Tech I’m Using

I talk a lot about different technology that I use for work, creativity, and fun, but I’ve never put together a single list of my entire tech stack in one place. MacSparky recently inspired me to compile this list for myself, and I thought I’d share it here.

For those interested (if you’re out there), here’s what I’m using:

Hardware

• iPad Pro (12.9”, 5th generation, 256 GB, space grey): My main productivity machine. I carry this thing around in the Magic Keyboard case and use it for writing, task management, planning, graphic design, video editing, managing websites/social feeds, and more. At work, I hook it up an LG UltraFine 4K monitor and a wireless Magic Keyboard and Trackpad. When taking video calls at home, I place in a Twelve South HoverBar Duo for better height and connect it to a CalDigit USB-C SOHO Dock for connectivity.

• iPad mini (6th generation, 256 GB, space grey): This device is for everything that doesn’t require a keyboard: reading, watching videos, social media, playing games, checking reference material, and taking quick notes in meetings. I carry it in a space grey Smart Folio case and always keep it close at hand.

• iPhone 14 Pro Max (128 GB, space black): Mostly for communication, listening to podcasts, taking photos, and checking social media when I don’t have my iPad mini handy. I don’t use a case on my iPhone.

• Apple Watch Series 7 (41 mm, graphite stainless steel): Usually worn with a black sport band. I wear it all the time except when I’m getting ready in the mornings, which is when it charges.

• AirPods Pro (2nd generation): Almost always in my ears.

• iMac (2021, 512 GB/8GB, silver): The family computer. It doesn’t get a ton of use unless I’m working from home and need to do something I can’t do on my iPad Pro.

• MacBook Pro (14”, M1 Pro, 512 GB/16GB, space grey): My work-issued laptop. It usually stays on my office desk where I use it for a few specific tasks that aren’t possible on my iPad Pro.

Carry

• Peak Design Everyday Sling (black, 10L)

• AirTag attached to my keychain with Belkin holder

• Peak Design slim wallet

• Chipolo Card SPOT in wallet

Home

• Apple TVs (3): living room (4K, 2021); guest room (4K, 2017); office at work (HD)

• HomePods (3): first-generation white pair in the living room, first-generation space grey single in the bedroom

• HomePod minis (4): spread around the house (space grey, blue, two whites)

• Vizio V-Series 70” TV (2019)

• Nintendo Switch

• Ecobee4 Smart Thermostat

• myQ Home Bridge Hub (to control my garage door with HomeKit)

• Logitech Circle View Doorbell

• August Smart Lock Pro

• Eve Light Switches

• Nanoleaf Essentials A19 Bulbs

• Wemo Smart Plugs

Audio

• Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB microphone

• Zoom H6 recorder

• Zoom U-22 interface

Health

• HidrateSpark Pro Smart Water Bottle

• Quip Smart Toothbrush

• Schwinn A10 Upright Bike

Apps

• Structured

• Awesome Habits

• Everlog

• Up Ahead

• Reeder

• iA Writer

• Pixelmator

• Photomator

• GoDaddy Studio

• ProPresenter

• Ecamm Live

• Final Cut Pro

• LumaFusion

• Ferrite

• Slipity

• Play

• built-in Apple apps

Safari Extensions

• Mapper

• Vinegar

• Baking Soda

• Noir

• 1Blocker

• Banish

• Hush

• Web Inspector

• Amplosion

Services

• Apple One Premier (iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+)

• Squarespace

• AT&T

• Walmart+

• eMeals

Financial

• OpenBudget

• SoFi

• Apple Card

• Cash App

• Apple Cash

Subscriptions

• Club MacStories Premier

• Relay FM

• Six Colors

• MacSparky Labs

• ATP

• Dithering

• Mastodon

Streaming Services

• Disney+

• Hulu

• Netflix

• Peacock

• Max

• Paramount+

• AMC+

Social Media

• Mastodon (via Mona)

• Threads

• Instagram

• Discord

• Snapchat

• YouTube

• Facebook

• Later

That’s my whole setup as far as I can tell. If you have questions about anything I’m using, feel free to get in touch. Or if there’s something I’m missing that you think I should try, please do let me know.

Thanks for reading!

The Waiting Game

The past nine months have honestly felt like a blur. Ever since Katherine and I found out we were pregnant, we’ve been going nonstop between doctor’s appointments, shopping trips, online research, and actually getting our house and vehicles fit for a baby.

Post by @devondundee

View on Threads

But now that we’re approaching the due date, time seems to have slowed down. Baby’s doing well. Celebrations with friends and family have been held. The nursery is ready. I even channeled some of my excess energy into babyproofing everything way too early. And now… we wait.

People keep asking if we’re ready. My standard answer is, “As ready as we can be!” I’m not sure that anyone can ever be fully prepared for something as life-changing and unpredictable as parenthood, but we’re certainly excited. We’ve done as much as we can to get ready. And we’ve got an amazing support system of family and community around us.

So “ready” feels like an appropriate word to describe how I’m feeling. “Impatient” might be another one. I’ve known for a very long time that I wanted to have kids. And after waiting, praying, dreaming, celebrating, and preparing, the time is nearly here.

