Uses – Jesse Dyck

I’ve spent some time browsing everyone else’s uses page for new tools, so I figured it was time to share my own!

Updated: January, 2026

Hardware

iPhone 14 Pro: This thing is an ergonomic nightmare!
(Previous: iPhone 11, also ergonomic nightmare; many more iPhones)
2021, 16 inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro): by far my favourite Mac I’ve owned!
(Previously: Mid-2014, Mid-2011, Early-2008, Late-2004 13-inch iBook)
Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard: I’ll probably replace these with something more reliable in the future. The mouse died long ago.
Logitech MX Vertical: great ergonomics, and I love that it functions as a corded mouse via USB-C when needed. But: no horizontal scroll in 2021?!
Nexstand K2 Portable and Adjustable Laptop Stand: Finally replaced my decade+ Rain Design mStand for something portable.
Sony WH-1000MX4: supposedly the best noise cancelling head phones at the time. But they’re not. And they’re frustratingly buggy.
AirPods Pro, second generation
(Previously: AirPods, second generation)

WordPress: My go-to CMS
Visual Studio Code: Dark theme with Fira Code
Fork: For the times when a git UI is helpful or easier. But I usually just use VS Code’s git integration or the CLI.
Safari: For browsing
Firefox: For development
Terminal/zsh: Haven’t found a reason to switch back to bash yet.
Sequel Pro: I don’t love it, but it usually works well enough.
Lando: Single yml file for local development environments.
- Honourable mention: ddev
1Password: See: enshitification. Will replace someday, but 15+ years of momentum is hard.
Transmit: All the polish you expect from a well-designed Mac app. Useful to avoid installing all of the cloud storage apps.

Just some other of my favourites that I can’t not mention.

Obsidian: New as of 2026! By far the best note-taking app I’ve tried. The plugin ecosystem is fantastic, all based on simple markdown text files, no platform lock-in.
Things
Actual budget: self-hosted

Fujifilm X-T20: 16–80 mm / 18–55 mm
Peak Design Leash: much more comfortable than Fuji’s strap!
Peak Design 20L Everyday Backpack (v2)
Darkroom: since becoming available on macOS I’ve decided I don’t need Lightroom anymore. Granted it doesn’t do nearly as much, but works great for my amateur needs. iCloud integration is 😍.
Pixelmator Pro: for the times Darkroom isn’t enough.