This page serves as a frequently updated list of the computer systems I’m using in and around the house, stuff I rely on and trust for the most part. For more stuff we use around the house, see the pages on computer peripherals, software and web services and other gear. Stuff I’m just messing with is here.
(Last updated February 16, 2026)
The small guy
Worked issued me a bog standard M1 MacBook Air in June, 2021. It is a ridiculously great machine for all the tasks I throw at it, light to carry, and with full day battery life even five years later. No complaints. Okay, maybe one — just two USB C ports and both on the left side? Not my favorite.
Very small guy on my desk
At home and for non-work computing, I rely on a 2023 Mac mini powered by an M2 Pro chip and with a capacious 4 TB drive. It is a dream machine, quick, quiet and reliable. It handles my 50,000+ photo library in Lightroom Classic without a stutter and Mozilla Thunderbird runs smoothly despite the tens of thousands of archived email messages it holds. (I know you’re wondering–how can I keep playing Civ IV on an Apple silicon Mac? Codeweavers Crossover, my friend.)
In January 2026, I added Razer’s nifty Thunderbolt Dock Chroma (with a wicked fast NVMe SSD for convenient backups). In December 2024, I switched to an LG Ultrafine 27-inch 5K monitor so the Apple Studio display could connect to the new Mac mini in the kitchen. The M2 Mac mini upgraded from an adequate but more enticingly colored “space grey” 2018 Intel Core i5 Mac mini in January, 2023.
Kitchen Computer
In December 2024, the almost 10-year-old kitchen iMac, brilliant for so long, finally slowed to a slog and was replaced with an M4 Mac mini. That tiny box, available starting around $500, easily became the fastest computer in the house as soon as it arrived. Paired with Apple’s 27-inch 5K Studio display that I swiped from my home office, the mini makes mincemeat of any computing task. It even has a decent smattering of ports, though I added a USB-C expander from Satechi for the memory card reader.
A Windows laptop
Year end 2024 was a good time for upgrades. The battery life on my 2020 Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon was never good but, within a few years, it had shrunk to less than two hours. That’s just pathetic and also unusable. So I hopped on eBay and bought a slightly used Thinkpad X1 Nano, 3rd generation, made in April 2023. It runs on a Core i5 Intel chip and came with a 512GB SSD. It’s noticeably lighter and more portable than the original X1, weighing just 2.1 pounds with a slightly smaller 13-inch screen. And I got such a deal! Battery life for Civ IV and occasional web browsing and emailing is four to five hours, not great but totally manageable.
Walking around the house tablet
In January 2026, I was seeking more screen real estate for my main content consumption device, so I upgraded to a 13-inch iPad Pro with 5G. Did I say the M4 Mac mini was the fastest device in the house? Oy, it might be a close race against this M5-powered beast. Imports giant RAW photo files faster than any other computer here and has an amazing bright and crisp “Ultra Retina XDR” screen. It is also surprisingly light and thin. And when paired with Apple’s Magic Keyboard case, it does a fine imitation of a Mac laptop with a touchscreen. On the other hand, iPadOS 26 is pretty janky. The M5 monster replaced an 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation) from 2022.
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