I just can’t wait to be a dad.

Blogging Is Still a Journey

I find it hard to believe that I’ve been doing this whole blogging thing for over eleven years now. I’ve gone through so many huge life changes since then, and through it all, my blog has been right there with me like a faithful companion.

The blog’s been through a lot of different phases in that time, too. I recapped the first few legs of its journey when I relaunched on Squarespace; unbelievably, it’s been almost eight years since then. And the journey continues.

I’ve used this site as a promotional tool for my filmmaking ambitions, a travel journal, a platform for TV and movie reviews, a summary of my college studies, a place to muse about theology and life’s big questions, a tech outlet, and a way to record and share moments from my life both big and small. Often, it’s been several of those things at once.

There have been times when I posted here multiple times a week. Then there were gaps of weeks or even months when I wouldn’t post at all. Periods of consistency and frantic creative expression interspersed with seasons of neglect and silence. This site has seen it all.

I’ve probably spent more time than necessary over the years thinking about what this blog should be. What topics should I focus on? How often should I post? What types of content do people want to see from me?

But over time, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are no “shoulds” when it comes to this space. This is my little corner of the internet that I can make into whatever I want it to be.

And so that’s what I’m doing now. I post about what I want to when I want to, and I don’t worry much about the rest. It doesn’t matter if I’m not building up a huge audience or making a bunch of money off of the blog. That’s not what it’s for.

It’s a place for me to express myself, and if others want to join in on that, even better. If not, that’s fine, too.

When I started this site, I was just a 19-year-old looking to have fun on the internet. After all the twists and turns, I’ve come back around to a very similar place. Now, I’m a 31-year-old who’s still looking to have fun on the internet, share my thoughts and experiences, and make friends. That’s what this blog is for, and I’m really happy with where it’s landed.

Thank you as always for reading, whether you’ve been here from the start or this is your first time. Having this space means a lot to me, and it means even more getting to share it with you.

Blogging is a journey, and I’m so happy to still be on it. Here’s to a long road ahead. Onward!

How (and Why) to Set Up Custom Email in iCloud

I’ve long been of the opinion that iCloud+ is an essential part of the Apple experience. Having all of my photos, messages, notes, and other data synced across my devices at all times is a must, and knowing that it’s all stored safely online in case something happens to my phone gives me peace of mind.

One of the lesser-known benefits of iCloud+ is custom email domains, the ability to send and receive email from a personalized address. Rather than [username]@icloud.com, you can use any address you want from any domain you own.

I’ve used iCloud+ to set up email on this website as well as custom addresses for myself and Katherine on our family website. It’s a great way to create a unique and personal email address without paying for an extra service like Google Workspace or Fastmail.

The setup process is really straightforward, too. Here’s how to get a custom email address with iCloud+:

1. On your Apple device, open the Settings app, choose your name at the top, and then choose iCloud.

2. Under the iCloud+ section of this page, choose Custom Email Domain.

3. Here, you’ll be asked whether you already own the domain you want to use or not. If you don’t yet own the domain, choose Buy a New Domain. Enter the domain you want and follow the in-app process of purchasing your domain from Cloudflare. Then skip to step 10.

4. If you already own the domain you want to use, choose Add a Domain You Own.

5. On the next screen, choose whether you want to use the domain just for yourself or create addresses for others as well. If you want to give friends and family the ability to create their own addresses on your domain, choose the You and Other People option. Otherwise, go with Only You.

6. Then choose whether you want to import existing addresses or not. I find it best to use the “No email addresses” option and start from scratch.

7. You’ll then be prompted to enter the domain you want to use.

8. Once you’ve entered your domain name, the app will show you instructions for configuring the email setup with your domain provider. Go to your domain provider’s website, then copy and paste the provided information into your domain’s DNS records.

9. Back in the Settings app, choose Finish Custom Domain Setup to complete the process.

10. Now you can select your domain name in the Custom Email Domain settings to create an email address and invite others to use your custom email domain, too.

I’m impressed by how simple Apple has made this process for users. The most intimating part is updating domain DNS records, but they’ve even made that as approachable as possible. And once that’s done, it’s set forever.

Using a personalized email address with iCloud+ is really nice. It makes you look fancy without having do a lot of work or pay any extra money. Apple didn’t have to include such a fun and powerful feature with their cloud service, but I’m glad they did. I find it really useful. And with the help of this guide, hopefully you will, too.

Do you subscribe to iCloud+? And have you tried the custom email domain feature? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

To Beta or Not to Beta?

It happens every year like clockwork: On a warm Monday in June, Apple executives kick off the Worldwide Developers Conference by announcing a slew of new features coming to their products in the fall. And as soon as the keynote is over, countless fans rush to download in-progress versions of the updates to try them out for themselves. Welcome to beta season.

I’ve long been among the rabid nerds who just can’t wait to get my hands on all the latest features. I still remember the days when I had to pay a fee through some sketchy website and submit my IMEI number in order to download an early version of iOS 6. Beta testing has been part of my summer routine for over a decade.

