Who are you, and what do you do? What do you like to do outside of work?

My name is Luis Rosario, and I make websites for the University of Rochester. I mainly work as frontend developer (HTML/CSS/JS), but I am also responsible for design and user-experience decisions.

Outside of work I jump between a variety of hobbies like illustration, diorama scene making, and video games. I recently made a model train layout to go around the base of our Christmas tree. It’s been fun to come up with an idea, sketch it out, and then build it.

I like to keep up with soccer and F1, but I’m also starting to pay attention to the World Rally Championship. I bought a racing wheel and seat in 2022 and rediscovered a love for motorsport playing Dirt Rally 2.0, and now EA WRC.

What hardware do you use?

The work setup is Apple-based.

• 14” MacBook Pro 2021
• Mac Mini, 2020
• HP VH240a Monitor
• Logitech MX Master 3S
• ZSA Moonlander
• Apple HomePod
• Cowin E7 Headphones
• Eureka Ergonomics 60” L-shaped Standing Desk
• Novo Task Chair

The play setup is Sony-based.

• PlayStation 5
• Logitech G29 Wheel and Logitech G Driving Force Shifter
• Playseat Challenge Black Actifit and Playseat Gearshift Support
• TurtleBeach Stealth 350VR

And what software?

I use Firefox Developer Edition for work and projects, Firefox for anything else, and Chrome just to use Oryx :)

Other software for work and play includes:

• Sublime Text
• Terminal
• Figma, Sketch
• Affinity Photo 2, Affinity Designer 2
• Todoist
• Spotify

What’s your keyboard setup like? Do you use a custom layout or custom keycaps?

It’s still a work in progress, but I based my keyboard setup on the Workman layout. I wanted to be able to type fast (speed of thought) and avoid any repetitive injuries to my wrists (one of the reasons I bought the Moonlander!).

Caps Lock is replaced with a second Enter button for left-hand uses. The bottom row is loosely based on a typical Mac keyboard, with the Fn key switched out for an Esc key (which I usually press with bottom part of my pinky). Direction keys are based on Vim navigation layout (middle finger on Down key, ring finger on Up key, etc.).

I asked myself, “What are my most common commands and actions?” and tried to make those common tasks enjoyable, to have “fun moments” while typing. In a web browser I use Command+L command a lot to focus on the URL bar, so I wanted to make sure my right hand felt comfortable hitting those keys. When writing curly braces for a function: right thumb down, then middle and ring fingers down in quick succession.

I’m still exploring my setup and use the Heatmap feature to see where I’m most active (it influenced where I placed the Right Command button—I wanted to make more use of the right thumb pad). Recently I added a “navigation layer,” but I’m not sure I’ll stick to that since I use the main layer almost exclusively.

What would be your dream setup?

Studio-space style office, nice-sized windows for plenty of sunlight. Standing desk for digital work and a workbench for other projects. A music corner with vinyls and instruments. Plants scattered throughout, plenty of artwork on the walls, a bookshelf or two, and a sofa.

I’m pretty close to it… I just need more space for another bookshelf and a sofa!