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 list of all of my favorite stuff.

Workstation

  • Laptop: 14” MacBook Pro, M1, 16GB RAM (2021)

    This was my first ARM based Mac and I'm definitely not disappointed by it, but I also push it to its limits. Sometimes you have to do a few extra steps because of the ARM architecture but I don't mind.

  • Desktop: AMD Ryzen 9 3900, 32 GB RAM, Nvidia 3060 TI

    Sometimes a Macbook isn't the best tool for the job, in these cases I have my overpowerered desktop which I run linux and Windows on. Its a a few years older but gets the job done.

  • Server: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, 32 GB RAM, 70TB HDD, 1TB SSD

    I run unRAID OS on a local server in my office, its a really nifty OS. If you haven't checked it out yet, I would.

  • Dell U3821DW

    I’m a huge fan of ultrawide monitors and this is the best one I've ever used. I love the the USB-C support for my MacBook Pro. It even has an ethernet port that feeds the network connection over usb c.

  • Logitech MX Keys Mini

    Feels very similar to the Apple Magic Keyboard but the rounded edges of the keys give it a smoother feel. Would recommend.

  • MX Master 3S

    I've been using the MX Master since the first version and it's still my go to mouse, I don't think I'll ever change.

Development tools

  • Visual Studio Code

    I've tried to switch to other editors but I always come back to VS Code, right now its for the elixir support.

  • iTerm2

    I'm honestly not even sure what features I get with this that aren't just part of the macOS Terminal but it's what I use.

  • OrbStack

    Docker for Mac done right.

  • DataGrip

    Great software for working with databases. Will probably switch to Dbeaver once my license expires.

  • GitGraken / GitLens

    Takes the stress out of working with git.

  • Firefox Developers Edition

    Hot take: Firefox developers tools are better than Chrome.

Design

  • Photoshop / Illustrator

    Some people call me old school.

  • Mermaid JS

    I fell in love with Mermaid as soon as I was introduced to it, an easy way to create diagrams with code.

  • Excalidraw

    Quick and easy mockups.

Productivity

  • Raycast

    I used to use Alfred, but the past few years Raycast has won over my heart. This is one of the first things I install on a my Mac.

  • Notion

    Raycast has some great extensions for this that making quick notes a breeze and If I didn't use Notion, I'd be using Apple Notes or Obsidian.