What Does Tom Use?

Programming

I mostly work with JavaScript and TypeScript. Within the world of JS, I often use React (sometimes as part of Next.js or Gatsby) and D3. I’ve also got experience with Node on the backend.
I’ve also used Python for scraping, data cleaning, and sometimes backend work like with Django.
I can use PHP if I must…

Apple MacBook Pro with M1 Max, 2021 model
Apple iMac 2017 model with 27-inch 5k display
Apple Magic Keyboard. Previously I used a Keychron K1 mechanical keyboard, but one of the switches started to stick in a bad way!
Logitech MX Vertical Wireless Mouse, a “shark fin” style mouse for when regular mice have worn your wrist out
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Bose QuietComfort 35 noise-cancelling headphones with Wicked Cushions replacement ear pads, used mainly at my desk
Sony WF-1000XM3 noise-cancelling earbuds used mainly on the go, with Comply TrueGrip Pro Memory Foam Tips to not fall out of my apparently massive earholes
APC BX850M Battery Backup and Surge Protector (which uses RBC17 replacement batteries) to keep my equipment running during power outages
Sakura Pigma 005 pens, which are great for tiny writers like me who hate to see their letters bleed together
A6 Spiral-bound Dot Grid Notebooks are perfect for daily time-block planning
Muji A5 gridded notebooks for everyday scribbling
Rhodia A5 dot grid notebook for more substantial journaling
Autonomous.ai SmartDesk 2, bamboo top with black frame

A password manager—I’m not saying which. If you’re not using one already, just pick one and go for it!
I write most code in Visual Studio Code. Aside from language support, I use these extensions for quality of life improvements.
- GitHub Copilot, though honestly I turn it off a lot. Good Intellisense beats Copilot.
- EditorConfig for VS Code to respect any .editorconfig settings.
- Pretty TypeScript Errors
- Better Comments
- Color Highlight
- indent-rainbow
- Rainbow CSV
- Trailing Spaces
Warp with oh my zsh shell.
Anki is great for spaced repetition, an excellent way to memorize things.
Firefox is my primary browser, and my favorite add-on is uBlock Origin for content blocking.
I use git for version control, GitHub as a place to keep my repositories, and GitKraken as a GUI because I’m lazy in that way.
I’ve been using Adobe Creative Cloud (and it’s previous incarnations) since the early 2000s, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Premiere.

Almost anything is easy to cook with minimal mess using a combination of an air fryer, pressure cooker, and sous vide and 12 quart container.
For an easy way to cook veggies, pour a bag of your preferred frozen veggies into a hot oiled wok for around ten minutes. I add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and soy sauce for extra flavor. If I’ve already got some leftover meat—usually pulled pork—I’ll add that in too.
Müeller Vacuum Sealer for preparing food for sous vide, or for storage.
Some good general accessories: OXO Tongs, Kuhn Rikon soft edge slotted spatula
I’m a weirdo who tracks literally everything I eat to the gram. The OXO food scale makes that a lot easier.
My current coffee stack:
- Swing’s Silent Cal decaf, which is both an excellent decaf and easy to procure as I live close to them.
- Capresso electric grinder, because my wife kept complaining what a pain it is to manually grind beans with my Hario coffee mill.
- Electric kettle
- AeroPress
- Diner-style mug
- In the past I’ve also used a Chemex, but I broke it and haven’t replaced it yet.

For tracking fitness data, I use: the Oura Ring (third generation) for tracking sleep and activity; Greater Goods WiFi Smart Scale; a body measuring tape for recording things like arm, leg, and waist circumference; and Cronometer for tracking my diet and consolidating fitness data from other apps.
I mostly lift dumbbells at home. I’ve also got a bench, a pull-up bar, and resistance bands.
For working on tight muscles, I use a TriggerPoint Foam roller.