<pclass="question">Who are you, and what do you do?</p>
<pclass="answer">My name is Scott Wallace and I'm a hacker at heart. This means that I love technology and messing about with it until it does what I want it to -- not the other way around. I'm a "contracting IT Systems Engineer". I like to think that I specialise in automation but it's really just scripting myself out of work. I'm essentially a mercenary and will work for the highest bidder. My main area of expertise lies around the Internet and web technologies.</p>
<pclass="question">What hardware are you using?</p>
<pclass="answer">The only devices which go with me everywhere are, of course, my mobile phone (a <ahref="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01H37WXFW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B01H37WXFW&linkCode=as2&tag=scotwall0e-21"target="_blank">OnePlus 3</a>), my keys in an <ahref="http://amzn.to/1ZxXJgF"target="_blank">Orbitkey</a>, my <ahref="https://www.ridgewallet.com/"target="_blank">Ridge wallet</a>, a <ahref="http://amzn.to/1ZxXSRr"target="_blank">Leatherman Squirt PS4</a> and my <ahref="http://amzn.to/2fDJDpc"target="_blank">Garmin Fēnix 3 HR</a> (v1).</p>
<pclass="answer">My everyday computer is a <ahref="http://amzn.to/202xHil"target="_blank">mid-2016 13" Macbook Pro Retina</a> and, when working from home, I use a late 2009 <ahref="http://amzn.to/1ZxYaaQ"target="_blank">iMac 27"</a> with an <ahref="http://amzn.to/202xSdK"target="_blank">Apple Magic Trackpad</a>.</p>
<pclass="answer">I also have an Nvidia <ahref="http://amzn.to/1W89ogO"target="_blank">Shield Tablet</a> which is good for reading eBooks, perusing the web and generally chilling out (<ahref="http://reddit.com/">Reddit</a>!).</p>
<pclass="answer">When travelling, to ensure I have Internet connectivity, I carry a <ahref="http://amzn.to/202y9NN"target="_blank">Huawei E5331</a> portable WiFi device with a local data SIM thrown in the back. So far it seems reliable and very unobtrusive. To reduce the amount of charging equipment required I also take an <ahref="http://amzn.to/2a75fvO"target="_blank">EC Technology 8-Ports 60W 12A USB Charger</a> with me.</p>
<pclass="answer">For media consumption I have a <ahref="http://amzn.to/2anFPGv"target="_blank">Roku 3</a> hooked up to a 40" <ahref="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001W3QUXK"target="_blank">Samsung Series 8 LED TV</a>. All the media is loaded onto a <ahref="http://amzn.to/1ZxZGtF"target="_blank">Netgear ReadyNAS Ultra-4</a> with enough space to last well into the future. To control the TV and the Roku I use the awesome <ahref="http://amzn.to/1ZxZN8t"target="_blank">Logitech Harmony 600</a> universal remote. I cannot recommend these remotes enough. The living room also houses a <ahref="http://amzn.to/202zc0a"target="_blank">Sonos Play:5</a> for streaming music and <ahref="http://amzn.to/202zdB3"target="_blank">Sonos Play:1</a>s in the dining room and kitchen.</p>
<pclass="answer">For getting to and from work I ride a <ahref="http://www.rosebikes.com/bike/rose-pro-dx-cross-3000-hydraulic-817171"target="_blank">Rose Pro DX Cross-3000</a> bike. It runs with a <ahref="http://amzn.to/1Zy3Xx2"target="_blank">Nite Rider Lumina Micro 250 & Solar rear</a> light set and I chose the <ahref="http://amzn.to/2a75Iy4"target="_blank">Hiplok V150</a> to lock it up on casual rides.</p>
<pclass="answer">All the Macs run <ahref="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X_El_Capitan"target="_blank">El Capitan</a> and content is kept in sync with <ahref="http://google.com/drive/"target="_blank">Google Drive</a> and <ahref="https://getsync.com/"target="_blank">Resilio</a> (aka BitTorrent Sync) for the more sensitive stuff. Software installation is <ahref="https://github.com/scottwallacesh/dotfiles"target="_blank">scripted</a> which makes setting up new installation a cinch. I always have an instance of <ahref="https://www.iterm2.com/"target="_blank">iTerm2 v3</a>, enhanced with <ahref="http://brew.sh/"target="_blank">HomeBrew</a>, running and work wouldn't be the same without <ahref="https://www.hipchat.com/"target="_blank">HipChat</a> or <ahref="https://hangouts.google.com/">Hangouts</a> (and <ahref="https://www.virtualbox.org/"target="_blank">VirtualBox</a> for any Windows nonsense). <ahref="http://www.alfredapp.com/"target="_blank">Alfred 2</a> replaces Spotlight and enables clipboard history -- as well as a host of other functionality (it's great for those who love keyboard shortcuts). <ahref="http://justgetflux.com/"target="_blank">f.lux</a> is a must-have for those who have trouble falling asleep at night.</p>
