Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.

I've been a Mac guy since I was 12 years old and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I recently upgraded from a 2020 MacBook Pro running an Intel i7 with 32GB of RAM, to a 14” MacBook Pro with the M2 Max and 64GB of RAM and it really flies. The code compile time is insane (check out this repo for stats), Figma runs like a dream thanks to the upgraded GPU (see this thread), and CAD renders in Fusion 360 are significantly faster. My favorite part though may just be the incredible display with ProMotion... it's just buttery smooth. I actually tried the Mac Studio with an M2 Ultra for a week and ended up returning it simply because I can't live without the portability, and luckily I have not noticed any difference in performance between the two for my work.

I use this way more than I ever expected. It's a great way to get away from my desk and still get work done whether that be reading, writing stuff out in Notion, ideating with ChatGPT and Midjourney, or sketching stuff out in Sketchbook with my Apple Pencil. When back at my desk, I have it on the Lululook magnetic stand and I'll use it as a second monitor with Sidecar.

I've tried a few monitors now and did the research to find the best for my team at Core, and I've now settled on this one. The ultrawide is fantastic for full-screen split-screen work with design and code, code and ChatGPT, or design and Notion.

I'm a trackpad guy, not a mouse guy. I'll use the Logitech MX Master 3 when I'm doing CAD work, but otherwise I'm all trackpad.

My absolute favorite part of my setup. I splurged on this during at the start of COVID and it's made all the difference. The walnut desk is beautiful, the cable management keeps my OCD at bay, and the Lift & Side are perfect for keeping everything I need in reach but off my desk.

Bit the bullet and bought this after the crazy back pain after the first few months of working from home during COVID, and it's been a game changer.

Still getting caught back up on web as I was focused on mobile, embedded, and algos for a while. As far as my web stack, so far I'm liking Next.js, Typescript, Tailwind CSS, and Vercel. Using Visual Studio Code as my IDE. Not good enough to be using Rust or Go yet, but I'm very curious to check them out.

During my years at Core and Hyperice, we opted with native development for iOS and Android. Swift and Kotlin of course. I'm still a big fan of native, especially for connected hardware projects and anything that requires a lot of custom UI, but very curious to check out React Native and Flutter.

Python and Jupyter Notebooks using Visual Studio Code with GitHub Copilot is a must... no question. When productizing anything I work on, I'm now trying to keep the algos in Python, deploying them as a microservice.

I designed the first few versions of the firmware for the Core Meditation Trainer and gained a whole new appreciation for the dark... cold... hardcore world of embedded systems. Used Arduino to build endless prototypes of all the different sensors and UI and then moved to C++ using Nordic. If you're building anything with BLE, I highly recommend the Nordic nRF series. The next time I jump into embedded, I'd be very curious to check out Rust.

Still a bit of a CAD noob, but I love working in Fusion 360. For any software people out there reading this, I highly recommend learning CAD. It's a whole new world of creativity and problem solving. I'm also a big fan of the Logitech MX Master 3 for CAD work.

We used Sketch for years at Core and once we switched to Figma it was just so much better. Truly impressive what the team there has built in a web browser. I spend hours and hours in Figma every week and it's a joy to use. I'm personally very curious to see what the future will look like for Figma (and Adobe) in the world of generative AI.

Whimsical is one of my secret weapons. As a product manager and frequent tech lead, the ability to quickly throw together a flowchart or wireframe and share it with my team for feedback is invaluable.

I've been using Midjourney for a few months now and it's made it's way into my daily workflow. It's a key part of my ideation phase for any new project and I'm even experimenting with using it for production-ready assets. Will see how that goes...

Notion is my favorite software product ever built.

It is quite literally my brain digitized. I use it for all my projects, notes, writing, and even my personal life. I deployed it across my entire team at Core and it was a game changer. There have been a lot of companies who have tried to build a "productivity tool for everything" and failed, but with their block architecture and incredible UX design, Notion has pulled it off.

I mean come on... this is just mindblowing... Get on the damn bandwagon!

Ben Thompson is the best tech writer out there. His ability to identify and analyze strategies and business models across the tech industry is unmatched. It's a paid subscription, which is the right model for this type of content, and it's worth every penny. I have been reading his newsletter for years and have now been enjoying his podcast when I'm on a drive or otherwise on the go.

The articles on First Round Review were absolutely critical during my time at Core. As a first time founder and manager, I was constantly consulting it for advice. I love how practical and actionable the content is, and how they always get perspective directly from entrepreneurs and operators in the trenches.

I love data visualization and I've found Chartr to be a nice little treat waiting in my inbox every week. I tend to remember numbers and trends better when I see them in a visual format, and Chartr does a great job of that.

The Daily is my go-to podcast for general news. They do a great job of digging deep into any topic and often reach deep into archives to find interesting primary sources. I find them quite bias towards the left when discussing political topics, but otherwise they do a great job of staying neutral and getting to the facts. I have found myself consuming more general news via podcast than from reading because the nuance and context comes across so much better when you hear the reporters in a conversational format.

I've been a subscriber to the FT for years and it's my go-to for general news that's consistently down the middle. I read every single Big Read article and I love their data visualizations. I also strongly recommend checking out the comment sections on the articles (sort by Most Recommended). I've often found the comments to be more insightful than the articles themselves.

I'm team Spotify all the way, listening on my Apple Airpods (not the Pros) or my Sonos 2 speaker. As far as artists... only the GOATs, but lots of genres:

Hip Hop: J. Cole, Kendrick, Drake
Jazz: Snarky Puppy, Jacob Collier, Cory Henry
Funk: Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind & Fire, Vulfpeck
Untz-Untz: Disclosure, Rufus Du Sol, Kaytranada

I've been playing piano since I was 5 years old. I'm not a professional by any means, but I love playing and it's a huge part of my life. I'm currently playing on a Kawai MP11SE digital stage piano using Keyscape for my sounds. I'm also a big fan of the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s for the rest of the setup.