Uses
This is a list of the things I use, in the spirit of uses.tech
💻 Hardware
I work in my unfinished basement, so it's not the prettiest setup.
- 16" Apple MacBook M2 Pro
- Monoprice 32" Zero-G Monitor 2560x1440 (Primary)
- Dell 23" P2317H 1080x1920 Monitor (Secondary, Vertical)
- Tesoro Durandal Ultimate G1NL Keyboard with Cherry Brown MX Switches
- VicTsing MM057 Mouse
- Yubikey 5C NFC
- ATH-M50X Headphones
- IKEA Trotten Standing Desk
- Rain mStand Laptop Stand
👖 Pockets
- Gerber US1 Folding Knife
- Paper Wallet
🎒 Backpack
I've got a lightweight Timbuk2 laptop backpack that is 10+ years old, recommend without reservations. Plus it came with a bottle opener on it. I've got a more padded Timbuk2 for travel.
Inside I always carry:
- Zebra F-701 Pen
- Legal Paper Pad
- Every cable and dongle except the one I will actually need
💾 Software
For fonts I prefer things that do not have ligatures, I've settled on Source Code Pro but occasionally try others.
For colors, I like Molokai. A matching theme for Alacritty is in my dotfiles repo.
I use a lot of tools, so I'll just list my most commonly used ones below.
🖊️ Editor
I use Neovim where possible, classic vim if it is not. VS Code if I have to.
My current config is available in my dotfiles repo but the core plugins are:
| Airline | Bottom status bar |
| CHADTree | Tray file browser |
| Telescope | Fuzzy finders |
| coq | Autocomplete |
🤓 Posix
Software that I use on MacOS and on Linux.
| Alacritty | A fast and reliable terminal |
| asdf | Language and tool manager, think chruby+nvm+* all in one |
| direnv | Load environment and configs per project |
| jq | Great tool for untangling JSON |
| gnupg | I sign all my commits |
🍎 MacOS
I maintain a Brewfile, but some favorites are:
| Alfred | Quick launcher that is easy to customize |
| Bartender | I run a lot in the tray, this keeps it trim |
| Choosy | Cool default "browser" for launching other programs |
| Dash | Great docs reference tool |
| Rectangle | Position windows quickly |
| One Thing | Keep my current task on top |
| Viscosity | Simple, effective VPN client |
🐧 Linux
I don't use a Linux desktop professionally, only for personal use, and not as much as I would like.
I generally use Debian or a derivative, apt is too deeply ingrained in me.
I prefer sway, but I'll take MATE as well.
| bemenu | Text based quick launcher, like dmenu |
| swaylock-effects | Nice lock screen for sway |
| waybar | Customizable top bar for sway |
| ly | TUI display manager |
☕ Coffee
I greatly enjoy the process of making coffee, so I'm constantly fiddling with my roasts, grind and process. I've got a lot of coffee making tools, but these are the ones I use every week.
- Gaggia Classic Pro Espresso machine
- Normcore 58.5mm Puck Screen
- IMS Baristapro 20g Nanotech Portafilter Basket
- 1Zpresso JX-Pro Manual Grinder
- Hario V60 02 Dripper
- Six Cup Chemex
- FreshRoast SR700 Roaster
👨🌾 Gardening
Our family has a small market garden, Buttercup Farm, so we do a lot of mid-scale gardening chores.