Tools

This is an evergreen page with a list of the tools I use that are in some way noteworthy. It’s inspired by Paul Stamatiou’s page.

Hardware

MacBook Pro M2 Max 64GB 2TB

MacBook Pro M2 Max

Easily the best computer I’ve ever owned. The Apple Silicon era breathed new life into Macs (all while macOS has been doing its best to undo all those gains). I owned my last Intel MacBook Pro for about 7 years before it finally stopped getting updates and was unusable for iOS development. I plan on using this one for just as long if not longer.

iPhone 14 Pro

As an iOS engineer by trade, you might think I’d get the latest iPhone every year. But I’ve never really been an Apple enthusiast so I don’t mind hanging onto a phone for as long as it’s still working for me. It’s no secret that each year’s renewed iPhone is incremental spec bumps alongside material and color changes. The only thing I’m missing is Apple Intelligence support, but I can’t say I’m really “missing” it. On the developer side, it’s good to have a median device to “feel” performance regressions to iOS over time.

ZSA Moonlander Mark I

When I started having on-and-off problems with hand/wrist RSI, I dove into split, ortholinear keyboards. My first was a used Ergodox EZ that eventually gave up the ghost. The Moonlander is its replacement, and has treated me well.

Ecosteno Stenography Keyboard

Relearning how to type on an ortholinear keyboard was enjoyable, so much so that I briefly tried learning stenography. This project is currently on hiatus, but I’m hoping to get back into it again some day.

Logitech MX Vertical Mouse

Also related to RSI, I’ve been using a vertical mouse while at my desk workstation (I use the magic trackpad built into my MacBook while out). I prefer the vertical format, but I miss the infinite scroll wheel from the MX Master.

Panasonic DY-SP1 Soundbar

I listen to music about half the time I’m working on average. I used to have a pair of Mackie HR824 studio monitors which sounded beautiful, but it wasn’t feasible to bring them to Japan when I moved. They’re also overkill for non-house settings. So I’ve settled for a nice little soundbar that sits comfortably under my monitor. It has a direct line-in from my MacBook through my monitor and connects to bluetooth. The overall sound quality leans low-mid heavy but it’s forgivable for casual listening.

Rode NT2-A Condenser Microphone

The NT2-A is my latest condenser mic. I use it for both vocal recording and video conferencing. I haven’t recorded enough with it to say whether I love its signature, but it sounds reasonably prosumer.

UA Volt 2 USB Soundcard

The UA Volt 2 replaced a very old Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. I was looking for something with a decent built-in preamp that could shoulder vocal recording and high impedance inputs (electric guitar) while still keeping a reasonable desk form factor. The downside is the somewhat complicated software setup required to get the mic into mono mode.

M5Paper

I previously wrote about how I use the M5Paper to keep an eye on my daily TODO list.

Kanademono THE TABLE motorized standing desk

Kanademono Standing Desk

Kanademono is a Japanese company that makes various wood-based furniture. Essentially they have some standardized wood types and cuts and you pick the metal legs that create the form factor. I switch off between standing and sitting regularly, so it’s nice having the motorized Flexispot hardware with a nice piece of wood cut to my size preference (140cm x 70cm). I somewhat regret the rubberwood choice since it’s soft and takes damage quite easily.

LG Monitor 5K 27UP850-W

LG Monitor 27UP850-W

For my simple setup, this monitor has been mostly solid for me. I don’t do pro color grading or design work, so the color quality is fine (besides, I can use my MacBook display if I really need accuracy). I use it as my hub, usually required just the USB-C connection to get power to the MacBook, display output from the MacBook, and data connection to my keyboard and USB sound card. My biggest complaint is that it only has 2 USB-A slots and they can’t handle very much simultaneous power draw from devices. For example, I can’t really run my external keyboard’s backlighting and an external hard drive at the same time. Also there’s a really strange issue where updating macOS temporarily breaks the display connection and requires completely unplugging the monitor from the wall for 10 seconds (not just disconnecting the MacBook or even disconnecting the power cable at the back of the monitor).

Gibson SG Special 2017

I’ve always loved the look and feel of this guitar since I bought it here in Japan to replace my older SG in the US. But sadly I’ve always disliked the sound and have been meaning to upgrade the pickups.

