Below is a running list of the devices I use on a regular basis. Not all of it is ‘cool and shiny’, you’ll find quite a bit of it is old and antiquated but still capable of doing a job. As an advocate for resourcefulness and sustainability, I proudly hold on to my devices far beyond their deemed ‘usefulness date’. Turning technological obsolescence into a challenge, I maintain many older devices in an ongoing mission. Driven by a desire to minimize my eco-footprint and uncover and share the potential lurking in so-called ‘outdated’ devices, I like to prove that their functionality and effectiveness can outlast manufacturers’ arbitrary obsolescence. Consider it a tech lifestyle that is green and smart and demonstrates that we can make the most of what we have with a bit of creativity and perseverance.

Wearables⌗

  • Apple Watch Series 2: Support ended in 2020 but this things still works… kinda. I need to charge it twice a day if I am doing alot of activity but it works out ok and does it’s primary jobs for me well: tells me my heart rate, how many steps have I taken, and which important notifications should I be aware of. It’s a safe bet though that I will be upgrading this in winter 2023/2024.

Phones, Etc.⌗

  • iPhone 13 Mini: My personal “dumb phone”. A recent upgrade from my iPhone 12 Mini, only because the 12 had a motherboard issue and it only cost me about $100 to upgrade. I plan on having this phone for a very long time and hopefully Apple will revisit their “mini” phone idea sometime in the future.

  • iPhone 12 Max: I don’t use my personal phone for anything work-related, so I have a separate phone for just for work purposes. I use this phone for answering work calls, texts, Slack, and email but can also be quite effective for other work activities (document viewing, GitHub and DataDog dashboards, etc.) due to its large screen size.

  • iPad Air 5: It’s hard to get extra longevity from iPads. I was an early adopter of the iPad back in 2010. I used that original one far past its usefulness until 2015 when I inherited a broken 1st gen iPad Air that I repaired and used until summer of 2022. So this iPad Air 5 - which I use mostly for work - may last a long time given its M1 chip. We’ll see.

Personal Computing⌗

  • 2011 MacBook Air: this is my all-time favorite laptop. Ever. I refuse to let it go. For the past 5 years it’s been running Fedora Linux and it’s my primary laptop. I’ve used it so much in its lifetime I have replaced the battery TWICE. Most all of the writing you see on my website was written on this laptop. At some point I will need to say goodbye to it, but not yet!

  • Surface Pro 4: another device that refuses to die, and my second favorite laptop of all time. Thankfully there are workarounds to get Windows 11 installed on it since the aging processor is not officially supported by that OS. My secondary laptop when I am in the house, and often the laptop I bring with me for Town meetings, etc. It’s also quite handy to have a computer with native inking support.

  • 2015 MacBook Air 11": the laptop I take with me outside the house. Very small and convenient. Hacked with OpenCore to run the newest macOS versions without issue. I love this form factor. The newer 13" MacBook Air is rougly the same size, but currently the M2 chip is not fully supported by many Linux distros and since this one still works well, I’m not willing to spend the money on something new.

  • DIY Gaming PC, 2022: a trip to the MicroCenter in Cambridge, MA got me all the pieces I needed for a decent 1440p gaming machine that also serves as my main programming machine. Aside from gaming I am never actually at this computer, I just remote into it with one of the laptops and program from the comfort of my reading chair. Basic Specs:
    • Intel Core i7-12700F processor
    • 32gb DDR4-2666 RAM
    • 8gb GeForce RTX 3060 GPU
    • 512gb SSD
    • running Windows 11 w/ Fedora as WSL core

Networking, Etc.⌗

  • Home Server: An older Gigabyte BRIX “mini pc” with an Intel i5 processor and 16gb of RAM running Fedora seems to be enough for acting as a web host, Docker server, and Plex server. Runs like a champ with very little maintenance.

  • Pi-Hole: my Raspberry Pi 3 has seen a few different lives. Its current iteration is that of a Pi-hole, acting as my home network’s DNS server and blocking most ads and trackers at the network level.

  • Synology DS418+ NAS: added in 2018, this is our home digital storage solution. Using 4x 4TB drives we get 12TB of RAID 5 storage here. Most devices in the house back themselves up to this NAS, and its also where we store all of our home movies, photos, music collection, etc. It’s also hosting my CardDAV server for now while I explore open-source alternatives.

  • Home Network: my home network is an excellent Unifi system with 3 wired access points that you can read more about here.