The other day Kottke pointed out this thing on MetaFilter that basically talks about quality of life and how it can be dramatically affected by some of the things we use every day.
I find the concept fascinating, and it hits close to home for me. When I reached a point where I became self-sustaining, I started to adopt the philosophy that if I’m going to buy something, I might as well do it right the first time. Otherwise I know that I’ll just regret it down the line, and eventually buy it again. Since then I’ve still found myself burnt on occasion, but that’s not what this post is about. Nope – I think it’s time for a good old-fashioned meme:
- I love my iPhone. I am convinced it is the best phone in existence for me. I realize this is not the case for everyone, but regardless, something you use every day should be something that works with you, not against.
- Intel Macs are phenomenal. I can’t see a reason to go with any other brand for day-to-day computing.
- Get the biggest, nicest, highest-resolution LCD you can afford. There’s no such thing as too much screen.
- High-speed internet should be obvious.
- One year I spent my tax return on a really nice office chair. It’s a Herman Miller Mirra, and it’s awesome. I can’t say that it’s the chair for everybody, but everybody should have a chair that is equally awesome for them.
- Dyson vacuums suck so hard. In a good way, though. Especially the ones with The Ball™.
- The filtered water from our GE Profile refrigerator is the best water I have ever tasted.
- If you’re into TV, then you should have some sort of DVR. We went with TiVo, and will probably be shopping for a TiVo HD shortly. But it’s so nice not to be chained to your TV (or worse, a VCR).
- On that note, Hulu and friends are awesome, but they’re even better when you can watch them on your TV. There are a ton of approaches to this, so whatever works for you. But the ability to lay on the couch and watch the internet go by is key.
- Finally, one of the best things about no longer living in an apartment is a garage. Especially in snow country – I think I cleaned my car off a total of 5 times last season, and I can live with that.
Those are a few that came to mind as I was vacuuming this evening (ha!). What do all y’all think?
OMG, my Dyson is awesome.
I bought this one because it made a lot of sense for living in an apartment, especially when I bought it I was in a <500 sq ft loft with an upstairs bedroom. The ability to store it in tiny places was the biggest sell.
Now I’m in a place that’s almost 1000 sq ft and it’s still awesome.
http://www.dyson.com/store/product.asp?product=DC21-MOTORHEAD_US
We’ve decided to start watching Hulu and stuff while connecting Derek’s MacBook Pro using a DVI to HDMI adapter. We’ll catch up on Family Guy and Heroes in no time.
:)
Fender American Standard Precision bass. It doesn’t make me any better at playing but it sure makes playing more fun.
comfortable pants – even if it means spending >$50 a good, comfortable pair of pants is worth it.
hdtv – watching this in the morning makes me a happier person.
appletv/boxee combo – an endless amount of music and video at my disposal.
a good IDE – intellij idea makes coding java easier and more enjoyable than any other IDE i have used. i would gladly pay $250 for it if my employer refused to purchase it for me.
I am also a fan of Dyson. I have two of them now. Tomorrow I will use the handheld to vaccuum the car.
As more of an audio than video guy, I think it is essential to have the largest ipod possible in my life. I have over 1.2 tb of music, and it is hard for me to limit myself.
I think I have like 30 gb of Prince bootlegs and torrented stuff.
I like small living suddenly in my late 30s, and as such I am buying myself a spork out of the citizen wausau amazon store.
that a good idea to change.