What I use and recommend.
Here’s a growing list of all of my favorite stuff for work and life.
Workstation
Zephyrus G15 Laptop
2021 model. Clean look. Keys and trackpad feel great. 3070 GPU is just the right balance of power and heat. The Ryzen 9 5900HS is so fast. 1TB NVMe, and 1TB External SSD for portability. Ports are adequate. Missing a built-in webcam. Either I use my Logitech HD clip-on webcam, connect via phone, or go audio only.
47” External Monitor
My LG 47” LED monitor is way old, but I still love the one large monitor vs 2 small side by side. Anything larger than 47” was too big to work comfortably. It does have a fast 240Hz refresh - and super cool 3D I never needed. I just stick my app windows left and right. No dock needed. Plus, I have the desktop extended to my elevated laptop screen for chat or whatever.
Laptop Stand and Fan
My laptop is kept cool by using a portable iVoler laptop stand on the highest setting. Then a small Vornado Zippi destop fan behind it. I can angle the fan a bit towards me if I want a breeze. Better than a standard laptop cooler tray.
Logitech G915 TKL Keyboard
I had a large gaming keyboard. All the bells and whistles - so rad. Gave it to my son after trying the TKL. Thin profile, super fast. Wifi and Bluetooth. Each charge lasts a long time. Feels great to type on it.
Logitech G502 X with G Powerplay
Used to run wired G502 mouse. All the buttons I will ever need. Feels great in-hand. Now I have the wireless version with the charging pad so never run out of juice.
Software
VS Code
I have tried brackets, sublime, eclipse, netbeans, and some from Jetbrains. However, VS Code seems to be the way of the coder lately. It is free and constantly updated. Everyone uses it. Get it.
Chrome DevTools
For any basic cms website edits, this is the first and only tool needed. Inspect - Edit HTML - Copy working code. Or it can be refactored back into your component.
Figma
My absolute favorite web layout and collaboration tool. Easy and fast way to work together in real time or leave notes. From planning to prototype...Figma does it all. Easy components and instances. Once you figure out the how to select groups and individual elements, it is a simple style reference. I prefer not to use their Auto Layout feature - sounds cool but locks constrained elements together just to wrap. For mobile, it is simpler just to stack elements later than to have every content block element locked down from the beginning. Why limit yourself?
Tailwind CSS
Want to use a css framework? Ultra lightweight and simple to use? Look no further than Tailwindcss. It comes out of the box with a clean look that can easily be customized. I have been a Taiwind fan for several years now. Smart team.
Adobe CC
Industry standard stuff we all have to use. The Affinity products are also pretty cool...just wish they had more cross compatibility with Adobe.
OneNote and OneDrive
Sure, Office 365 is also a industry standard. But these two are my favorite multidevice apps. OneNote keeps my notes as organized as I make it. And OneDrive is great to keep my files accessible and versioned. It has saved me many times. I love how I can easily remove local unused files. Note: It is best not to bog down any file sync setup with npm folders.
Gadgets
Groove Wallet
I am a Groove Life fan. I use their belts and rings. But my favorite thing is their Groove Wallet. A thin front pocket metal slide wallet that vertically fans my cards out with a satifying push click. Take card out to use, then easily slide it back in. I like to slide the card in from the back so when the wallet opens, my last card used always shows at the top. I add a bandaid to the money clip. Lifetime warraty. Cards held securly. Smart design. Last wallet I will ever buy. This replaced my old Ridge Wallet.