monovergent

Used mini PCs, Chromeboxes, or laptops (the kind with removable batteries). As long as GPIO pins are not needed, most things can be replicated with minimal effort on Debian amd64. And when I do need GPIO, I can usually get away with an Arduino.

No, I was fortunate enough to pick up a bunch of decommissioned Celeron mini PCs from work. I run a NAS with media server on one, pi-hole on another, and a test server on a third. I meant to make things accessible from outside with VPN, but was too lazy.

I also digitize what I can. Then I separate what I actively use from the rest, separate those items into categories, pick out one or two (or three) of my favorites in each category, and donate the rest to a thrift store in hopes someone else can make better use of them. Still not foolproof though, on the shelf next to me is a keyboard and bin of cables that I haven’t touched in ages.

To quiet a squeaking hinge after misplacing my wd-40

The plug-in waterpik ones are worth it in my opinion. Finally got into a routine of flossing after buying one.

A few more things to think about if you plan on buying a cordless unit and using it frequently though. If it takes AA batteries, it will eat through them like nothing else and the battery compartments tend to get gross and slimy, worse if the AA batteries leak. Also avoid the cheap off-brand units that take just 2 AA batteries. In my experience, those don’t produce nearly enough water pressure.

Only major gripe with waterpik’s cordless units are that their water tanks are a hassle to clean and keep clean due to the narrow openings and nooks and crannies. Later got one from Guru Nanda where the motor sits atop a wide-mouth reservoir, which is much easier to clean, or even just keep separate from the motor after use so everything can dry out.

Have you thought about writing and publishing your experiences from life and hobbies that other people could learn from?

I don’t think mine ever do, but they do sublux on occasion