/Uses

The stuff I actually use.

Hardware, software, health stack, daily carry, and coffee gear. Updated when something changes. Nothing here is sponsored—these are just the things I’ve landed on after trying too many alternatives.

This page contains affiliate links. If you buy something through one of them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Health & Longevity

I was always fascinated by health optimization, but it kicked into high gear after a total hip replacement last year. Decades of major pain, then one surgery and everything changed—Patrick and I are way more active, the dogs go everywhere with us, and we’re finally living the life we imagined when we moved to San Diego ten years ago. When something like that gives you your body back, you stop taking it for granted.

Post-surgery x-ray showing total hip replacement

Post-op x-ray. Still think it looks like a superhero upgrade.

Wearables & Tracking

  • Oura Ring Gen 4

    Stealth colorway. Been using Oura since Gen 2. I’m a slut for health insights. Sleep tracking, HRV, readiness scores—this is the first thing I check every morning.

  • Dexcom Stelo CGM

    Mixed opinions. The concept is great—continuous glucose monitoring without a prescription—but it feels less reliable than the G6 and G7. Still wearing it because the data is worth the inconsistency. If you do wear one, these waterproof patches are the best I’ve found—they last as long as (or longer than) the Stelo sensors themselves.

  • Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

    Titanium Gray (2024). Daily driver for activity tracking, heart rate, and notifications. Paired with the Odbeai Sport Band in black—best sport band ever, and I’ve probably bought 25 different bands for my Galaxy Watch.

  • Apollo Neuro

    Black. Wearable haptic device for stress and sleep. Vibration patterns that modulate the nervous system. Sounds like pseudoscience, works like it isn’t. I wear mine on the adjustable ankle band (also black)—it’s marketed as a “sleep band” but I wear the Apollo on my ankle 24/7. Except when showering, obviously.

Longevity Prescriptions

  • Healthspan

    All longevity prescriptions managed through Healthspan. They handle the prescribing, fulfillment, and monitoring. Current protocol:

    • • Rapamycin—4mg weekly
    • • Brenzavvy—20mg daily
    • • Low-dose Naltrexone—4.5mg daily
    • • Acarbose—25mg with starchy meals

Protein & Supplements

Labs & Scans

  • BodySpec DEXA Scans

    Cheap, convenient, tracks trends over time, and connects to AI tools through MCP. That link is a referral—we both get $10.

  • Bloodwork

    Through my PCP, Oura, and Healthspan. Staggered on a rolling 6–8 week cycle so there’s always something coming back. DEXA and labs never happen the same week.

AI & Development

Building Opsurant and leveling up agentic AI skills. This is the current toolchain.

Local AI

  • GMKtec EVO-X2 AI Mini PC

    Ryzen AI Max+ 395 (up to 5.1GHz), 128GB LPDDR5X 8000MHz, 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Runs local models comfortably. This thing is absurdly capable for its size. Connected to a GL.iNet Comet Remote KVM and a TP-Link TL-SG105 5 Port Gigabit Unmanaged Ethernet Switch.

  • Ollama on Open WebUI

    Local model serving with a clean web interface. Served remotely via Tailscale so I can access it from anywhere.

  • Current Local Models

    Qwen3:30b, Mistral Small 3.1, Llama 3.3. Always interested in what others are running—I’m not using OpenClaw, I’m learning from everyone else’s mistakes.

Cloud AI

  • ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Copilot

    All four in parallel daily. Each has strengths; none is sufficient alone. Claude gets the hardest work. ChatGPT gets the broadest. Gemini and Copilot fill gaps.

Daily Carry

What’s on me or in the bag most days.

Coffee

This is a system, not a habit.

  • Mostra Coffee Brazil Oberon

    My bean of choice. San Diego local roaster. Smooth, low-acid, perfect for iced coffee.

  • OXO Brew Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

    Set to 8. Consistent grind, easy to clean, doesn’t overheat the beans.

  • Breville Precision Brewer

    Stainless steel with glass carafe. Brewed at 190°F. The precision matters—too hot and you burn off the nuance.

  • The Method

    Grind, brew, chill overnight, pour over ice in the morning. Splash of heavy cream, little bit of stevia. Perfect iced coffee, every time. No shortcuts.

Gaming

Not a video gamer. I like the table, the books, the dice, and the occasional Kickstarter that I definitely don’t need. Shout out to Tabletop Gaymers.

  • Slay the Spire: The Board Game

    Current obsession. The deck-building translates beautifully to tabletop.

  • Ham Helsing

    Played and preordered at Gen Con 2025. Fun game based on the graphic novels.

  • 12 Rivers

    The “it” game of Gen Con 2025. Beautiful art that pops up into a 3-D experience. Less than 100 copies were available each day and I may or may not have had to trample the elderly and infirm to get mine.

  • Zombicide

    2nd Edition, Black Plague, and the Wulfsburg and White Death expansions. Cooperative zombie-smashing at its finest.

  • Munchkin

    Uncooperative backstabbing at its finest.

  • DJ Icon

    Backed on Kickstarter after playtesting it at Comic-Con 2025. Looking forward to my own copy.

  • D&D (5e)

    Forever DM. Don’t have the bandwidth to run a campaign right now, but it’s always in the back of my mind. Anyone in San Diego have room for two players? Definitely a charisma class. Dex is my dump stat—especially after the hip replacement. (10 Str, 8 Dex, 12 Con, 13 Int, 14 Wis, 15 Cha.)

← Back to robmcquade.com