Uses #
This my current list of gear and software I use on a daily basis. As an engineer, I love to bikeshed and try out new things. This is a non-exhaustive list of devices that I use and interact with the most. It's by no means complete, but is a complete picture of overall setup.
Last Updated: 24/01/2026
💻 Hardware #
- Macbook Pro M4: 64GB RAM and 1TB drive. I don't do anything here that does justice to the specs. That said, this is the best computing device I have ever owned. It does everything I could want from it flawlessly and then some more.
- iPhone 17 Pro: Current daily driver, always on me. The upgrade is incremental from my 15 Pro but I'm appreciating better battery life and aesthetics.
- iPad Pro M4: Perfect travel and media device. It's my laptop in a pinch and with the recent upgrades to iPadOS works even more like a laptop. I pair it with the official Apple keypad.
- iPad Mini: Another good travel device but using it a lot less these days. That 60hz refresh rate kills me.
- 2 BenQ 4k monitors: One RD variant for that sweet coding aspect ratio and another M variant mounted vertically which almost always houses a loooong iTerm2 window.
- Anker TB5 Dock: I used to have a caldigit TS4+ but it started being flickering, and I couldn't be bothered waiting for the TS5 to be available in Aus. Pulled the plug on this and yes it's pricey, but so worth it. It has enough ports for my needs.
- Logitech MX Master 4: Upgraded from my old 3s, specifically for the haptic feedback. Works really well just like its predecessors.
- Logitech Mx Brio 4k: Main webcam, works quite well for long zoom sessions.
- Nuphy Kick75: Current daily driver keyboard. I use it with the new Nuphy Blush switches and it's super silent.
- BenQ Screenbar Halo2: Sits above the main screen but below the webcam. I find it useful as my study gets quite dark and our house lights are too bright. Also helps with eye strain supposedly but that could be placebo.
- Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Headphones: These barely leave home. I prefer the weight distribution and bass on them a lot better than my previous Airpods Max, which would get really heavy after a whole day worth of use. I do miss instant connection across devices with the apple widebad chip though. Unfortunately you can't have it all.
- Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Earbuds: Again, I prefer the fit in these a lot better than the latest Airpods pro for me. I use them when leaving home or going for runs.
- Garmin Fenix 8: After almost 8 years of apple watch across different iterations, I got Garmin pilled and decided to get a the Fenix 8 in early 2025. Best decision I ever made and I understand now that I was living under a rock. One of the best devices i own right now due to the breadth and depth of features. I also love not chaging my watch every night. I use to log my strength and run workouts, as well as my sleep. The companion connect app is ugly but super useful.
- Kindle Paperwhite: Got this early last year, retiring my 10 year old kindle at the point. I expect it to last me another 10 years
- QNAP TS464: My homelab. I run a bunch of containers on it using portainer.
- Eero Pro 7: We used to be an ubiquiti home for a while but had constant dropouts and the system needed regular handholding. Bought eero and I have forgotten what dropouts are.
⚙️ Development #
- Jetbrains IntelliJ Ultimate: My one and only IDE. I have not been vscode, cursor etc pilled and will never be. It does everything i expect to and nothing i don't. Works across any language or framework.
- Claude (+code): Finally jumped on the hype train and I have to admit it's useful. I use "claude the talker" to quickly digest information or as a shortcut to google search. I use "claude the coder" as a first pass implementor or a pair reviewer. I haven't yet bought the vibe coding hype.
- Railway: All my side or home projects are hosted here. I used to be a DigitalOcean guy but Railway blows them out of the water for DX any day.
- iTerm2 + Zsh + OhMyZsh + Tmux: My main terminal setup. I use tmux a lot more these days.
- Jetbrains Mono: My font of choice almost everywhere.
📱 Software and Subscriptions #
- Obsidian: My tool of choice for notes, both personal and work. It works nicely across devices and yes, the iOS app could be a bit better but it's still a powerhouse of a note taking app. I use minimal or no plugins most of the time. I pay for Obsidian sync.
- TickTick: Not much to add here. This i my GTD dump app. I don't really micromanage it much, and just use it as place to safely store ideas and potential life torpedos.
- Fantastical: My main calendar app. Anything non-negotiable goes here. I have tried quitting it multiple times but it is too good and too convenient.
- Google One: Technically not an app but a subscription for bunch of apps. After trialling Fastmail and apple photos and dropbox for a few years, I realised I was making my life harder for no reason. So I switched over to Google one which gives me 2TB storage across Gmail, Google Photos and GDrive. I find that is plenty for me and my family and Google Photos is genuinely leagues ahead of Apple Photos.
