Tools
I always find it interesting to see what people use to get things done day to day. It is so easy to find the first thing that works and never ask is there something better.
This is an in-progress list of what I use:
HARDWARE
Apple iMac 15,1 (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
– 3.5 GHz Quad Core Intel Core i5-4690K (passmark 7719) (geekbench 11468)
– AMD Radeon R9 M290X 2GB (passmark 3839) 5120 x 2880
– 16GB DDR3-1600 RAM (11.3GB/sec)
– 1TB Fusion HD (write 305 MB/s – read 598 MB/s)
Microsoft Wireless Keyboard 2000
An affordable keyboard with volume and media keys not overriding Function keys, builtin palm rest and unnoticeable wireless connectivity.
ASUS VivoBook S400C – 14″ touchscreen laptop
– 1.7 GHz Dual Core Intel Core i5-3317U (passmark 3089)
– Intel HD Graphics 4000 (passmark 452) 1366×768
– 8GB DDR3-1600 RAM
– 500/24GB Hybrid SHDD
Dell 3040 – 20″ touchscreen AOI
Autonomous SmartDesk (sit/stand desk)
Nikon D3200 – DSLR camera (24MP)
LG105R – 360 degree camera (16MP)
Canon Selphy CP760 – 4×6 dye sublimation printer
Rigol DS1054Z – 4 channel 50Mhz oscilloscope
Printrbot Simple 2014 – 3D Printer
USCutter MH721-MK2 – 28″ vinyl cutter
CODING
xCode (mac) –
Arduino IDE
JetBrains IDE
Sourcetree (each new release has been getting worse/buggier)
Unity
jadx (win/linux/mac)- DEX to Java Android Decompiler
Counterparts Lite (mac) – if you do iOS localization, this tool is a must have.
Hex Fiend (mac)
GRAPHICS
Pixelmator – photoshop style editor
Intensify – lightroom style editor
Sketch – great replacement for Adobe Illustrator and even better at UX/UI design
Blender – open-source 3D modeling tool
OpenSCAD –
SketchUp –
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Genome Compiler – free
SnapGene Viewer – free plasmid mapping, primer designer
UTILITIES
Etcher – writes img/iso/zip images to sd/flash drives
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test – tests read/write speed of disk drives
Magnet – divides your screen into grid zones, great for 4K screens
Cyberduck
Fritzing – open-source circuit diagramming tool
Stockfolio –
Packet Peeper – easier to install alternative to wireshark for mac
Vector 3 – sound editor
Audio Hijack – can capture sound from individual app and do realtime DSP sound processing
brainworx Stereo Widener VST Plugin
I'm a 29 year old UIUC Computer Engineer building mobile apps, websites and hardware integrations with an interest in 3D printing, biotechnology and Arduinos.