My Life Stack

What’s a “Life Stack”?

This is my “Life Stack”. I used to call it “Stuff I Use” but “Life Stack” sounds cooler. Either way, it’s a list of things that I use to manage my life or that I simply enjoy using.

Last updated September 2020

Computing

Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch (2019) – Finally, Apple makes a good laptop again.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (2015) – New to me. Running Linux. So far so good, except for the trackpad.
Apple 27" Retina iMac (2017) – A monster with a big, beautiful screen.
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (2018) – I am not an iPad-only person. Not sure I ever will be but this is a great device anyway. The Apple Pencil #2 and the way it integrates with the new iPad is terrific.
iPhone X – It’s an iPhone. A really nice one. I put it in the Computing category but it goes in nearly every category.
Fujitsu ScanSnap – Super-fast and easy document scanning

Software (Work, writing, and “productivity” tools)

Here’s the software that I currently use on a regular basis.

Roam – The hype is real
Emacs – “An extensible, customizable, free/libre text editor — and more.”
Org mode – Tasks, lists, documents, publishing, all in plain text.
DEVONthink – Email Archives, Manuals, PDFs, Scanned documents. Years of archives remain searchable and synced across devices.
BBEdit – As much as I try to remain in Emacs for editing, whenever I need something fancy done with a lot of text, I turn to BBEdit. It’s the editor I’ve used longest. In fact, it may be the piece of software I’ve used longest, period. It remains truly great.
Vim – I’ve used VIM for as long as I can remember. For a number of years it was my only editor, but today I use it mostly for quick local edits or for editing files on servers.
LaTeX – I have no real need for LaTeX but it does such a great job laying out documents that I use it anyway. Mostly, this is done via Org mode but I also use LaTeX directly when I feel like being tweaky.
iTerm2 – I spend a lot of time in a terminal, and I use iTerm2 for that.
Slack – People enjoy hating on Slack but it really is a wonderful replacement for the tangle of emails and reply-all threads that came before.
Gitlab – We use a self-hosted instance of Gitlab at Fusionary and it’s transforming how we work. Issues, code, CI, and documentation all in one place is pretty great.
Git – For a long time I pushed Mercurial over Git, as it was simpler to use and understand. I lost, so Git is where it’s at. Git has gotten much easier to deal with in the past couple of years.
Dropbox – Steve Jobs famously called Dropbox “a feature, not a product”. True or not, Dropbox is a pretty damn good feature. I still don’t trust iCloud. I trust Dropbox.
1Password – Password management
Chronosync – Helps me keep good drive and file backups
Alfred – Launcher and generally useful utility for all sorts of automation and shortcuts
Keyboard Maestro – Macro wizardry. I wildly useful tool for automating things. I’ve also started using it as my text snippet expander and it works great for that, too.
Tinderbox – “The Tool For Notes” indeed. And so much more.

Photography

Software

Lightroom – I hate the idea of keeping my library in the cloud, but love having everything available everywhere all the time. I use the Classic version mostly.
Capture One Pro – Photo library and Raw file editor.
Apple Photos - For iPhone shots and keepers exported from Capture One
Photo Mechanic – Ingesting, tagging, renaming photos from cards. Nothing is faster or easier. I’d like to not need it, but trying to caption and tag dozens of photos at a time is an exercise in frustration in any other app.
SilverFast – Scanning software for the Epson. I can’t tell you how much I hate it, but it gets me the best results.
Luminar - I use Luminar as an editor plugin for Lightroom. Some of the filters are too much fun to resist.
Affinity Photo - Great for when I need to get “fancy”. I don’t enjoy Photoshop and this is a wonderful alternative.

Cameras

I love cameras. Most of mine are old film cameras. Here’s what I’m using currently.

Leica M10-P

The Leica M10-P has been a dream camera. Paired with the fabulous 50mm Summilux-M ASPH I am wanting of nothing.

