Setup

I always find it fascinating to learn what tools other people use. So in that spirit, I thought I'd share my main (hardware and software) tools and gadgets here.

Software Development 🖥

• Mac mini (2020, with the M1 chip) for personal use. Not the most powerful, in theory, but it really blows away any of the Intel-powered laptops I've ever used.
• MacBook Pro 16" (2021) for work. I have this on a stand, next to a 27" 4K LG monitor. I love the extra space that comes from the combination of large laptop screen and large monitor. I don't love the aircraft-carrier size of the laptop when I move it from my desk.
• Keychron K8. I love the clicky keys and the RGB backlighting. I've somehow managed to stop myself from getting too deep into the mechanical keyboard hobby but it's only a matter of time really.
• Xcode. It's getting a lot better. My dream is still for Apple to ditch it and use a Jetbrains IDE.
• Fork. I mostly use git on the command line, but as a simple client that lets me quickly cast an eye over diffs in files, and exclude what I don't want from a commit, it's pretty good.
• Dash. Having a keyboard shortcut to search the documentation of any software platform I’m working on is just incredibly useful.
• Dark Noise. I hate hearing other peoples’ conversations when I’m working. I’m far too easily distracted and nosy. But music often ends up being distracting to me as well. Dark Noise, an app that plays a variety of white noise-like sounds, such as a murmur of coffee shop background noise, or waves crashing on the beach, is perfect in these situations.
• Todoist. I use this to track all of the work on my personal projects, as well as just my tasks around the house.
• Plain A4 paper. I used to use iPad apps for notes, but I’ve found I’m way more likely to actually make notes in the first place if the paper and pens are just sitting there. And there’s something nice about not only using screens all day.

Running 🏃‍♂️

• Hoka Arahi 3. These are the comfiest shoes I've ever run in. They feel a bit odd at first, but it's like running on a cloud, they feel fantastic.
• Apple Watch Ultra. I love my Apple Watch. I've had one since the first day it was released and I've very rarely taken it off since. It's the perfect combination of fitness tracker, running watch, and remote notifications device.
• AirPods Pro. I used the PowerBeats for years. When I came to replace them, I really wanted to try AirPods and I'm glad I did, because they work so well for every circumstance.
• Workouts app on Apple Watch. I've never found a run-tracking app that I like. I dislike how all the big names are more of a social network than a run tracker, and other apps just don't have a nice feel to them. So I use the Workouts app, which integrates quite nicely with Siri and the Activity app on my iPhone. But there's definitely space for something nicer, both visually and functionally.