Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.

The things I use to build software, stay productive, or buy to fool myself into thinking I’m being productive when I’m really just procrastinating. Here’s a big list of all of my favourite stuff.

Inspired by Wes Bos and his awesome uses.tech site.

Hardware

  • M1 Mac Mini (2020)

    Small, quiet refurbished machine for graphics and photo work, and anything that needs a big screen. I resisted MacOS for the longest time, but these days I sometimes want a system that just works.

  • Dell Inspiron 5570 laptop

    My personal laptop, with 8GB RAM, a 256GB SSD and an Intel i7-8550U processor, running Pop! OS. It’s a bit old and crusty, and the trackpad doesn’t work, but it has some great stickers.

  • Sofle Mechanical Keyboard

    A Sofle keyboard I built from a kit from Mechboards, with Cherry MX Blue switches. Split keyboards are perfect for leaving space for desk coffee and/or pet.

  • Logitech M570 trackball

    I always use a trackball for interacting with computers, and especially love this one for working in small spaces like trains - no space required to move the mouse. I also have an old Huion pen tablet to help with art and my dodgy wrists.

Software

  • Pycharm Pro

    I’ve used Pycharm for as long as I’ve been programming, and it’s taught me a lot about how to write good clean Python code. Also my favourite way to inspect databases while I’m developing.

  • VSCode

    My go-to editor for any programming that isn’t Python, and my favourite git GUI. The Live Share extension is a game-changer for remote pairing. With pets of course.

  • Figma

    I don’t do much design work, but when I do, Figma makes things approachable. Probably shouldn’t also use it for doing vector art, but it works.

  • Raycast

    Fantastic application launcher for Mac. Confetti 🎉 to celebrate finishing tasks. Can’t wait for Linux support to come.

Fun

  • EEW 6

    Technically not software, but I adore my electronic spinning wheel from Dreaming Robots, perfect for keeping my hands busy while I listen to far too many podcasts.