Uses

I regularly get messages asking about the specifics of some piece of software or hardware I use. When they do, I send them this page (And you can too! The short URL for this page is kcd.im/uses).

Full disclosure, many links on this site are affiliate links.

Services

Fathom - My preferred tool for ethical analytics
Todoist - My preferred todo list app
Fly.io - An amazing hosting platform
Cloudinary - Fantastic image hosting
GitHub - Where I host my code. I also run CI/CD pipelines via GitHub Actions.
Sticker Mule - How I get a bunch of stickers of my OSS projects etc. printed for myself that I can hand out.
iwantmyname.com - Where I buy all my domain names.
Calendly - For: "Grab a time whenever" link with consulting fees built-in.
Cron - My calendar app and it allows me to share my availability with specific blocks of time.

Tech

React - The most widely used frontend framework in the world
Remix - The best framework to build a web app
Prisma - A fantastic ORM for Node.js (I use it with Postgres/SQLite hosted on Fly.io).
TypeScript - I can't imagine building JavaScript projects without TypeScript.
Testing Library - A great testing library for anything that interacts with the DOM.
Jest - A great testing framework.
Cypress.io - I use this for E2E testing.
MSW - Next generation API mocking.
Prettier - I can't imagine life without it.
Reach UI - An accessibility-focused set of easy-to-use and easy-to-style components.
PostCSS - I only use these plugins: tailwindcss, autoprefixer, and postcss-import
TailwindCSS - A great way to keep my styling consistent and stay productive.
mdx-bundler - Compile and bundle your MDX files and their dependencies. FAST.
XState - Any time I have a complex state problem, I use this.

Editor

Visual Studio Code - Find my settings here: kcd.im/vscode
Night Owl editor theme by Sarah Drasner
Dank Mono font by Phil Plückthun

Chrome Extensions

Desktop Apps

You can find all the apps I auto-install when I setup a new MacBook in my dotfiles .macos script. Here are a few highlights (in no particular order):

Google Chrome
Alfred App
ScriptKit
BetterTouchTool
Divvy
Bartender
Itsycal
1Password
Centered - (Helps keep me on task when I really need to focus. It's free, and you can pay for more features. Use the discount code EPICFLOW to get 50% off your first year of premium.)
Dash
Terminal.app
Spotify
Slack
Discord
RunCat
Todoist
Workflowy
Gifski
Zoom.us
sip
Focus
Front
Qmoji
Dropbox
Battery Indicator
ScreenFlow - Recording software
OBS - Live streaming software
RDM - For setting the screen size

CLIs

Again, you can find everything that I auto-install when I setup a new MacBook in my dotfiles .macos script. Here are a few highlights:

Homebrew
hub (a better git)
ripgrep (a better grep)
tree
bat (a better cat)
delta (a better git diff)
night-owlish (theme for bat and delta)
serve
npm-quick-run
npm-check-updates

My Office

You can also look at a (pretty bad) photosphere of my office on Google Photos

Watch the office tour:

Desk Setup

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2021) - My laptop. More stats:
- Processor: 10 Core Apple M1 Max
- Graphics: 32 Core Apple GPU
- Memory: 64 GB
- Storage: 2TB SSD
My desk is a custom made standing desk (my wife made it for me for a Christmas present) (so sorry, no Amazon link).
Homelegance Daria 5-Tier Bookcase, 26" W, Brown - This is where I put all my auxiliary equipment
OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock - is the main box on my bookcase all wires ultimately come together before going into my laptop.
Cable Matters Thunderbolt 3 Cable - This connects my laptop to the dock. It's the only cable to goes into my laptop.
LG 27MD5KL-B 27 Inch Ultrafine 5K (5120 x 2880) IPS Display with macOS Compatibility, DCI-P3 99% Color Gamut and Thunderbolt 3 Port, Black - I have 2 of these
Cable Matters Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort Adapter - This connects the monitors to the dock.
AmazonBasics Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort Display Cable - 3 Feet - I have two of these that connect my monitors to the dual DisplayPort adapter.
AmazonBasics AA Rechargeable Batteries - I use this for my wireless keyboard and trackpad.
AmazonBasics Ni-MH AA & AAA Battery Charger With USB Port for Rechargeable Batteries - How I recharge those batteries.
Apple Magic Keyboard - This isn't actually the one I have. The one I have is an older edition. But if I were buying a new one, this is the one I'd buy.
Grifiti Slim Wrist Pad for Apple Wireless Keyboard - This goes in front of my keyboard and gives my wrists a little support.
Apple Magic Trackpad 2 - This isn't actually the one I have. The one I have is an older edition. But if I were buying a new one, this is the one I'd buy.
Grifiti Slim Wrist Pad for Magic Trackpad - This goes under my trackpad and gives my wrist a little support.
Bose Companion 2 Series III Multimedia Speakers - My computer speakers that sit on either side of my desk.
Mediabridge 3.5mm Male to Male Right Angle Stereo Audio Cable (8 Feet) - This connects my speakers to my dock
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Headphones - I don't use these often (the joys of a home office) but when I do, they're fantastic.
AUKEY Powered USB Hub - I have more USB ports than I know what to do with now. And it's great.
Safco Products Vue Mesh Extended-Height Chair 3395BL - This is my chair. It's not terrific, but it's hard to find a chair that it's both comfortable and suited for a standing desk. (You'll probably want this Safco Products Loop Arms Set)
Floortex Cleartex UltiMat Polycarbonate Chair Mat - My chair rolls around on this.
Imprint CumulusPRO Commercial Standing Desk Anti-Fatigue Mat - When I'm standing I put this on top of the chair mat. Otherwise I slide it to the side of my desk.

