What I Use to Get the Job Done

Here are some of the non-obvious items in my office that I use to get the job done five days a week.




Blue Yeti USB Microphone

Blue Yeti USB Microphone When I began writing shawnblanc.net full-time in the spring of 2011, I also launched a subscription membership that gave members access to a daily podcast called Shawn Today. I knew I would need a quality USB microphone for my daily recordings, and so I bought this Blue Yeti. The price is very affordable ($100) and the quality of this microphone is fantastic. It also comes in handy when recording The B&B Podcast and for those times I am a guest on someone else's show.




Twelve South BookArc

Twelve South BookArc For years I have used my laptops in clamshell mode, and for years I have been using the BookArc. When your laptop is in clamshell mode it does't vent and stay cool as well as when the lid is open. However, with the BookArc, the underside of your laptop is exposed to the air and so it helps keep the machine cool when in use. Moreover, the BookArc helps with cable management and it uses a smaller footprint than if the laptop were set down flat. Now that I have a MacBook Air I have a the Air-specific BookArc and it fits perfectly. In my opinion, Apple should bundle a BookArq with every Thunderbolt Display.




Byword

Byword When you work on a 23-inch monitor a good full-screen writing app can be hard to find. Apps that look good in full-screen mode on a 13- or 15-inch screen don’t necessarily scale well to 23 inches. Byword, however, scales quite well. It looks great regardless of if I’m writing on my laptop display or my cinema displays. And the dark color scheme is just splendid.

Moreover, Byword has a slew of pleasant features. Such as auto saving and versioning, QuickCursor support, inline Markdown styling, and even exporting of that Markdown into HTML.




Uni-ball Signo (DX) 0.38 mm Gel Ink Pen

Uni-ball Signo (DX) 0.38 mm Gel Ink Pen A few weeks ago I posted the Pilot G2 0.38mm as my favorite pen to use. I love the ultra-fine tip because it's fine but not over-the-edge fine like a 0.28mm. I love that the tip is just a little bit scratchy because I find that it makes it easier to write with. I love that it's gel ink. And I especially love that the Pilot G2 is losable. There's something comforting about having a box full of your favorite pen, knowing that if you lose one or lend one out it doesn't matter because they're cheap and replaceable.

Well, after sharing my affinity for the G2, the fine folks at JetPens sent me a few pens which they thought I may like as much if not more than the Pilot. And one in particular, the Uni-ball Signo 0.38mm, became the new king of the hill.

The Signo has all the best qualities of the Pilot G2 — fine tip, scratchy, gel ink, losable — but slightly improved. The balance and weight of the pen feels better in hand, and though it is the same fine tip (0.38mm) the ink goes on slightly thinner, or perhaps cleaner.




Levenger Circa Notebooks

Levenger Circa Notebooks If you're a paper nerd you owe it to yourself to check out the Levenger Circa notebook lineup. They have full-sized notebooks, smaller sizes, leather notebooks, plastic covers, desk punches, action planners, all sorts of paper refills and more. It's an entire lineup of the finest quality of papered goodness that all works within Levenger's Circa system.




Doxie Go

Doxie Go The Doxie Go is a battery-powered, lightweight, paper and photo scanner. It scans up to 100 pages on a charge and has enough internal storage for roughly six times that amount. It makes a great companion for those who travel and need to get top-notch scans of photos and documents while away from their desk. But it also makes a great tool for the person who doesn't deal with loads of paper yet still wants to establish a paperless office. Because the Doxie Go is battery powered, you don't need to keep it plugged into a computer to use it. You can stash it in a drawer and pull it out when you need it. If you do want to leave it out, it's got a nice enough design that it will complement your desk, rather than being an eye sore.





More Items

Check out all the items on Tools & Toys related to the office.

And to see more of the items I use, click here.