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BlunderGOAT

A good tradesman never blames their tools, a better one does.

What I use to write code, wrangle AI, and avoid carpal tunnel.

Workstation

  • MSI Vector 16 HX AI (Intel Ultra 9 275HX, 64GB RAM, RTX 5080)

    A lot of horsepower for someone who started on a Commodore 64. I use the 5080 to run models locally so I can go nuts in a sandbox I control. Mostly it's just nice to have a machine that doesn't choke when I ask it to do something interesting.

  • Dual 22" External Monitors

    Nothing fancy. Two screens, side by side. One for coding, and one for testing or documenting as I go.

  • Logitech ERGO K860 Keyboard

    Split ergonomic keyboard is the way. We can either invest in ergonomics or invest in a physio. The keyboard costs less time.

  • HandshoeMouse Shift

    Looks like a sleeping face hugger. Feels better than anything I've used. No need for a wrist rest, no compressed ulnar nerve, your hand just rests on it instead of gripping. I switched for comfort and never looked back.

Development Tools

  • JetBrains Toolbox

    JetBrains IDEs have static analysis that understands the language, not just syntax highlighting. The indexer drinks RAM for breakfast, but the middle click-ability, refactoring, and debugging tools are worth it. Once you know IntelliJ, you know PyCharm, WebStorm, GoLand, same keybindings, same comfortable surroundings. The DataGrip introspective autocomplete for joins has saved me hours.

  • AI IDEs (Cursor, Google Antigravity, Kiro)

    My one IDE era is over. It's hard to pick a favourite Cursor is my favourite, but I still use Antigravity & Kiro every other day. I prefer three low-tier subscriptions over one upgraded plan. Cursor's multi-agent mode is superb. I use the agent code review option and in-IDE browser mode on the regular. I appreciate the way Kiro creates steering documents, but their spec-driven mode is a bit over-rated. Google Antigravity with the latest Gemini and Opus models is a good deal with my existing Gemini Pro.

AI Tools

  • Chatbots (The AI Council)

    ChatGPT is like my science teacher, Claude has English teacher vibes, and Gemini is the control group. I haven't put my finger on Grok yet, maybe crazy uncle or the neighbor from Plants vs Zombies? I wrote about when to bring in a second AI.

  • Agentic CLI: Codex, Gemini, Claude Code, Grok

    It's hard to beat Claude Code, but the others are still useful. If Claude gets annoying I'll spin up Codex or Gemini. Sometimes Codex takes forever or Gemini gets stuck in a loop. I tried Grok and it's fine, just not my go-to. Lots of planning required, and remember: high skill, low trust.

Productivity

  • Obsidian

    Plain markdown is my favourite format, I'll take one hash over a large heading any day. Files organized into Projects, Areas, and Resources. At work I keep one weekly file with headings for each day, jotting down todos, colleague requests, and quick thoughts before they vanish. It's simple, local, and gives me a structured place to dump my brain.

  • reMarkable

    My morning ritual and meeting companion. I use it to physically write out the day into four quadrants, mapping 'High Importance/High Urgency' tasks and updating throughout the day. It's great how I can select and move things around the page, and it's hard to beat that real paper feel - except for maybe with real paper?