- GMail: The app works great on iOS and I use the web version of desktop. The interface feels familiar and fast after years of use.
- Google Photos: After spending a decade on apple photos, i migrated to Google photos to see what I was missing and take advantage of google one. I'm afraid to say google photos is simply better. The AI generated memory suggestions, photo stacks and ease of sharing is so far ahead of apple that it's embarrassing. The app could feel a bit smoother on iOS but that's not a concern for me day to day use.
- Google Chrome: I used to be a big fan of Firefox but Chrome has become my go to browser. It's fast, stable and gets the job done. I have relaxed my hardcore privacy stance over the years, so I see no reason not to use it.
- Google Docs: We use google docs and sheets in our home a lot. From tax tracking to trip budgeting, and everything in between.
- 1Password: Another one of my long time subscriptions. Works really well across devices and is simple enough of that the rest of my family has agreed to use it. Cannot ask for more from this category.
- Spotify: Everyone has it, I do too. They are improving the app for the better now and spotify connect is hard to let go. I use it mainly for music and i don't listen to podcasts.
- Instapaper: Instapaper has been my read later app for years (i think coming up to a decade now). I tried some contenders like pocket, pinboard, readwise etc but they all felt too heavy for my taste.
- Feedbin: Feedbin is my RSS reader of choice. I love the simplicity and the ability to sync across devices. I have tried alternatives but just like Instapaper, nothing really compares. I like the ability fetch the whole page content and not just the summary.
- Raindrop: Similar to reader in someways but I use it as a reference dump and personal pinterest board.
- Shottr: I use this for taking screenshots and sharing them. It's a great alternative to the mac native preview and has a nice interface. I was on CleanshotX for a while but shottr has less bloat and is a one-time payment.
- Youtube Premium Lite: Another subscription. We have started watching more youtube at home and I personally don't care much about it but the family was getting sick of Ads. So we have the basic sub to avoid that.
- Flighty + Tripsy: Two similarly themed apps. Last year or so we have started travelling a lot and a shared apple notes list wasn't cutting it anymore. I got these two and they have been a great improvement in QoL when travelling.
- Plan To Eat: Another app that can't be used without a subscription, but for the price of a single dinner it helps us plan meals every week. I pair it with an annual subscription to NYT cooking which my wife absolutely loves.
- Carrot Weather: I prefer this over the default apple weather app. I find the predictions from foreca are a lot better where I live.
- Day One: One of my main all time subscriptions. I have about 800 entries here and I enjoy the "on this day" widget on every device i can place it.
- iCloud+ - Basic 50GB plan for now as we only use it for device backups. Photos etc go in Google Photos.
- Adobe Lightroom: Recently moved from the desktop to the cloud version. I still don't quite like paying for it but nothing comes close in the market to get the best out of my Fuji gear.
- NextDNS: Simple no fuss private DNS. Brings in native and blocking and has a good balance of safety and "doesn't break every site i visit".
- NordVPN: When I'm travelling and connecting to Hotel or Aiport Wifis, this is my goto. I don't pretend it's private but it's the devil you know.
📷 Photography #
- Fuji XT5: My main daily driver camera. I use this with the kit lens and a 35mm pancake and 16mm wide lens.
- Fuji X100V: Easier to carry but the AF sucks.
- iPhone 17 Pro: Always handy and available.
☕ Coffee #
- Moccamaster Select Brewer: My daily driver. I have had it for 2 years and this thing just cranks out day after day, no hiccups. I have heard some people pass this as heirlooms, we will see.
- Rocket Apartmento TCA: For the days when I can be bothered with a whole espresso workflow, this machine does not disappoint. I love the feel, and again after 3 years of use, this machine just does one job and does it really well. I haven't bothered with any mods as it works perfectly for my taste as stock.
- Hario cold brew pot: Cold brews are perfect almost all weather but especially in Aussie summer. This pot makes it super easy and best off all, is very forgiving of beans or grind size.
- Beans: I usually buy from local roasteries and the following are my favourite:
- Coffee Supreme: Both their Boxer espresso blend and Big Joe filter blend are in my heavy rotation.
- Proud Mary Coffee: Their humbler blend is an all time favourite of mine.
- AllPress Coffee: I enjoy their house made espresso blend although I don't get them as much anymore.