Mantric Rechargeable Remote Control Knicker Vibrator I got on sale for 50% off. I’m not super into the whole public thing, but I’ve been using it way more than my magic wand, that fucking tip is shaped perfectly. Plus it would make an excellent phaser prop.
Not really what I was looking for but okay…
Thanks for the laugh both of you.
Hey, you opened the door! 🤣
So does this gadget
It at least rings the doorbell
This is exactly what I was looking for. My day just got infinitely better.
Yeah, I can see that, but it’s like $70. Yes, I looked.
Seems some if not all of the big online adult stores run frequent promotions, be that for “get a free X with purchase”, buy one get one or just flat “40% off one item” so wait for the right promotion and jump on it.
Oh I’ll jump on it ;)
I want to see an image of this but I don’t want it in my search history
Is it rumbly or buzzy (Low frequency or high)
Asking for a friend…
Dang it, 4 replies down and I’m horny already
Plus it would make an excellent phaser prop.
Set to stun.
Fully functional
I can’t not see this now
Plus it would make an excellent phaser prop
Well, I know what my Halloween costume will be
More than the magic wand, you say? That’s quite the endorsement.
The old Pier 1 Imports back scratchers. They use to sell for 75¢.
My dad had a bunch of these when I was a kid. Super durable and great as back scratchers or just a stick to play with. I bought a few after finding them online and love having them.
I got some that were nicely finished bamboo but they didn’t have enough of a sharp edge at the business end to really give a good scratch like the ones from my youth. Fortunately that was easily rectified with a couple seconds on a belt sander.
Ha! I have one of these sitting next to me on my desk. It’s multi-function, as it works great for reaching up and opening and closing my curtains too.
I’ve 3D printed A LOT of similarly shaped scratchers and give them away randomly to people - they are wonderful to have. I even have some in my car and at my office lol. I slapped my name on them in the Slicer software so people remember where they got it!
It looks like it could even double as a poop knife!
A nice pepper grinder! Makes every meal better
My pepper grinder was $35, got it from a woodworker at a local farmers market, definitely worth it.
Nice salt is great too!
Kosher salt ftw, I have a little dish with a lid, looks great on the counter but is also super functional
I resisted, but now I’m a believer in Maldon salt.
The best.
For salt I just grabbed a small diner style salt shaker, it’s really cute and makes it easy to control portions
The Unicorn has pepper output like I’ve never seen with any other grinder I’ve used. Got tired of breaking cheap ones every so often and tried spending 20 or 30 bucks once or twice randomly on better ones, but nothing worked half as well as after I found that one.
I keep an extremely small 64GB USB-A/USB-C flash drive on my Keychain so I can move files between phones, phone to computer, or load movies and TV shows from a computer or phone and plug into a TV to play.
It’s only $10 and sometimes it’s very convenient to always have on hand the ability to move files around without the use of a network or the cloud or whatever. The size of it is extremely small.
Verbatim 64GB Store ‘n’ Go Dual OTG USB 3.2 Gen 1 Flash Drive for USB-C Devices – 2 in 1 Type C Thumb Drive https://a.co/d/40uW3fE
This is good.
Also, though it’s more than $10, but my phone battery has gone to shit lately (f u Google for your shit pixels), and my anker mini power bank is carrying me right now: https://a.co/d/5lmsCiI
Not a pixel, but I literally just replaced my note 20 ultra battery like 2 hours ago. I have all the equipment and knowhow to rip phones apart that don’t want to let you. I believe most of the pixels aren’t too bad to get into and battery replace if you ever get a wild hair in you to give it a shot. Just fyi, go with an oem battery. Pretty much all aftermarket ones are terrible. Also be careful of the loads of counterfeits and used sold as new batts on eBay.
Did you just get everything from ifixit or what?
No, but it’s a great source to get stuff if they can get the parts, and all their tools should work well. If their batteries aren’t OEM ones, they won’t try to pass them off as such.
I’ve been fixing cell phones since the 90’s, along with a lot of other electronics, so most of my equipment has been a hodge-podge of sources I’ve collected over the past 25 or so years.
