Tools & Stack
What I build with.
The tools I actually use, where each one fits, and how I keep AI-assisted work checkable.
AI & Development
My background is operations, not software, and I still ship real products with AI. The stack changes quickly, but the loop stays the same: define the job, inspect the source, make the change, run the checks, and keep proof close to the work.
- Codex + GPT-5.5 Current front line for multi-file implementation, review, browser checks, documents, and longer build sessions that need persistence
- Claude Code Still part of the build bench. Useful for terminal-first coding sessions, repo work, and older workflows already shaped around it
- ChatGPT Fast thinking partner for writing, planning, synthesis, and conversational automation
- Cursor / OpenCode Hands-on coding-agent surfaces I use, test, and teach at builder sessions when people want a project open on their own laptop
- Make.com & n8n Workflow orchestration for small systems, including voice-activated expense tracking via Telegram and Google Sheets
- Supabase / Svelte / Astro Practical app stack behind Mandarin Deck, RetireCalc, and this static site when the job needs auth, sync, UI, or durable pages
- Obsidian Knowledge vault for Fortress21 research, operational notes, sourced claims, and durable learning trails
Security Stack
Security here means a setup you build and maintain yourself. Everything below works together. Pull one piece out and the whole setup changes. Reviewed quarterly against a custom threat model.
- YubiKey 5C NFC Hardware security keys for FIDO2/WebAuthn on every critical account
- Bitwarden Password management, self-hosted where possible
- ProtonMail Encrypted email for sensitive communications
- Recovery Architecture 2-of-3 geographically distributed recovery across Hong Kong and San Francisco
- 3-2-1 Data Backups Encrypted file and photo backups with geographic distribution
- Steel & Titanium Seed Backups 304 steel and titanium imprinted seed phrase backups
- Threat Model Custom threat model reviewed quarterly. Covers physical, digital, and social attack vectors
Bitcoin
Don't trust, verify. Every transaction goes through air-gapped hardware and my own node. Three hardware wallets in a multisig setup so there's no single point of failure.
- ColdCard Q Primary hardware wallet, air-gapped signing via microSD
- Keystone 3 Pro Secondary hardware wallet for multisig setups
- Blockstream Jade Plus Portable hardware wallet with camera for QR-based PSBT signing
- Sparrow Wallet Desktop coordinator for UTXO management, coin control, and multisig orchestration
- Own Node Full Bitcoin node. Block validation, mempool monitoring, privacy
Hardware
Apple Silicon runs everything. NAS storage split between Hong Kong and San Francisco for geographic redundancy.
- MacBook Pro 16" M3 The machine that runs everything
- Gigabyte M27Q External display for multi-window workflows
- 32TB NAS RAID 6 in San Francisco for encrypted backups
- NAS Redundancy (Planned) Secondary NAS for HK-SF cross-continental encrypted backup
Learning
Things move fast. I learn mostly by building, but these are the resources I keep going back to.
- Podcasts Modern Wisdom, Lex Fridman, The All-In Podcast
- Layered Money by Nik Bhatia
- Broken Money by Lyn Alden
Hobbies
Nothing to do with work. Just stuff I enjoy.