travis.media

Welcome to my resources page!

Readers often ask me about web tools, gear, software, etc. that I use and would recommend. I, myself, love reading resources lists from other bloggers and developers.

Well, here is my list:

  1. Website Tools and Hosting
  2. Digital Equipment
  3. Software
  4. Education
  5. Business Tools

WEB TOOLS

HOSTING

  • - Bluehost (Non-Technical): When you first create a website, keep it simple. The goal is to get something out there...to start creating content....not to spend weeks and months on all the details and never get anything done. Set up hosting with Bluehost and then create a WordPress site (below). Simple. Start at only $2.95/month.
  • - Cloudflare Pages (Technical): After moving my blog from WordPress to from Ghost to Hugo, I ended up hosting it with Cloudflare pages. Netlify was great as a static site hosting alternative, but there's a bandwith cap taking me out of the free plan. With Cloudflare pages, there is no bandwidth cap. So given my site is static (generated by Hugo) I host it for absolutely FREE.

WEBSITE/CMS

  • - WordPress : WordPress is an easy to setup, reliable, content management system, that you can host for really cheap (see Bluehost above). If you are new to blogging, websites, online musings, then just go with WordPress. Even if up front. There is tons of support out there and lots of developers waiting to help you out.
  • - Hugo : After blogging for a while and being consistent, and if you are technical and want to take full control of your site, consider a static site generator like Hugo. It's free and it's free to host on Cloudflare Pages. Again, it's a technical platform, but one I get excited about every time I pull it up.

DIGITAL EQUIPMENT

  • - Macbook Pro: I've used a Macbook Pro for years and think it's the best. Currently I'm using a 14" M1 Macbook Pro.
  • - 4K 27" Monitor: I recently bought a new 27" 4K monitor and love it. I'm not at fan at ALL of dual monitors. Give me one large screen that I can move windows around on. And the 27" is perfect. The model I currently use is the BenQ PD2725U Thunderbolt 3 Monitor for Macbook 27" 4K UHD. It's an absolute gem, but a little pricey at $850. My last monitor was the LG 27UL850-W and it was a really good monitor as well. I actually did a video review of that one on YouTube.
  • - Keyboard: Looks like a Mac keyboard. Bit of a cheap feel but suits me fine. Wired. Recently just purchased the black color to match my desk setup.
  • - Mouse: Simple. No clicking sound. Wired. Checks all the boxes for me.
  • - Seagate Fast SSD 1TB: A wise investment for anyone. Lightning fast transfers at 500Mb/s. And of course it's SSD, no moving parts, and quiet...too quiet. And it's small enough to fit in your pocket (better your bag!)
  • - Shure SM7B Microphone : What can I say, this is the king of mics. From podcasts to singing, it just sounds great. You'll also need to add the Cloudlifter CL-1 to boost the gain. If this costs too much for you, then try out the Samson Q2U USB microphone. I actually used this up until December 2022 for all my YouTube videos. It's cheap and decent.
  • - Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Generation : The perfect USB Audio Interface for your home setup. Two inputs, phantom power, monitoring, it's all you need.
  • - Microphone Boom Arm : Most microphone arms out there put the microphone in front of your face. But this won't do when you're on video. So, this Elgato low profile arm works great to set the microphone below you, and it keeps out of the way.
  • - Sony a6400 Camera Excellent camera for those who don't want to break the bank. All of my recent YT videos are shot with this. However, at this moment of typing this, I would recommend you go with the 6600. It came out after my purchase and has a few meaningful upgrades.
  • - Sigma 16mm f/1.4 Lens: An all-around sharp lens with great bokeh. Used in all of more recent videos.

SOFTWARE

  • - VS Code : I've tried them all and VS Code is just the all-around best. Lightweight, tons of extensions, smart, and the UI is great. Just run with it. Download a cheatsheet of the top 10 VS Code shortcuts and/or watch the video.
  • - Affinity Photo : An Adobe Photoshop alternative. No really, a very good one. Just look it up. Try it out.
  • - Affinity Designer : An Adobe Illustrator alternative. No really, a very good one. Just look it up. Try it out. I use this regularly for creating thumbnails and graphics.
  • - Davinci Resolve : The absolute best Video Editor out there for all platforms. And it's FREE.
  • - Skitch : Very useful for adding text to images, adding arrows, shapes, highlighting text, etc.
  • - Clipy : Couldn't live without it. Honestly. This allows me to keep as many "copy and pastes" as I want with an ability to recall them easily and individually. Just get it and thank me later.
  • - Magnet : Resize and rearrange windows on your Mac with ease. Another tool I couldnt do without.

EDUCATION

  • - Udemy: I owe so much career success to Udemy. I mean, $15 courses, great teachers, a wide range of material...if you don't benefit, then it's on you. Here's a video I did recently on 10 Udemy courses every Developer should own. And make sure you DON'T pay over $20 for a course. Here's a regularly updated list of deals.
  • - Zero To Mastery : My new found gem for all IT professionals, especially those trying to break into the industry. Great courses, career paths, solid teaching, and regularly updated. I have nothing but good things to say and hear the same from others.
  • - Audible : Where would I be without audiobooks!?! Audible is great.

BUSINESS

  • - Quickbooks : I use Quickbooks for all my business finance tracking and management.
  • - YNAB : Hands down the best budgeting tool for personal finances. I would pay well over what they charge because the value is so great.
  • - Amazon Prime : Who can live without Amazon Prime? Not me.
  • - Google Suite : I use this for my domain emails and benefit from the cloud storage options.

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