Uses
· 2 min readFewer tools, used more deeply. I prefer software that stays out of the way, keeps data local when it can, and still works on old machines.
Hardware #
Keeping laptops for a decade is a choice: less waste, less OS churn, more familiarity.
Laptops #
- MSI GT70 (2012): Primary workstation. A heavy desktop-replacement that is still snappy under Linux.
- CPU: Intel Core i7-3610QM | GPU: NVIDIA GTX 675M | RAM: 8GB | Storage: Dual SSD (120GB) + 750GB HDD
- ASUS Zenbook UX305 (2014): Fanless ultra-portable for travel, reading, and writing.
Mobile #
- Google Pixel 10 Pro: Phone for reading, spaced repetition, and messaging.
Operating system #
Keyboard-driven, no window clutter.
- CachyOS: Arch-based Linux, tuned so this hardware still feels current.
- i3: Tiling window manager. Everything is a keybinding.
- Alacritty: GPU-accelerated terminal. Fast, no tabs, no config UI.
- fish: Interactive shell with syntax highlighting and history autosuggestions.
The extras live on a separate command-line tools page.
AI #
Fewer AI tools every month. Venice.ai is replacing them one by one.
- Venice.ai: Default for almost everything AI. Chat, image and video generation, transcription fallback, and private access to open-weight and frontier models. My referral link gets you $10 of free credit.
- OpenWhispr: Voice input. Local inference for transcription, Venice when the laptop isn't enough.
- Pi: My main coding agent in the terminal. Models served through Venice.
- NotebookLM: I upload books, papers, and notes, then ask across them.
- Gemini: Long-form planning, structured research, and anything that needs live web search or Google services.
- Antigravity CLI: Mostly because it's bundled with my Google plan, so I might as well.
Desktop #
Reading, writing, remembering.
- Neovim: Editor for writing and code.
- Obsidian: Local-first notes.
- Anki: Spaced repetition for languages and anything I want to keep.
- Calibre: DRM-free ebook library.
- Brave Origin: Debloated Brave on Linux: privacy and ad-blocking, no Web3, rewards, or AI extras.
Mobile #
Only what I actually open away from the desk.