Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.

I get asked a lot about the things I use to build software, stay productive, or buy to fool myself into thinking I’m being productive when I’m really just procrastinating. Here’s a big list of all of my favorite stuff.

Workstation

  • Mac Mini (M1, 2020, 8GB)

    This was my introduction to Apple Silicone and I was blown away by the performance to be honest, never enjoyed a machine like this one. I have it connected to a 2TB M.2 SSD through USB to compensate for the shitty storage situation Apple puts us in.

  • MacBook Pro (13-inch, M2, 2022, 8GB)

    This is the company machine, the same joy as my personal machine, and to be honest haven’t noticed much difference in the performance department in my day-to-day life, mainly because my stack is rather light.

  • LG 27" 4K Monitor (27UP550N-W)

    I don’t like the two-monitor setup, to be honest, I prefer one large good monitor. I really like LG’s monitors, and since it’s 4K it gives me all the real estate I want with nice crisp colors.

  • HyperX Alloy FPS Cherry MX Brown Mechanical Keyboard

    Am I a _real_ developer if I don’t code on mechs? Of course not. I went with the Browns because of the feel and noise, I also got those squishy O-rings under the caps for further reduction of noise, I love this thing.

  • Logitech (now, Logi?) Performance MX

    I bought this mouse maybe like 8 years ago, still going strong and I charge it about once every two weeks. If you’re gonna buy one, go with the new Master version of it.

  • IKEA Markus

    Comfy and cheap, no objections here. I’d love me some of those HM Aeron ones, but that’s a budget for another year.

  • AudioTechnica M40x

    I don’t like how “bass-y” the other options are. Those have a flatter response, which is more to my taste. The build quality is great and they sound better than those crappy Beats ones.

  • Blue Snowball

    I wanted to up my mic game, so I bought this one, and it was a bad purchase honestly, it picks up everything and hasn’t lasted that long, but now it picks up this weird static noise, I’ve tried changing everything but without success. Turns out it’s a common problem with this stupid ball. I’m considering going with AudioTechnica again for a dynamic USB mic this time.

  • IKEA Trotten Desk with Custom Top

    My wife bought me the actual desk for my birthday, father and I created this custom top from Teak Wood. This one is a beauty.

Tools

  • Sublime Text 4

    I’ll bet you money your fancy IDE is slow as shit compared to Sublime, I’ve been using it since 2016 and every year I love it even more.

  • Sublime Merge

    I tried the other Git GUIs before some didn’t click, and some kept crashing (looking at you Kraken). Merge is solid and does the job perfectly.

  • TablePlus

    RIP Sequel Pro. No comments here for TablePlus other than recommendations.

  • Bear

    The best note-taking app I’ve ever used. Period. If you haven’t used it yet, give it a shot, chances are you’re gonna be hooked.

  • iTerm2

    It’s gonna sound stupid but only moved to iTerm because of the options to customize the look and feel of the app. No actual benefit to me over the default terminal app.

  • 1Password

    This is one of those purchases that you don’t look back on. Tried a bunch of password managers over the years, but nothing compares to 1Password, do yourself a favor and grab a license.

  • Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom

    I like taking pictures, I need apps to organize and edit them.