Last Updated on April 3, 2023 by Hammy Havoc

I’m always interested in seeing what other people use within their workflows, so I borrowed the idea of a Uses page from Hammy Havoc’s Uses page.

While I’ve always been quite picky about the gear I use for both leisure and in a professional capacity, nothing trumps what can be boiled down to “personal taste”. However, with that said, you do still need the right gear to get you to where you want to go but sometimes, you do need to just get yourself going.

It’s important to understand that a lot of hardware and software tends to be heavily modified to my personal needs. There is not much that is in an OOBE state, and not being brand loyal to gear, anything can change at a given moment.

Personal Computer

Hardware

My desktop PC is a custom-built setup, which I use for just about everything. I happen to share the same sentiment as Hammy Havoc: Computers are to be used, not looked at in awe. While I do not have the fortunate ability to toss the computer into another room, I do have all the glamor turned off and tossed in a corner where I am not drawn to it. With that said, I recently upgraded from an AMD FX8350 based system to the following setup:

  • Intel Core i9-10900K Processor
  • ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XII HERO Motherboard
  • Zotac GeForce RTX 3060 Ti
  • 2.5TBs of SSDs
  • 32GB of RAM
  • Akai MPK Mini
  • A standard MIDI controller with an onboard soundcard with audio in and out
  • Logitech G604 Wireless Mouse
  • Corsair K65 Keyboard (RGB Off)

Portable Hardware

Smartphone

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is currently in my pocket, or rather, back pocket. It’s not been the best of experiences of a device, if I am going to be honest, but it turns on and does the job.

  • Gmail
  • Vivaldi
  • FolderSync
  • Obsidian

Services

Web Hosting

I host my website on DataPacket. Their uptime and great customer service give me one less thing to worry about.

File Sharing

NextCloud has been a rock solid solution for getting much needed files to and from the rest of the crew at Split An Atom, as well as family and friends, and most importantly, clients. Just send a link with the desired permissions and Bob’s your uncle!

Password Manager

I’ve been using Vaultwarden, an unofficial server for Bitwarden apps. It has been a very solid solution. The biggest draw is that the software is written in Rust, and therefore isn’t very resource intensive in comparison to Bitwarden.

Communications

The only messaging app I have installed on my devices is Element, and that’s my favorite Matrix protocol client, which is FOSS.

I then bridge in third-party services such Facebook Messenger and other socials or messaging platforms. This has effectively given me the unified messenger I’ve been looking for since I joined the Android userbase.

Personal Productivity

MyLifeOrganized

Organization hasn’t always been my strongest suit, and with MyLifeOrganized it has gotten much easier. I won’t lie: Being able to sum everything up as tasks and even create dependencies on a per-task level has been a dream. It means that only actionable tasks are shown to me that I can then complete and move onto the next item. It will hide everything else that I am not able to do yet so I can focus my attention to what is do-able.

The Contexts is a cool function. It lets the user assign certain tasks to certain devices at other workstations, times, or days. Tasks only shown with that can be done right in the moment.

Get 10% off the Pro Windows version with this code: MLOresHammyHavocAT7913. Great software made in the Ukraine.

The Small Stuff

  • Canon Rebel T3i and I primarily shoot with an 80MM lens
  • Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro: They do the job for music on-the-go or a quick call on a walk with the pooch
  • Status Audio CB-1