Uses

✨ Editor

I've used a ton of editors and IDE's and like trying new ones. My main criteria is that an editor needs to boot fast, stay fast, have sensible defaults and be configurable. I tweak themes or make my own whenever I try a new editor.

• VS Code → it's fast, configurable, extendable and used on a lot of cloud platforms. I like consistency.
• One Dark Pro Darker → theme that I've modified with my own colours to be more modern and legible.
• ui-monospace → my font of choice because it doesn't have silly ligatures, it renders fast and has exceptional legibility.

🛠️ Extensions

I delete extensions whenever I don't use them, or if they make VS Code slow. These are some of the ones I usually have installed.

• Console Ninja → kind of makes debugging enjoyable.
• CodeSandbox → lets you develop in sandboxes locally.
• Eslint → saves me from myself.
• GitHub Copilot → saves future me from the robots.
• GitLens → lowers mental overhead and causes less context switching.
• MDX → I use markdown as often as possible.
• multi-command → trigger multiple VSCode commands as one. I use this for my own custom commands, often with Settings Cycler further down.
• Prettier → tabs are more accessible and semicolons are visual noise. Come at me.
• Prisma → I like prisma as an ORM because it's modern, and they've got a great free tier.
• Svelte for VS Code → svelte is 🤌 and not used enough in production imo.
• Settings Cycler → helps me toggle between my own coding setups for focus/maintenance modes.
• Stylelint → lets me write maintainable CSS when I don't use Tailwind.
• Tailwind CSS IntelliSense → to avoid cramming my head full of class names. I already overflowed my brain with Bootstrap class names. Not doing that again.

👨‍💻 Development

A non-comprehensive list of some of my development configurations, services, tools and utilities.

• Antigen → shell config and management for zsh.
  • zsh-syntax-highlighting → makes it easier to read terminal output.
  • zsh-autosuggestions → terminal autosuggestions to make typing easier.
  • z → lets me navigate anywhere quickly.
• ChatGPT → for finding answers, debugging, mapping and extrapolating data, generating ideas, mockups and so much more.
• Fig → CLI tool creation, autocomplete and dotfile syncing.
• Warp → terminal that's fast and has tons of quality of life features.

💡Browser

I use all the evergreen browsers in addition to Brave depending on what I'm doing. By default I develop in Chrome and use Safari for personal use – all the benefits of the Apple ecosystem finally won me over. These are just some extensions and features I use.

• Accessibility Insights for Web → essential accessibility tool for comprehensive auditing.
• Axe → for web accessibility testing.
• DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials → a bit of privacy protection can't hurt, right? right?
• Ghostery → to try avoid ads as much as possible.
• Grammarly → grammar and spell checking tool that probably steals my data.
• JSONVue → prettified view of JSON payloads.
• Multi-clock → extension I made to keep track of time zones in the browser's new tab page.
• Pocket → for bookmarking content I never read.
• React DevTools → because I make bugs but also like finding them.
• Safari Reading List → for bookmarking content I actually read.
• VisBug → helpful browser design tools.
• WAVE → for web accessibility testing.
• Web Developer → essential frontend utilities.

📱Apps

These are just some of the desktop and mobile apps I use to stay productive.

• Apple Reminders → essential productivity booster that's miles faster than any other fancy third-party apps. Automated extensively with Apple Shortcuts.
• Apple Shortcuts → essential productivity booster that helps me automate my life. Used cross-platform.
• Figma → design and dev, also used in my freelance work. I still cling on to my design degree no matter how rusty I get.
• GitHub Desktop → it just makes it easier to make clean, small PR's, and saves me a ton of time if I ever have to cherry pick.
• Hidden Bar → manages my menu bar to hide fluff.
• Later → to help me quickly de-clutter my desktop for focus time.
• Magnet → snappy little window manager.
• Obsidian → essential note taking app powered by markdown. Used with iCloud to share siloed folders cross-device and with Github to back my content up.
• Obsidian Theme Toggler → An Obsidian extension I made to dynamically toggle the theme in individual Obsidian panels. I don't like apps without dark mode, but can only write long-form content on a white background. This extension solves that very niche problem.
• One Thing → for pinning my one most important goal in the menu bar.
• Plash → lets me use my own creative websites as macOS backgrounds.
• Raycast → essential productivity booster, think macOS spotlight on steroids.
• Rocket → because emojis.
• Spark → helps me get to inbox zero far quicker.
• Spotify → boss music intensifies.

🖇️ Office

This is my current home office setup. Minus my dog.

• PRISM+ PG400U Pro → giant ultrawide monitor great for multitasking and gaming.
• PRISM+ Arc Titan → a heavy-duty monitor arm that my neck is really thankful for.
• Dyson Pure Hot+Cool Purifying Fan Heater - Black/Nickel → helps me focus when it gets too hot. Which is all the time in Australia.
• Ikea Bekant Sit/Stand, White + White stained oak veneer table top → nice looking, large and relatively cheap sit/stand desk with an electric motor.
• Neewer 90W Desk Mount LED Panel Light → makes me look more like a streamer (I'm not), and less like a cave dweller (I'm.. not?).
• Philips Air Humidifier Series 2000 → to make the air breathable when the aussie summer temperatures reach apocalyptic levels.
• Philips Hue A67 → lets me control the ceiling lights .
• Philips Hue Play → ambient lights behind my monitor that helps me switch in and out of modes for focus, meetings or relaxation.
• Whiteboard 90x180cm - no brand, for scheming evil plans. 'Borrowed' from someone who's clearly bad at scheming. Checkmate.

💻 Gear

My hardware setup, along with some indispensable gear.

• Apple MacBook Air, M2 2022, 16 GB Ram → lightweight, insane battery life and is incredibly powerful with the M2 chip.
• Apple iPhone 14 Pro → for the fantastic ecosystem support. Spenny.
• Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) → great sound and noise cancellation plus some other useful features.
• Bose QuietComfort 45 → lifesaver. Great at blocking out air travel noise and people who scream.
• Dbrand Triple Black iPhone skin → it doesn't really protect my phone, but it looks cool.

🎒 Everyday Carry

Just a few of the things I usually carry in my backpack.

• Fjällräven, Räven 28L → sturdy backpack with great organisation. It fits so much that it's pretty much like a clown car.
• Blunt Metro, Navy → the best brolly I've ever had. Doesn't crumble when it's windy.
• Leatherman K500X → quality lockback folding knife I kept from the military. We've been through a lot together.
• The Elko, Titanium + Stainless → tiny titanium folding knife and pry bar that has saved the day more than once.
• The Stilwell, Titanium → compact titanium pen to make quick work of bureaucracy.

☕️ Coffee

Coffee tools and preferences when making filter at home. Otherwise I go for a lil' oat flatty.

• AeroPress → brews amazing coffee and is easy to travel with when needed.
• Fellow Prismo → a reusable, etched filter for the AeroPress that reduces prep time for getting rid of paper filter taste.
• Moccamaster → makes filter coffee so smooth it should be outlawed.
• Hario V60 Drip Decanter → for those lazy weekend mornings or whenever I want a special cup.
• Hario V60 Drip Kettle → boils the water at exactly 95℃ and will keep it that way for a while every time I forget. Which is often.
• Sunbeam Café Series → we bought this grinder in uni and didn't eat for two weeks. We're keeping it until it dies.
• Single O coffee beans → Single origin coffee beans by imo the best roaster in Sydney. My partner works there. I'm jelly at her access to amazing coffee at all times.
• Coffee scale - no brand, given to me by a nice barista who was fleeing the country.