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Liam Richardson

/uses

Inspired by Wes Bos (as I found his resource very useful) this is a quick rundown of the things I use day to day for work / general messing around.

Editor + Terminal

I'm using Cursor, but just dipping my toes into the AI hype train. It was pretty straight forward to transfer all my Visual Studio Code settings, though a couple of teething options to sort out. Appearance wise I'm using:

I never really need a separate terminal app, but if I do, its a mix of Ghostty or iTerm2.

Shell

I'm using Oh My Posh to style my prompt in ZSH. I ended up making my own but used Dracula as a starting point. This is mostly replicating the functionality I liked from Wes's setup.

I use Amazon Q for code completion in the terminal, somewhat by accident as they acquired Fig. But, seems to work.

Desktop Apps

My go-to browser is Firefox these days. I quite like being the only person on a team with a different browser. Good for catching obscure bugs before/as/after they go live.

For design stuff, I'm now fully onboard the Figma train. It's great, and I hope Adobe they don't ruin it.

Hardware

I have a 14 Inch Macbook Pro (2021). Having had an M2 Air for a short time for work, I don't think I'd buy a Pro model again. These M series chips are insane, and I don't think I've heard the fans once.

On my desk is a Samsung 27" S80TB ViewFinity UHD Monitor which I managed to get for a steal from Costco. Its not perfect, but was over £1000 cheaper than the Apple Studio Display.

For input, I'm using the combo of a Logitech MX Master 3 mouse and Logitech MX Keys. I spent years on the Apple Magic Keyboard & Mouse, but I find my wrists less painful after a few days of hard work with these, which I attribute mostly to the mouse.

Desk

My Desktop is a stupidly heavy bit of wood rescued from an office refurbishment job in Bristol. A friend saw a load of wood going in the bin, so just chucked it in his boot and gave me a call. For legs, I'm using Flexispot EF1 which I like, especially for the price.

I'm using Fully Jarvis Dual Monitor Arms, with a laptop stand on one of the arms. I was lucky enough to be given this by a friend, and don't think I'll go back now.

To hide a few old drill holes I'm using a Dotgrid Black deskmat, mostly as it had a good review from David Darnes.

My chair is an Ikea LÅNGFJÄLL. Bought it mostly because it was pretty cheap when we first moved back from Canada, it actually suits me well.

Audio

At home, I have a Numark tt-1700 turntable, which I was given by my step-brother. It's not my ideal turntable, but for now, it works. That's hooked up to a ProJect Phono Box E phono stage. To switch between my laptop and the record player I use a JDS Labs OL Switcher, which feeds into a set of Kanto YU powered speakers.

It's a small/cheap ish setup, which I'm planning on investing a bit more into over the next few years. A proper DAC is next on my shopping list, probably from JDS Labs, then maybe a ProJect AUTOMAT A1

On the go, I'm using a pair of Apple Airpods Pro. I can take or leave the noise cancellation and the price tag, but the seamless pairing/switching between my phone/laptop/iPad is hands down the best feature.

I've still got a pair of Shure SE215s, but I mostly use these with the Playstation so as not to disturb others in the house.

Gaming

My go-to console is a PlayStation 5, but I only really play 3/4 games a year. I picked up a PS Plus account to play some classics on the cheap.

I keep thinking about a Steam Deck, but not pulled the trigger just yet.

Coffee

Espresso

This was the big lockdown hobby that now dominates my life. After putting it off for a long time I ended up getting a good price on a Gaggia Classic (2019), which I've modded with a couple of accessions from Shades of Coffee.

I pair this with a Eureka Mignon Zero grinder, which doesn't look super pretty, but had good reviews and I'm happy with it. The dream is a Niche Zero, but Im hoping the release a flat burr version, or multi-purpose burrs for the Duo.

Filter

For filter brewing, I use a Hario V60 or an AeroPress, which for both I have a variety of paper, metal, and cloth filters. When travelling, I'll normally carry a MiiR Pourigami.

I've brought into Fellow, picking up a Stagg EKG Electric Kettle and Tally™ Pro scales.

The coffee bar is getting a bit excessive, but maybe I'll pick up a Clever Dripper and some sort of Mokka Pot in the near future.

As for techniques/recipes/ratios, I'll do whatever James Hoffmann recommends.

Other

Further Reading

Make sure to check out uses.tech for other people's setups.