j.r. ignacio 🎨👨‍💻

computational creative, software engineer

Who are you, and what do you do?

Hello. I’m j.r. ignacio, a husband, girl dad, creative technologist, and aspiring musician. I like computers, drums, music, stories and outer space.

I live in the Philippines with my lovely wife and daughter, currently leading tech at JHQ. I am constantly amazed at being able to carry a computer in my pocket. When not tinkering with computers, I enjoy reading, drumming, listening to music, and answering my daughter’s never-ending questions.

What hardware do you use?

I live in the Apple ecosystem. I use an iPhone 16 Pro Max paired with an Apple Watch, and a 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) for most work things. I also have a Pixel 7a for when I need to use Android and make the most out of Google apps and services.

When working from home, my Mac is hooked on to a BenQ GW2283 external monitor, a Keychron V1 mechanical keyboard with Gateron milky black switches, and a Magic Trackpad because I always miss the gestures when using a mouse. For most work calls, I use AirPods Max or AirPods Pro because most apps now support its mute/unmute feature. I sometimes use Jabra Evolve 65 when using Google Meet on the desktop to get mute/unmute.

For music, I listen using AirPods Max at home and AirPods Pro on the go. What I love about both of them is it’s so easy to switch between  devices, I get to quickly shut off the world when it gets too loud from time to time, and the Headphone Safety feature makes it easier to quickly max the volume without worrying going too loud. When traveling, I also bring along a Sony WH-1000XM4 since it’s a lot more portable. For downtime listening, I use an AKG K52.

I’ve started trying to make my own music using an M-Audio Oxygen Pro Mini.

I still write a lot of my notes on a physical notebook with a LAMY safari fountain pen fitted with a fine nib, filled with LAMY Benitoite ink. I’ve also invested in some erasable writing tools, Pilot FriXion Slim Erasable Gel Pens in blue black and a Kuru Toga Advance mechanical pencil.

And what software?

A typical day working will have me using Launchbar to shuffle around a code editor, Slack, Google Workspace, Things, Keynote, and various browsers. I primarily use Safari, then Firefox when doing web development work and Arc by the Browser Company when I need to use a Chromium browser.

I use a mix of VSCode, Xcode, and Zed when coding, debug APIs with Paw, work with graphics using Xscope, and Sourcetree when I need a GUI for git. I’ve also started using Claude when stuck. I use Bear for most of my work notes.

I organize windows with Divvy, manage my passwords with 1Password, email using Fastmail.

I use Apple Music for music because I have tracks from my old iTunes library that aren’t on any streaming services and sometimes Spotify. We primarily use Netflix, Apple TV+, and occasionally Max for video streaming.

For music making, I’m using GarageBand both on Mac and iPad, but starting to look at other options specially on the Mac.

On the iPhone, my most used apps are Messages for messaging, Camera/Halide/Spectre for taking photos, Darkroom for processing, Instagram, and Flickr for posting.

For this website, I’m using Jekyll for static site generation, Github for code repository hosting, and Cloudflare Pages for deployment.

What would be your dream setup?

I’d probably get an iPad mini with an Apple Pencil as a daily driver and a 4K display to replace my current monitor for heavier workloads. Plus, a Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless for downtime listening.

Inspired by usesthis.com

Last updated: 2025-02-01