--- title: "Things I Use" toc: open --- ## Tech ### Hardware [Apple M2 MacBook Air from 2022](https://www.apple.com/macbook-air-13-and-15-m2/) : 24 GB of RAM, 2 TB of disk space. I love this computer. It takes the crown from my previous favorite: an 11" MacBook Air from 2012, a machine I still have and refuse to give away. It's fast, powerful, and light, with a great display and peripherals. [Apple Studio Display](https://www.apple.com/studio-display/) : I was on the fence about a Cinema Display for a long time. I ordered and canceled three times. Ultimately I gave in, and I'm quite happy with it. It's mounted on a VESA arm attached to my desktop. ### Software #### Development [Neovim](https://neovim.io/) : I've been a `vim` user since the early '00s when I discovered Linux. Nowadays, if I'm writing a lot of code, it's often in my second favorite editor, but I still find myself in vim quite often. I recently set up Neovim's language server support and it's honstly a game changer. [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) : I discovered VSCode a couple years ago. Honestly the number one thing that makes it usable for me is a really solid [Vim emulation][vscode-vim]. It has a ton of nice features too that make it a great well-rounded development package. [Xcode](https://developer.apple.com/xcode/) : I spend a large portion of my engineering time in Xcode because of my work at Apple, and the basic fact that I'm a software developer who chooses Apple platforms. It has come a long way in the last few years. It also has a solid Vim emulation, and its autocomplete features are indispensible when you're working with an API surface as vast as Apple's. [Fork](https://fork.dev) : A GUI client for `git`. I think Fork has totally changed how I use `git`. I still use the command line for many things, but working through diffs, staging changes, and even rebasing is so much easier in a GUI. #### Terminal [Terminal.app](https://support.apple.com/guide/terminal/welcome/mac) : macOS's built in terminal emulator is solid. The only thing I miss from it now and then is "true color" support, and that's only when I try to install a new color theme in Neovim and everything goes haywire. [Zsh](https://www.zsh.org) : I've been using Zsh since before it was cool. My shell config is full of bespoke tweaks, including a prompt theme I'm rather proud of. #### Hosting [Digital Ocean](https://www.digitalocean.com) : DO has hosted my VPS for a number of years. I moved there from Linode because I wanted to run FreeBSD on my server. [FreeBSD](https://www.freebsd.org) : My server OS of choice. It's secure, simple, and resilient, and I appreciate the less-encumbered BSD license. [FastMail](https://www.fastmail.com/) : I've used FastMail for years now as my email host. Their annual fees are quite modest and they have a great feature set including a Sieve email filter editor, and Masked Email for genearating ad hoc email addresses. I've never had a problem with uptime, and the few times I've contacted support, they've been helpful. [Hugo](https://gohugo.io) : This whole website is built with Hugo. ### Mobile [Doppler](https://brushedtype.co/doppler/) : File-based music player. [Ivory](https://tapbots.com/ivory/) : My Mastodon client of choice for macOS and iOS. [Overcast](https://overcast.fm/podcasts) : My podcast player of choice. [Reeder](https://www.reederapp.com) : RSS feed organizer and reader. I'm doing a lot more RSS these days. [Transit](https://transitapp.com) : Helps me stay on top of bus schedules in San Francisco. ## Music [Logic Pro](https://www.apple.com/logic-pro/) : Apple's DAW is full of features and plugins (far more than I could ever use) and it's hard to beat the corporate discount, much as I also love Ableton. [Shure SM7B](https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/microphones/sm7b) : The SM7 is an iconic mic, and has been the go-to for voice actors, podcasters, and musicians for 50 years. The excellent podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz did a great [deep dive episode][20ksm7] on its history and place in the audio industry. I have one on my desk at home, and it makes me sound great on work video calls, and the occasional audio recording. [Moog Matriarch](https://www.moogmusic.com/synthesizers?type=202) : I'm a bit of a Moog fangirl, and this might be my favorite of their synths. It's just hard to beat the sound of a Moog. [Kawaii CA-65](https://kawaius.com/product/ca65/) : I've been playing piano since I was seven years old. A digital piano is perfect for the small apartments I've called home. This one has a fantastic realistic action and it sounds great. ## Coffee [Baratza Encore](https://www.baratza.com/product/encoretm-zcg485) : It's affordable and does a pretty good job. [Kalita Wave](https://kalitausa.com/products/kalita-wave-185-stainless-steel-coffee-dripper) : The Kalita is probably the easist single serve pour over dripper I've used. [Chemex](https://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/six-cup-classic-series-coffeemaker.html) : If I'm making coffee for more than just me, the Chemex is the biggest pour over vessel I have. Makes yummy coffee too. ## Gaming [Nintendo Switch](https://www.nintendo.com/us/switch/) : Most of my gaming happens here. I play a lot of Mario Kart online with friends, and I'm a big fan of both of the major Legend of Zelda titles that have come out for it: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. [PlayStation 5](https://www.playstation.com/en-us/ps5/) : I also have a PS5. I've played a ton of Horizon: Zero Dawn and the new Final Fantasy 7 games. [Analogue Pocket](https://www.analogue.co/pocket) : When I want to play my stock of Game Boy games, this thing is great. [vscode-vim]: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vscodevim.vim [20ksm7]: https://www.20k.org/episodes/sm7