What I use
Hardware
My main workstation is a 2021 Macbook Pro with the M1 Pro chip. The hardware is fantastic in almost every way, but the software is a bit of a downgrade 1 from a solid Linux setup.
When working from my desk, I use a Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic keyboard2, and a big additional monitor. Using a laptop stand to lift the laptop to eye level is a must.
Software
For Linux desktops, I use Arch Linux (btw), with the tiling window manager i3. 3
In my Mac setup, I heavily utilize yabai, skhd and karabiner-elements. With enough tinkering, it is possible to recreate most of the i3 experience. 4 My setup is based on these dotfiles.
Most of my coding happens using the laptop as a thin client to a remote server. Visual Studio Code and its forks are very good for this, especially for remote development over SSH. All of these editors have Github Copilot support, which is unbelievably cheap for what it does. I currently prefer Cursor, in spite of being double the price of Copilot and its incomplete VS Code feature set and because its AI features are (as of May 2024) better than anything you can get in VS Code. If GitHub Copilot catches up, I will likely switch back.
For quick scripts, I use Neovim, with various plugins installed via vim-plug. For general LLM interactions, I paid for TypingMind. For taking certain types of notes, I use org-mode in Spacemacs. It is simple, local-first, has Vim keybindings, and can render inline LaTeX fine. However, I prefer Google Docs for anything collaborative, as well for my weekly planning.
For keeping work todos, I use Asana. Recently I’ve subscribed to Setapp, mostly for Timing and Bartender.
I endorse Anki, especially the mobile version.
Web
For web browsing, I use Firefox with the following life-saving extensions: vimium, OneTab, Enhancer for Youtube and uBlock Origin.
Travel accessories
The following travel accessories bring quite a lot of value:
- packing cubes (Go Travel is fine, one if backpack, two if suitcase);
- comfortable noise-cancelling headphones (Sony WH-1000XM4);
- a power bank small enough to fit in a pocket.
See also Vitalik’s backpack travel guide.
Pen and paper
I like the Pilot G2-07, black ink. Dots ~ plain > checkered > lined.
It comes with a usable mouse, and works with Linux out of the box. Very good value for money.↩︎
Since dropping Windows a long time ago, I used Ubuntu, then Arch, then Manjaro for a long time, then switched back to Arch on a new laptop. Manjaro and Arch are very similar and somewhat better than the others. There is no bloat at all if you go with i3.↩︎
I didn’t succeed completely – for example, with multiple displays, it doesn’t seem possible to label workspaces non-consecutively. If you have any ideas on how to do this, please let me know!↩︎