Lately I’ve been writing a lot about politics. I’ll get back to that soon. But this blog has never been about just one thing. Politics, yep. But also tech, travel, photography, music. Whatever’s on my mind. So today I want to share some personal tech I’ve been using now that I’m back in private citizen mode.
Here’s what I’ve been relying on:
Granola. I’ve tried a bunch of AI meeting tools but this is the first one that actually feels useful. It doesn’t record or transcribe. It just produces clean notes that capture what matters. After every meeting I use a Raycast hotkey to copy the notes into Apple Notes so I have them everywhere. Mobile version is great too.
Raycast. I put off trying this for way too long. I thought it was just a fancier Spotlight but it’s so much more. Crazy fast. Endlessly customizable. Packed with so many features. Clipboard management, text snippets, controlling Spotify with a quick command. The AI extensions are wild. I use it to summarize articles and translate text and generate playlists. Every time I think I’ve found everything it can do I stumble on something else.
Superhuman. I’ve used it for years but while I was in government most of my email was on a controlled system so I barely touched it. Now that I’m back I realize how much I missed it. The AI has gotten seriously good. Search is instant and smart. I can ask “when is my next flight?” or “show me tax documents from my advisor over the last three months.” But where it really shines is replying. A few prompts and I have a response that sounds like me.
Arc Browser and Arc Search. This one’s tricky. The Browser Company seems to be moving toward their next thing, DIA. But for now Arc Search is still my default on iPhone. Fast, great ad blocking, smooth gestures. On desktop Arc is packed with thoughtful features. Powerful UI, keyboard shortcuts, fast profile switching, solid Chrome extension support. 1Password works way better here than Safari. Just a great browser.
Chorus.fm. My go to for music discovery. Old school in the best ways. No algorithm. Just solid recommendations and real discussions.
Camera bags (or lack thereof). After years of trying every camera bag imaginable I’ve landed on two that aren’t meant for cameras. A tote from our local Nantucket grocery store and a backpack from Pakt. They don’t scream “camera bag” and they just work.
That’s the list. The political posts will be back soon :)