Camera

Arkon Camera Wall Mount - To mount my camera to the wall. This is really awesome.
Sony SEL-20F28 E-Mount 20mm F2.8 Prime Fixed Lens - A pancake lens with a nice balance of weight, size, aperture, and angle
Sony Alpha a6400 Mirrorless Digital Camera
Sony ACPW20 AC Adaptor - Constant power for the camera
Blackmagic Design Web Presenter - To make my Sony Camera work like a regular USB Webcam
Hosa PWC-143 IEC C13 to NEMA 5-15P Power Cord, 3 Feet - Power cable for the Blackmagic
AmazonBasics USB 2.0 Printer Cable - A-Male to B-Male Cord - 6 Feet - Connect the black magic to my computer
BlueRigger Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable - The HDMI cable to connect the camera to the black magic thing

Lighting

Fotodiox Pro FlapJack Studio LED Light - The light that shines in my face
Neewer Triangle Wall Mounting Boom Arm - This is what I have the light mounted on. I'm able to push the light out of the way when I don't need it and I don't have anything cluttering the floor making my room nice and clean. I love this.
Manfrotto 156BLB 4-Feet Aluminum Mini Kit Stand with 015 Top (Black) - The stand I had for the light before I got the wall mount.
Draper Silhouette M - 70" H x 96" W Manual Pull-Down Chroma Key Green Screen - This is my green screen that's mounted to the ceiling.
Bladelight (36") - These light up the green screen super well. They're mounted inside the ceiling.

Microphone

Shure SM7B Cardioid Dynamic Microphone - This is a super nice microphone and gives fantastic quality. I see it in professional studios all the time.
Blue Microphones Compass Premium Tube-Style Microphone Broadcast Boom Arm With Internal Springs, Desktop Clamp and Built-in Cable Management - This is attached to my bookshelf (not my desk!!) and reaches in front of my left monitor to get to my mouth. I used to use the Heil Sound Microphone Boom, but this one's much more stable.
Cloudlifter - Boosts the power of my passive microphone. It's silly easy to use.
Audient EVO 4 USB Audio Interface - This is the last place my microphone audio goes before it heads into my computer. (I used to use this and it was pretty good, but a bit quiet: Pyle 2-Channel Audio Mixer)
Audio-Technica Condenser Microphone (AT899) - I use this sometimes if I don't want a microphone in the shot when doing video of my face.

Sound Proofing

Watch me put this together

50 Pack Acoustic Panels 1" X 12" X 12", Black - Attached to cut versions of yard signs
10 Blank Signs White 18"x24"
Gorilla Glue
Command 4 lb White Picture Hanging Strips, Small
VersiFold Acoustical Room Divider - I don't put this up very often, but I do have it in case I need a little extra sound proofing or I want to do a video and not have any distractions behind me.

On the Go

KOPACK Lightweight Laptop Backpack - I love this backpack I bought another one as soon as the first was destroyed in a onewheel accident.
Power Bank 20100mAh Portable Charger - This sits in my backpack and I can charge all my devices with it.
USB C Hub Multiport Adapter: Ethernet, HDMI, USB-3 and USB-C - This stays in my backpack and I use it often when speaking at events or visiting people's offices.
Kensington Wireless Presenter with Red Laser Pointer - I've had this for years. I don't always use it, but when I need a laser pointer/wireless presenter tool, I'm glad I have it!
Mini DisplayPort (Thunderbolt) to VGA Adapter - Wish I didn't need to just keep this around, but I do.

Home Stuff

Yootech [2 Pack] Wireless Charger - Where I put my phone on my desk. The other one goes on my nightstand.
AmpliFi HD WiFi System by Ubiquiti Labs - This thing gives super fast internet speed, a huge range of connectivity, and the range extenders are fantastic. I'll never bother with anything else again.
Synology 5 bay NAS DiskStation DS1019+ - I use this to store all of my pictures/movies/music/etc. It's amazing.
Seagate IronWolf 3.84TB NAS SSD Internal Solid State Drive - These are phenomenal SSDs for the NAS.
CORSAIR FORCE Series MP300 240GB NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD Solid State Storage - I bought two of these when I had the HDDs. Now that I have SSDs I'm not sure they're necessary.
Seagate IronWolf 10TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD - The SSDs are super expensive, so if you want a cheaper alternative (and more space) get these. I swapped these for the SSDs because they make a little mechanical clicking noise as the arms move around the disk and we could literally hear it all over the house (we have pretty sensitive hearing) and it was keeping us up at night. If you don't think that'll bother you or you have a better sound-proofing strategy, then grab these.

Podcasts

Here are some podcasts I "use" to keep me informed and entertained while I drive, clean, and ride my onewheel.

YouTube

Here are channels I'm subscribed to:

Newsletters

Here are the newsletters I subscribe to:

Other

For my window drapes: Bracket, Light Blocking Curtains, Window Curtain Rod
Self Drilling Drywall Plastic Anchors with Screws Kit - I used this to mount several of the things on the walls and ceilings in my office. They're solid, and you can screw them out if you make a mistake (which I wish I could say I've never needed to do).
Double Gallery Picture Frame - Great for the kids to be able to decorate my office without coloring on the walls (there's also a single frame).
KiwiCo - A great way to give the kids something interesting and educational to do.
Privacy.com - A credit card system that I use extensively to pay for things online.
Tesla Cars/Solar - I have two Teslas, a Tesla Solar Roof, and Tesla Powerwalls. Fantastic products, every one of them.