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

I’m Quan (pronounced “kwan”). I’m a NYC-based software engineer working at MSK, helping build a collaborative platform that centralizes cancer research data from various pipelines and streamlines cancer research processes. I previously interned at a machine learning software startup called BentoML.

On a part-time basis, I’m a master’s student in the MCIT program at Penn Engineering and a teaching assistant at CodePath. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my wife, building side projects, reading manga, and learning to live healthier mentally and physically.

Before software development, I spent some time on the business side, where I worked in a strategic finance capacity and helped an e-commerce startup with going public and, afterwards, in a chief-of-staff capacity at a Series A debugging software startup.

What hardware do you use?

My main laptop is a 16-inch MacBook Pro M1 Max with 32GB of RAM. It usually sits in clamshell mode while being connected to two Dell P series monitors, one of which I oriented vertically for programming and for how cool it looks.

My computer accessories include an MX Vertical mouse mouse, a Brio webcam, and a Yeti microphone (I didn’t realize I was a Logitech fanboy until now). All this equipment sits on top of an XL Autonomous Pro standing desk.

I also own a pre-loved Herman Miller Aeron chair that has done wonders for my lower back pain. Ergonomics is something I like optimizing for because I spend a lot of time at my desk for work, school, and other activities—if you’re reading this and have recommendations, I’d love to hear about them.

And what software?

I use Arc as my main browser to keep up with the cool kids and for their delightful UX. Most of my programming work is done in VS Code with the Vim Motions extension and an integrated iTerm2 terminal.

My current favorite productivity tool is Raycast for its lightning-fast navigation, instant access to GPT, and being an overall better replacement for Spotlight. I also use Things 3 for tracking to-dos, Obsidian and Goodnotes for note-taking, and Focusmate for accountability buddies.

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

My setup consists of the Moonlander keyboard paired with the recently added Platform, which made my wrists much more comfortable and alleviated my carpal tunnel. I use a QWERTY-like layout with a few modifications, such as the Caps Lock replacing Esc for a smoother Vim experience. In terms of keycaps, I use a few of SPKeyboards’ switch blockers for unused keys and a Squirtle keycap on top of the Esc key to match with my wife’s Bulbasaur one.

What would be your dream setup?

I’m happy with my current setup, but my internal perfectionist would love better cable management with fewer cables in view. In the future, I’m curious about experimenting with using the LG DualUp Monitor as my only monitor, and integrating VR headsets such as the new Apple Vision Pro into my setup and workflows.