Category: Picks

As of the middle of October, the family and I have finally finished moving (now let the unpacking and "Spring" cleaning begin/continue)! This move consumed a lot of my time, so I did not share my promised monthly status update post in September where I was going to share a rather large life change that occurred. So, what’s the big change: If you follow me on LinkedIn you already know I was given the opportunity to continue with the combined Hawaiian Airlines/Alaska Air organization as an Enterprise Systems Engineer, focusing on mobility (woooo!).

Now that things are settling down, I want to commit to creating some more general content (usually with a tech spin) and start doing my how-to videos on YouTube again. I have already pinged my friend, Doc, and asked him to hold me accountable if I don’t meet the deadlines I am going to be setting.

If you all have any questions about the items below (or my status update), please feel free to reach out as I am always glad to share my thoughts. The actual November update will also come out a bit quicker as my goal is to have it posted by mid-November.

Without further ado, the changes plus the detailed list are below:

Added:

• Text Editor/IDE – Nova
• Read Later Application – Apple Reading List
• Console – Anbernic RG447m
• Browser – Orion – This is a great, native browser for macOS, based on Webkit.
• Remote Control Application – Jump Desktop
• Browser – Zen Browser
• Screenshots – Shottr
• Accessories – Saya Carry
• Accessories – Genki Switch 2 Bundle

Removed:

• Emulator – Retroid Pocket Mini – Sold and replaced with Anbernic RG477m.
• 3D Printer – Creality K1C – Moved down to 1 3D printer for now due to space constraints. I did pick up the MMU3 upgrade, to print with multiple filaments, for my Prusa Core One.
• Read Later Application – Goodlinks – Moved to the native Apple Reading List.
• Remote Control Application – Screens 5
• Camera – Fujifilm X-M5

macOS Applications

• Task Manager – Reminders
• Text Editor – BBEdit and Nova
• Terminal App – Ghostty
• Automation App – Hazel
• Backup Application – Carbon Copy Cloner
• Calendar Support Application – ItsyCal
• Time Support Application – Clocker
• Recording/Streaming – Ecamm Live
• Browser – Orion
• Browser – Zen Browser – A great Firefox-based browser that runs smoothly and is very well-laid out.
• Screenshots – Shottr – A great 3rd-Party screenshot application, if you need something with a slightly better workflow and features compared to the native macOS functionality.

iOS/iPadOS Applications

• Camera App – Halide
• Video Recording App – Kino
• Object Scanning App – Scan Thing
• Document Scanning App – Apple Notes

iOS/iPadOS/macOS Applications

• Password Manager – Apple Passwords
• Package Tracking App – Parcel
• Calendar App – Calendar.app
• Recipe Manager – Mela
• RSS Reader – Tapestry
• Read Later Application – Apple Reading List
• Email Application – Mail.app
• Note-Taking App – Tot, Apple Notes
• Mastodon Application – Ivory
• Social Media – Threads
• Social Media – Bluesky
• Mind-Mapping Software – Mind Node
• Remote Control Application – Jump Desktop
• AI – ChatGPT App
• Podcast App – Apple Podcasts – I might move back to Castro…the skip silence functionality is key to the squeezing in a few more podcasts in my listening queue.

Hardware

• Keyboard – HHKB Studio
• Dock – OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock
• Laptop – 14" MacBook Pro
• iPad – iPad Mini
• 3D Printer – Prusa Core One
• Watch – Apple Watch Series 10 Black Aluminum 46mm with Cellular
• Phone – iPhone 17 Pro in Cosmic Orange – Moved down to a smaller phone this cycle, from a Pro Max.
• Inkjet Printer – Epson 4850
• Charger – Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Stand
• Charger – Anker MagSafe Compatible MagGo UFO 3-in-1 Charger
• Automation – Elgato Stream Deck Neo
• Lighting – Elgato Key Light Neo
• Game Capture – Elgato Game Capture Neo
• Camera – Fujifilm X-T5
• Trackball – Ploopy Adept
• NAS – UNAS Pro
• Tablet – Supernote Nomad
• Desktop – Base Model Mac Mini

AR/VR/XR

• AR/XR/VR – Vision Pro
• Case – Apple Vision Pro Travel Case “The Egg”

Audio Hardware

• Microphone – Rode Podcaster White
• Speaker – Beats Pill
• Speaker – 3x HomePod mini
• Microphone – Rode NT-USB Mini

Gaming

• Gaming with Friends – Helldivers 2
• Universal Controller – 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller
• Console – 1TB OLED Steam Deck
• Console – Switch 2
• Console – Anbernic RG447m
• Accessories – Saya Carry
• Accessories – Genki Switch 2 Bundle

Storage/Bags/Cases

• Daily Carry Backpack – Alpaka Elements Backpack Pro X-Pac VX42
• Travel Backpack – Peak Design Travel Backpack
• Tech Pouch – Peak Design Tech Pouch
• Outdoor Backpack – Peak Design 25L Outdoor
• Luggage – Peak Design Roller Pro

