2021 has been gone a while now, so we’ve all had some time to reflect on it.
My question is, what is the best thing you bought in 2021?
For me it’s my Garmin Forerunner 245 music runners watch. It has GPS built in and can download music from Spotify which can then be played over bluetooth. This means I don’t need my phone anymore when I go running. Just my watch is enough.
Also it has better and more stats than the fitbit I had before.
A very close runner up is the Pixel 4a phone I bought last year. Thus far I only had low and phones and this one being a mid range I can clearly see what I’ve been missing. This one is much more stable, much faster and has a far better camera and screen than any phone I had before. It also doesn’t break the bank, although it’s not cheap either.
What is the best thing / are the best things you bought last year?
The thing which immediately springs to mind for me was a very modest purchase, but no less wonderful for that.
It’s a knitting row counter which fits on your finger, like a ring, rather than on the knitting needle, and it cost me the princely sum of £1.99.
Explanation for anyone interested:
You need to keep track of rows in knitting, either to follow a complex pattern, or just to ensure both sleeves are the same length, or the front and back of your pullover. For all the years I’ve been knitting, I’ve used a traditional row tally, which fits on the end of the knitting needle. In the last couple of years, I’ve knitted more and more things on circular needles, where you knit round and round, rather than back and forth. Because there’s no end, there’s nowhere to put a row tally. I’ve tried putting it on the table beside me, but it gets knocked off, and I also forget to turn it. I’ve tried tying it to the cast-on end of the yarn, which sort-of works, but it bounces about irritatingly, and once the knitting is more than a few inches in length, it’s out of sight, out of mind and again, I forget to turn it.
The finger tally is sufficiently “present” that I remember it, while not getting in the way. Perfect!
I’d forgotten about this one, because I bought it for my dad rather than myself, but he thinks it’s the best thing since sliced bread.
Early in Covid, I talked my parents (then aged 87 and 91) through the process of setting up and using Zoom. In the course of weekly chats, I realised that Dad was struggling with the laptop keyboard, as his vision is failing (macular degeneration). Eventually, it occurred to me that he couldn’t be alone in this and went looking for a solution. I found a high-vis, black on yellow USB keyboard, with extra-large keys (and therefore extra-large writing). Not only can he see the keys now, but larger size also makes it easier for him to type with his arthritis.
I’ve been running Linux VPSs for quite a few years with various hosting companies and usually pay 5USD for a 20GB SSD and 1GB of memory plus backup at a dollar per month.
Last year I changed to a German Contabo VPS with 200 GB traditional platter type drive and a combined SSD for 6.99 per month paid annually. A hardware upgrade became available and they now offer a 50GB NVMe drive… which is exceptionally fast and with a single Snapshot that is deleted after one month. This Snapshot takes about five seconds to backup the drive and restores well within a minute! This blazing fast backup has changed my working methods and strategy, drastic changes can now be attempted knowing that the original storage can be quickly restored.
hi my best buy 2021 is my laptop i want to purchase from last year but some problems i didn’t do .
My best buy is hp15s its with latest window latest processor i am very happy with that. But it has a bad point battery runs very fast.
A new phone for the wife. And then spending on traveling. Spent about 4 months in total traveling last year. Going strong to beat the record this year.
Been to Tenerife a month ago. Saw many guys paragliding. Scary stuff for me even to watch.
For me it was an arc5 vape purchased in early 2021. After decades of smoking, I finally managed to bang it on the head and it’s been a year and a bit since smoking my last roll-up.
Need to obviously give up the vape next, but at least I no longer smell like an ashtray.
I bought the components so It wasn’t technically one thing until I put it all together but I built myself a clone of fender tweed duluxe 5E3 all valve guitar amplifier. I bought all of the individual components and soldered it all together and made the circuit board, chassis and knobs. I’ve never had a valve amp before and absolutely love the sounds I’m getting out of it. Mostly glad i didn’t kill myself as these things have huge dc voltages inside so you have to be really careful working on them.
Computer repair kit! I bought it to replace a fan and realized I could pull the old memory card out of old laptop, put into new laptop in second slot an it was a massive memory upgrade.
