Episode published on 31/05/26.
| Resource Name & Type | Creator | Why it was Mentioned |
|---|---|---|
| Aqara G5 Cameras (Tech Gear) | Aqara | Recommended by David as a fantastic power-over-Ethernet exterior camera setup that provides a superior, reliable physical connection compared to dependent Wi-Fi signals. |
| Aqara Doorbell (G400) (Tech Gear) | Aqara | Highlighted by Stephen as an affordable power-over-Ethernet HomeKit Secure Video doorbell alternative that includes its own USB-C pluggable chime component. |
| Robin Pro Line Doorbell (Tech Gear) | Robin | Described by Stephen via listener feedback as a premium, highly expensive power-over-Ethernet smart doorbell option that has lacked modern software updates. |
| HomeCam (iOS App) | Aaron Pearce | Highly recommended by the hosts for displaying consolidated real-time smart home camera feeds simultaneously across Apple TV, Apple Watch, and iOS platforms. |
| HomePaper (iOS App) | Aaron Pearce | Noted by Stephen as a great free utility that lets users design and format elegant custom wallpaper gradients specifically tailored for rooms within the Apple Home app. |
| HomePass (iOS App) | Aaron Pearce | Strongly endorsed by Stephen as a critical utility for organising and securely saving Matter or Apple ecosystem device pairing QR codes to an exportable PDF archive. |
| Parachute Backup (Mac App) | Parachute Apps | Employed actively by Stephen to run routine scheduled safety backups of his exported iCloud Drive records and data configurations. |
| Tailwind Garage Door Opener (Tech Gear) | Tailwind | Listed by Stephen as a listener-recommended brand for upgrading residential garage infrastructure into a connected smart home setup. |
| iSmartGate Garage Door Opener (Tech Gear) | iSmartGate | Mentioned by Stephen via community email feedback as an optional third-party hardware solution for managing automated garage entries. |
| Third Reality Garage Door Opener (Tech Gear) | Third Reality | Included in Stephen’s summary of available garage gate smart upgrade hardware options for residential automation environments. |
| Meross Garage Door Opener (Tech Gear) | Meross | Highly favoured by Stephen because it operates consistently over Wi-Fi and cleanly bypasses proprietary connected hardware blockades introduced by older garage motor manufacturers. |
| Govee Permanent Outdoor Lights (Tech Gear) | Govee | Applauded by the hosts as a fantastic, highly customisable exterior house illumination option that operates seamlessly over the Matter protocol. |
| Govee Strip Lights (Tech Gear) | Govee | Purchased by David to add creative, budget-friendly ambient lighting arrays behind cabinetry setups in his production studio. |
| Govee Cordless Table Lamp (Tech Gear) | Govee | Highlighted by Stephen as an affordable, rechargeable portable accent lamp that can be taken outdoors or used on nightstands via standard Matter hooks. |
| Hue Gradient Light Strip (Tech Gear) | Philips Hue | Mentioned by Stephen as a specialised backdrop element of his entertainment setup that he uses selectively during specific immersive movie viewings. |
| Hue Sync Box (Tech Gear) | Philips Hue | Utilised by Stephen to synchronise and mimic on-screen colour profiles across his immediate living room ambient lighting setups. |
| IKEA Smart Devices (Tech Gear) | IKEA | Noted by Stephen as an inexpensive line of newly released smart devices that run natively inside Apple Home configurations using Matter. |
| Aqara Smart Lock U400 (Tech Gear) | Aqara | Celebrated by David as an incredible, friction-free smart lock that uses Ultra-Wideband technology to automatically open entryways upon physical approach. |
| Withings Smart Scale (Tech Gear) | Withings | Strongly recommended by Stephen for its precision weight auditing and excellent native background synchronisation into Apple Health metrics over Wi-Fi. |
| Renpho Smart Scale (Tech Gear) | Renpho | Discarded and returned by David after it continuously registered highly inconsistent weight and muscle mass readings during successive tests. |
| Withings Body Scan Scale (Tech Gear) | Withings | Outlined by David as a premium, top-tier health accessory capable of deep physical body tracking, despite its expensive price point. |
| Pixelmator Pro (Mac App) | Pixelmator Team | Utilised regularly by both hosts as a reliable, robust tool for performing standard corrections and modifications on RAW digital imagery. |
| Adobe Lightroom (Mac App) | Adobe | Acknowledged by Stephen as the comprehensive, baseline standard application suite for managing large-scale professional photography workflows. |
| Spokenly (Mac App) | Spokenly | Brought forward through audience feedback as an excellent dictation app that supports direct custom OpenAI token deployment alongside localised text models. |
| Immich (Website) | Immich | Suggested via community listener correspondence as a robust, entirely self-hosted platform alternative for storing and handling private image libraries. |
| MacWhisper (Mac App) | Jordi Bruin | Noted by David as an exceptional transcription choice that utilises local, device-bound processing to secure highly sensitive legal or medical info. |
| Claude (including Code and Cowork) (Website) | Anthropic | Integrated extensively into both hosts’ daily production chains to perform scheduled inbox indexing, script deployment, and automation sorting. |
