Tools, Tech, and Toys I Swear By

I’m not constantly asked about the tools I use—but if you’re curious, here they are. This is a list of the software, gadgets, and other things that help me build, stay productive, and occasionally just have fun.

Workstation

  • Mac Mini, M4 Pro, 24GB RAM (2024)

    I decided to experiment a bit and traded my 16” MacBook Pro with M1 Pro for a Mac Mini. I’m still getting used to the change and I can say I do miss the ease of carying my laptop around.

  • Lenovo ThinkPad E14, Intel Core Ultra 7, 32GB RAM (2024)

    Scattered around 2024, I found myself trying to build things that runs on Linux or learn some Linux related stuff. I decided to get this to help me with that.

  • Apple Studio Display (Standard Glass)

    I’ve always wanted an external display that can match the quality of my MacBook Pro’s display and this is exactly that. I love the colors and how sharp everything looks on it.

  • Apple Magic Keyboard

    While I do love the Keychron K3 Pro, I still find myself going back to the Magic Keyboard every now and then. I guess it’s the familiarity and most especially the TouchID.

  • Apple Magic Trackpad

    Nothing beats the Magic Trackpad when it comes to gestures, so, I still keep it around for when I need to do the things I can’t do with my the other mice or when I miss using it.

  • Apple Magic Mouse

    Something about all the gestures makes me feel like a wizard with special powers. I really like feeling like a wizard with special powers.

  • Keychron K3 Pro Mechanical Keyboard

    I’ve never really tried a mechanical keyboard before but I decided to give this a try and I’m loving it so far. Good sound, awesome looks and great compatibility. I wonder what Apple’s take on a mechanical keyboard would look like.

  • Logitech MX Master 3

    I’ve been using this mouse for a while now and I can’t imagine using anything else. The gestures, the scroll wheel, the shape, everything about it is just perfect. I used to have some hand pains from using the Magic mouse but this has been a game changer. The only thing I miss is my Magic Mouse gestures.

  • Steelcase Gesture Chair

    After going through a barage of Ergonomic chair reviews on YouTube, I decided to go with the Steelcase Gesture and 2 years later, I’m still happy with my decision.

Development tools

  • VSCode

    Over a year ago I decided to switch fully to VSCode from PHPStorm and Intellij editors and I haven’t looked back since. Given the nature of my work being polyglot, I find it easier to work with VSCode without paying for multiple licenses or at the expence of performance.

  • Ghostty

    Ghostty is a pretty new terminal emulator and I’m currently trying to put it through my workflows to see how the experience is.

  • Sequel ACE

    Great software for working with databases. Has saved me from building about a thousand admin interfaces for my various projects over the years.

  • TuringPi 2.5 Board

    This is where I run my local Kubernetes cluster while I interact with it from all my other devices.

Design

  • Figma

    I don’t do design for a living but whe I need to scratch my design itch, I use Figma. It’s easy to use and has a lot of features that make it easy to design things.

Productivity

  • Obsidian

    I’ve tried a lot of note taking apps but Obsidian is the one that stuck. I love the way it works and how it’s just markdown files that I can use with any other app. I also love the community and the plugins that are available. I literally call it my second brain these days.