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This blog is powered by Tumblr. For many years I was dedicated to Wordpress. Eventually I found Tumblr to be more integrated into the way I read and blog, so it was natural for me to take the jump. (That said, I still use Wordpress for several other projects.)

I use (mt) Media Temple and am a big fan of there service. I also use BlueHost for several other sites I manage for clients.

I’m also an unabashed Apple fan. My first computer was an Apple IIe. Today, my home is filled with Apple computers and products. I’ve even converted my wife and mother to Apple users.

HARDWARE

• MacBook (mid-2008, 2.4 GHz processor, 4GB of memory): This is my main computer
• HP 24-inch widescreen display (Amazon link)
• MacMini (2008): Used as a media center for home office.
• AppleTV (160GB): I’ve hacked this with ATV Flash, and I’ve got a 500GB external hard drive hooked to it.
• iPhone 4: I skipped the 3GS model because I wasn’t due for a discounted upgrade. The jump from the 3G to the iPhone 4 is amazing, and I can’t say enough good about it.
• iPad: This has changed my workflow on the go. It serves as a second display, a movie viewer (to help keep my ADHD in check) or my main work machine when traveling.

APPS

Mainstays

• Safari: Fast. Powerful. Simple. (I use Firefox from time to time.)
• Mail: I don’t like Mail, but it’s the best offering for Mac. I manage multiple email addresses, so webmail is too cumbersome.
• Notational Velocity: Minimalism personified. Used for quick notes, drafts and someday lists. Syncs with Simplenote for iPhone access and as a text editor for iPad. (Simplenote is my blogging app for iPad.)
• Basecamp, Highrise and Backpack: I uses all of 37signals apps to manage my personal workflow, projects for clients and a database of clients, colleagues and important contacts.
• Tweetie for Mac and Twitter for iPhone): Twitter client of choice. Prefer Twitter for iPhone to desktop app.

Workflow

• Reeder for iPad: This syncs with Google Reader and is my main way to read RSS. Sometimes I check Reader on my MacBook, but rarely.
• MarsEdit: All my blog posts are written here.
• iWork: I love Numbers. Pages is a great Word replacement.
• Pixelmator: If I don’t have to launch Photoshop, I don’t.
• Scrivener: The best writing tool around. Period.
• Adobe Suite: Mostly for InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator — my graphic design workhorses.

Other apps

• Hulu Desktop: When I’m using dual displays, it’s often running on my MacBook display as background noise when I’m doing mundane tasks. My wife and I also watch TV in bed with it.
• Transmission: BitTorrent client.
• RipIt: Rip my DVD collections for backup and to load on AppleTV.
• Handbrake: To convert my DVD backups for watching on my AppleTV.
• iTunes: For obvious reasons.
• iPhotos: For obvious reasons.

A word on coding: When it comes to Web design, I’m either schizophrenic or wishy-washy in my workflow. Really, it comes down to what mood hits me. I either use a combination of Textmate/CSS Edit/Transmit or the all-in-one Coda. At the end of the day, I mostly use Coda. If it were not for my overwhelming love of Textmate, I’d probably stick with Coda fulltime.