Uses

Heads up! I actually use everything listed here. This page is inspired by uses.tech. Most of the hardware here isn't mine. A few of the links on this page will send me a little money if you click them and buy the thing. I only recommend things I actually use and love. I promise!

Last updated: ...

Personal/Work IT

Apple MacBook Pro M5 – Work

  • RAM: 24 GB
  • SSD: 512 GB

"My Smart Life"

  • Google Pixel 8
  • CMF Buds Pro

Work Peripherals

  • Logitech MX Keys
  • Ugreen Mouse
  • Trotten desk – Standing desk

Network and Homelab

Main Router

  • Mikrotik hAP ax²

UGreen NASync DXP4800 Plus - Home/Work NAS

  • RAM: 64 GB DDR5 4800 MHz
  • Cache: 512 GB NVME Samsung
  • HDD: 2 x 8 TB + 1 x 4 TB + 1 x 2 TB
  • OS: TrueNas Scale

Raspberry Pi 4 - Home Assistant

  • RAM: 2 GB
  • SD Card: None
  • Additional SSD – Adata 120 GB SSD
  • CPU: Broadcom BCM2711, quad-core Cortex-A72 (ARM v8)
  • OS: Home Assistant

Software:

  • 1Password – Password manager for me and my family
  • Ente Auth – Stores 2FA tokens
  • VSCode – After using Sublime for many years, moved to VSCode like everybody else
  • Docker Desktop – Easy way to check Docker containers
  • Sequel Ace – MySQL/MariaDB database management for macOS
  • Homebrew – The "App Store" that macOS should have had
  • Raycast – The search/shortcut you deserve

Hosting (Websites/"Bots"/Databases):

  • Hetzner – VPS and dedicated servers for all hosted projects
  • Bunny – CDN for static assets and media delivery
  • Backblaze B2 – Object storage for backups and large file archives
  • Cloudflare – DNS, DDoS protection, edge caching, and Pages deployments
  • Tailscale – Zero-config VPN to securely connect all my machines and servers

Work Services

  • Algolia – First choice when adding search capabilities to any project
  • Cloudflare – The DNS service used with all domains. Amazing product
  • Gumroad – The platform used as a creator to sell things online
  • Kayak – Makes it easier to find flight itineraries and share them with family

History:

  • 2026 – Mac Studio 2023 (M2 Max, 32 GB, 512 GB) – returned to the company
  • 2024 – MacBook Air M1 late 2020 (16 GB, 256 GB) – burned
  • 2025 – "Monster" – Gaming/VM setup (Ryzen 5 1600, RX 580 8 GB, 32 GB DDR4) – wife stole it to use as a server
  • 2024 – Minisforum EliteMini HM90 (Ryzen 9 4900H, 32 GB, Proxmox VE) – sold
  • 2024 – Mac mini M1 2021 (RAM: 16 GB, SSD: 512 GB) – returned to wife's work
  • 2024 – Nothing Phone 2, 12 GB RAM 256 GB – 99% sure next device will NOT be a Nothing – sold
  • 2024 – CMF Watch Pro – 99% sure next device will NOT be a Nothing – sold