Scott Zirkel

This Site

This site was created with Laravel Folio, Tailwind CSS, and a ton of pixels.

Workspace

• Custom Desk

  I built a custom desk from an IKEA butcher block counter top and some pipes. I stained it dark walnut because I'm classy.

• Fancy Ergonomic Mesh Chair

  I know a lot of folks have a really expensive mesh chair that does a lot of things, but I don't. Mine is a cheap one from Amazon and it is perfectly comfortable. I did add some rollerblade casters to it, game changer.

Hardware

• 16" 2021 MacBook Pro M1 Max, 64GB of RAM

  I've been using a Mac for a few years now and the M1 Max is the best setup I've ever had.

  Especially after the 2019 MBP disaster.

• 34" Curved UltraSharp Monitor

  I wasn't sure if I would like replacing my dual monitor setup for a single large one, much less a curved one. But honestly I love it. I do keep my laptop open off to the side for debugging.

• Keychron K2 Keyboard

  When my old Apple keyboard went out, I decided to take the plunge and get a clickity clacker. Using it increases my development by at least 4x.

• Logitech MX3 Master for the Mac

  It's got blueteeth and everything!

• 11" iPad Pro with Apple Pencil

  The only way to draw. Except on paper, that's still pretty cool.

Productivity

• AudioPen

  Audio Pen is one of the few AI tools I use, but it's been a real help.

  You just dictate into the app whatever thoughts you are having and it transcribes and summarizes what you wrote. I've found it is really helpful to hear your ideas in different words. It keeps your original transcripts as well.

Coding Software

• PHP Storm

  I typically use Storm for my dev work, though I do still enjoy NeoVim for some things. I also use VIM keybindings because I'm really cool.

• NeoVim

  I don't use it as often as I used to, but I do still enjoy it.

• Warp/Kitty

  Warp has been a good terminal, though I have most all of the AI elements disabled.

  Warp didn't handle Tmux sessions well, so when I use NeoVim, I use Kitty. Kitty is GPU driven, so it's fast, but pretty no-frills, which is great.

• Tinkerwell

  Tinkerwell is a great app for debugging PHP, specifically Laravel sites. It works locally and via SSH, very handy.

• Ray

  Ray is another debugging tool. It gives you the ability to output exceptions, dumps, and more. I usually leave it on the laptop monitor, off to the side, as it listens passively for anything it needs to tell me.

Design Software

For over 20 years I used Adobe Software, but after moving to a primarily developer role, I decided to stop paying them each month. Worth it if you're getting paid to design, but if you're just doing it for fun, I didn't see the point.

I found the line up from Affinity to be more than adequate for what I need. In fact, if you're a designer and can't afford the monthly Adobe fee, I highly recommend them.

• Affinity Photo

  As close to Photoshop as I've used in a great many years.

• Affinity Design

  Design is great, but a caveat if you're coming in from Illustrator or if you plan on collaborating with other designers: If you are importing AI files, only the artboard will import, nothing outside of it.

• Procreate

  Procreate is my go to iPad app for drawing.

Writing

• Scrivener

  I use Scrivener for prose, it's helpful for keeping track of word count targets, character arcs, and other stuff.

  I also write in markdown files in nvim too, just to keep the distractions at bay.

• Highland

  Highland is great for script writing, which is how I write my comics.