In the case of the battery I just got for my N20 Ultra, there is no source I could come up with that sold in the US and also seemed verifiable or completely trustworthy so I had to take a risk and order through a supplier off ebay. The pictures looked legit and like what I know the oem’s look like, and they had the correct looking adhesive and protective coverings on the batt, plus I messaged the seller back and fourth a couple of times and they stayed on their claim they had new oem batts, even after I’d mentioned I would capacity test the battery and leave them a review.
Now, I still won’t know for sure for a few more days. I’ll drain the batt to phone shut off and then charge to 100% plus 2 more hours a couple times, and then drain to shut off and charge it to 100% + 2 hours one more time while leaving the phone off and using my in line voltage/mah tester. Knock off batteries never get very close to an oem batts capacity.
Tip for increasing the life of your next battery:
Li-Po batteries degrade far faster when their charge level is at the levels the manufacturers call 0-15% or 85-100%; the exact minimum and maximum charge levels are a manufacturer decision that trades off total battery capacity when new against battery life. Manufacturers make the decision by thinking about what is most profitable for them, which is the biggest possible advertised (brand new) battery capacity, while dying quite fast (within a couple of years) to sell more, but not so fast consumers can claim it is faulty.
So they will happily make the battery last 1/5th of the life it otherwise would, for +30% brand new battery capacity, even if that 30% will be gone in a year of typical use.
Those decisions are aligned to the manufacturer’s interests, but they are seldom aligned to a consumer’s interest. Most consumers would be better off with 30% less battery capacity, but a phone battery that lasts 5x as long - many people for example charge every day, and only get down to 80% or something anyway.
The way to re-align to your interests are to: stop charging above 85%, and shut down at 15% instead of going down to 0%. You can do this manually, but it is a real pain; you can’t just plug it in, and leave it until it is charged, you’d need to micromanage charging. Some more responsible manufacturers (e.g. some Samsung devices) have features that will do this for you if you set preserve battery mode. Others, including Google, however, really don’t want you to do this, because it hurts their sales. They don’t provide standard APIs available to unrooted devices that would allow apps that do this.
If you are willing to root your device (and ideally install a third party Android distro like LineageOS), you can install ACCA (https://f-droid.org/packages/mattecarra.accapp/) on a rooted device, and set it to stop charging at 85%, and shut down at 15%. This will increase your battery life very significantly, and drastically slow the decline in capacity you’d otherwise see. Unfortunately, many manufacturers hate people taking control of their own devices this way; Google has unfortunately convinced major banks etc… to use their so called “Play Integrity API” to check that your device is “secure” (where secure is defined by Google as including a phone no longer receiving security patches, with known vulnerabilities that let someone trivially install a keylogger over the wifi, but excluding the same phone rooted by the owner, with a highly secure up-to-date LineageOS install, with extra security software like firewalls that stock Android wouldn’t allow, and with ACCA installed; it’s almost like “secure” means toeing the Google line, and the banks have been conned). There are sometimes ways to pass the Play Integrity API checks even when rooted, but Google is constantly battling users to try to break them. But it might be worth it for better security and battery life.
My wife has a different style by them and it has served her very well for two years.
I have a Pixel 7 Pro and the battery sucks now. I want to wait another year because Verizon contracts are 36 months now. I hope my failing battery lasts that long.
Have the fold.
Stupid expensive phone that lost half its battery life in less than a year.
It’s not rocket surgery, just have an option to limit charging to 85% like Samsung does.
I guess simple math is too hard for Google.
So simple to siphon off stuff from the phone like photos to back up! And load it full with films.
It’s crazy how everything is so locked in.
Why I’m holding onto my note 20 ultra for the foreseeable future as well. Last samsung flagship with an SD card slot. It holds all my pictures, videos, and TV shows and movies on that little card.
I remember when an 8gb flash drive was like $20. This is wild.
I remember upping my ram from 2MB to 4MB, while I had a 6GB hard drive.
my first one was 128MB and it was > $100. this was when iomega zip drives were popular.
