Image A photo of my desk setup, including a Mac mini, Dell monitor, Anglepoise lamp, and my IKEA Bekant sit-stand desk.
Uses
This is a fairly living list of my design, development and personal setups. Including software, hardware and as much detail in between. This page follows many of those who have contributed to uses.tech.
Design
Software
- Figma: For wireframing, prototyping & general UI / UX design.
- Pixelmator Pro: For photo editing.
- iA Writer: for long-form writing.
- Drafts: for taking notes.
- Whimsical: for graphing & diagrams.
- Miro: is a collaborative white-board, which is perfect for remote workshops.
- ScreenFlow: Screen recording, mostly for user testing/interviews & feature walkthroughs.
Hardware
- Leuchtturm1917 Notebook: for taking notes and task management (A5, softcover, dotted, black).
- Wacom Intuos M: as a drawing tablet for illustration.
UI/UX Development
It's worth taking a look at my Dotfiles for much more info about my setup.
- Neovim: Is my editor of choice, once you start thinking in vim it's hard to use anything else.
- Kitty: is a fast, lightweight terminal emulator, that can be configured easily in a single file.
- Fish: A modern terminal shell that has great auto-complete, syntax highlighting, and history searching.
- FZF: is the ultimate way to trawl through files and history on the command line.
- asdf: a solution to manage the versions of all the programming languages I need.
General
Software
- Safari: is my primary web browser.
- Mail: is how I read email, although I prefer not to.
- Fantastical: for managing my calendars.
- Reminders: for my minimal digital reminder needs.
- Rectangle: to manage windows.
- Backblaze: for external backups.
- Spotify: for listening to music.
- Alfred: for finding files and running automations.
- Notion: as a personal wiki.
- NetNewsWire: for reading RSS feeds.
- Castro: for podcasts.
- 1Password: for managing my passwords.
Hardware
- Mac mini (M1): is my primary work device. It is configured with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD.
- iPhone 12 Pro Max: is my primary personal device.
- IKEA Bekant Desk: this sit-stand desk is a perfect mix of aesthetic and functionality. It's done wonders for my posture and energy.
- Herman Miller Aeron Chair: Is the best ergonomic chair ever. They are very expensive, but this second-hand 15+ year old example is still solid as a rock.
- Dell U2718Q Monitor: this is a 4k, 27inch monitor with pretty decent color and pixel density, for the price.
- Logitech Streamcam: Is a decent 1080p@60Hz webcam, with a USB-C connector. Perfect for Zoom calls etc.
- RAMA Kara Keyboard: A very high-quality, modular, mechanical keyboard. I bought it as part of the first group-buy in 2020:
- Logitech MX Master 2S: as a mouse.
- Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphones: for listening to music & video calls. The noise cancelling is great.
- Audioengine A2+ Speakers: Are smaller than you think speakers that pack a big punch, they produce a wonderful balanced sound.
- Shure MV7 Microphone: Total overkill? Yes. Excellent sound quality? Yes. Makes me look like a podcaster? Absolutely. I have it mounted on a Blue Compass arm.
- LIFX Mini smartbulb: fitted to a vintage (1960s I think) Anglepoise lamp.
Clothing
My approach to clothing is pretty simple, I always prefer clothing that is made to last, and if possible I buy as much good second-hand clothing as I can. If you ever meet me in person I'll probably be wearing:
- A flannel shirt from Jack Wills, that I've bought second hand from eBay. I like their quality and fabrics.
- A pair of Nudie Jeans. I like their policies of offering free repairs and trade-ins.
- I'll probably be wearing a beat-up pair of Converse All-Stars or Solovair Astronaut boots.
- A t-shirt, my goto basic is a Gildan Hammer.
- If I'm walking I'll likely be wearing my beloved GoRuck GR1 backpack, which I will probably be able to pass down to my grand-children.