Author Topic: What is your most recent purchase of interest?  (Read 16137 times)

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Offline Khushrenada

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What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« on: February 10, 2018, 02:13:49 AM »
So, I know we've got the "recent gaming purchase" thread that seems to be popular among us members. Which makes sense since in the words of Buddha, life is about acquiring as many material goods as you can so that when you are dead you can have a U-Haul of stuff buried with you like the pharaohs did with their pyramids. We're still talking about them pyramids today so clearly they were onto something.

Anyways, since there is more goods out there that one can buy besides gaming products, I thought it might be worth creating another thread for all those other interesting knickknacks and doodad purchases a person makes that they may want to share about.

To kick things off, I'm a big fan of Time Life books. They've done a bunch of series of things over the years. I discovered them at the library and would check them out and read them all the time. Once I started getting my own stable cash flow, I looked into getting some of these series for myself since they're something I liked to go back to and found them so well done. Best of all, since there isn't really a huge market for them and people seem to want to unload them a lot (probably due to space, weight and people just not reading as much anymore), I've been able to pick up a lot of them for a relatively low cost.

Recently, I was just doing a check through my local classifieds on Time Life books because I'm looking for one to complete and set and just learned about another set I never knew existed and really interested me. However, I also discovered something brand new. At one point, Time Life released a 30 volume record collection called Great Men of Music. It's mainly focused on Classical musicians. I know there are great women of music too. It's just that as we all know now the future is female but the past is male and the present is gender fluid. Ha ha ha! I'm so clever.  8)  :rolleyes:

This is what the set looks like:



Each volume has a biography booklet that goes through the composer's life as well as listener notes for the various music on each record. There are also 4 double sided records included for each composer. 4 X 30 = 120 records. For an example of what that looks like here is the inside of the first volume on Tchaikovsky:



So, after discovering about the existence of this series, I was doing some searching on Ebay and, while people were selling them from various prices of 5 - 30 dollars depending on the seller, the shipping costs looked to make them too pricey for me to consider. But then I decided to search my local classifieds for the series based on its title of "Great Men of Music" instead of just by Time Life. To my surprise, I discovered someone very close by who had the complete set and was selling them. According to him, they had never been played and where kept mainly as a collectable. Inspecting some of the records, they were all in perfect condition so I snapped up the collection. I, personally, plan on playing them and look forward to going through the collection. Of course, I need to buy a record player now but there seem to be a lot of those for sale in classifieds anyways so I don't think it will be big hurdle there. Just have to see what's worth it for record players.

It's hard to say right now how good the collection is. Looking through the Tchaikovsky stuff, I was shocked to find out that the Overture of 1812 wasn't one of the musical selections among the 4 records provided. To me, that's the most famous piece he composed and generally the first thing associated with his name. So, then I decided to check the Debussy volume to find out if Clair de Lune was among the musical works selected for him and it was. It was a bit of a relief to see that they weren't leaving out all the top or popular works of an artist but it makes me curious as to the reasoning behind some of the selection process. I haven't checked the Mozart or Beethoven volumes but they've got so many highly popular and memorable works that I wouldn't be surprised if some were left out to include a few more obscure pieces to provide better context of their life and work. I'm also interested to find out more about some composers that I know more of by name than by any works of theirs I can think of like Puccini or Hayden. There are also a couple names I don't really recognize like Bruckner and Bartok but maybe if I hear their works then I may hear something I remember. I can't really see of think of any famous composers that are missing from this collection aside from Bizet but that's because, musically, Carmen is my favorite opera so that alone should have his inclusion but I'm not really familiar with anything else he did besides that. Aaron Copland is the last volume because Time Life probably wanted to have some kind of American element to this collection. In that regards, it is a shame George Gershwin couldn't have been included in this. He's got such a strong collection of works and songs but they probably don't fit the mold they were going with here. Thanks to Civilization IV, I became aware of John Adams but he would probably have been too new to include in this whenever it was made. It would also have likely been too radical to include someone like Bernard Herrmann or Elmer Bernstein who's main works were film score compositions but I think they are just as worthy.

That's about all I have to say on this purchase right now but that should be more than enough to kick off this thread.
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Offline Stratos

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2018, 08:30:13 PM »
Well, I have been interested in getting a tactical pen which was on my Christmas list, but no one got me it, so I treated myself to one that seemed to be of decent quality.