My Glucusent book light, I use it every night when I read before bed. It is the best book light I’ve ever had and I absolutely love it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09PR1BTM7
Ooh, thanks, I’ve been wondering about getting a book light, but I haven’t used one since the '90s and they were kind of terrible then.
LEDs and rechargeable batteries have changed everything. Mine lasts for many hours before it needs to be recharged. And it only takes a little bit to recharge it.
This is my go-to reading light https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GG42WXY
Oooohhhh that looks very nice. Although the battery is much smaller than the Glucosent.
Milk frother for my morning latte.
Fantastic for protein shakes too
I do enjoy a good protein shake in the morning, especially when no one else is around, sets me up for the day
Why are you feeling the need to have your protein shakes in secrecy?
I don’t always, just a preference. If there’s someone who wants to join in thats definitely a bonus and adds to the experience
Just wanted to say thanks. I have a frother for my milk but for some reason I never thought about using it for my protein shakes. Will try it!
😲 I never thought of using it this “whey”! Protein shakes don’t always mix easily…
Rechargeable is key here. Amazon has them for under $10. There’s no going back.
USB hand warmers. I am very sensitive to the cold and its so nice to hold while walking around or keeping in your pockets
I got a set of these for my dad, he absolutely loves em
Thanks for the suggestion!
Get into locksport!
Check your state/local laws before buying anything, not legal to own lockpicks everywhere.
Haha haha your country never ceases to amaze me. AR-15? Sure. Concealed gun. No worries. Squibbly piece of metal with a handle. HOLD IT RIGHT THERE
RIGHT!? I’d love to learn lockpicking but just being found to have them is liable to get me arrested in Ohio
We got constitutional carry in Ohio. Just practice shooting the locks off.
I’m curious where you are not allowed to own bent metal scrape whatever the intent. Iran or NK?
I wish there was a place for people to send random locks they break off or find to newbies like me. Buying a lock just to pick it feels insane, but I also want to feel that delicious click out of 1
Go to those love-bridges where tourists buy and attach padlocks on it…
It’s called “love picking” btw
Sadly they cleared the only one near me, before I knew about it or I’d have dumpster dived it
Wait a week!
Get a practice lock that you can re-pin. They’re cool so you can see what it’s like to have spools or serrated pins. I messed with one for a while and then was like “I wonder how much harder it would be to pick my front door lock instead of this cheap practice lock?” Turns out, the front door lock is ridiculously easy compared to a practice lock.
Turns out, the front door lock is ridiculously easy compared to a practice lock.
Yeeeaaaah… I’ve spent like literally 3 minutes learning to pick, and that’s all you need to just scrape SO MANY front door locks. So many locks are just so bad
You can check local locksmiths. Some might be willing to sell cheap junk locks that are still good for picking. Or buy a core that can be repinned.
I was outside a tiny locksmith store the other day and considered it! Social anxiety won the battle that day though. I’ll try!
Maybe look for a habitat for humanity ReStore?
We don’t have those here, but charity shops are a good idea thanks
PM me if you’re in the US I’ll send some
Thank you for the kind offer, but I am a limey 🇬🇧
Ah darn. Well I’m sure you find some locally. Good luck!
Try picking your front door… could be very instructive ;-)
I’ve tried this one but really prefer Sparrows more. After a day or two with picking with that clear lock, it becomes pretty loose. Also, doesn’t feel like a lock at all. Sparrows cutaway locks still allow you to see the pins but it also feels like a real metal lock.
21 dollars shipping ._.
I really want to, and every time I look into it I feel like I’m in for a £200+ initial investment that I’m not really up to at the moment.
Getting started is closer to a tenth of that— the starter kit linked is $10 pre shipping from a brand that is generally considered overpriced in locksport. Buying locks is the expensive part but you probably have a couple of padlocks to start with. And for those £20, you can get the knowledge and basic skills to open the vast majority of locks.
I’d personally recommend JimyLong’s starter kit if you can catch it in stock but hook and turner will work. Then don’t buy anything else until you know exactly what lock you want a thinner hook or different pick for; that set would open about any lock you can find in store. Spending £200+ to start out is more lockpick consumerism than an actual on ramp since you’d likely be bogged down by too many tools.
