Jarkko
Asgård

Tools of Trade

My home and work setup have typically produced a strong Apple reality distortion field. Ever since I bought my first aluminum 15" MacBook Pro in 2008, the amount of hardware I possess has diminished. I prefer trackpad over a mouse, and keyboard shortcuts over a trackpad. I haven't had a mouse at home or work in over a decade.

When it comes to software, I have experimented a bit more. I tend to favor software and services built by smaller players in their field.

I am a recovering configuration junkie. Nowadays, I try to get by with default settings as much as possible. One exception to the rule is the keyboard layout I'm using, Programmer Fvorak.

Software

  • macOS as the operating system of choice (since the early 90s)
    • Previously Ubuntu (home, 2019-2020)
  • Vivaldi for browsing the web (since 2015), Firefox for web development (since 200x)
    • Previously Opera (pre-WebKit), Safari for browsing
  • PhpStorm (since 2014) as IDE
    • Previously WebStorm (home, 2014-2020) Coda (2010-2014), NetBeans, Eclipse
  • Vim as command-line text editor
  • Strongbox for password management (since ~2022),
  • ExpressVPN for hiding my ass online in all of my devices (since 2018)

Services

  • DuckDuckGo for searching the web (since 2012)
  • Fastmail as my email service provider (since 2016)
  • YNAB for budgeting (since 2019)
  • Linode Virtual Private Server for hosting (since 2015)
  • iCloud as cloud storage (since 2020)
  • Deezer for streaming music (since 2024)
    • Previously Spotify (premium 2010-2024)
  • Polar Flow and Strava for keeping track of my exercise activities (since 2016)

Hardware

  • MacBook M1 Pro (16-inch, 2021)
    • Previously MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014), MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo, 15-inch, Early 2008)
  • 34" LG 34UC99-W(2020)
  • Ultimate Hacking Keyboard v1 (since 2018)
  • Apple Magic Trackpad (since 2018)
  • Shure MV7 microphone (2024)
  • Sony WH-1000XM3 (2019), Apple Airpods Pro (2020)
  • iPhone 13 mini 128 GB (midnight, 2022)
    • Previously iPhone XS (black), iPhone SE (rosegold), Ubuntu Phone, iPhone 4 (white), Nokia Lumia (fuchsia)
  • Network: Ubiquiti Switch 8 PoE, UniFi WiFi access point, EdgeRouter X, Raspberry Pi 4 (model B)

Other

  • Polar Vantage V watch for tracking my exercises (since 2020)
    • Previously Polar M400 watch + heart rate monitor (2016-2020)
  • Asics shoes (Gel-Kayano) for road-running, Salomon (Speedcross) for trail-running