Tactical pens are a multi-tool of sorts in pen form. They are also pitched as a self-defense tool, but I don't ever see myself using it in a fight (would rather use my hands). This model includes a nice little flashlight, a glass-breaker tip, a multi tool point, and of course an ink pen.


It has no knife on it, which I like because I carry a separate pocket knife already. Also, I may leave behind my knife on occasion so having the pen is nice. It has a nice solid metal body and I like having that added weight. If I were to ever use it in a self-defense situation, it feels like it would certainly hit good if I found a soft opening in the neck or sides.


The price ranges from $16-$21 for this one. Seems to also be one of the few that are reasonably priced, contain extra tools, and is American made. Seems a lot of knock-offs from Hong Kong flood the market according to some tactical pen users (though I have no idea if this one is truly the "original" because several claim this).

Some if the "high quality" pens cost up to $60-$80, but they seem to only be for defense and writing (some even claim to be used by police or military in the field, but I'm sure a lot of that is just PR fluff).

If you find yourself wanting to carry a multi-tool and a pen around, this seems like a nice option. Though be warned, some folks claim that these have been confiscated inconsistently by TSA when trying to board flights. Seems to be related to how "deadly" the item appears to be, and some are obviously designed to cater to survivalists/wannabe military enthusiasts.
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Offline Stratos

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2018, 08:37:19 PM »
I actually had a few Time Life books that I got from a free book event a few years back (okay...it wasn't an event, it was the free bookshelf from my old college. I raided it constantly for interesting titles, but don't tell my wife!). Held onto them for years yet never read them. If I still have them I'll gladly contribute to your collection, though I did purge a number of books lately as I have "too many freaking books" according to my wife (three large IKEA bookshelves full and then some).


The music collection is pretty cool. Could be a fun way to learn more about some artists and lesser known works of theirs.
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Offline King of Twitch

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2018, 10:39:33 PM »
Awesome, I've got a few of those (Time-Life American Wilderness Series)--wilderness mini-travelogue with a natural history of the local geology and ecology.


Today I found at my local and very clutch thrift store an old training manual for new naval recruits, 1971 edition. Pretty cool to see the steering control console with all the switches and knobs labeled, and then... a simple steering wheel. My uncle was in the Navy around that time so I'm looking forward to telling him about it and maybe get some new stories in the process. I also wonder if a collector would buy this thing, or if it's top secret... :-X


In other news I got some action figures.


That tactical pen looks rad, I'll get that for my dad once fathers day rolls around. Have you used the glass breaker feature? If so, have you thought of doing a youtube series--Stratos Breaks Stuff With A Pen? I'd binge that.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2018, 11:12:00 PM by Invincible Donkey Kong »
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Offline BeautifulShy

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2018, 02:13:19 AM »
These are probably my most recent purchase. These were on clearence at Target and I got them for 15 bucks which is a steal.



I have been meaning to replace some heels that were a little too snug on me and these work nicely for me.   Functional and classy looking.  The stems at the end can be used for self defense if need be. But I haven't really had to use it for that. 

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Offline Khushrenada

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2018, 03:12:48 PM »
Sweet looking shoes. When you say use the stems for self defense, are you talking like Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises?

I've never heard of a tactical pen before know. It's interesting but I still think a swiss army knife looks like it would be more useful / have more versatility. Still, it's a smart enough item that I could see myself maybe picking one up someday too. I did laugh at how the ad on Amazon you linked to said “The Pen is Mightier…” Has Never Rung More True! Yeah, they've taken the pen and combined it with a sword! (Or glass cutter, to be more accurate.)

The other Time Life series I've got would be the 20 volume Voyage Through the Universe about space, space travel and the planets. The World War II series of 39 large books going through that whole conflict. But I've only got 38. That is the one I'm missing one of the books in. It would be the one called The Neutrals focusing on what the neutral countries of the war did. I've got the 28 volume Library of Art focusing on various famous artists/sculptures and their works. Also have the 27 volume set Foods of the World along with the small accompanying recipe books that come with each volume. Ironically, the one set that got me into the whole Time Life series is one I've still yet to own despite always wanting to and that is the TimeFrame series which covers the history of Civilization from its beginnings all through the ages to about 1980-1990 when the series was made. It's also the series I've nearly read every volume in except for 3 which may be why I've acquired these other ones I hadn't read much of at the time.

