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

The things I use to build software, stay productive, or buy to fool myself into thinking I will be more productive by indulging in consumerism.

Workstation

  • 14” MacBook Pro, M4 Pro, 24GB RAM (2024)

    I was using an M2-based 14” MacBookAir (2022) prior to this and the difference is night and day. The only time I've heard the fans on this beast turn where when I naïvely trained an XGBoost model (to predict tennis matches) on 100+ variables because I needed an extra 0.01 of accuracy to beat IBM. I eventually figured it out by changing my random seed. I know, I cheated.

  • 27” LG Smart Monitor (2024)

    I couldn't care less about my monitor being smart or not...but our neighbor happens to be someone important at LG and was able to secure this monitor at a fat discount. When I need something portable, I use the ThinkVision M14 Flat Panel Monitor that was personally gifted to me by Bob Sternfels.

  • EPOMAKER X Aula F75 MAX Blank Mechanical Keyboard

    I managed to convince myself that I would a better software engineer if I could type faster. This is a blank mechanical keyboard that will supposedly train me to stop looking at my keyboard while typing, which will make me a faster typer, which will lead to an $25M pay-package from OpenAI.

  • Logitech MX Master 3 for Mac

    I found this mouse while snooping through my sister’s room for gadgets she abandoned after moving to NYC, hoping I could repurpose them or at least give them a new life. One thing I really love about this mouse is the infinite scroll wheel. Genuinely, this should be a standard feature on every mouse. I don’t even use the shortcuts—which is basically the whole point of this mouse.

  • WorkSmart Office Chair

    Bought this on an ordinary Costco run that was originally planned to feature nothing more than the regulars: fish, chicken, strawberries, oats, and greek yogurt. But I came across an offer I could not refuse, at a time when I was desperate for an office chair. Comfortable enough to work, but not conmfortable enough to make good use of the Netflix on my Smart Monitor. Basically, perfect.

Development tools

  • Visual Studio Code

    My first CS professor from Berkeley, John DeNero, recommended this during lecture back in 2020 and I have not looked back since.

  • Github Copilot

    Currently on a detox from Github Copilot because I accidentally forgot to write import statements after developing a Copilot dependency. But I will surely relapse very soon because it's the only way to keep up with my competition (Berkeley students who mumbled "AI agents" minutes after exiting the womb).

  • Tailwind UI

    I'm a front-end engineer stuck in the body of back-end engineer, so Tailwind CSS makes my life much easier. I purchased the lifetime membership about a year and a half ago. Saved me way more than 8 hours of work, which was approximately how many hours I would have had to work at the time to make my money back.

Design

  • Figma/Canva

    I can't tell the difference between Figma and Canva. Whichever platform is offering a free trial at the time in which I require their services, is free to exploit my personal data however they deem fair and necessary.

Productivity

  • ClearSpace

    Enforces screentime limits on your phone. It's similar to ScreenZen, except it has a much better UI and is not free. However, if you have a school email address, you can get the premium version for free.

  • Notion

    I alternate between Notion and a Moleskin notebook that I always carry around to keep track of to-do-lists. Recently, however, I must must admit I am shifting away from Notion because a Youtuber by the name of Reysu has convinced me to romanticize the idea of a physical journal.

  • Oura Ring

    So far, I've barely spent three days with it. But I can already feel myself becoming more disciplined, especially when it comes to getting 8 hours of sleep, drinking coffee no less than 6 hours before bed, and avoiding blue light at night.