what's in my bag?
Tags: traveling, showandtell, productivity, developer
Published: 2020-04-02 06:19:59

---
title: what's in my bag?
published: true
date: 2018-05-23 07:00:00 UTC
tags: traveling, showandtell, productivity, developer
canonical_url: https://www.jaysonjphillips.com/blog/2018/05/whats-in-my-bag/
---

I figured it’d be cool to list out what I typically have on me at any given time as it pertains to development/creative pursuits. It does mix and match depending on what I’m doing, but there’s some standards that are consistent throughout.

#### Software Development 

For my main machine, I’m still rocking with my trusty, tried-and-true road warrior **_15-inch MacBook Pro (mid-2014)_**, Core i7/16GB DDR3 RAM (DDR3, I know, I know…). It’s retina, so I can do all the HiDi/HiDPi things, had pretty good multicore performance, and just runs… _well_. After also using a **_new_**  **_13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar_** (with only 8GB of RAM :/), this machine still reigns as my favorite I’ve ever owned.

For my in-home server, I have a **_Core i5 Intel NUC_** w/ 16GB RAM running Ubuntu Server. I’m using it more and more to manage my own CI/CD on my personal projects and may mirror a personal git server on there (maybe even host it on this domain… who knows).

I have a **_34-inch LG Widescreen Display_** , and round out with my Corsair mechanical keyboard and Razer Gaming mouse.

#### Remote Work/Teaching

When I’m out on the road, I usually bring along with me my **_iPad Pro_** for a couple of reasons:

For non-development work, the iPad Pro is increasingly meeting most of my needs

For photography work, I can connect it wirelessly to my **_Nikon D7200_** and have digital contact sheets on the fly, let alone editing

I can also use it as a second screen using [Duet](https://duetdisplay.com), which comes in handy while teaching an [online class](https://bootcamp.berkeley.edu/coding/) or editing/coding on the full laptop.

iPad Pro + pen + keyboard case, while a bit hefty, makes for a great way to document my day on the fly.

Also along for the ride are the following:

[Tzumi PocketJuice](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/tzumi-pocketjuice-20000-mah-portable-charger-for-most-usb-enabled-devices-black/6035102.p?skuId=6035102) 20,000 mAh Powerbank (non-affiliate link) - with USB-C, USB (2.4 amp AND a 3.0 amp), and a lightning port, and the ability to charge/recharge from any of those ports, this thing has been a lifesaver. I’ve even run my work MacBook Pro from the USB-C port in a few emergency moments.

[Fitbit Ionic](https://www.fitbit.com/shop/ionic) - my activity tracker/smart watch of choice. JSX-driven apps, proven Fitbit tracking technology (and the watch powered by an updated version of the Pebble OS, now called Fitbit OS), this thing goes everywhere I do. Onboard GPS, Wifi, smart payments and more - it’s everything I need (and fixes everything I didn’t like about the  Watch Series 1 - including the abysmal battery life).

[Bose QuietComfort 35](https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/over_ear_headphones/quietcomfort-35-wireless-ii.html) - These things are probably on their last leg (I have the original release) but they are still the reliable, noise-cancelling, great-sounding headset that they were when I purchased them.

[iPhone 8+](https://www.apple.com/iphone-8/) - this is probably the last iPhone I’ll ever own but it is a good one.

#### Experimentation/Misc

In addition to the above, I also have a [beowulf cluster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf_cluster) of [Raspberry Pi’s](https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-3-model-b/) that I use to dabble in low-power, low-resource, multicore/clustered approaches to parallel and concurrent programming.

Well, there you have it.