This is a tough question! Most of my life circles around writing all kinds of things, mostly non-fiction and fiction prose and computer programs. To me programming is art rather than craft. So is science, because there seems to be an obvious correlation between correctness and beauty.
I have self-published some books about a variety of of subjects, ranging from computer science to statistics, Buddhism and meditation. Then there have been two short excursions to the realm of science fiction. I have also designed and built a lot of science fiction models.
It is hard to be interested in so many things, because most people want you to be the X-guy, whatever X is, and this is not how I work. Today I might be interested in lambda calculus and tomorrow in entomology or poetry or whatever comes my way. I like to really dive into stuff and become completely absorbed in it. Sometimes I go from zero to "I'll write a book about it" within a few months.
My rooms are full of white boards. A good whiteboard marker is an essential tool. My preferred brand is the Pilot V Board Master. Then there are lots of other writing tools, from a Pelikan M200 piston filler fountain pen to an old Wanderer Continental mechanical typewriter to the usual computer gear. I mostly start new endeavors on a sheet of paper or a whiteboard and then migrate to the computer as things begin to take shape.
I really like ThinkPads, but for some reason my current workplace machine is a Dell Latitude E6410 notebook computer. Most probably got it cheap from a used parts dealer. It is underclocked to 750MHz, because that is all I need. Honestly, I could do 99% of my work on a 16MHz 286 box without any significant loss of productivity.
Just to prove the point, I sometimes write texts and programs on my Amstrad NC100 notepad computer. That is a 4MHz Z80-based CP/M machine with 64KB of RAM, and it really feels quite snappy.
The Dell is connected to a 24-inch monitor in upright configuration for reading PDFs and a Cherry G80-3000 linear (black MX) keyboard, which I think is one of the best keyboards ever built.
Are books hardware? I have owned thousands of them in my life, I have read all of them, and they are the foundation of all of my endeavors. I often sell or give away old books, but they still keep accumulating somehow.
My current operating system is FreeBSD 10.1 (which is six years old at this point and has never been updated), but I might return to OpenBSD now that it has good support for low-power states on notebook computers.
My window manager is a patched version of dwm that uses floating layout exclusively instead of tiling. I have one monochrome 80x24 xterm window per workspace as well as one workspace for GV (Ghostscript), and one for some old version of Firefox with JavaScript disabled. I read mail using mutt and Usenet News with tin. All versions are very old, I update software basically when the hardware dies.
For writing prose and programs I use BSD's vi (nvi). I write software in T3X, C89, Klong, and various dialects of LISP. The usual Unix tools are indispensable for gluing things together. Most important to me are the Korn shell (pdksh), awk, sed, and make.
Klong also doubles as a nice scientific calculator for the command line that I use for all kinds of quick calculations. I use a lot of software that I have written myself, because I am only happy when I understand exactly how things work.
What I have. I could not imagine anything that would improve my work flow much. Maybe a slightly larger monitor for PDF reading at some point.
My name is Aundre Larrow, I am a Brooklyn based visual artist that specializes in portrait photography but is stumbling his way into the video space.
My mother and I immigrated from Jamaica around my 3rd birthday and after a brief stint in NY we settled in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
A bit later my theater teacher, Lee Tempest, gave me my first piece of photo hardware, a Minolta SR-T 101. Since that point at age 15, this life as a creative has been kind of a mess for me. More closed doors than open ones actually helped a lot because it helped me figure out where to go next.
Hardware is kind of dumb because it creates false barriers to entry for people and being a creative is already hella costly as is. But here goes.
iPad Pro w/the Pencil, I use this all the time to edit on planes (sounds crazy, but I fly a lot and I frequently am behind the 8-ball on client projects, so being able to download images locally to Lightroom and edit with the pencil is clutch AF.)
MacBook Pro, standard guy. I actually find the laptop to be kind of prohibitive for photo editing but literally every other part of my job, from QuickBooks, to emails to production all goes through this mighty foldable computer.
Canon Mark IV w/ 50mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8, 35mm 1.4. Cameras aren't as important as lenses, don't let anyone tell ya different. I have always loved the UI of the 5D series and the feeling of looking through an optical viewfinder, especially on a full frame camera.
I recently added a Mac Mini to the mix that acts as my backup manager for all my shoots and for getting it on Backblaze, etc. and let me tell you, it's something special.
