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Tools

It always bugs me when a piece of media is presented without reference to the tools which created it. Why typesetters would pass up the chance to brag about artisanship or indulge in roundels and upside-down pyramids is beyond me.

Web

This site is hosted by Vultr somewhere in New Jersey on el cheapo VPS. Nginx serves the pages. I use Hugo as a static site generator, which I realize is like using an atomic bomb to deal with a mole in your lawn. Theme is my own design (crazy, I know).

Personal Computer

Intel i9-14900k, Nvidia RTX 4070ti, 32GB fast RAM (memory controller can’t handle four sticks). Corsair 5000D Airflow full-tower case.

65" LG C4 4K TV, which works pretty well as both monitor and home theater.

NB Most real work can be done on a computer from 1995. If you’re in need of more processing power, SSH into a VPS. Don’t be a mindless consumer. When I turn on my PC, the inrush current makes the ceiling light sag. I feel a little bad about it, but it’s more waste to downgrade than it is to keep what I have. Also, not all of my work is real work.

Software

I use Arch, btw. But seriously, it’s the rolling release distro with the best ecosystem, including user-submitted buildscripts for ~100k additional packages, which is the killer feature. Takes the headache out of installing less-popular utilities and heavy binary-release applications.

I don’t always use the most minimal application for the job, because I don’t have to. See Personal Computer.

NAS

6 x 12TB Z2 array (48TB usable) in my old gaming PC case, TrueNAS Scale OS.

Phone

Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G. Display in grayscale mode to decrease addictiveness.

I’d like to break out my smartphone into a dumbphone, compact camera, and digital audio player, but I love Google Maps and the battery is still going strong. Maybe some day.

Photography

Nikon Z9 with 50mm f/1.8 S, 24-70mm f/2.8 S, macro 105mm f/2.8 S.

I shoot RAW+BASIC. I use darktable for downselect and development. I aim for about 1% yield on “Yeah, I would print that”.

Phone in a pinch. I have a D200, Coolpix, and even the old man’s Sony Cyber-Shot S75 in reserve, but I’m not that much of a hipster.

Stationery