Matt CuttsInterview
Head of Google's webspam team
Adapted from Matt Cutts's interview on Uses This, published 3 April 2014. 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
For my day-to-day work, I've been using a Chromebook Pixel since June 2013.
I have a hand-me-down Mac Pro from my wife that connects to various self-tracking fitness devices like my Fitbit.
I've got a Raspberry Pi computer that I use for tinkering.
I've got a Brother MFC-9840CDW wireless printer that can also fax ancient institutions that don't understand the Internet yet.
Bose QuietComfort 20 noise-cancelling headphones for the plane or remote office
Scosche USB car charger and a retractable USB cable for charging in the car
an extra USB/micro USB battery (Zoom Energy Bar Pro)
Lightning to Micro USB Adapter
a micro USB to Lightning adapter in case I need to charge someone's Apple device
In the main pocket of my backpack, you'll find my Chromebook Pixel, a Kindle Paperwhite, and a Wired magazine or Maximum PC magazine.
For headphones that won't come out, I recommend Sony's MDR-AS20J headphones.
If you're going to run no more than 5-6 hours (like a marathon), I'd recommend the Garmin Forerunner 610.
If you plan on running 7-8 hours or more (like a half-Ironman or more), the Garmin Forerunner 910XT is really nice.
Communication
For my website mattcutts.com I use Tiger Tech for webhosting, and for my blog I use WordPress.
I could have used Google's Blogger software, but I wanted to keep my blog completely under my control and make it very clear that it's my personal blog.
If you haven't tried Waze yet, it's really good at shaving off a few minutes from your morning drive commute.
Productivity
In 2009 I set myself a 30 day challenge to stop using Microsoft software completely, and after that challenge, Word and other Windows software isn't really appealing.
Tasks costs $0.99, but interoperates with Google Tasks.
Browser
For my day-to-day software, it's pretty much Chrome and the web.
Security
Google Authenticator (Android)
I use Google Authenticator and two-factor authentication to make my Google accounts more secure.
Coding & Development
Design
Media
Pocket Casts (Android)+ 1 other
I love Pocket Casts for podcasts.
Storage
The latest Fitbit Android app will sync with your Fitbit -- no need for a desktop computer or base station any more.
Other
Before June 2013, I'd used IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads since 1999, usually with Ubuntu Linux installed.
I also have a Windows XP computer (also bought from endpcnoise.com) that I haven't really used since 2008 but haven't recycled yet.
Strava is a free smartphone app and website for tracking your running and biking.
I use mostly Google apps like Gmail and Calendar on my phone, but a few Android apps that I use all the time: