Things I use and recommend. ⁽²⁸⁾

Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Meet on your own domain. Starter is the entry plan, billed per user.

Comments: I'm on Starter. Email on my own domain plus Drive, Docs, and Calendar covers everything I need. Sign up through my link for 10% off.

Voice dictation, voice notes, and bot free meeting transcription in one app. Works on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Comments: I talk, it types. My voice notes flow straight into my notes and task list.

A calendar and tasks app for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Type an event in plain English and it fills in the details.

Comments: I type "lunch with Sam Friday at noon" and it just works. All my calendars live in one view.

A private network for your devices built on WireGuard. Every machine can reach the others from anywhere, with no port forwarding.

Comments: I reach my home machines from anywhere without opening a single port. Setup took minutes and it never needed fixing.

An AI coding agent from Anthropic. It reads your codebase, edits files, and runs commands from your terminal, IDE, or desktop.

Comments: I build and maintain this site with it. It also runs my notes, newsletter workflow, and the boring parts of my day.

A Mac screenshot and screen recording app. Annotate, blur, scroll capture, and share a link in one flow.

Comments: It replaced the built in screenshot tool on day one. I annotate and send without opening another app.

A free, open source app for running coding agents like Claude Code and Codex. Agents keep working after you close the window.

Comments: I keep my agents in it. One glance shows which are blocked, which are working, and which are done.

A free weekly newsletter from Ciarán Cotter (Monke). Notes on bug bounty, hacking, and life on the road.

Comments: Short, honest, and written by someone doing the work. It lands in my inbox every week and I read it.

Oscar winning doc about Alex Honnold climbing El Capitan with no rope. 3,000 feet in Yosemite.

Comments: My palms sweat the whole time. I learned more about how Honnold thinks than how he climbs. Watch this before The Dark Wizard.

HBO series about Garrett McNamara chasing 100 foot waves in Nazare, Portugal.

Comments: I like that it covers the town as much as the surfing. The big swell episodes made me hold my breath.

Four part HBO series about Dean Potter. His free solo climbs, highlines, and BASE jumps pushed climbing forward.

Comments: I see it as the other half of Free Solo. Potter wanted to make climbing art, and his rivalry with Honnold shows a darker side of that drive.

52 minute doc about Max Jolliffe winning the 2024 Moab 240. 240 miles of desert ultra.

Comments: I came for the race and stayed for the comeback. The push from mile 200 to the finish got me.

A Mac launcher that puts search, clipboard history, window management, and AI commands behind one shortcut.

Comments: I run my whole computer from it. Clipboard history alone is worth it, and quicklinks replaced a pile of bookmarks.

Hosted access to AI coding models. Cheap plans with high rate limits.

Comments: I use it for cheap model access without babysitting keys. Join through my link and we both get $5 credit.

A split mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches and programmable macros. Tents to fit your wrists.

Comments: This sits on my desk. My wrists stopped complaining after I switched.

A wireless trackball mouse with an adjustable hinge. Pairs with three devices.

Comments: It stays put so my wrist stays neutral. I stopped chasing a mouse around my desk.

A dynamic handheld mic with USB and XLR outputs. Works for calls, streaming, and recording.

Comments: I record everything on it. Mine sits on a NEEWER boom stand.

A 1U UniFi console. It acts as router, firewall, and camera recorder in one box.

Comments: My whole home network runs on it. One box instead of three.

A dual motor standing desk with a tall height range and saved presets.

Comments: I am tall and it fits. Autonomous now sells it as the Desk 5 Pro.

A carry on legal travel backpack. Opens flat like a suitcase and has a separate laptop slot.

Comments: My travel bag. It holds my work gear and a week of clothes in one carry on. That said, I'm on the lookout of a lighter weight version.

A tapered jogger in lululemon ABC fabric. Cut in tall sizes.

Comments: I bought pairs in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Nothing else fit tall enough until these.

A fast terminal emulator for Mac and Linux. It uses the GPU so scrolling stays smooth.

Comments: I switched from Kitty and never looked back. It feels Mac native.

Local first Markdown notes with backlinks and plugins. Everything stays as plain text files.

Comments: I write my notes and newsletter in it. Nothing else stuck.

A password and passkey manager with end-to-end encryption. Works on all platforms with family sharing.

Comments: I put it on every new Mac first. All my passwords and passkeys live here.

A free Mac utility for remapping keys. I use it to build a custom modifier layer.

Comments: Caps Lock is my hyper key because of it. One keypress opens a whole layer.

A self cleaning litter box with app control and weight tracking. Fits up to four cats.

Comments: I stopped scooping. It cycles after each visit and tells me when to empty the drawer.

A lightweight Croslite foam clog. Ventilated, waterproof, takes Jibbitz charms.

Comments: Mine are pink. I wear them for errands and garden work because they are stupid comfortable.

A black leather high top Chuck with rubber toe cap and vulcanized sole.

Comments: My everyday sneaker. Black goes with everything and looks better beat up.