This is a list of the tools, apps, services, and hardware that I use regularly, both in my formal day job and for myself. I’m probably forgetting a lot of things, so they may be added without warning later.
Last updated: August 2024
Hardware
I use a 2023 MacBook Pro 16-inch, M2 Pro 16GB as my personal computer, with my work laptop being a 2024 MacBook Pro 14-inch M3 Pro 16GB. Whilst my work system has a little more horsepower, I do value the extra screen real estate for when I’m travelling with my laptop.
I make use of a Satechi Dual USB C Docking Station to switch my work and personal laptops out of my workstation. The 2TB SSD drive contained therein is encrypted and is subsequently only mounted on my personal MacBook.
| Hardware | Specification |
| Left monitor | ROG PG278Q (144Hz, 1440p) |
| Right monitor | ASUS VP28U (60Hz, 4K) |
| Keyboard | Kinesis Advantage 2 |
| Gaming Keyboard | Razer Blackadder V3 |
| Mouse | Microsoft Pro Intellimouse |
| Headphones | Steelseries Arctis Pro |
| Webcam | Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 |
| Desk Microphone | Logitech Blue Yeti mounted on a generic desk arm |
| Printer / Scanner | Brother MFC-L3710CW |
| Time Machine | Toshiba 1TB USB 3.0 External Hard Disk |
| Mouse Mat | IKEA LÅNESPELARE |
| Desk | IKEA FREDDE looking to upgrade to a Secretlab Magnus |
| Chair | Secretlabs Titan XL |
In addition, I have a gaming computer that is occasionally hooked up for playing intensive games that won’t run on my laptop, or if I need something that specifically requires an x86-64 processor. My previous Mac, a 2008 Mac Pro (3,1) until recently served as a Plex server for my household, but has been decommissioned as of July 2024.
Software
I run the latest version of macOS on both of my Mac computers. I’m not religiously affiliated with any operating system or architecture, I just find macOS to be the most convenient with great performance and energy efficiency afforded by Apple Silicon.
I begrugingly pay for software subscriptions that make my life easier, though I would rather they be one-time purchases. These include:
- Spotify – For music and podcasts both at home and on the go.
- 1Password – I simply haven’t found a better password manager that works seamlessly across my devices.
- Dropbox – I keep photos, documents, and other personal data here that I cannot afford to lose. I’ll probably switch over to iCloud entirely if I ever buy an iPhone and don’t care about Android functionality.
- NutraCheck – This is the tool I use for tracking and managing calories. It’s very similar to MyFitnessPal but better optimised for a UK audience and works both on my phone and on my Mac.
- Parallels Desktop – Still the best way to run Windows applications and games under macOS.
- Tinkerwell – The one Laravel-specific tool that I can’t break free of. It’s incredibly useful both for running Tinker sessions across multiple projects, but for easily running and testing code on dockerised applications.
For development, I use predominantly PhpStorm along with Laravel Idea as my IDE of choice, both at work and in other endeavours. It’s incredibly performant and has everything I need for building great software across the full stack – whilst the keyboard shortcuts are familiar to me after using IntelliJ IDEA extensively throughout my time at university.
I’ll use Visual Studio Code to make changes to individual code files or text. I’ve got no preference for any console editor and will generally use Vi or Nano without complaint.
I alternate between light and dark themes depending on the current time of day. I’ll use Jetbrains Mono as the default font. It just works.
A few other odds and ends that I use or feel like are worthy of mentioning:
- Firefox / Firefox Developer – Both for everyday browsing and for development.
- Microsoft Outlook – I just can’t escape it. I’ve used Outlook for decades at this point as my primary email client and calendar tool and have grown far too accustomed to it. I’ve spent periods of time trying other programs and convincing myself that Thunderbird is enough, but I always find myself coming back to Outlook. It just works.
- Docker / Docker Desktop – Goes without saying.
- Git – Mandatory.
- TablePlus – Great tool for working with databases, although I tend to just use PhpStorm’s built-in database functionality.
- iTerm2 – Just the best console application for macOS that I’ve found so far and pairs well with ohmyzsh.
- Astana – My personal favourite organiser.
- Logseq – The best tool I’ve found for zettelkasten – natural personal knowledge management*
- Slack / Discord / WhatsApp / Messenger – Tools for communicating with others. Nothing more to add.
- Anki – Hands down my favourite tool for flashcards. I use these for learning and retaining German vocabulary, and the synchronisation features work as expected.
* I don’t use note-taking software for learning. I have never used note-taking software for learning. Typing is ineffective at recording things to memory – I use paper, a good fountain pen, and/or a pencil to draw. Only once committed to memory are documents scanned and typed up (for convenience) inside my zettelkasten. This method has been immensely effective throughout university when coupled with plenty of active learning (learn by doing; constructivist learning) and rote memorisation. (using Anki) In short, I only use note-taking apps like Logseq to remind myself of things later or to help me think and consolidate data.
Android
I use a Samsung A32 as my smartphone – it needs replacing as it’s getting old and battered, but it continues to work fine. I have no allegiance or preference for mobile operating systems either way, nor do I really wish to spend any more time staring at my phone than is necessary.
Besides any aforementioned apps, the only thing of note is that I generally use Brave on my phone as the main browser (despite being Chromium-based) as I’ve found it to be the most performant. I suppose if I wasn’t routinely making use of apps such as Uber and Google Maps I’d consider switching to a dumbphone altogether.