Studio Rockstar

I get a lot of people asking what I use to create all of my sites, so I’m going to go over my setup at home now. I’m very fond of the setup I have right now, and I really think it helps me be more productive when I want to. I’ve spent a lot of money on the setup I have now, but I can justify it since I make my money on the computer, and spend so much time on it. I think it’s really important to love the things you work with, so you’ll notice all of my equipment is extremely high quality, and sports great design. You’ll also found I’m a crazy Apple fanboy — oh well, it comes with the territory.

MacBook Pro

The first and most important piece of my setup is my main machine: MacBook Pro. If there ever existed a better laptop, I have not used it. I love this machine to death. I picked it up in May of 06 and have been using it as my primary computer since then. it’s got a 2.0 Ghz Core Duo processor with 2GB of ram, a 100GB 7200rpm hard drive, and a dedicated 128mb video card.

Before I bought this computer, I had never been much of a laptop person: but after buying it, I couldn’t imagine using anything but a laptop as my personal machine. I love the freedom it gives me — I can now sit out in the living room playing some Bioshock on my 360 while I casually chat with people on IM.

Supporting Players

Along with my MacBook Pro, I’ve got an array of accessories that I hook up when I’m in “desk mode” with my laptop.

Desll 2407WFP-HC Ultrashrap Monitor

This monitor is like sex on your eyes. The whole Dell Ultrasharp monitor line is flat out amazing. The colors, brightness, connections, and design of this monitor make it the absolute winner of all competitors. The only real choice you should be asking yourself is how big should you get? 24, 27, or 30″ ? I went with the 24″, and it’s truly staggering. Although I know a few people with the 30″ model, you’ll need a pretty large desk to accommodate it.

Griffin Elevator

The Griffin Elevator is a small little laptop stand just like any other. I prefer the Griffin to the iCurves mostly because of the brushed metal approach. Almost my whole setup is brushed aluminum, so it fits right in with the rest.

Apple Keyboard

I tried so hard to resist picking up one of these new keyboards, but after a quick trip into the Apple store one afternoon, I couldn’t resist. The tactile response of the keys is like nothing else you’ve ever used before. It’s absolutely wonderful, and probably one the most comfortable keyboard I’ve ever used. It makes me want to keep typing — and that’s what I’d call success from a keyboard. Oh, and did I mention how sexy it is? Because it is.

Apple Mighty Mouse

I know a lot of friends who swear on complex mice that can do everything but fold your clothes for you — but I’m a sucker for design. Truth is, I use my keyboard a lot more than I ever use my mouse (Quicksilver is my friend) — so my mouse serves only a few very basic functions. The wireless mighty mouse has amazing battery life, and can scroll horizontally. That’s about all I’d ever ask for a mouse, and at that it looks awesome as well.

Western Digital MyBook

I’ve got a lot of crap. Digital crap that is — so it’s important to have a place to store it all. I picked up one of the USB 2.0 500GB models a while ago and haven’t been happier. Perfect external hard drive that mainly serves as a backup for me. Oh, and it fits perfectly underneath the Griffin Elevator as pictured above. Love it!

Moleskine Notebook

I’ve found over time that my greatest ideas come to me when I’m completely offline. To remedy this, I keep a small Moleskine notebook with me at all times. It’s just the plain sketchbook model, and it’s got ideas written all through it. For those who haven’t used Moleskines before, you should really check them out — they’re in a totally different caliber of quality than any other notebook on the market.