Stationary

• Pen – Tactile Turn Pens
• Pen – Leuchtturm1917 Drehgriffel

Kitchen/Cooking

• Indoor Grill – Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill
• Pressure Cooker – Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker
• Convection Oven – Ninja Foodi Convection Oven

MISC

• Car Error Code Scan Tool – BlueDrive OBDII Scan Tool
• Hosting Service – Hetzner
• Universal Remote – Sofabaton Remote
• Cell Service – US Mobile and T-Mobile
• International Cell Service – Nomad

Wow, July 4th has come and gone (when I wrote this, it was only two days later…I took some time posting this article) and time continues to chug along relentlessly. Below is my current list of items I am using on a day to day basis (some have respective links to Amazon that help defray the hosting costs and get me more funding to purchase cool, new gear). I’ll also be adding a Vision Pro section in next month’s list.

If you all have any questions about the items below, please feel free to reach out as I am always glad to share my thoughts.

The changes plus the detailed list are below:

Added:

• Camera – Fujifilm X-T5
• International Cell Service – Nomad
• Console – 1TB OLED Steam Deck
• Desktop – Base Model Mac Mini
• AR/XR/VR – Vision Pro

Removed:

• Online Backup Service – Backblaze

macOS Applications

• Task Manager – Reminders
• Text Editor – BBEdit
• Terminal App – Ghostty
• Automation App – Hazel
• Backup Application – Carbon Copy Cloner
• Calendar Support Application – ItsyCal
• Time Support Application – Clocker
• Recording/Streaming – Ecamm Live

iOS/iPadOS Applications

• Podcast App – Castro
• Camera App – Halide
• Video Recording App – Kino
• Object Scanning App – Scan Thing
• Document Scanning App – Notes.app

iOS/iPadOS/macOS Applications

• Password Manager – Apple Passwords
• Package Tracking App – Parcel
• Calendar App – Calendar.app
• Recipe Manager – Mela
• RSS Reader – Tapestry
• Read Later Application – Goodlinks
• Email Application – Mail.app
• Note-Taking App – Tot, Apple Notes
• Mastodon Application – Ivory
• Social Media – Threads
• Social Media – Bluesky
• Mind-Mapping Software – Mind Node
• Remote Control Application – Screens 5 – I am considering on moving back to Jump Desktop.
• AI – ChatGPT App

Hardware

• Keyboard – HHKB Studio
• Dock – OWC Thunderbolt Pro Dock
• Laptop – 14″ MacBook Pro
• iPad – iPad Mini
• 3D Printer – Creality K1C
• 3D Printer – Prusa Core One
• Watch – Apple Watch Series 10 Black Aluminum 46mm with Cellular
• Phone – iPhone 16 Pro Max
• Inkjet Printer – Epson 4850
• Charger – Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Stand
• Charger – Anker MagSafe Compatible MagGo UFO 3-in-1 Charger
• Automation – Elgato Stream Deck Neo
• Lighting – Elgato Key Light Neo
• Game Capture – Elgato Game Capture Neo
• Camera – Fujifilm X-M5
• Camera – Fujifilm X-T5 – I need a camera that would survive the rain that seems to randomly come down during events. The X-M5 is still in use (as a webcam and as a ultraportable camera).
• Trackball – Ploopy Adept
• NAS – UNAS Pro
• Tablet – Supernote Nomad
• AR/XR/VR – Vision Pro
• Desktop – Base Model Mac Mini – These were up to $130 dollars off on Amazon so I had added one to my collection. I am more than likely going to utilize it as a Jellyfin server + some other odds and ends.

Audio Hardware

• Microphone – Rode Podcaster White
• Speaker – Beats Pill
• Speaker – 3x HomePod mini
• Microphone – Rode NT-USB Mini

Gaming

• Emulator – Retroid Pocket Mini
• Gaming with Friends – Helldivers 2 – Still one of the most fun games I have played in a while (when playing with friends).
• Universal Controller – 8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller
• Console – 1TB OLED Steam Deck

Storage/Bags/Cases

• Daily Carry Backpack – Alpaka Elements Backpack Pro X-Pac VX42
• Travel Backpack – Peak Design Travel Backpack
• Tech Pouch – Peak Design Tech Pouch
• Outdoor Backpack – Peak Design 25L Outdoor
• Luggage – Peak Design Roller Pro

Stationary

• Pen – Tactile Turn Pens
• Pen – Leuchtturm1917 Drehgriffel

Kitchen/Cooking

• Indoor Grill – Ninja Foodi Indoor Grill
• Pressure Cooker – Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker
• Convection Oven – Ninja Foodi Convection Oven
• Coffee Maker – Fellow Aiden
• Coffee Grinder – Baratza Fortè AP Coffee Grinder

MISC

• Car Error Code Scan Tool – BlueDrive OBDII Scan Tool
• Hosting Service – Hetzner
• Universal Remote – Sofabaton Remote
• Cell Service – US Mobile and T-Mobile
• International Cell Service – Nomad