| Fastmail MCP (Website) | Fastmail | Hooked into Stephen’s custom workspace via Model Context Protocol servers to perform detailed language parsing across historical email records. |
| Superhuman MCP (Mac App) | Superhuman | Highly praised by David for providing a seamless, deeply effective operational interface when asking AI modules to inspect active mail flows. |
| Obsidian (Mac App) | Obsidian | Deployed by David as his core local repository for filing automated vendor transaction records and retail receipts cataloged by his AI agent. |
| Shortcuts Playground (Website) | Federico Viticci (MacStories) | Highlighted as a major open-source plugin development that builds fully signed, ready-to-run Apple automation files directly out of raw text prompts. |
| Bear (Mac App) | Shiny Frog | Leveraged continuously by Stephen to collect real-time timestamp arrays generated through macro keys during ongoing podcast sessions. |
| Audio Hijack (Mac App) | Rogue Amoeba | Combined with custom scripts by Stephen to query and harvest direct recording timelines for accelerated show production editing. |
| Elgato Stream Deck (including Plus, XL, and Plus XL models) (Tech Gear) | Elgato | Reviewed comprehensively as a central desktop automation powerhouse for launching local workflows, smart home scenes, and multi-angle camera switching macros. |
| Elgato Stream Deck Pedal (Tech Gear) | Elgato | Used previously by Stephen to execute completely hands-free camera layout transitions during complex broadcasting configurations. |
| ATEM Mini Switcher (Tech Gear) | Blackmagic Design | Deployed by Stephen within his physical workspace to safely manage video transitions, multi-camera feeds, and immediate picture-in-picture frames. |
| CleanShot X (Mac App) | CleanShot | Programmed by Stephen into rapid-access deck commands to repeatedly snap precise layout borders during online tech streaming events. |
| BetterTouchTool (Mac App) | Andreas Hegenberg | Commended by David as an outstanding script companion for creating complex macro routines that natively drive external peripheral surfaces. |
| Elgato Studio (Mac App) | Elgato | Described by Stephen as an elegantly overhauled application collection aimed at harmonising standalone capture accessories and professional microphones. |
| Rodecaster Pro II (Tech Gear) | Røde | Selected by Stephen as his preferred, dedicated mixing desk hardware for managing core recording microphone components. |
| Blackmagic Video Capture Device (Tech Gear) | Blackmagic Design | Utilised steadily by Stephen as a major physical component in his everyday audio and video pipeline arrays. |
| Elgato Low Profile Boom Mic (Tech Gear) | Elgato | Recommended by David as his preferred unobtrusive desk mounting arm framework for clean studio environments. |
| Elgato Prompter (Tech Gear) | Elgato | Strongly endorsed by the hosts as a definitive hardware tool for video podcasters or business users wishing to look directly at video clients while maintaining explicit eye contact into the lens. |
| Backblaze (Mac App) | Backblaze | Highlighted for reversing its platform exclusions and successfully reinstating standard background file support for local iCloud photo directories. |
| Carbon Copy Cloner (Mac App) | Bombich Software | Utilized by David to generate localized monthly system mirror clones across redundant external spinner drives intended for offsite storage rotation. |
| Screens (Mac App) | Edovia | Retained by Stephen as an incredibly solid and trusted app for executing seamless remote desktop logins across separated units over many years. |
| Tailscale (Mac App) | Tailscale | Identified as an excellent virtual private lan system that can unite remote network-attached hardware drives transparently across separate residential properties. |
| TRMNL / TRMNL X (Tech Gear) | TRMNL | Commended by David as a beautiful open-source E Ink ambient information screen that perfectly displays localised meteorological changes, schedules, and custom vacation countdowns. |
| DEVONthink (v4.3) (Mac App) | DEVONtechnologies | Praised by David for deploying an advanced, entirely local Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that empowers AI bots to safely parse document repositories privately. |
| Menuwhere (Mac App) | Many Tricks | Implemented by Stephen to immediately draw down application menu items exactly where the user mouse pointer rests on-screen. |
| ShortRun (Mac App) | Sindre Sorhus | Used by Stephen to establish plain-text menu bar macros as a highly reliable fallback after suffering ongoing structural iCloud control centre synchronisation bugs. |
| Shortcuts Supercharged (Mac App) | Sindre Sorhus | Mentioned as a highly effective utility framework produced by a stellar independent utility developer to expand automation layouts. |
| Keyboard Maestro (Mac App) | Stairways Software | Endorsed by David as an absolute game-changer for attaching heavy script execution chains smoothly to standalone deck buttons. |
| Osmo Pocket 4 / Pocket 3 (Tech Gear) | DJI | Brought onto the episode by Stephen as his piece of high-quality “contraband” video hardware imported from overseas to skirt around current domestic trade blocks. |