Profile of Jón Rúnar HelgasonJón Rúnar Helgason

Tools

A list of current and past hardware and software tools.

Last updated: June 10, 2024.

Table of contents:

Hardware

Software

Preferred tech stack

  • Infrastructure: AWS, Vercel, Deno Deploy
  • Frameworks: Next.js, React Native & Expo
  • CSS frameworks: Tailwind, Bootstrap
  • Programming language: JavaScript
  • Database: Fauna

Notes

  • Been trying to work mostly outdoors after acquiring the MacBook Air M2 so the Dell 42.5" UltraSharp U4320Q monitor is personally mostly used as a TV. Partner uses it a lot when working from home. A great monitor with a massive screen real estate. The monitor runs at a native 3840x2160 resolution (4K) which is like having 4x 1920x1080 monitors except in one panel.
  • Currently still have the Røde Wireless Go II but no longer actively using it. A really great wireless microphone in a small package. Bought to improve audio quality in VoIP calls but not making nearly as many calls as before. The AirPods Pro 2 are good enough for occasional customer calls. Would recommend the Wireless Go II to office workers that make regular customer calls or audio/video team meetings. If making frequent calls a purpose built wired headset would probably be best.

Changelog

10th Jun 2024

Wrote a review on the Anker PowerCore 24K external battery after 1 year of use. It has become a must have companion for the MacBook Air M2.

5th Oct 2023

Stopped using Fork. It is still installed and serves as a fallback if GitKraken acts up. Ultimately found the flow of GitKraken to be more suitable.

2nd Jul 2023

Bought Anker PowerCore 24K. Intended as an external battery for the MacBook Air M2. Lasts for about 1.2x charges.

28th Jun 2023

Started trying out Fork as an alternative to GitKraken.

22nd May 2023

Mac Mini Late-2018 given away as a hand-me-down. A great machine that still has a lot left in it. Did not see much use after acquiring the 13.6" MacBook Air M2. Have owned three Mac Minis in the past and they have all been great, small, and cost effective machines. Some of Apple's finest work.

Also gave away Apple Magic Keyboard to go along with the Mac Mini. Fantastic keyboard. Been a big fan of Apple keyboards throughout the years. Best tried so far. Even prefer it to mechanical keyboards because of the much shorter key travel distance.

26th Jan 2023

Started using Arc. A Chromium based browser for power users. First-class support for multiple profiles and better tab management. Convenient when managing multiple separate logins for the same or similar set of websites (Gmail, Google Ads, etc). Non-pinned tabs automatically clear up the next day.

9th Nov 2022

Upgraded to AirPods Pro 2nd gen from 1st gen.

8th Nov 2022

Apple Watch 4 given away as a hand-me-down. Did not get a new watch. Liked the sleep and health tracking of the device but not enough to warrant buying a new watch. Enjoy having a free arm more.

iPad Pro 11" & Apple Pencil 2nd gen given away as hand-me-down. The iPad and pencil was great for signing PDFs and general browsing. However the device did not live up to expectations doing frontend development work. The hardware is great but the device is seriously hamstrung by the operating system.

AirPods Pro given away as hand-me-down. Amazing headphones that still had decent amount of life left. Although they had been used a lot (4-8h per day) and battery capacity was reduced. Upgraded to the AirPods Pro 2nd gen. Was initially very sceptical about the AirPods Pro but decided to give it a try on a recommendation of others. Used Bose QC-35 before which had slightly better sound and active noise cancelling. However the QC-35 would often have connection issues especially when switching between multiple devices. The AirPods switched more or less seamlessly between devices, sounded good enough, and had good enough active noise cancellation. The winning formula was how small the overall package is.

5th Nov 2022

Handed down two Dell 25" UltraSharp U2515H (2560x1440) monitors along with SilverStone SST-ARM22BC & SST-ARM11BC monitor mounts. Great monitors and mounts that have many more years left. The exact monitors are no longer sold but a Dell UltraSharp has always proved exceptional. Would not hesitate to buy the exact monitor mounts again. It was such a game changer to have them, desk became a lot less cluttered, better looking, and easier to clean.

Handed down as well a Logitech G903 wireless mouse. It was okay. Expensive and ugly but tracked exceptionally well. Used it directly on the desk. After some time the left clicker started to ghost and occasionally double click on single clicks which was annoying. The infinity scroll wheel is bar-none the best scroll wheel. It was available on some high-end Logitech mice. A massive quality of life improvement if scrolling a lot in very large documents.

29th Jul 2022

After upgrading to the M2 MacBook Air the Mac Mini did not see much use any more. Also did not install Qbserve nor Timing again. Both great software. Would recommend for keeping track of productivity and time ledger programs used. Might use again later but do not currently have as much use for them.

28th Jul 2022

Upgraded to a 13.6" MacBook Air M2 from 15" MacBook Pro Late-2013. Came with Compact 35W Dual USB-C.

4th Oct 2021

Bought MagSafe Duo Charger.

25th Aug 2021

Bought Røde Wireless Go II wireless microphone.

Past hardware

History of hardware used in the past.

Past software

History of software used in the past.
  • Search engine: DuckDuckGo
  • Productivity: Qbserve. Jun 2016 - May 2023.
  • Productivity: Timing. May 2018 - May 2023.

History & source