Uses

A living document of the tools, hardware, and software I use for development, creative work, and everyday productivity. Inspired by uses.tech.

Hardware & Desk

macOS: My OS of choice. Both machines run it — consistent environment across work and personal.
MacBook Pro 16" (M1): Work machine. Still going strong — Apple Silicon made it age gracefully.
Mac Mini (M4 Pro): Home desktop and lab machine for running ComfyUI, local LLMs, and side projects.
Dell S2721NX: 27" 1080p IPS monitor paired with the Mac Mini.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Primary phone. The S Pen and camera are hard to beat.
Pixel 10a: Second line phone. Clean Android experience.
Apple Keyboard (Wired): No batteries to charge, no Bluetooth dropouts. Simple and reliable.
Apple AirPods Pro: Noise cancellation for focused work and calls.
Creative N100: Bluetooth desktop speakers. Compact, decent sound for music and video while working.
Flexispot E7 Pro: Standing desk. I alternate between sitting and standing throughout the day.

Claude Code: My primary AI coding tool — runs in the terminal, understands full project context, and handles everything from quick fixes to multi-file refactors.
Cursor: AI-enhanced code editor built on VS Code. I use it for visual editing alongside Claude Code for terminal-based work.
VS Code: For quick edits and when I need specific extensions.
Ghostty: GPU-accelerated terminal emulator. Fast, native, and gets out of the way.
TypeScript + Node.js: My default stack for JavaScript projects. Type safety and a fast runtime for builds, APIs, and tooling.
Python + Jupyter: For data work, scripting, and AI/ML experiments. Jupyter notebooks for prototyping before committing to code.
Streamlit: Quick way to turn Python scripts into shareable web apps. Great for internal tools and demos.
Supabase: Open-source Firebase alternative. Postgres database, auth, and real-time — for side projects that need a backend.
Google API: For integrating with Docs, Sheets, Drive, and other Google services programmatically.

Astro: Static site framework powering nvarma.com. Fast builds, great DX, and content collections.
Vercel: Hosting and deployment. Push to main, it's live.
Inngest: Event-driven background jobs. Automates cross-publishing blog posts to Dev.to, Hashnode, and Medium.
Namecheap: Domain registrar for nvarma.com and other personal domains.

Gemini: Google's AI assistant. Integrated into the Google ecosystem I already use daily.
ChatGPT: For image generation, voice conversations, and as a second opinion on complex problems.
Vertex AI API: Google Cloud's ML platform. For accessing foundation models and building AI-powered features.
ComfyUI: Node-based UI for Stable Diffusion and beyond, running locally on the Mac Mini. Image generation, audio experiments with ACE-Step, and video workflows with Wan models.

Chrome + Firefox: Chrome for daily browsing and work. Firefox as a secondary browser for testing and privacy.
Notion: Personal knowledge base and project planning. Notes, reading lists, and project docs all live here.
Granola: AI meeting notes. Captures context from meetings so I can stay present in conversations.
Microsoft 365 + Outlook for Mac: Work productivity suite. Outlook handles email and calendar.
Google Suite + Google Drive: Docs, Sheets, and Drive for personal projects, file storage, and collaboration.
Zoom: Video calls and meetings. The default for work and most external conversations.
ExpressVPN: VPN for privacy and accessing content while traveling.

Spotify Premium: Music all day. I curate playlists and discover new artists — it's always running.
YouTube Premium: Ad-free videos, background play, and YouTube Music. A lot of my learning happens here.
Netflix: K-dramas, documentaries, and the occasional binge.
Amazon Prime: Streaming, fast shipping, and the odd exclusive series.
Rakuten Viki: The go-to for Asian dramas and variety shows.

Apple Creator Studio: For music production and creative projects. Lightweight and tightly integrated with macOS.
HandBrake: Open-source video transcoder. For converting and compressing video files.