Also for what it's worth I am a big iPhone and Switch fan. although I love my PS4 I get a lot of anxiety about sitting down that long to play anything, so the Switch is a nice median, especially for long flights - I can tumble into a fictional world for 90 minutes and hop back to work a little less stressed.
The iPhone is legit awesome, it's filled with tabs I never read and photos of memories that are best unsettled by DSLRs.
Adobe Suite, particularly Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere, Rush and Audition. Lightroom is my new favorite baby as of 2016. Organization, and editing, plus with CC I can share gallery proofs with clients. Rush because premiere can get really intense and rush handles vertical video really well.
Mobile apps: VSCO and Unfold. Unfold specifically helps me layout client work on IG stories.
Things I have the delight of borrowing but aren't normally in my setup:
My name is Tae Ha Kim and I am currently a full time YouTuber and Twitch streamer that creates content for the custom mechanical keyboards scene and hobby.
I used to be a software engineer at IBM before pursuing content creation full time. Some of the content I create involve livestreaming the build process of assembling a custom mechanical keyboard, tutorials, and reviews. I've had the opportunity to work with many high profile streamers and gamers as I've gained traction.
I am primarily a PC user as a Twitch streamer and use Adobe for all my editing. Here are my PC specs (list is missing my primary monitor which is a Dell UltraSharp 32" UP3216Q.)
As for keyboards, I rotate through the plethora of keyboards I use about every 2 weeks. My current mice of choice are the Logitech MX Master 3 for productivity and the Logitech G Pro Wireless for gaming. I haven't dived fully into the audiophile world yet but when it comes to listening, I use the Ultimate Ears UE LIVE CIEMs.
I'm pretty serious when it comes to video production so I've collected my fair share of equipment over the years. I currently stream using the Sony A7R III and A6500, but recently picked up a Canon C200 to start creating professional YouTube videos. I've been a self-taught photographer before entering the video space and have a selection of lights ranging from the Aputure 120D and other Aputure lights to recently picking up some Astera light tubes. As a content creator who also live streams for many hours every day, ergonomics were important to me and a standing desk was a must, for which I went with the Uplift V2 as my choice. As for my chair, I fortunately had a friend who was able to get me a brand new Herman Miller Aeron for half the retail price.
I use Adobe Creative Cloud offerings for all my editing! I stream using OBS and StreamElements.
Other software that I use daily include Sublime Text (which I use for basic jotting down of notes and some light programming here and there), Discord, QMK (open source software for remapping keyboards), VIA, Spotify, as well as some gaming here and there.
My dream setup would be to have an even stronger computer with a higher end monitor dedicated for gaming and probably an Eizo monitor for colorgrading. You can never have too much camera gear and I would love to own the new Canon C500 MKII that just came out!
Also can never have enough lighting and lenses. I would love to dive deeper into the audiophile space and try out more high-end headphones and in ear monitors (can't really name specifics as I'm not too aware of what's even out there.)
I'm Dan Quintana, an Australian research scientist living in Norway. The goal of my research is to better understand the role of the hormone oxytocin in how we think, feel, and behave. My job involves organising various research projects, keeping up to date with new research, writing papers, and statistical coding. I share my research process and whatever I find interesting on Twitter.
I also co-host a podcast Everything Hertz about research practices and life in the biobehavioral sciences. This was one of those things that a mate and I thought we'd try for 10 episodes, thinking it would just peter out, but we recently cracked episode 100, so I think it's going ok.
I worked at an Apple reseller when I was an undergraduate student so I'm a diehard Apple fan. My main machine is 2015 MacBook Pro 13-inch model, which is getting a little long in the tooth.
When it comes to podcast hardware, I record directly onto a Zoom H6 via a Shure Beta 87A XLR mic, which plugs into my Mac using a Behringer UCA202 USB audio interface. This also receives the audio signal from my co-host and any guests we have on Skype, which I hear on my Sony MDR-7506 monitor headphones. When we're doing a live video show, I control video feeds and on-screen text via an Elgato Stream Deck. I use a Logitech webcam to capture my own video feed.
For recording my talks, I use a Røde lav mic, and wirelessly transmit the signal either to my MacBook or my iPhone using a Røde Wireless GO transmitter.
