Software I like
I wanted to make a list of the software that I quickly install after setting up a new computer. In the age of cloud applications, I think people undervalue the utility of high quality desktop applications. I’m always interested in hearing about software that people use and love.
Mac software
Screenotate
Screenotate augments the built-in Mac screenshot tool. All of your screenshots now get OCRed and saved to a folder, along with metadata such as the program or URL you were on. It’s a must have for me, and it’s so cool to be able to grep my screenshots.
SizeUp
SizeUp is a minimal window manager. It adds customizable hotkeys that move and organize the windows on your screen.
My friend Jack showed me SizeUp a couple of years ago and I didn’t really get it. I gave it a try again a couple of months ago and I get it now. It’s the easiest way to tame what’s on my Mac’s screen, and I’m now able to use just the keyboard to navigate my computer.
ToothFairy
If you have any bluetooth devices that you regularly pair with your Mac (bluetooth headphones like Airpods, wireless mice, keyboard, etc), you need this app. It provides a menu bar icon or keyboard shortcut to one-click pair the devices. Most of the hassle of pairing is now gone. I highly recommend it.
The Tagger
The Tagger provides the best interface to tag music. It’s easier to use than iTunes, and it really helps me keep my music library consistently tagged and organize. It also feels like an extension of Finder, which I think is a great plus for these types of workflows.
Arq
Most people don’t back up their computers. It’s a thing that isn’t as needed since nowadays, most people consume and author media in the cloud, or have automatic cloud backups for things like pictures.
I use Arq to keep hourly, encrypted backups of my laptop to Backblaze B2. It’s a really simple and well done piece of software.
iA Writer
I’m writing this blog post with it. It’s a high quality markdown editor. I think there isn’t a text editor for everyone - people mean different things when they say they want a “text editor”. This minimalist markdown editor does the job for me.
iOS
Strong
Strong tracks workouts. I find it really easy to use during my workouts, and I like all the statistics and data it provides. It also has a great integration with Apple Health which I appreciate.
Reeder 3
I use Reeder 3, combined with Newsblur to consume a large amount of my news. I really like how it syncs my news for offline reading in the background. The app always feels very fast and responsive.
Deliveries
The easiest way to track package deliveries, synced between all my devices.
CLI
ripgrep
The fastest grep tool, written in Rust. I have grep aliased to it on all of my machines. It’s really nice being able to instantly search hundreds of text files for strings and regex. I use this a lot at work.
youtube-dl
Despite its name, it’s a CLI tool that downloads anything from the web. Just run youtube-dl ${url} and it’ll download it. It always surprises me how many sites it works on.
fish
It’s the best shell. (Obviously many disagree, but it’s the shell I feel the most comfortable in.)