Ongoing Things You Bought Which Make You Feel Gud Thread

[REDVAN]

Honestly, I haven't been on the forums as much as usual lately... but this is gold. Thanks.

edit: I better contribute earnestly. Anker A30 Sleep Buds. Try them if you need something to listen to while falling asleep, or enjoy background white noise. Much improved from the A20s.

[fundmark19]

Originally Posted by Brupal

Twenty years ago I installed Vivint home security. Recently Telus called (they bought Vivint’s Canadian business) and told me my equipment was woefully outdated and if I would commit to a few more years of monitoring they would replace all the hardware for free. Unbeknownst to me, the guy installed two automatic garage door opener devices so that now my overhead doors can be controlled by an app on my phone. The app says whether the doors are open or closed and the three or four tests I have done show them to be working fine. Sadly my doorbell camera does not point at the garage doors so that I could visually confirm the reading, but I have to say the ability to open and close the doors remotely from anywhere just using my phone is an unexpected win in my books.

I’m pretty sure I have some Vivint cameras you can have if you want to have a camera in the garage for confirming if it’s closed. Not sure why I have kept them for 10 years since I’ve had the system.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Barnes

We built our house in 2018. We have two huge windows in our family room and it being new and me being a home automation nerd we ordered powered Zebra zwave blinds.

They were installed professionally, and I added the blinds to SmartThings, created Alexa routines and brought my wife into the room and said 'Alexa, Open the living room blinds'.

They started to roll up... and blew well past the stop point and tore themselves off the roller and shredded the blind material as they fell.

They have been down, gorilla glued to the roller, and pieced back together with clear packing tape for 7 years.

Last week, I ordered and installed manual replacements making me feel good about ridding the house of the shame and constant reminder of my home automation failure.

Both ####ing ikea automatic blinds are now ####ing bricked and I'm so god damned ####ing annoyed about it. But not enough to deal with it yet...bedroom just stays dark all day.

So few smart home things have actually paid off in the long run. The daily convenience is nice for a while, but then it ####s itself and you waste way more time troubleshooting.

[Acey]

I'm deeep into the home automation stuff. Water leak sensors under sinks, humidity sensors to turn on bathroom fans, a vibration sensor on my office chair to turn off other lights, a warning to close windows if it's raining... you name it and I've probably got it. The initial setup and getting everything dialed in was many hours but the only maintenance at this point is changing batteries in sensors, and they last for years.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Acey

I'm deeep into the home automation stuff. Water leak sensors under sinks, humidity sensors to turn on bathroom fans, a vibration sensor on my office chair to turn off other lights, a warning to close windows if it's raining... you name it and I've probably got it. The initial setup and getting everything dialed in was many hours but the only maintenance at this point is changing batteries in sensors, and they last for years.

All I got out of that was "vibrating office chair with disco lights". Giggity.

[Titan2]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Is that a guitarboat?

Saw this little propane flame thrower on one of those instagram adds for $80, might be buying that although I would have no use. Just screw in a campfire stove propane bottle and blast things.

Originally Posted by Garbs

Those are good for searing meat and starting camp fires

Havent found a use for mine otherwise

fun to use though

Awesome for killing weeds in your driveway or flower beds. Plus, you can pretend you are a dragon.

[Tron_fdc]

I’ve been enjoying buying records the last few weeks. There’s a great store in Creston that, while being a little overpriced, has a lot of albums in the genres I love.

Tool, Talking Heads, Bob Dylan,
Bad Religion, scored Eddie Rabbits greatest hits for $5.

Lateralus is one of the coolest records I’ve ever seen. Peeling the plastic off Fear Inoculum was also very satisfying.

[fotze2]

Forgot about the best one. Some headband headphones I got online. No idea the name. Got me through hell hearing the other four geezers crying in pain for a week and a bit. Now I use it pretty much every night. Podcasts or rain sounds or talking heads. Brilliant invention. Probably $30. The best.

[Titan2]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Forgot about the best one. Some headband headphones I got online. No idea the name. Got me through hell hearing the other four geezers crying in pain for a week and a bit. Now I use it pretty much every night. Podcasts or rain sounds or talking heads. Brilliant invention. Probably $30. The best.

Brilliant. I wonder who gave you that awesome recommendation? He must be a total mensch!!

[Titan2]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

I’ve been enjoying buying records the last few weeks. There’s a great store in Creston that, while being a little overpriced, has a lot of albums in the genres I love.

Tool, Talking Heads, Bob Dylan,
Bad Religion, scored Eddie Rabbits greatest hits for $5.

Lateralus is one of the coolest records I’ve ever seen. Peeling the plastic off Fear Inoculum was also very satisfying.

So, just curious —do you put it on, sit there, and listen to the whole side/album? I rarely do that adn when I do I find I get 'bored' by the same sound.

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Titan2

Brilliant. I wonder who gave you that awesome recommendation? He must be a total mensch!!

Was that you? I couldn't remember.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by fotze2

Forgot about the best one. Some headband headphones I got online. No idea the name. Got me through hell hearing the other four geezers crying in pain for a week and a bit. Now I use it pretty much every night. Podcasts or rain sounds or talking heads. Brilliant invention. Probably $30. The best.

Brilliant band

[SutterBrother]

Originally Posted by shermanator

Every Calgary Flames Young Guns card in history. Just completed a few days ago. Spoilered for size.

NSFW!

Respect.

When I was a kid I collected hockey cards. But only from defunct teams like the Rockies, Seals, and Atlanta Flames. Mostly because as a kid I liked saying the word "defunct".

What made me laugh though is that you have your Young Guns cards in plastic cases. The cases are worth more than the cards. But that's why I'm a fan of your work. You've committed to the insanity.

Liked and Subscribed!

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Brilliant band

qu'est-ce que c'est?
Fa, fa, fa, fa, fa, fa, fa.

[undercoverbrother]

"Born with a weak heart" was the lyric that made me think of you

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

"Born with a weak heart" was the lyric that made me think of you

Was! Now I got some dead persons valve. Hope it wasn’t a crackhead but probably a crackhead.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by fotze2

qu'est-ce que c'est?
Fa, fa, fa, fa, fa, fa, fa.

I highly recommend doing that song at your next karaoke event.

Run, run, run, run, run, run away
Oh-ho-ho-ho, aye-yi-yi-yi-yi

Extra marks for hitting the highest, loudest note possible on the aye yi yi part.

[Dentoman]

A small shop vac and an extra hose for the central vac in the garage

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

I highly recommend doing that song at your next karaoke event.

Run, run, run, run, run, run away
Oh-ho-ho-ho, aye-yi-yi-yi-yi

Extra marks for hitting the highest, loudest note possible on the aye yi yi part.

I can now hit the take on me high part ‘in a day or two’ in my car. Now gotta work on psycho killer. I just need to be invited to karaoke along with a destination wedding.

[Tron_fdc]

Originally Posted by Titan2

So, just curious —do you put it on, sit there, and listen to the whole side/album? I rarely do that adn when I do I find I get 'bored' by the same sound.

Usually yeah. I throw a record on when I make a meal, have a drink with the GF, or just want to annoy my kids. I also have Taylor Swift albums so it works both ways.

It tends to spark a lot of conversation. I ranted about Tool for about 2 hours last Friday over a few drinks at my house. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE FIBONACCI SEQUENCE IS???