For everyday audio I typically use a pair of Apple AirPods. The sound isn't as good as my Sennheiser MOMENTUM headphones, which I use occasionally, but the AirPods are just so damn convenient. Regardless, I mainly listen to podcasts when I'm commuting anyway, so my AirPods do the trick.
When I'm at the office use a Rain mStand to raise my laptop a little higher off the desk and connect it to an external monitor. I use a PlugBug MacBook charger, which is super handy for travel as this includes a USB outlet for charging.
My other main piece of hardware is my iPhone 11, which I use with a Tech21 protective case. I was never one for iPhone cases until I had a toddler that likes to throw things for a laugh.
I write my manuscripts in Word with Zotero as my citation manager. I've tried LaTex, because that's what all the cool science kids are doing, but I don't think the hassle is worth it. Show me a LaTex evangelist and I'll show you someone who doesn't collaborate with Word users. There's too much software hipster-ism out there. I think you should use the software that best gets the job done for you.
For version controlling my Word manuscripts I use Simul, I can't believe more people haven't heard of this service. Think of it like Git but without the hassle. It's also easy enough for my non-techy collaborators to use.
Our lab lives in Slack for communication. This is much better then communicating in email because it removes a lot a friction. It's also easier to keep track of projects, as you keep project-related chat in their respective channels.
For my podcast, I do most of my editing in iZotope RX. Here, I remove background hums, icky mouth-smacking noises, and hisses. I give the audio a final pass in Auphonic for loudness normalisation and put all the audio tracks together using Hindenburg. For recording our video episodes, I use Ecamm Live. It's like OBS Studio, but much easier to use.
I do statistical coding and data visualisation in R using RStudio, which I occasionally livestream. Last year I livestreamed and the analysis and write-up of an entire paper, which was much harder than I thought. I've recently started playing around with Binder, which packages together my data and analysis into an interactive online instance, so that anyone can reproduce my analysis. I think stuff like this is the future of science. I occasionally do statistical analysis in either jamovi or JASP, which are fantastic free alternatives to SPSS.
To make scientific figures I use BioRender. They've got a huge clipart library and if there's something you need that's not in their library, they'll design it for you.
I'm trying to use my iPhone less than I used to so that I can pay better attention to my work and family. I found that having kids has made me much more efficient during the day, so that I can actually have some free time to spend with them in the evenings and weekends. The Screen Time feature on iOS revealed that I was spending a scary amount of time on Twitter, so I recently deleted the app from my phone.
One app that's helped me use my phone less is called Forest. The goal of this app is to grow a forest of trees, but if you exit the app while the timer is running, your growing tree dies. It sounds all very cutesy but it works. And you're not just growing pixels, as the developers use proceeds from the app to plant real trees. So thanks to Forest, I mainly use my iPhone as a camera, to show my toddler the occasional cat videos, to play podcasts via Overcast, for work communication via Slack and email, and occasional web browsing. Oh, I make calls occasionally too.
The two USB ports on my MacBook Pro are not enough for podcasting, so I'd love to have an iMac with a bit more grunt. Running my streaming software and 3 different USB peripherals via a USB hub during podcast streams really gets my MacBook's fans going, which I have to edit out of my podcasts. Otherwise, I'm happy with my MacBook.
I'm Byron Dyce II, a gym owner (Bluprint Fitness) and strength & conditioning coach by trade. We help busy professionals create a socially connected & healthy lifestyle without giving up their favorite activities. We do this by following proven fitness systems and housing a network of hard working individuals who genuinely enjoy working out together. We strive to show everyday people how badass the human body is.
Personally, I use a MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports).
In the gym, we use a Chromebox linked to two TVs with shared screens to stream videos and host the gym software. We also use an iPad linked to speakers for gym music.
For marketing purposes, we use Photoshop and Canva to create content that aligns with our message.
For back end business analysis, we primarily use Google Drive to house all things and Google Sheets (we are spreadsheet nerds) to create "check-lists" within the business.
In the gym, we use Wodify, gym management software that allows us to consolidate everything from results tracking to point of sale functions.
As a person who values time more than anything, I'm always looking for ways to streamline business systems on the backend and always have snapshot of business health. My ideal set-up would be to have a platform that houses all of the following:
Having all of the above in one place would not only make work more efficient (freeing up time), it would allow me to get a faster snapshot of business health at any given time.