Thank you, that’s very helpful advice. I’m based in the UK so will need to find a different supplier, but it’s good to know I can start out with a couple of tools instead of a giant roll of things.
Good luck! You’ll pop open your first lock in no time
I bought a nice pair of fingernail clippers. ~$15 Green Bell from Japan. You hardly have to apply any force to the lever at all, and the nail just slices off neatly and falls inside. Not like my old cheapo pair that went “KACHONK” and endangered anyone in my vicinity of shrapnel injuries.
I have one of those Japanese nail clippers. I’m wondering how they make it cut so softly. Like even if it didn’t eat the nails they wouldn’t launch. Best clippers ever, even if it’s harder to get the edges.
Pretty sure they’re just incredibly sharp. The Japanese like to sharpen things.
I’m betting that it almost all comes down to sharpness and using better metal (harder, keeping it sharp)
I don’t know man, the kachonk is a valuable part of the experience for me, great tactile feedback
I guess I can see the appeal of that. But it’s pretty fun feeling like a nail salon samurai, too.
Well Wet Bob, you made me laugh.
DYMO Embossing Label Maker
They’re like $9 on Amazon and I label everything. I have 2 myself, and they’re also my go-to for white-elephant parties.
Once I went on leave and the fella who filled in for me got a few complaints that he was slow. He said it was because I hadn’t labelled my store room properly. I added a few dymo labels around the place. The next time I went on leave he got a few more complaints and gave the same explanation, so I added a few more. After the third time I left the room looking like this picture and he shut up.
I guess I should rephrase.
I label a lot of boxes and spice containers but nothing unhinged lol
I’m not sure if that says LEGO or LEAD
A pi zero w. Need a wireless Android Auto adapter? Flash the right image. Need a Klipper controller for a 3D printer, flash the right image. Need to add a wireless thumb drive to any device that you can drop files to over the network? Flash the right image and run a few commands. They are very cheap and insanely versatile. I originally got a handful for $5 each and am still finding uses for them.
I’m gonna go buy one for that wireless android auto, I never even considered a dongle let alone a DIY pi dongle! do you have a link for that wireless thimbdrive one too? and/or is there an easy way to browse other interesting images/tasks you can do with the pi zero w?
https://magpi.raspberrypi.com/articles/pi-zero-w-smart-usb-flash-drive
It gives instructions for starting from a desktop OS, I just started with a headless OS to begin with. Then you can skip disabling the desktop and go straight to setting it up.
I use it for sending files to my resin 3D printer that doesn’t have wifi built in. I just power on the printer before I prep files and then I can save them to the printer over the network.
For finding more uses, probably searching Hack-a-Day. That’s probably how I’ve found these over the years.
I’ve got two just lying around. What image can I use for the Android auto adapter?
How do you hook up to it?
I tried a similar board once (Orange i96 ?) that was cheap and had no video nor ethernet, just wifi and usb and I was never able to hook up to it in any way (ssh or some video over wifi).
https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-imager-imaging-utility/
This tool makes it easy to flash images as well as pre setup WiFi and ssh on the image.
For the Android Auto you only need the image and Balena Etcher.
Hey thanks!
They have kind of significantly risen in price though since those $5 days!
Breakaway charge cable for my phone! They act like those old MagSafe chargers for Mac, and when I’m clumsy, instead of a busted off charge port, no damage! I also have curious cats who can test gravity without wrecking my phone.
I got one from Prime Cables that not only has a magnetic attachment to the computer, it has different tips so you can use it for USB Micro, C or Lightning. The cable itself has little magnets so it coils up almost automatically.
Edit: https://www.primecables.ca/p-390676-cab-m10-mltc-g2-cab-m10-mltc-g2#sku415474 About USD $10
Well, I never thought I’d be jealous of someone’s charging cable, but here I am
It coils itself? I’m getting one.
Switched to magnetic USB-c adaptors for the same reason, they’re quick to put on/off and no risk of killing the port.