Then last year, something unimaginable happened. I watched the keynote, heard about the new features coming to my favorite devices, and… didn’t download the betas. It’s not that I wasn’t thrilled about the updates. In fact, last year’s additions to iPadOS were the most exciting in years. But I made the decision to stay on the stable, public operating systems rather than spend my summer testing out the new and shiny.

It honestly surprised me that I made it through the whole summer without caving. There were points where I was tempted, for sure. But I survived. Ultimately, I made it to the fall and got to experience the finished updates alongside the general public. After hearing my friends talk about the betas for months, finally getting access to the new features myself felt like Christmas morning.

That experience, along with spending a significant amount of time using TestFlight versions of Mastodon apps early this year during that whole boom, led me to become beta-averse. I’m currently running only public release versions of all the software on my devices, both operating systems and apps. No OS betas. No TestFlight betas. No TestFlight app, even. I’m on the normie train, I guess.

But still, I’m tempted. It feels like everyone I follow on social media is living in the future thanks to beta software, and I’m stuck in the past. That leaves me conflicted.

As I’m going round and round trying to decide whether or not the betas are for me, I figured I might as well write down my thought process and share it. When it comes to the question of whether or not to test beta software, there are several pros and cons on both sides in my mind.

The Pros of Beta Testing

• Fun. Getting to experience the latest and greatest before anyone else is undeniably an enjoyable experience. I know I’m a nerd, but few things beat the thrill of installing a beta one version of iOS for me.

• Being part of the conversation. There’s so much to talk about in these updates, and the chatter goes on all summer long as people form opinions, discover tiny details, and share their experiences. Beta talk dominates my social feeds from June to September.

• Feeling included. While anyone can test out Apple’s beta software with a simple checkbox, a small minority of users actually do. Being part of that group offers a different experience from what most people have with their devices. It’s not an exclusive club, but it is one that feels cool to be in.

• Impacting future updates. Apple is very welcoming of feedback from testers, to the point of including the Feedback app in every beta version of their operating systems. It’s nice to send in bug reports or feature requests and know that you’re helping make the software better in a small way.

The Cons of Beta Testing

• Bugs. Betas are by definition incomplete software, and sometimes—especially in the earliest versions—there can be some glitches that make day-to-day use difficult.

• Battery life. There are few things worse than being stuck with a dead phone when you need to communicate with someone. Beta software typically isn’t focused on optimizing battery life, so it typically suffers until the public release.

• Inaccessible apps. Some apps, like banking apps and games, check your device’s operating system every time you open them and lock out unrecognized versions to prevent fraud and cheating. I’ve never personally lost access to my banking app due to a beta, but I know several people who have, and I’ve definitely spent a whole summer annoyed that I was unable to play Pokémon Go.

• An incomplete experience. Many of the new features that are being tested are social features, which means they require other people to be on the betas as well. Some of the updates I’m looking forward to most like shared password groups and Find My item sharing aren’t useful to me now because the people I want to share with aren’t beta testers. By the time the features are released to everyone, I might have already forgotten about them and moved on. (It’s happened before. 😬)

The Pros of Not Beta Testing

• Stability. No betas means no beta bugs. That’s not to say that every update Apple releases is perfect, but your chances are a lot better with a public release than with a beta one.

• Anticipation. Rather than Apple’s big updates being old news by mid-July, I get to spend the summer looking forward to their release in September. Waiting to experience the new features myself is part of the fun.

• Being on track with the general public. It feels like everyone I interact with online is a beta tester, but the truth is that the majority of the people I know won’t get the latest updates until they’re publicly available. It’s enjoyable getting the chance to see the updates through their eyes.

• Experiencing Apple’s software as intended. As cool as the new features are, they’re often unfinished during the beta cycle. A big part of the reason I didn’t try the betas last year was because I wanted my first run with Stage Manager to be in its completed form. Trying to use incomplete features over the summer can be frustrating and turn people off to them before they’re even fully baked.

The Cons of Not Beta Testing

• FOMO. This is the worst part of not being on the beta train. It feels like my friends are having a fun and totally separate experience without me.

• Less of an opportunity to offer feedback. Apple listens to feedback year-round, but the beta cycle is a critical time and the best chance to have your input heard.

• Not seeing features as they develop. There’s something intriguing about seeing a new feature start from bare bones and grow into its fullest form. Without beta testing, you’re only seeing that through the eyes of others, not your own.

• A less fun summer. By not jumping on the betas, you’re trading exhilaration for stability. Three months of reading other people’s opinions on the updates just isn’t as enjoyable as forming and sharing them yourself.

That’s a lot to consider, and maybe I’m the only one who cares so much about this stuff. But it’s a process I go through every year, and the conclusion I come to isn’t always the same.

Will I stay strong this year and resist the beta temptation? Or will I give in and have fun with my fellow Apple nerds? Only time will tell, but at least I’ve got this handy list to refer back to as I spend my summer sitting uncomfortably on the fence.

Are you testing Apple’s beta software this summer? What are the factors you consider when deciding whether or not to press the install button? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, on Mastodon, or on Threads. Thanks for reading!