idc8430299c76423a41fb6d952caff4696cc4d71f Reviewed-on: https://cl.tvl.fyi/c/depot/+/5508 Tested-by: BuildkiteCI Reviewed-by: tazjin <tazjin@tvl.su>
183 lines
7.1 KiB
Markdown
183 lines
7.1 KiB
Markdown
In the spirit of various other "Which X do you use?"-pages I thought it would be
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fun to have a little post here that describes which tools I've found to work
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well for myself.
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When I say "tools" here, it's not about software - it's about real, physical
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tools!
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If something goes on this list that's because I think it's seriously a
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best-in-class type of product.
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<!-- markdown-toc start - Don't edit this section. Run M-x markdown-toc-refresh-toc -->
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- [Media & Tech](#media--tech)
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- [Keyboard](#keyboard)
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- [Speakers](#speakers)
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- [Headphones](#headphones)
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- [Earphones](#earphones)
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- [Phone](#phone)
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- [Other stuff](#other-stuff)
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- [Toothbrush](#toothbrush)
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- [Shavers](#shavers)
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- [Shoulder bag](#shoulder-bag)
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- [Wallet](#wallet)
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<!-- markdown-toc end -->
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---------
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# Media & Tech
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## Keyboard
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The best keyboard that money will buy you at the moment is the [Kinesis
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Advantage][advantage]. There's a variety of contoured & similarly shaped
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keyboards on the market, but the Kinesis is the only one I've tried that has
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properly implemented the keywell concept.
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I struggle with RSI issues and the Kinesis actually makes it possible for me to
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type for longer periods of time, which always leads to extra discomfort on
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laptop keyboards and such.
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Honestly, the Kinesis is probably the best piece of equipment on this entire
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list. I own several of them and there will probably be more in the future. They
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last forever and your wrists will thank you in the future, even if you do not
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suffer from RSI yet.
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Kinesis have announced a split version of the Advantage. Once that is
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easily available, I will buy one and evaluate it.
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[advantage]: https://kinesis-ergo.com/shop/advantage2/
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## Speakers
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There are two sets of speakers I use, unfortunately one pair has been in storage
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since I left the UK.
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My original favourite speakers are the [Teufel Motiv 2][motiv-2], usually hooked
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up to a Chromecast and a record player. I've had these for over a decade and
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they're incredibly good, but unfortunately Teufel no longer makes them. Mine are
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currently in a warehouse somewhere in London, and I don't know when I will see
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them again ...
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It's possible to grab a pair on eBay occasionally, so keep an eye out if you're
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interested!
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In my Moscow flat, I have a pair of [Wharfedale Diamond 12][diamond-12]
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connected to a Philips amplifier older than myself. These provide an excellent,
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balanced, "Wharfedale-sound". Some people find it needs some getting used to,
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but don't want to go back after that initial phase.
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[motiv-2]: https://www.teufelaudio.com/uk/pc/motiv-2-p167.html
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[diamond-12]: https://www.wharfedaleusa.com/collections/diamond-12
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## Headphones
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I use the [Bose QC35][qc35] (note: link goes to a newer generation than the one
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I own) for their outstanding noise cancelling functionality and decent sound.
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When I first bought them I didn't expect them to end up on this list as the
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firmware had issues that made them only barely usable, but Bose has managed to
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iron these problems out over time.
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I avoid using Bluetooth when outside and fortunately the QC35 come with an
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optional cable that you can plug into any good old 3.5mm jack.
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[qc35]: https://www.bose.co.uk/en_gb/products/headphones/over_ear_headphones/quietcomfort-35-wireless-ii.html
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### Earphones
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Actually, to follow up on the above - most of the time I'm not using (over-ear)
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headphones, but (in-ear) earphones - specifically the (**wired!!!**) [Apple
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EarPods][earpods].
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Apple will probably stop selling these soon because they've gotten into the
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habit of cancelling all of their good products, so I have a stash of these
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around. You will usually find no fewer than 3-4 of them lying around in my
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flat.
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[earpods]: https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/MNHF2ZM/A/earpods-with-35mm-headphone-plug
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## Phone
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My current phone is the [Unihertz Atom L][atom-l]. It is a rugged, small-screen
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smartphone with a 3.5mm heapdhone jack. This phone is *weird* looking, getting
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one of these means you will constantly be asked what kind of device you have
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there. It does everything I need, and survives being thrown against a wall when
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the software misbehaves. As the Swedes would say, this phone is solidly *lagom*.
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The ruggedness is an additional bonus as it survives things like sauna / banya
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trips just fine.
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Up until a few years ago I used the original [iPhone SE][se]. This was the last
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truly good phone anyone made, but unfortunately it was discontinued and is iOS
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only.
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[atom-l]: https://www.unihertz.com/products/atom-l
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[se]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_SE
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# Other stuff
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## Toothbrush
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The [Philips Sonicare][sonicare] is excellent and well worth its price.
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I've had it for a few years and whereas I occasionally had minor teeth issues
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before, they seem to be mostly gone now. According to my dentist the state of my
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teeth is now usually pretty good and I draw a direct correlation back to this
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thing.
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It has an app and stuff, but I just ignore that.
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I first got one of these in about 2014, and it lasted until 2020, at which point
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I upgraded to whatever the current model was.
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[sonicare]: https://www.philips.co.uk/c-m-pe/electric-toothbrushes
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## Shavers
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The [Philipps SensoTouch 3D][sensotouch] is excellent. Super-comfortable close
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face shave in no time and leaves absolutely no mess around, as far as I can
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tell! I've had this for ~7 years and it's not showing any serious signs of aging
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yet.
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Another bonus is that its battery time is effectively infinite (in the order of
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months of use per charge). I've never had to worry when bringing it on a longer
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trip!
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[sensotouch]: https://www.philips.co.uk/c-p/1250X_40/norelco-sensotouch-3d-wet-and-dry-electric-razor-with-precision-trimmer
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## Shoulder bag
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When I moved to London I wanted to stop using backpacks most of the time, as
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those are just annoying to deal with when commuting on the tube.
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To work around this I wanted a good shoulder bag with a vertical format (to save
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space), but it turned out that there's very few of those around that reach any
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kind of quality standard.
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The one I settled on is the [Waterfield Muzetto][muzetto] leather bag. It's one
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of those things that comes with a bit of a price tag attached, but it's well
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worth it!
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**Unfortunately**, just like my speakers, this bag is now in storage somewhere
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in the UK since I left the country.
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After moving to Moscow I quickly ran into the same problem as in London when
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using the metro, but getting another Muzetto was kind of impractical.
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I couldn't find any other vertical messenger bags that I liked, and ended up
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going for a more traditional one: The [Brialdi Ostin][ostin].
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[muzetto]: https://www.sfbags.com/collections/shoulder-messenger-bags/products/muzetto-leather-bag
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[ostin]: https://www.brialdi.ru/shop/handbags/brialdi_ostin_brown/
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## Wallet
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My wallet is the [Bellroy Slim Sleeve][slim-sleeve]. It's near indestructible,
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looks great, is very slim and fits a ton of cards, business cards, receipts and
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whatever else you want to be lugging around with you!
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However, now that I'm spending a lot of time in Egypt (where cash is still
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king), not having a place to stash cash is a bit of an issue. So far, no
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solution!
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[slim-sleeve]: https://bellroy.com/products/slim-sleeve-wallet/default/charcoal
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