---
title: "Uses"
date: 2026-10-01
author: "Phillip Lovelace"
---

# Uses

What I use to design, build, and write. I’ll keep this current as things change. Inspired by [uses.tech](https://uses.tech).

## Hardware

- **MacBook Pro 14″ (M5).** Does everything I need and stays quiet doing it.
- **Two LG ultrawide monitors.** Once you get used to the extra room, it’s hard to go back.
- **NuPhy Air75.** A low-profile mechanical keyboard that feels great without taking over the desk.
- **AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.** Pro for moving around, Max for heads-down focus.

## Editor & Terminal

- **[Zed](https://zed.dev)** is my editor. It’s fast and stays out of the way.
- The theme is VSCode Dark Modern most of the time, with Ayu Light when the sun wins. Icons come from VSCode Icons for Zed.
- Code is set in **JetBrains Mono** at 13pt. I spent a while coding in Noto Sans before realizing it wasn’t even a monospace font. Don’t be like me.
- **iTerm2**, with cmux in the mix, running zsh and Oh My Zsh.
- Curious what’s actually installed on a Mac? I built [stockpile](https://pixelflips.com/blog/stockpile-know-whats-in-your-arsenal) to answer exactly that.

## AI

- **[Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)**, whenever I’m not writing it by hand. I use it for pair programming, PR reviews, documentation, and helping me draft and research posts like the ones on this site.
- A few MCP servers: Chrome DevTools so Claude can see what the browser sees, Context7 for current library docs, and GitHub.

## Design & Frontend

- **Figma** for design work.
- Brave and Chrome day to day, with Safari and Firefox for testing. Every engine has opinions.
- **ImageOptim** for squeezing images down before they ship.
- Git mostly happens in the command line, with **GitHub Desktop** when I want to see a diff.

## Everyday Apps

- **Brave** as my main browser.
- **Slack**, like everyone else.
- **1Password**, for now.
- **[Obsidian](https://obsidian.md)** for notes, plans, and a running log of my projects.
- **Proton VPN**.

## Music

Everything plays through **Spotify** and scrobbles to Last.fm. Here’s the latest:

 ![Year to Be Young 1994](https://lastfm-img.freetls.fastly.net/i/u/174s/bab3537fc343525db6d088b7e26ef682.jpg) 

**Year to Be Young 1994**

by Stephen Wilson Jr.

🎧 Last Played

 

 

## Beard & Tattoo Care

Not software, but still part of the daily routine.

- **Chicago Comb Co.** combs and boar bristle brushes for the beard.
- **Harry’s Tattoo Frost** to keep the ink, [like this sleeve](https://pixelflips.com/blog/sacred-geometric-sleeve), looking sharp.

## How This Site Is Built

- A **custom classic WordPress theme**. No block theme, no build step, just PHP and CSS.
- Hosted on **DreamHost** and deployed by GitHub Actions every time I push to `main`.
- **WP Super Cache** for page caching and **Autoptimize** for CSS and HTML minification.
- Schema, meta, and Open Graph tags are written by hand in the theme. No SEO plugin.
- An [llms.txt](https://pixelflips.com/llms.txt) and a Markdown version of every page for AI tools.

Looking for what I do rather than what I use? Check out my [portfolio](https://pixelflips.com/portfolio).