Hasselblad 500C/M and 503CXi

Medium format film cameras. Some cameras are iconic for a reason. The Hasselblad V series are iconic, beautiful, and superbly engineered. They also produce wonderful images, which is why they are my favorite all-around cameras.

Leica M6

Even though I’ve tried to shelve 35mm film for a while, I can’t help but keep the M6 nearby. Sometimes I pick it up just to feel it in my hands. Leicas really are special cameras. They don’t really help me make better images, but they still make me feel like I could.

Fujifilm X-T3

Great all-around digital camera. I’ve mostly moved off Fuji but I keep this one for when I need something fast and with autofocus. Also, it’s great for video.

Graflex Crown Graphic

Large Format Film Camera. This camera is a total pain in the ass to use, but I love it so. There’s nothing like a 4×5 negative.

Polaroid SX–70 and OneStep2

Other Cameras

Like I said, I love cameras. Here’s a list of the ones I currently own but don’t use as often.

Burke & James Press Camera – 4×5 film camera
Canon 1Ds – Digital SLR camera. Getting old, but what a beast it was in its day.
Canon AE–1 Program – 35mm Film SLR (My first real camera)
Canon Canonet – 35mm rangefinder camera
Canon EOS–1v – Damn good 35mm film SLR
Canon Pro-zoom 814 Electronic – Super8 movie film camera
Fujifilm X100 – Go-everywhere digital
Fujifilm X100T – Go-everywhere digital, updated
Graflex Speed Graphic – Large Format (4×5) Film Camera
Leica IIIf – Barnack!
Leica M3 – Rangefinder camera
Leica M4 – Rangefinder camera
Minolta Autocord – Medium format TLR
Nikon F100 – 35mm auto-focus film camera
Nikon F3HP – 35mm manual-focus film camera. Wonderful!
Olympus OM–1n – 35mm film camera
Olympus OM–2n – 35mm film camera
Olympus Stylus Epic – Compact 35mm film camera

Photo Hardware

Some miscellaneous photo-related support items

Canon PRO–100 – Photo printer that I never use
Epson V750 – Flatbed film scanner. Works great for medium and large format. Less great for 35mm.
Pakon Scanner – For 35mm film scanning. Makes shooting color 35mm film worthwhile. Requires an old Windows computer running Windows XP, which sucks.
Profoto D1 Monolights – I’m fortunate enough to own a couple great monolights. I should totally use them more often.

Darkroom

I haven’t had a darkroom since my recent move, but here’s what’s in storage for when I make room.

Leitz Focomat v35 – 35mm auto-focus enlarger. Solid and reliable. It cost as much as a Volkswagon when it was first produced in 1979. It is an amazing device.
Beseler 45MXT – This is for printing medium and large format negatives. Mine is a little janky but works great overall.
Leitz Focomat IIc – Manufactured from 1956–1983, the Focomat IIc is a giant, over-engineered marvel of an enlarger. I bought mine as a fixer-upper from Craigslist and I still don’t have it working completely. When I do, I may be able to get rid of the v35 and possibly the Beseler.

Lifestyle and Miscellaneous Hardware

Music

Rega P1 Turntable – I love listening to records. I love owning my music and being able to see as well as hear it. I consider the P1 to be a terrific value. Audio people call it a “budget” turntable but I prefer to think of it as a cheap, “high-end” turntable. I’ve used it nearly every day for almost a decade.
Thorens TD 160 Turntable – Classic turntable that I’ve somewhat restored. Sounds great but is a bit finicky.
Rega Brio 3 Integrated Amplifier – Purchased in 2010 to go with P1. It has a good phono stage and still sounds great. I don’t feel a need to replace it.
Roon Optimized Core Kit / NUC - This is my new favorite thing. It’s a tiny computer running the Roon music software and it’s the best way I’ve ever had to listen to, organize, and discover music.

