This list has been curated together after a half dozen or so years looking for the “perfect solution” for a number of problems I regularly face.

I spend a lot of time deeply considering the items and tools I have and use. It seems silly to me to use something with any degree of regularity that I do not find 100% satisfying or functional. Some of them are material things, but I’ve also taken the time to highlight software that makes my life better.

I hope this list inspires you to further scrutinize the things you carry.

Outlining these objects was inspited by the work of Jeremy Maluf.

Pockets

• Thiers Issard Tonneau Folding Knife: Cocobolo/Steel - I need a corkscrew on my pocket knife, which is great because it reduces decision paralysis to two knife makers. This is the best one.
• Wingback Wallet: Black Leather - Carries exactly all the cards I need and nothing more.
• 3D Printed Money Clip: Black PLA - I don’t like to carry cash, but when I do, this suffices.
• Craighill Wilson Keyring: Titanium - Highly effective, beautiful, simple keyring.
• Kyocera 902KC Flip Phone: Black. Read more about it here.
• Travelers Journal - Passport Size: Black Leather - Accept no imitation. Dotgrid notebooks, plastic cardholder.
• Hobnichi Techo Day Planner: One journal for what needs to be thought, this for what needs to be done.
• Onyx Boox Palma: The Boox ecosystem of easy eBook Transfer has made this my favorite device of the year so far.
• Sony ICD-UX570 Digital Voice Recorder: Journaling my feelings has never really clicked for me. Ranting into a microphone on a sidewalk corner certainly does.
• Modded iPod Classic 5th Gen: Has 500GB Memory, which currently holds my entire 1000+ record library with no issues. See my fundamental principles for information of why I use this instead of something else.

Watches

I prefer a watch that is lightweight, with a white dial and steel bezel. When I am doing film development work, a chronometer is crucial. With that in mind, here are a few watches I frequently use.

• Timex Waterbury Piezoelectric - Brown Leather: Gift from Partner. Timex keeps on ticking.
• Vintage CTAPT Mechanical - Black NATO: Minimalistic, reliable, functional.
• Svalbard FA30: Black Leather - Limited edition Decimal Watch. Current Daily Driver.

Bag

• Cargo Works Shoulder Bag: Black Nylon - Compact and discreet, and even though I fill it with so many things, it still has space remaining.
• Kaweco Liliput: Brass - A very good fountain pen that in all my years of using it has never dried out or spilled ink.
• Art of Play Ladymoon/Papercuts Playing Cards (Gift from Partner)
• FED50 Film Camera: Favorite Point and Shoot. Usually loaded with Ilford HP-5.
• iFixit Moray Precision Screwdriver Set.
• Commerical Electric M1015B Analog Multimeter. Cheap & Cheerful.

Clothes

• Muji Denim Jeans: Slim Fit. Best jeans in price category.
• Custom Black Peacoat: If you wear something every day, you need to get it custom made.
• Red Wing Iron Rangers: Black - Every day, comfortable boot.
• Fluevog Twin Turbines: Black - Fancy shoes for fancy events.
• Ollie Quinn Glasses: Arlo Frame Style for Readers, Noramy for Sunglasses.

Desk

• Grado Labs SR80e Prestige Headphones: Black - My favorite all-time headphones and a critical tool for how I listen to music and process audio. All the music I have ever loved has been listened to through Grados.
• Fiio E10K DAC: Drives the Headphones.
• Tula Mic
• FORMSKÖN Water Bottle: Stay Hydrated.
• Gridfinity Organizers: 3D Printed Desk Organizers that are fully modular and stackable. Life Changing.

Laptop

I use a Framework 13" as my Daily Driver. It is repairable and lightweight.

I have been a user of Arch Linux for many years.

Recently I have moved over to Manjaro after a series of issues with reversions in Intel drivers.

Software

• Obsidian: My second brain; Anything I read and write gets dumped into here.
• VSCode: You can either spend time tinkering with your IDE or you can actually get work done.
• Firefox: We must all do our part to prevent a monopoly in Browser Engines.

Firefox Plugins

• New Tab Override: I use this to set my new tab to my Homepage.
• Unpaywall: Helps redirect from journal paywalls to open-access alternatives.
• uBlock Origin: I will not look at the ads. You can’t make me. A world without this plugin is one where I don’t use the internet.

Retired Items

Some things have been replaced over the years, often due to changes in how I live and work. They’re still of note and quality, so they’ve been archived below.

• Laguoile Folding Knife: Rosewood/Bronze - Keeps sharp, beautiful, simple as can be. When closed, the flat spine can open bottles, and a practiced hand can even open cans. Changed to the Thiers Issard Tonneau Folding Knife because I need the corkscrew.
• Nothing Ear (1) Headphones: Black - All wireless earbuds are bad and these are the least bad. Primarily used for taking phone calls. These broke after one year of semi-infrequent use. Would not recommend. Just buy Skullcandy Dimes if you need wireless earbuds, they’ll break just as fast but it won’t hurt the wallet as much when they do.
• AdNauseam: A plugin so good they banned it from the Chrome Store. Not working any longer, switched to uBlock Origin
• Moaan Ink Palm 5: Green - The best pocket sized eReader. Syncs with ReadWise & Obsidian. Upgraded to the Onyx Boox Palma
• Rollei 35 T Camera With Ilford HP5+ Film Shutter Failure caused Early Retirement.