unraveled also

The Setup

The Setup is a bunch of nerdy interviews. I’m not (yet) popular enough to be featured there, so I thought I’d post my own version here.

Who are you, and what do you do?

My name is Joshua Kaufman, and I’m an interaction designer at Punchcut, a San Francisco based design firm that focuses on the interface design of mobile and convergent devices. I’m also the community manager for the San Francisco chapter of the Interaction Design Association.

What hardware are you using?

At work I use a black MacBook (2 GHz Intel Core Duo with 2 GB RAM), a Samsung SyncMaster 226BW monitor, a Goldtouch Adjustable Keyboard and a Logitech VX Nano.

At home, I use a 13” MacBook Pro (2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 4 GB RAM). I used to use a mouse at home until my last VX Nano died and I started using the trackpad a lot more. I realized how awesome the all glass trackpads are on the new MacBook Pros with more regular use. I could do 99% of what I needed to do at home without a mouse — and often faster — so I haven’t bothered with once since.

And what software?

My base setup is the same at work and at home. I use Safari for web browsing because it’s fast and syncs with MobileMe. Mail is just okay, but it’s been pretty dependable in Snow Leopard and handles multiple accounts nicely. I also use SpamSieve, but it’s become less useful now that I’m managing much of my email from my iPhone 3G. I use Evernote for most writing, and for saving account details, serial numbers, receipts and notes. I like iChat but I like how Adium let’s me customize everything to my liking even more. Despite needing an update, Tweetie is still a pleasure to use.

Most of my design time is spent in Omnigraffle and Fireworks. I can’t remember the last time I opened Photoshop.

Scanning my dock for the utility side of things, I use Skitch for screenshots, CrashPlan for off-site backups, iCal for calendaring, iTunes for music listening, Things for task management and Address Book for storing my contacts. Beyond the utilities sitting in my dock, I also use Hazel to automate some file management tasks, the aforementioned LiteSwitch X to replace the OS X app switcher, and iScrobbler to send my iTunes history to Last.fm. Launchbar is my secret weapon.

What would be your dream setup?

A 13” MacBook Pro, a 30” Monitor (but not from Apple because theirs are terribly overpriced) the same Goldtouch Adjustable Keyboard I use at work, and a Magic Mouse that’s designed for people with large hands.