You can get a wax seal kit for that much. I have a whole set now, but I seal absolutely everything. All you need is a candle, a wax melting spoon, a seal, and sealing wax
And someone to write to. That might actually be the most important component.
Me reading the op comment:
“Oh that’s awesome I should do that!”
Me reading your comment:
“Oh yeah…”
"Please find enclosed this months rent.
Respectfully"
Don’t know if you’ll get something for as low as $20, but a small thermal printer. Functions as a label maker on steroids, there is no ink, or proprietary* paper. Some thermal paper rolls have built in stickers, some are transparent, some have special shapes and colors, etc.
I’ve used it to label plants, tools, cables, boxes, so-so-many gridfinity boxes. It takes 1-2 seconds from hitting print to having it ready.
* not entirely the case, in that some have set sizes, or markings to automatically feed and count. However, these are low tech, and there are third party vendors.
I just got a little phone printer and I’m using it everywhere! It’s now in my work backpack. Adding my cell number to the back of my business cards for people i like. Labeling everything i set up for people. Printing an Amazon return label. Giving a kid a sticker of their face. One million uses!
Link to the printer?
I got this one. It says 30, but I paid $30 for it plus extra three rolls of sticker paper. If you scroll down to see what other people bought, I think there’s now one that’s a little higher rated, but I’m happy with mine. I even bought another one to give to a friend because we have a joke about her organization system that uses stickers.
iDPRT Mini Printer with 1 Roll Sticker Paper, Portable Sticker Printer Efficiently and Quickly, Thermal Printer Pod for Study Notes, Pictures, DIY, Label, Free App with Multiple Templates Inkless https://a.co/d/a9QRHzs
pretty sure that paper causes cancer
Nowadays, what doesn’t :(
California, I think.
Obviously you’ve never been… everything here causes cancer. We’re amending the law next year so we can just label everything that isn’t carcinogenic because it will substantially reduce the number of Prop 65 labels that end up in landfills ;-)
I have a cheap label maker and honestly it’s a game changer for home storage
My brother label maker is over 20 years old, I’ve put batteries in it a handful of times.
The cartridges haven’t been cheap until recently. Now they’re like $4 each. I can live with that.
Could you please share a link to it?
https://phomemo.com/products/m221-label-maker
Is the one I went for. I like the flexibility in being able to use different width rolls. I don’t have a lot of suggestions other than that, since it depends a lot on which use case you have.
I think all of them use the same app (don’t quote me on it), which had decent enough reviews: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.project.aimotech.printmaster
I’m sure there are other brands too.
I’m starting to avoid things with custom apps because the dev dies out and the product is abandoned long before it’s dead. This one is developed by people who can’t spell, and that’s a red flag too.
I’ll be happy when we’re back to some common app again.
I don’t really know my use case, I just like the idea and I’ll find uses for it. Always avoided label makers because the cartridges are too expensive. Thanks!
Since you don’t know your use case, I’ll also mention a different approach that solved a similar problem, which is how I’d go about it if I needed color labels, a lot of labels, or special labels for outdoor use, etc.
Which is to combine a normal, (in my case, a laser) printer, and use something like this: https://www.herma.co.uk/office-home/product/weatherproof-film-labels-a4-white-extremely-strong-adhesion-4581/
The Herma brand were decent quality, and also had templates (see link example, a bit further down on the page). The downside is that you need to put in some effort. But if you want full control, high quality labels, that’s not a bad way to do it.
Slider style EDC utility knife. Small, lightweight, and because the blades are cheap and easily replaced you can abuse them - cut on concrete, pry stuff, if it breaks the blade, not a big deal.
https://a.co/d/gouJDKV typical example but there’s lots of different ones.
Bonus - these blades are more expensive than most, but still cheap and last a lot longer than standard blades do https://a.co/d/bQj77Qz
I have & like this one https://a.co/d/fC2ISyq - $9.95
I have one of those floating around here too, the thing I didn’t care for with that model was that the blade doesn’t stick out very far. The one-handed action is nice tho. The one I carry every day is this one https://a.co/d/29pk73c but it’s not currently available.
I have this one, it’s probably the most minimal https://a.co/d/1BycXW3
