# What I used (September 2024) Inspired by [/uses](https://uses.tech/), this is a non-exhaustive list of the tools and technologies that I use daily. ## This website This website is a standard [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) app, with a custom [MDX](https://mdxjs.com/) layout. Nothing fancy. Thanks to static site generation, this all works without JS, but I can still write in MDX and use React components, which is nice because it gives me a place to experiment with JS playthings. ## Mac * Webcam: Sony a5100 Mirrorless DSLR, with a 35mm f/1.8 lens * I used to use it for streaming, now it just brightens Zoom meetings. * Elgato Key Light * Desk: Bestier 55" Standing Desk * Headset: AirPods Pro * Keyboard: Apple Magic Keyboard * Mouse: Apple Magic Trackpad * Monitor: MSI MAG274UPF * It works great for my needs: It's 27", 144 Hz, 4K, HDR, and $370. Can't complain. * Would like to get a Studio Display, but ## Windows * Microphone: SAMSON Q2U * With the help of a DAW, it sounds quite good. I would like to upgrade to a Shure SM7B, though. * Desk: Realspace 65" Desk with Hutch and wireless charging * Headset: AirPods Pro * Keyboard: Logitech G613 Mechanical Keyboard * Mouse: Logitech G Pro X Superlight * Monitor: MSI MAG274UPF (same as the Mac) * Speakers: Bose SoundLink Mini II ## Hardware * Work computer: Macbook Pro 16" (2021, M1 Pro) * 32GB RAM, because Docker. * 1TB SSD, because I don't want to worry about making space during normal everyday use. * Home lab: * RTX 3090 Ti * GT 730 * 80GB DDR4 ECC RAM * 2TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe SSD * Gigabyte B550 (AM4 motherboard) * Ryzen 9 5950X CPU * 2 x 18TB Toshiba MG Series HDD * They're loud, but they make for a nice little ZFS pool. ## Backup Strategy I use a combination of both local and remote backups. * I have a ZFS pool running in my home lab, which I use to store all of my data mirrored across two HDDs. * My Mac backs up to a Time Machine volume in that ZFS pool; the home lab presents itself as a Time Machine target. * I use [BackBlaze](https://www.backblaze.com/) to backup my entire Mac to a remote server. * My ZFS pool is also mirrored to a remote ZFS pool, at [zfs.rent](https://zfs.rent). So that's 1 local backup and 2 off-site backups. Prior to having this setup, I did lose data, and swore to myself that it would never happen again. ## Software * [IntelliJ IDEA](https://www.jetbrains.com/idea) Mac/Windows/Linux * I've used it for 10+ years. It's extremely powerful, but a bit slow. * I use the One Dark Vivid theme. * [Zed](https://zed.dev/) Mac/Linux * Extremely fast, and AI tooling (similar to Cursor). It's unbeatable, and I only go back to IntelliJ when I need to do something that Zed can't do (the intelligence of IntelliJ is far superior). * [Docker](https://www.docker.com/) Mac/Windows/Linux * Duh. Everything I do gets containerized. * [TablePlus](https://tableplus.com/) Mac * The best DB GUI I've ever used. Sadly, the Linux version is nowhere near as good as the Mac version. * [Transmit](https://panic.com/transmit/) Mac * It's not often I need to FTP/SFTP, but when I do, I use Transmit. * [Tailscale](https://tailscale.com/) * VPN for everything. All of my devices and servers are connected to Tailscale, which means I can access any of their services from anywhere without opening ports or making them web-accessible. * [NextDNS](https://nextdns.io/) * Block ads, block trackers, and block malware, for all devices on your network. Hooks up with Tailscale so it's applied to all of your devices automatically. * [iTerm2](https://iterm2.com/) * I've been looking into [Warp](https://www.warp.dev/) for a while, but iTerm's been more than good enough for me. * [Homebrew](https://brew.sh/) * Does anyone still develop on macOS without Homebrew? I don't know. * [Eagle](https://www.eagle.cool/) * My inspiration library. I store a lot of UI/UX designs here, and use the app when I need to find inspiration for my own work. * [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/) * I use it for my personal wiki, and for my notes on projects. * I used to use Notion, but it was too slow and clunky. Obsidian also works off of plain markdown files, so I'm not locked into a proprietary database, like I was with Notion. * [Linear](https://linear.app/) * The best app for project management, by far. * It's a shame; when I found Linear, I was in the middle of working on a project management tool that worked -just- like it. So I had to toss that idea out. * [BBEdit](https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/) * I have it open 24/7 for scratch files / loose notes. I Cmd-N and start typing. It's fast and no frills. * Every now and then I'll go through all the [untitled notes](https://i.28hours.org/20240918-065742-ae6a.png) and process whatever's on them. * [Raycast](https://www.raycast.com/) * My macOS launcher. I almost exclusively use it to launch apps, and only got off Spotlight because would sometimes take a while to show me the first result. * Its functionality is completely wasted on me. ---- I'll add more here as I think of more things I use.