‹ Mijndert Stuij

Uses

Hardware

  • 13" MacBook Air (2020, M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) – This is the cheapest laptop Apple sells (I got mine for €900,-), but by no means is it slow. I use this thing as my couch computer and is more than capable of running all the software I need.
  • HP Z38C – I got this monitor for free from someone who wasn’t using it. It’s a great monitor, but I’m not sure I would have bought it myself. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but now that I have an ultrawide, I never want to go back.
  • iPhone 13 Pro (256GB, Space Grey) – I bought the 13 when the 14 was released to save some money. It’s a great phone, even for the money, the best feature is the camera which produces stunning images in every situation which is a huge plus when you have kids.
  • Logitech MX Ergo – Due to RSI issues, I can’t use a ’normal’ pointing device anymore. Luckily Logitech still makes trackballs and this latest one with a rechargeable battery is a great addition to my desk.
  • Magic Keyboard – Keyboard nerds will winch at this, but I think the Magic Keyboard is the best keyboard ever. I like keyboards with low travel and this one is perfect in every single way for me.
  • AirPods Max (Space Grey) – I use these every single day for hours on end for listening to music and taking meetings. They’re the best headphones I’ve ever had.
  • Sonos One – I use this speaker for some background noise while working. It’s been rock solid over the years and I bet I can get another few years out of it without any issues whatsoever.
  • Kobo Aura h2O Edition 2 – The older I get, the more I gravitate towards devices that do one thing well, preferable with almost endless battery life. An e-reader is a great example of that.
  • Garmin Forerunner 255S – I don’t technically use this item for work either, but I have to include it because it keeps me sane as a running companion. I recently bought the 255S even though the 265S was out as well, again to save some money. This model has 99% of the features, and I only paid €280,- for it.

Software

  • Apple Notes, Calendar, Mail – The defaults are good enough for almost everyone.
  • Firefox – I use Firefox as my main browser. I like the focus on privacy compared to other offerings, and I refuse to use Chromium-based browsers.
  • Alacritty – Together with tmux, this is just a great terminal emulator with a portable config file.
  • Visual Studio Code – A good, extensible editor that I use for all my coding needs.
  • NetNewsWire – My RSS reader of choice. It’s a native Mac app that syncs beautifully with its iOS counterpart.
  • 1Password – I’ve been a customer for years and I’m very happy with the service.
  • Things – Not sure I use all the features, but I love the design so I happily sponsor the company.
  • Rectangle – A great tiling window manager for macOS. Keeps my windows arranged nicely. Code editor to the left, terminal to the right, all evenly spaced.
  • Scroll Reverser – Makes switching between trackpad (natural scrolling) and trackball (non-natural scrolling) a breeze.
  • Reflex - macOS sometimes hijacks the media buttons, this little app prevents that.
  • K9S – A great terminal-based UI for Kubernetes.
  • Terraform – I use Terraform to manage all my cloud infrastructure.