I am frequently asked what technology I use. Below I will detail the hardware and software I use. As I am a technology professional and avid gadget enthusiast, these devices regularly change. I will do my best to keep the information on this page current. I am not endorsed or supported in any way by any of the companies I recommend on this page. I recommend these products because I use them myself and I believe you will enjoy using them too.
Computers
Desktop
My current desktop is a custom built system with an EVGA nForce 780i SLI motherboard, Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 processor, 8GB of Crucial Ballistix memory, 2 EVGA GeForce 9800GTX SSC video cards in SLI, 1 EVGA GeForce 9500 GT video card, 2 Western Digital VelociRaptor hard drives, a Gigabyte Odin 800 watt power suppy, a Dell 2408WFP monitor, and 2 Dell 1908FP monitors. All of this fits quite nicely into the Cooler Master Cosmos S case. This computer is running Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.
I use a Logitech G15 gaming keyboard, Logitech MX Revolution mouse for general use, Creative Gamer HD7600L mouse for gaming, Belkin n52te, and Logitech Z-5500 speaker system.
Laptop
Currently I am using an Asus G51VX-X1A gaming laptop. This sports a 15.6″ LED display, Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 processor, 4GB of memory, 320GB 7,200 RPM SATA hard drive, and a Nvidia GeForce 260M graphics card. This computer is running Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.
I use a Logitech Anywhere Mouse MX when I am on the go with the laptop.
Servers
I have two servers that I run at home. One is a HP MediaSmart EX475. This server stores all of my documents and media files. It currently has 4TB of storage. The other is a home brew PVR system which runs SnapStream Beyond TV. The MediaSmart server runs Windows Home Server, while the Beyond TV server runs Windows XP.
Portable Devices
Mobile Phone
For the past several years BlackBerry has been my mobile phone platform of choice. I am partial to BlackBerry for the push technology and rock solid operating system. BlackBerry is one of those devices that “just works”. My current device is the BlackBerry Tour 9630 on the Sprint network.
Media Player
My portable media player of choice is the Microsoft Zune HD 32GB. The Zune HD is the perfect size for high portability. Furthermore, the Zune interface is great and easy to use. I use the Zune HD for music, video, and netcast playback. Additionally, I use it for some light gaming and internet surfing while on the go.
Internet Tablet
I also have a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. The N810 runs Maemo OS2008, which is a based on the Debian Linux distribution and is optimized for mobile devices. My use of this device has gone down since I acquired the Zune HD. My criticism of this device is its rudimentary browser and slow processor. These two combine to make for a painful mobile browsing experience. On the other hand, having a portable Linux device allows me to perform tasks on the go that are not possible with the BlackBerry or Zune.
Digital Camera
I have had the same digital camera for the past few years, a Sony Cybershot DSC-T9. I love this camera for its size. In the proper lighting conditions the image quality is superb. It is extremely portable and easily fits into any pocket. My two complaints are poor low light image quality and limited 3x optical zoom.
USB Flash Drive
I have an IronKey 4GB usb flash drive for keeping my files securely with me on the go.
Software
Operating System
I work, live, and play in a Microsoft world. Windows does everything I need to. While I have used Linux, I cannot say the same regarding Linux and Mac. The computers in my house run various flavors of Windows 7, Vista, and XP.
Productivity
I use Microsoft Office 2007 for document editing. For email and calendar, I use Google’s Gmail and Calendar services respectively. Google Reader is my content aggregator of choice. I do use Outlook for the sole purpose of syncing contacts with my BlackBerry. I prefer Notepad++ for editing scripts (VBScript/Javascript) and text files.
Communications
Mozilla Firefox is my browser of choice, which I recommend everyone should use. Firefox is typically ahead of the curve with features and security patches. I find that Firefox plug-ins are indispensable. A few of my favorite plug-ins are: No Script, Adblock Plus, Greasemonkey, IE View, MR Tech Toolkit, OpenDownload, ReloadEvery, SSL Blacklist, Tree Style Tab, and Xmarks.
I have accounts on all the major instant messaging platforms (AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo) and use Trillian Astra Pro to access them.
I utilize Facebook to keep in contact with friends and family. I initially used Twitter to share my thoughts, however I have now switched gears and only use Twitter as an aggregator. TweetDeck is my Twitter application of choice. I like it because I can separate accounts that I follow into groups. Friends, news, and services are examples of this.
Utilities
I also use Ahead Nero 8 for CD/DVD creation, ISO Recorder, SlySoft’s Virtual CloneDrive, Tera Term Web, VMware Workstation, 7-zip, VLC player, RealVNC, JAM Software’s TreeSize, Sysinternals Suite, GRC’s SpinRite and ShieldsUP, and Memtest86+.
Gaming
Currently I am actively playing Left 4 Dead 2, Borderlands, and Star Trek D-A-C. I use and recommend Valve’s Steam game distribution platform.
Security
My network firewall is a Cisco RVS4000 gigabit security router. I use and recommend Microsoft’s free Security Essentials anti-virus software. It is a no cost, low overhead, and nag-free product. My computers at home do not run a software firewall. My laptop however does have the built-in Windows 7 firewall enabled.
Last Update: 02/05/2010
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