Here is my technology setup. Amy always makes fun of me because she thinks I change things around too often. “If the act of optimizing takes more time that the optimization saves, what’s the point?” she often asks. She has a good point. But I’ll continue to ignore it.

At home, I have a 2009 21-inch iMac. For the most part, I stick with the standard tools—I use Safari, Mail, iPhoto, Terminal, and Preview. For Latex, which I use to typeset everything math, I use BBEdit to edit and TeXShop to compile and preview. I use BibDesk to keep track of papers I read, and I read most papers in full-screen Preview, unless I’m reading on my iPad. I also use BBEdit for pretty much all the rest of my text-editing needs.

Some other apps that I love and use often: FaceTime, to talk to family, Caffeine, to keep my Mac awake, and Notational Velocity for small notes. I use Soulver as my calculator and Day One for keeping a journal. Oh, and 1Password for passwords.

On my iPad, I use PDF Expert to read and annotate papers. I use Instapaper, Twitter, and Reeder to keep up with goings-on in the world. I play Carcassone and Lab Solitaire. I use Day One for my journal, the Kindle app to read books, and I use Verbs for instant messaging, mostly with Amy.

I use my iPod touch to listen to podcasts and check my mail or twitter at times when the iPad would be inconvenient. I use TweetBot because I love its “View replies to this tweet” feature. I use OneBusAway when I take the bus. I use Evernote to take pictures of the whiteboard when it looks like it might be worth saving.