Brandon Perfetti Headshot

Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.

I get asked a lot about the things I use to build software, stay productive, or buy to fool myself into thinking I’m being productive when I’m really just procrastinating. Here’s a big list of all of my favorite stuff.

Workstation

  • 14” MacBook Pro, Apple M2 Pro, 16GB RAM (2023)

    You don't think you need to upgrade your laptop until you do. I am thrilled with the performance of the M2 Pro chip. Never looking back. 🚀

  • Dual 27'' LG UltraFine UHD 4k HDR Monitors

    When attention to detail pays the bills, multiple 4k screens will always be preferred.

  • Apple Magic Keyboard

    I have always been using some iteration of Apple's Magic Keyboard. It's a pleasent experince if you have yet to drink the mechanical keyboard kool aid.

  • Apple Magic Trackpad

    Something about all the gestures makes me feel like a wizard with special powers. I really like feeling like a wizard with special powers.

  • FAMISKY Electric Standup Desk

    I've been coding standing up for almost a decade. I'll sit when I'm dead.

  • Audio Pro USBC Microphone

    When you shift from office life to remote work and zoom meetings, having a quality microphone will make or break your productivity in pair programming.

Development tools

  • Visual Studio Code

    I enjoy writing in VS Code as the vast extension library elevates my skillset and makes me wicked fast and efficient when deep in a coding flow state.

  • GitKraken

    Working in a sea of git repos and workflows can be taxing on the brain. GitKraken is great for scoping projects with proper context no matter how many repos a particular project/workflow requires.

  • Insomnia

    When you work with a mindboggling number of GraphQL APIs that require various env contexts, insomnia allows me to organize by queries and share workspaces making collaboration a breeze.

Design

  • Figma

    We started using Figma as just a design tool but now it’s become our virtual whiteboard for the entire company. Never would have expected the collaboration features to be the real hook.

  • Whimsical

    Whimsical make it easy to get rudimentary design out of my mind and onto a visual board for the team to analize, discuss and iterate on.

  • Pixelmator Pro

    I've spent years trying to learn the ins and outs of Adobe Creative Cloud, but at then end of the day i keep coming back to Pixelmator for literally all of my graphic design needs.

Podcasts

  • Syntax.fm

    Full Stack Developers Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski dive deep into web development topics, explaining how they work and talking about their own experiences. They cover from JavaScript frameworks like React, to the latest advancements in CSS to simplifying web tooling.

  • The Changelog

    Conversations with the hackers, leaders, and innovators of the software world. On Mondays: The software world moves fast. Keep up with our brief News roundup episodes. On Fridays: Adam Stacoviak and Jerod Santo face their imposter syndrome so you don’t have to. Expect in-depth interviews with the best and brightest in software engineering, open source & leadership. This is a polyglot podcast. All programming languages, platforms & communities are welcome.

  • Nav.al

    Technology and Business Entrepreneurship

  • The Tim Ferris Show

    Tim Ferriss is a self-experimenter and bestselling author, best known for The 4-Hour Workweek, which has been translated into 40+ languages. Newsweek calls him "the world's best human guinea pig," and The New York Times calls him "a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk." In this show, he deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas (investing, chess, pro sports, etc.), digging deep to find the tools, tactics, and tricks that listeners can use.