AirPods Pro 1st Gen

If Bluetooth weren’t such a flakey, broken protocol, I don’t think AirPods would have such an edge over generic wireless headphones when used with Apple products. When these worked to spec, the convenience features were pretty nice (noise cancelling, transparency mode, notification announcements). The sound quality is pretty good too. The mic quality is bad, but that’s a Bluetooth thing. However, a little after the Apple Care expired, I realized I wasn’t going crazy, that there was a scratching noise whenever I was in transparency or noise cancelling mode. I’m pretty sure it’s related to the noise cancelling mics failing. Then, the whole left-side speaker blew. I took them to the Apple Store and the technician told me, “yeah, it’s blown. It’s out of warranty so you can pay $150 for a new headphone.” That led me to look at resale site Mercari and realize that there were hundreds of AirPods being sold as junk with the exact same problems I was describing. I also found there’s an ongoing class action suit in the US. I ended up replacing the completely blown left AirPod with a used one for about ¥4000. The original right AirPod still has the crackling issue, so in general I can’t use noise cancelling or transparency mode anymore. All my previous headphones have lasted near a decade, which makes me hesitant to buy the newest generation of AirPods. It’s hard to justify the price for premium headphones that are designed to be disposable.

Incase A.R.C. Commuter Pack Navy

I’ve used Incase backpacks for a very long time. I use them for bringing my MacBook to work, but also for up to 3-day trips. Unfortunately, the zippers gave out on my last bag and would have cost more to re-zipper than to buy a new one. I think I preferred having a single section, but the A.R.C. Commuter Pack’s back section being basically for the MacBook only is fine.

9Barista Mk.1 Stovetop Espresso Machine

9Barista Espresso Machine

Although it’s on the DIY side, this espresso machine is one of my favorite purchases. I previously started dabbling in coffee-enthusiast gear with a simple Moka pot. A Moka pot allowed me to start buying single origin beans and developing a taste preference for the growing region (I like Central and South American beans). From there, I bought myself a 9Barista as a birthday present one year and have used it 2-6 times a week for several years. Because you can choose your exact beans and grind, the lattes are usually better than what you get at a given 3rd wave cafe. It can be finicky though and there have been a few stretches where it’s been out of commission, requiring lengthy troubleshooting to get it working again. The other downside is that it doesn’t scale to multiple back-to-back shots well. I’d still recommend it though for anyone looking for espresso at home in the non-pro price range.

Instax SQ1 Instant Camera

I used a prosumer Canon DSLR with 24-70mm and 50mm lenses throughout my 20s. I gave this up when I moved to Japan, and serious photography and videography along with it. However, a few years ago I bought the Instax on a whim and I’ve loved having it. Its constraints are well-balanced and it takes a little time to learn. Diffuse sunlight and close range or selfie mode work best. I love taking it along on trips and getting a couple physical photos to add to my clear wall hanger. Or taking photos at an event and immediately giving them away as gifts.

Software

All for macOS of course.

1Password

I’m a reluctant 1Password user. The pre-sellout, native 1Password era was much better than the current era, and I held out as long as I possibly could. I tried for a while to find a suitable replacement, but even in a crowded market I still haven’t found a better option.

IINA

IINA is the best all purpose video player.

Music

I’m an old soul when it comes to music listening technology; I don’t subscribe to any music streaming service. I buy all my albums directly from artists on Bandcamp, store a copy of the FLAC, and load the mp3s onto my iPhone through the Music app. This has caused me hours and hours of pain throughout the years, but is still my preferred system.

Arc

I’m an Arc browser holdout. I’m sure at some point I will either switch to Dia or back to Chrome.

Obsidian

Obsidian is my personal text database markdown editor. I have a relatively simple system of daily notes and project notes. Before having a daily notes system, I used to keep one massive text file that was a TODO list and scratch pad for any text that would eventually find its way into GitHub or Slack.

Xcode

I’ve been a reluctant Xcode user for my entire career as an iOS engineer.

Ghostty

I like Ghostty’s simplicity as a terminal, but miss some of the quality-of-life features of more established terminals like iTerm. I’m pretty low maintenance for terminals.

Xcodes

Essential for keeping the constant stream of Xcode beta and release versions organized.

GitHub Desktop

I’ve used GitHub Desktop for the majority of my career for doing selective line/file commits. For most other daily git operations I use the terminal.

SwiftUI Companion

A useful additional reference for all SwiftUI APIs.

VSCode

I use VSCode for any code editing that’s not iOS and is more complicated than working on a single file.

CotEditor

My go-to app for single file viewing and editing, for markdown, text, or code. Fast and robust.

Figma

I do visual design separate from code less and less these days, but when I do I use Figma. I used to be a Sketch person but it doesn’t make sense to maintain a subscription for how infrequently I need it. I sometimes do light image or vector editing in Figma. I also do App Store screenshot designs in it.