Uses
Quick list of some of the things I enjoy using day to day.
Equipment
My first non-black/space gray iPhone. Consider it my attempt to expand my life palette...
Apple MacBook Pro 16-Inch "Core i7" 2.6 2019
Very quick and features a real escape key! Jumped up from a 13" MacBook Pro, and I enjoy the screen real estate, but missing the portability of the 13".
Coding / Design
Before this I used Atom, and before that it was Sublime. Since I mainly develop React/Javascript ecosystem stuff, using VS Code is top-notch experience.
I've been trying to use VS Code's built in terminal and Git features more, but it's a hard habit to break when iTerm is such a slick app. Running ohmyzsh in it with a custom theme.
I have yet to jump to a fancy programming font and find that SF Mono is quite nice!
My all time favorite design tool. So fast, and always updating with useful features.
Where I keep all my code. Another great company that is always working to improve and ship helpful features that make our lives easier. Also, did you know that Kevin Marsh is GitHub user #100!? 💯
Other apps
I really loved Mailbox, remember that? After it was shutdown I moved on to Outlook which had updated by acquiring something else, but on MacOS it was very slow and then I discovered Spark Mail in 2018 and haven't looked back. Its two most important features to me are the snoozing of messages (inbox zero frequently/messages come back at relevant times or as reminders) and being able to comment on email as a team outside of the thread (no more forwarding to team members that can help). I haven't tried those other two hipster email services yet, because 1) I need my company email and 2) I don't get that much email to make me think the prices are worth it. That's where Spark Mail's monthly cost for team interaction is much more valuable to me.
Inspired by a friend, I try to keep a few daily notes. Whether keeping tabs of to-dos as they come up, recording a log of my process/steps during troubleshooting a bug, or noting restaurants while traveling, nvALT makes it quick and easy to edit a text file stored in Dropbox. Since I'm not doing this from my phone very often, when I do I just use the Dropbox iOS app which allows you to edit plain text files fairly easily. And yes, there are apps that specialize in doing all the things I mentioned just now, but plain text means it'll basically work forever.
I'm pretty flexible in being in whatever project management tool a team is using, but my favorite is Basecamp. I like their message/comment thread feature way more than messy email threads, adore their tidy to-do management, and often use the email forwarding feature to centralize conversations and get us back on track. I've also found that people who don't use it often appreciate the fact they get emails that they can respond to from the system without ever having to log into the app. And all for a flat rate $99/mo. It might seem like a lot for a team of 3 or 4, but for a team of 10+ it's a steal.
Kitchen stuff
We've had a 5.5 quart round dutch oven from Le Creuset for about 10 years now, and use it almost daily. We also were gifted a gigantic 9 quart one more recently from someone combining kitchens with their significant other. They're just simple, solid pieces of cookware with a billion uses. We use them for soups, searing, rice, and they're perfect at trapping in steam when making a rustic loaf of bread. I'm not too familiar with other brands, but I'm sure they good as well. I'd only suggest making sure the one you get has a metal knob on top so that it can withstand higher oven temps.
After our initial "non-stick" cookware from our wedding registry wore out (and was potentially toxic?), we began investing in All-Clad pans. You don't need the non-stick for most things and the 3-ply structure of these pans distribute heat much better. Like the Le Creuset, I think these will pretty much last for life. We've only ever got the D3 series, but I've heard good things about the copper core line, and may invest in one or two of those eventually.
Misen Serrated Knife (bread knife)
Our most recent kitchen addition. After baking more loaves I was looking to upgrade to a longer serrated knife that could handle a thick crusty bread a bit better. Originally I learned about Misen because of their chef's knife from Kenji Lopez-Alt. Seeing how nice this knife is, I'm interested in trying our the chef's knife soon. Bonus: They offer free sharpening if you pay for shipping and handling.
Bike stuff
Coming soon!