And the rest…

Focal Chorus V Speakers – Pretty good floor-standing speakers in my living room.
Yamaha CD-S300BL CD Player – I still listen to CDs, so I bought a new CD player a few years ago.
Sonos wireless music system – Music everywhere in my house. I have a Play:5, several Play:3s, and an old and
Onkyo A-5VL – Drives the Thorens turnable in my home office.
Grado SR–80e – Best price/performance I’ve found in headphones. I prefer open-back headphones and these are great.
Apple AirPods – The most Apple-like device Apple has released in a while. They work great. I use them primarily for when I’m walking or when making phone calls.
Apple HomePod – I ended up with a couple of these. I prefer the sound to the Sonos and don’t really use the “smart” stuff at all. I stream from Roon.

Other

Amazon Kindle Oasis (2nd gen) – Books on the go. I prefer real books but the Kindle sure is handy. I like the larger size of this model.
Kobe Forma ebook reader – An alternative to Amazon that works great with more formats
Amazon Echo – I have several, but am using them less recently. I don’t love using voice-controlled devices.

Pen and Paper

Leuchtturm 1917 Notebooks – Better than a Moleskine and perfect for use as a Bullet Journal.
Hobonichi Techo Planner – Best little day planners ever. I’ve carried one for five or six years. I sometimes use them only sporadically, but I always come back.
Field Notes - Always have a Field Notes notebook in my back pocket. It’s a way better capture tool than the iPhone
Montblanc Meisterstück rollerball pen – My all-time favorite. I’ve had mine for 20 years. It’s broken in 2 places but I still use it.
Pelikan Souveran M400 – Beautiful, classic fountain pen. I had the nib tweaked by Richard Binder and it writes like butter.
Mitsu-Bishi Hi-Uni Pencils – I’ve come around on pencils recently. I find myself reaching for a pencil as often as a pen. More so, maybe.
Caran D’ache Pencil Sharpening Machine – Overkill, but I love it.
Olympia SM3 Typewriter – My favorite typewriter
Olympia SM9 Typewriter – My second favorite typewriter

Every Day Carry

Tag Heuer Aquaracer Automatic watch – No batteries, beautiful, and good to 300 meters in the water – because that’s handy right?
Apple Watch (Series 5) – The health stuff and proper notifications are handy
Goruck GR1 backpack – If I ever go outside I’m ready
Benchmade Mini Griptilian AXIS Lock Knife – Always in my pocket. I never realized how handy a pocket knife could be until I started carrying one everywhere.
Bellroy Note Sleeve Wallet – Feels great, works great.
Bellroy Field Notes Notebook Cover – A great way to carry my ever-present Field Notes notebook.
Blunt Classic Umbrella – Who knew a good umbrella would make such a difference? This is a very nice one.
Filson original Briefcase – I’ve owned a number of bags and this one is the one I’ve settled on. Well-designed and very well-made.
ONA Prince Street – Camera bag. Leather. Gorgeous.
Red OXX CC Rider Messenger - A great bag from Red Oxx. It was a special edition and no longer available. Too bad.
Peak Design Everyday Messenger - 13" – Camera and iPad to work and back.

Whew!

Changelog

Sunday, September 6, 2020

Swapped in Leica M10-P for the Leica Q

Saturday, February 08, 2020

Added Red Oxx bag
Removed TheBrain
Removed older iMac
Replaced 2016 MBP with 2019 16-inch MBP

Friday, January 18, 2019

Added Emacs back :)
New bag

Saturday, December 08, 2018

Added new iPad 12.9"
Added HomePods
Replaced X-Pro2 with X-T3

Thursday, October 04, 2018

Added Leica Q
Added Photos and Affinity Photo
Deleted Emacs and friends :(

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Replaced Lightroom with Capture One

Friday, July 13, 2018

Removed 12.9" iPad Pro. I gave it to my dad.
Restored 1Password to its rightful place. Remind me to never switch password managers.

Friday, June 1, 2018

Changed from 1Password to Dashlane for password management
Replaced LaunchBar with Alfred
Replaced Pass with YNAB
Removed TextExpander since I’m now using Keyboard Maestro for text snippet expansion