Good Stuff

Good Stuff

I've written about a lot of the stupidity in the world. It's time to write about some good things. Of course you have to scour the internet to find most of it.

Mono laser printers - if you don't need color, mono laser printers are cheaper, faster, more reliable, and easier than color inkjets.

Number 11 X-Acto blades in a #2 handle - (Long ago) I used to cut up my thumb when using a #11 blade in a #1 handle. Using a #2 handle buries the bottom part of the blade in the handle - no more cuts.

Vionic flip-flops (sandals) - a flip-flop with heel cup to keep your foot centered and arch support!

Size 10-13 socks - I hate having my foot squeezed. The standard sock, size 6-12, drives me nuts. Size 10-13, which are not always easy to find, are a huge improvement (that's for my 9.5 foot).

Trakline belts - if you haven't tried a ratchet belt, try one. They adjust in 1/4 inch increments and they do not imprint on the leather so the belt lasts longer. Trakline makes ratchet belts with stainless steel buckles and high quality leather (make sure that you get a stainless steel model). Excellent.

Dropstop - a cloth covered foam tube that closes the gap between your car's front seats and center console. It keeps things from falling into that unreachable place on the floor outside of the seat rails.

Wristies - a fleece tube with a thumb cutout. They cover your wrist and the back of your hand but not your fingers. Very nice for around the house when it's cold and for playing the violin when it's cold.

DanceSocks fit over your shoe to let you slide, short tube or full shoe cover. They let you use a supportive, cushioned shoe on the dance floor. They work well with most running shoes. If your shoe is too smooth, the tubes will slide off. If a thread comes loose, use a match to melt it down.

Nite Ize S-biner - that's a double carabiner in an S shape. When huge electronic automobile keys became the norm, it always bothered me to have my keys in the bottom of my front pocket. The best solution that I have found - make a small (three inch) loop with a shoestring, attach it to your belt above your pocket, attach the top loop of a small s-biner to it, attach your keychain to the bottom loop of the s-biner. Now the keys hang from your belt, in your pocket, not bunched at the bottom.

Afrin 12 hour nasal spray / Oxymetazoline HCL nasal decongestant - maybe the most effective drug on the market. It lets me breathe effortlessly for about 10 hours. Watch out - overuse can be a problem.

(2023-June-12) Apparently 12 hour Neosinepherine is gone. Afrin 12 hour uses Oxymetazoline HCL and I changed the above paragraph to reflect that.

Rolling wheel paper cutters - what an improvement over the guillotine paper cutters. They don't bubble the paper as they cut so the cut is straight. They cut stacks of paper well (maybe 20 pages max). And they don't provoke a fear of cutting off my fingers when I see them. Sadly the Fiskars model that I prefer is no longer made.

L.L. Bean "Lakewashed Five-Pocket Khakis" - cut like jeans but very lightweight cotton. These are great for dancing, much cooler than jeans.

Ebooks apps for smartphones - I used a Kindle ebook reader for a while. Then I tried reading an ebook on my phone. I never used the Kindle again. The phone is light, always with me, and now the screens are big enough to be very useful for books. All of the reader apps that I have tried (Kindle, Nook, Google Play, Kobo) have annoying bugs or are missing features that I would like. Amazon constantly adds new features and new bugs to their Kindle app - I gave up on it a while ago. I am using Google Play Books.

PDair phone belt cases - leather, good fit to specific phones, fixed belt clip (the rotating belt clips always die quickly). They last for more than a year of constant use, for me.

Free42 - a smartphone HP 42S calculator app. The last HP calculators that I owned died of cheapness with very little use. Free42 is excellent and free.

NHT loudspeakers - whenever I heard NHT loudspeakers in other people's home they impressed me as sounding natural. I finally got a pair with subwoofer - very nice. (Now my hearing is so bad, it doesn't really matter what loudspeakers I have.)

Solid state computer "disks" - they are silent and fast!

Silentpc.com - silent PCs - no fan and a solid state disk. What an improvement! Plus you can get one with Linux ready to run.

Wrist cuff blood pressure monitors - these are much easier to use and less annoying that arm cuffs. They are finally showing up in doctors' offices. But they are typically used incorrectly - read the instructions. My Omron doesn't start up until it is at heart level - how does it know?

Memory foam mattresses - I love them, but I don't like memory foam pillows.

I am so glad that LED lights have replaced fluorescent lights. I hated the spiral bulbs and the slow turn on of compact fluorescents and the buzzing of big fluorescent drivers.

Geared violin pegs (I prefer Wittner) - they don't slip due to temperature changes.

Zarelon synthetic violin bow hair - IT DOES NOT BREAK!

High capacity batteries for cordless electric dremel tool, vacuum cleaner, screw driver. What a treat, no cord to plug in, no cord to get in the way, no cord to put away. And a recharging station so you know exactly where the thing is when you need it.

WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?

Original Glide dental floss - the current Glide breaks constantly.

Various running shoes, but the designs only last for a year and are replaced, often with an unrelated and inferior design concept. And virtually all running shoes are UGLY.

Casio F-28W - an inexpensive wristwatch with recessed buttons. I could take off the band and carry it in my pocket. The recessed button weren't automatically pressed when I sat down. Why doesn't someone make a small pocket watch?

Classic IBM / Lexmark keyboards - superb buckle spring keys. Mine would have lasted for my entire life but the keyboard to computer link kept changing.

Honda CRX - what a great car, but too small to be safe in today's world of trucks and SUVs.