<pclass="answer">Photos taken on the phone are automatically uploaded to <ahref="https://photos.google.com/"target="_blank">Google Photos</a> and <ahref="http://smugmug.com/"target="_blank">SmugMug</a>, which is where all <ahref="http://photos.scott.wallace.sh/"target="_blank">my photos</a> are stored, via <ahref="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.snapwood.smugfolio"target="_blank">their Android app</a>.</p>
<pclass="answer">Video transcoding on the desktop is handled by <ahref="http://handbrake.fr/"target="_blank">Handbrake</a> whilst <ahref="http://flexget.com/"target="_blank">Flexget</a>, a kick-ass piece of software, keeps all my media automatically up-to-date. Transcoding to the Roku is handled by <ahref="https://www.plex.tv/"target="_blank">Plex Server</a> running on the iMac.</p>
<pclass="answer"><ahref="http://www.python.org/"target="_blank">Python</a> is my language of choice but I also dabble in <ahref="http://golang.org/"target="_blank">Go</a>, <ahref="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_(programming_language)"target="_blank">C</a>, <ahref="http://www.gnu.org/s/bash/"target="_blank">BASH</a> (and Bourne shell), <ahref="http://www.php.net/"target="_blank">PHP</a>, and <ahref="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_(programming_language)"target="_blank">Java</a> (for Android development). All recent code is kept on <ahref="https://github.com/scottwallacesh"target="_blank">GitHub</a>.</p>
<pclass="answer">My browser of choice is, of course, <ahref="http://www.google.com/chrome"target="_blank">Google Chrome</a> loaded with my favourite plugins: 1Password, <ahref="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hangouts/nckgahadagoaajjgafhacjanaoiihapd"target="_blank">Hangouts</a> and <ahref="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/save-to-pocket/niloccemoadcdkdjlinkgdfekeahmflj"target="_blank">Pocket</a>.</p>
<pclass="answer">I have tried to move my working set of software into the Cloud. All my website passwords are random and tracked in <ahref="https://agilebits.com/onepassword"target="_blank">1Password</a>; I use either of <ahref="http://di.fm">di.fm</a> or <ahref="https://play.google.com/music/"target="_blank">Google Play Music</a> for listening to music; <ahref="https://apps.google.com/"target="_blank">Google Apps</a> is used for Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Docs and Tasks; and <ahref="http://www.getpocket.com/"target="_blank">Pocket</a> for "tl;dr" functionality.</p>
<pclass="answer">And last, but certainly not least, <ahref="http://fre.ag/3672mfra"target="_blank">FreeAgent</a> helps me out with all the paperwork for my company (invoicing, taxes, timesheets, accounts, etc.).</p>
<pclass="question">What would be your dream setup?</p>
<pclass="answer">A simple, light but fast computer that has access to the Internet from anywhere and acts as a WiFi-hotspot, even when closed. My mobile phone would be a combination of a <ahref="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_area_network"target="_blank">PAN</a>, the laptop and my watch. All powered with <ahref="http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/130380-future-batteries-coming-soon-charge-in-seconds-last-months-and-power-over-the-air"target="_blank">super-futuristic batteries</a> that don't require charging as we know it today.. I'd also really love there to be a single movie and TV streaming service that provided all the world's content to anyone with a subscription and Internet access.</p>
