Blake StoddardInterview
Senior Operations Engineer, Epic Games
Adapted from Blake Stoddard's interview on Uses This, published 8 April 2022. The kit is drawn from their answers and each reason is an excerpt, lightly edited. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full interview ↗
Is this you? Claim this kit →Hardware
2021 16in MacBook Pro (M1 Max 32c GPU, 64GB RAM, 4TB SSD) in Space Gray: This is my main machine, it's what I use both docked at my desk and around the house/on-the-deck if I'm at home.
Thinkpad X1 Nano Gen 1 (i7-1130G7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD): I'm not in a direct on-call rotation for EGS, but I am in a rotation for an internal incident commander role – this is the device I have to support that need.
Apple Pro Display XDR (glossy + the Pro Stand): This is absolutely the most opulent thing I own, and I have absolutely zero reason to own it, but it's just an absolute dream to use.
I've also got the custom Logitech webcam that magnetically attaches to the top of the display – it does the trick but isn't anything to write home about.
Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk+ 10 others
Fully Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk (alloy extended base, 60"x30" - 1.5ish meters x .75ish meters - contour top): This desk is almost perfect.
Herman Miller Mirra 2: I've had this chair for seven years now and it's still good as new, and I know it'll go for another seven more.
It's paired to a Dell S2721DGF (27in, 165Hz, VESA Not-Really-HDR 400 Certified) that does the job, I don't really have any complaints about it, though I'd love to upgrade to a 4k 144hz display this year.
iPhone 13 Pro (256GB, Gold): I buy a new iPhone every year in a very un-environmentally-conscious choice, it's a guilty pleasure.
Last year I had a 12 Mini and LOVED the size, but the battery life and very-quick-to-throttle display brightness issues caused me to go back to the full-size phone this year (and also ProMotion).
iPhone Leather Wallet with MagSafe
There's a MagSafe Wallet in Dark Cherry on the back.
Communication
I rely heavily on G Suite for email/docs/etc, Slack for chat, and Zoom for video stuff at work.
Productivity
Notes
Coding & Development
Design
Other
I also frequently spend time in Terraform-land, which I have a love-hate relationship with depending on what I'm using it for (but it's been absolutely wonderful to watch grow over the last few years – kudos to HashiCorp).