The Workflow Setup

The other half of the site. The tools line covers software I test; this line covers the hardware — what it was bought for, how long it has been on the desk, where it broke, and what it really cost including the hours. Where a post rests on specifications instead of a device I own, the first line of that post says so.

How this line is written

Same standard as the tools line. There are two kinds of post here, and each one is labelled at the top:

• Owned. A device I bought and use, written up after months rather than after unboxing. Nothing here is borrowed, seeded, or bought for the sake of a post.
• Researched. A buying guide built from manufacturer spec pages, published prices and other people's testing. Marked Researched, never written in the first person, and never claiming an experience I didn't have. I can recommend something I haven't held; I can't write as if I'd used it.
• Long enough to know. For anything owned, the write-up comes after months of use. Early enthusiasm and month-three opinion are usually different, and the post tells you which one it is.
• Manuals and official specs only. Numbers come from the manufacturer's own page, not from third-party roundup sites.
• Costs stated. Price paid, anything it forced me to buy, and the hours it cost in setup, debugging and returns.
• Failures included. Where it broke, or where I gave up on a feature, gets written up too.

The full methodology and conflict-of-interest statement are on the About page, and the affiliate policy is on the disclosure page.

Tools

Mac monitor ppi and scaling calculator — enter a monitor's size and resolution to see whether macOS will render it at a clean Retina 2×, native 1×, or in the fractional zone where text goes soft.

Devices 5 entries

Oct 14, 2026

External monitor for a MacBook Air: ppi, not size

A 27-inch 4K panel is the most popular external monitor and the worst fit for macOS. The ppi arithmetic Apple builds its own screens around, and what to look for instead.

Oct 14, 2026

Do you need a keyboard for your MacBook Air?

A MacBook Air already has a keyboard attached. How to tell whether you need a second one, what breaks on third-party keyboards, and what each price step buys.

Oct 11, 2026

Is 256GB enough for a MacBook Air?

19 months on, my 256GB MacBook Air has 18.2 GB free — and my own files account for 12 MB of it. Where every gigabyte actually went.

Oct 11, 2026

Two external displays on an M4 MacBook Air

The M4 Air drives two 6K externals alongside the built-in screen with the lid open — closing it adds nothing. Here is the spec page, the M3 rule that keeps getting copied, and the hub trap that makes two monitors mirror.

Oct 9, 2026

MacBook Air M4 long-term review: 19 months later

Nineteen months with the MacBook Air M4: where it still holds up, the one macOS bug that outlived the honeymoon, and what I would buy if it died tomorrow.