If I were to acquire more Time Life sets, TimeFrame is definitely one I still plan on getting at some point. I was also always interested in the Civil War series and getting more knowledge on that conflict plus it is one of their nicest looking bindings / covers for any series they released. There was another cooking series I discovered a month ago which ended up leading to my discovery of these records and that is The Good Cook series which also intrigues me. Finally, The Old West series has always stayed on my radar because it is an intriguing period of history and I'm curious to know more of the myths and truths from legends like Billy the Kidd or Jesse James. However, I may check out more on The American Wilderness series that Zap Surprise IDK mentioned particularly if it has a focus on a lot of animals. I like animals and learning about them too.

In regards to Invincible Donkey Kong, I don't think the manual is top secret considering you found it on Amazon but it was interesting to see a couple comments/reviews on it which were past navy men nostalgic a piece of their past. Thus, it might be a collectable to them.
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Offline BeautifulShy

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2018, 04:46:30 PM »
Yeah a bit like that. Fortunately for anyone around me who might want to mess with me I haven't had to use them like that.
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Offline ShyGuy

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2018, 08:15:56 PM »
I bought a cheesesteak yesterday. It was fantastic!

Offline BeautifulShy

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #9 on: February 12, 2018, 04:52:39 PM »
I bought a cheesesteak yesterday. It was fantastic!

I have to admit I saw that as cheesecake at first glance. Yummy either way.
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Offline Stratos

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #10 on: February 12, 2018, 06:37:29 PM »
I've not tried the glass breaker yet, because I and my landlord prefer I keep windows intact where I live. But I'll probably dig up some junk glass sometime to test it on. There are a few old picture frames my wife wants to toss out so I might dig those out of the closet and break them when we get to spring cleaning.
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Offline segagamersteph

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #12 on: March 28, 2018, 10:43:21 AM »
I got a new HD web cam to go with my podcasts and YouTube production. I need to upgrade some equipment to get my stuff really looking professional.

Offline nickmitch

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #13 on: March 28, 2018, 01:25:23 PM »
I bought an Apple Homepod the other day.  It's something I've been wanting since it was anounced.  I had a Klipsch Airplay speaker that died a while back.  I was in denial about fixing it for some time.  I had considered getting a decent set of computer speakers and an Airport Express as a replacement, since that was the cheapest way to replace the speakers I was losing.  But then I thought I should treat myself to something fancy.  I didn't consider the other brands for smart speakers since I couldn't find anything that would work with Airplay out of the box (which is the primary reason I would use the thing), and I'm in too deep with this Apple **** already.

Anyway, the speaker is great.  It was smaller and heavier than I thought it was.  The setup was a breeze.  If you haven't seen any videos online, you basically just plug it in and hold your iPhone up to it.  Then you just click through on your phone.  The sound quality is pretty amazing.  The bass is really deep, which I like.  The thing also gets LOUD.  It could just be the size of the room where I have it, but it makes a lot of noise.  The "Hey, Siri" also works surprisingly well even while music is playing.
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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #14 on: April 04, 2018, 05:26:36 PM »
I bought a set of Yoshi Copper Grill Mats. I bought them to grill fish on the gas barbecue but I haven't tried them yet since our backyard is still entombed in snow. They probably cause cancer or something.
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Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #15 on: April 09, 2018, 11:20:12 AM »
Today I bought a Logitech MX Master 2S mouse for my computer. Despite only ever owning laptops, I've always been a mouse guy. I love having lots of buttons and being able to tweak all kinds of little details in every application I use, and this one has eight different buttons and two scroll wheels that can be completely customized. I also like that this one can connect via Bluetooth where my old one required a USB dongle, because USB ports on my computer are at a premium, even with a hub usually attached to it.
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Offline pokepal148

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #16 on: April 28, 2018, 07:22:26 PM »
I picked up the higher end version of the 2017 Dell Inspiron 11 3000. I wasn't planning to get a laptop now but it's come out that next years model won't use a traditional laptop hard drive/SSD in favor of a flash memory solution (the one I got has a 500gb HDD that I intend to swap out at some point.) I'm not expecting much from this thing (I expect it to basically be a tablet that can do laptop-y things when I need that) but I suspect it will serve me well although I haven't had a chance to test it out yet.

Offline segagamersteph

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #17 on: May 13, 2018, 01:55:18 PM »
The last thing I bought of note was before I moved. Ordered a wig off Amazon. It's still wrapped up hiding in my suitcase at the moment though.

On a side note I am talking with a friend about buying and reviving an old newspaper in the area. It's just talk at the moment but he's got money and I have editorial experience so who knows.

The up side is the local rec center offers a full gym membership for $5 a month so I might get in on that once I get working.

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« Last Edit: May 13, 2018, 03:17:01 PM by BranDonk Kong »
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Offline BeautifulShy

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #19 on: June 02, 2018, 05:06:12 AM »
That is pretty cool. Lots of detail to the figurine.
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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #20 on: June 02, 2018, 10:05:01 AM »
Yeah it's pretty legit. If I win the lottery or something I'll complete the set.
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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #21 on: June 02, 2018, 03:57:26 PM »
I invested in a printer, ink, paper and other products to launch a physical print version of our newspaper. I guess you could say I bought a newspaper. That's a purchase of significant interest I would suppose.

Offline Khushrenada

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #22 on: October 13, 2018, 06:47:09 PM »


So, last weekend, I bought a bunch of old Nintendo Power issues. They span from issue 49 - 145 with just a couple missing near the end. It's from the time that Link's Awakening is just being released on Game Boy to the launch of the Game Boy Advance and GameCube 2001 E3 shortly before it's launch. (Kameo: Elements of Power by Rare looks like it will be big!)

It's odd. I was just looking at my Nintendo Power collection which starts at the tail end of the GameCube around the time Donkey Kong Jungle Beat and Nintendo DS were being released (issue 191) and continues through to the end of Nintendo Powers life at issue 285. I was thinking I'd like to have all the issues during the GameCube's actual lifespan and that would be all I really wished I'd have. Then I saw this deal to get all these issues for $50 so I decided to grab them. I had hoped maybe they would get into the early GameCube launch but it comes up just short. Now I need to fill in that gap of about 50 issues.

Also, now that I've got so much of the back history, I'd like to see if I can someday acquire the 25 issues or so before issue 49 which would be from the launch/start of the SNES and have kind of all these complete eras of systems. Don't really care about anything older of just NES and GB games.

It's interesting to go back to these earlier times. So many forgotten games given the spotlight and write-ups. Earthworm Jim was such a big deal for a good 5 years. Nintendo 64 was the Nintendo Ultra 64 for so long. The make-up of the magazine is much different from what it would become in the later portion I already had. All about level layout's and secret codes and advice for getting past bosses or beating levels. There are no big or deep articles about a game or the industry. That said, this is already starting to make me curious about some less talked and remembered games that have some intriguing screens and moments. So, must resist urge to add to my backlog/collection further.

I was just flipping through one issue before posting this but it was the NP Awards for 1999. Donkey Kong 64 was the game of the year as voted by fans beating out Pokemon Yellow which is great since I'm a huge fan of DK64. How times have changed though with so many people bemoaning DK64 and it's collectathon. Beaver Bother was selected the Toughest challenge of the year but that didn't stop DK64 from winning. However, Bumper Balls from Mario Party was selected best Minigame/something else I don't recall at the moment. I bring that up because I was just talking to Mop it up on Discord a couple days ago about how Bumper Balls was the game of Mario Party for my brother and I on the 64. These results feel like total proof that my opinions on games are correct.
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Offline Sarail

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #23 on: October 13, 2018, 09:05:22 PM »
https://store.google.com/product/pixel_3?gclid=Cj0KCQjwr4beBRDNARIsAGZaZ5fDGPM1hmAuc2A6uRLcHO7XurekvCVn1-PrTLQrZEFcb8hPsHXILOUaAp6cEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CILElrbdhN4CFZOXyAodIqUJyQ

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Offline ThePerm

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Re: What is your most recent purchase of interest?
« Reply #24 on: October 13, 2018, 11:50:39 PM »
That Leonardo figure is dope.
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