The most laughable tragedy in the world is that I’ve already told you which way to go, and you’re still foolishly looking back.
Last updated: June 30, 2026 If this date is too far in the past, the content below may be out of date. Items marked with ⏳ change the fastest — check the current month’s rankings before buying or adopting them.
Product Choices
💻 Software / Dev Tools
| Category | Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Java backend IDE | IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate | No contest. The Community edition is enough, but Ultimate’s Spring/database support pays for itself |
| Lightweight editor / full-stack | VS Code | Pairs with Claude Code and remote development |
| AI coding assistant | Claude Code | Agentic coding in the terminal / IDE |
| Windows offline dictionary | GoldenDict-ng | Open source, supports many dictionary formats (mdx/dsl/StarDict) |
| Terminal (Windows) | Windows Terminal + WSL2 | You already use it |
| API testing | Apifox (China) / Bruno (open, lightweight) | Postman keeps getting bloated; Bruno is the new trend |
| Database client | DataGrip / DBeaver | DBeaver is free and supports PostGIS |
| Git GUI | Fork / GitKraken / just the CLI | |
| Container management | OrbStack (Mac) / Docker Desktop | OrbStack is much faster than Docker Desktop on Mac |
| Terminal multiplexer / remote | tmux + zellij | Essential for keeping remote jobs alive and reconnecting |
| CLI efficiency trio | fzf + ripgrep + zoxide | Fuzzy find / global search / smart cd — you won’t go back |
| Shell prompt | Starship + zsh / fish | Cross-shell prompt showing git status, k8s context |
| Font (coding) | JetBrains Mono / Maple Mono | Maple Mono has CJK-Latin monospace ligatures — a great domestic option |
🤖 AI Tools
| Category | Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coding assistant ⏳ | Claude Code / Claude Opus | Top tier for complex refactors and agentic workflows |
| Domestic chat models | DeepSeek / Tongyi Qianwen / Kimi | DeepSeek has strong value and coding ability; already in your data pipeline |
| Local inference | Ollama + Qwen / DeepSeek distilled | Privacy-sensitive, offline scenarios; pairs with NAS/ECS |
| Java + AI stack | Spring AI + pgvector | RAG / agent backend; highest-ROI resume differentiator in 2026 |
| Inline translation | Immersive Translate (browser extension) | Bilingual side-by-side — a lifesaver for English docs/papers |
📱 Mobile Devices
| Category | Recommendation ⏳ | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Value Android king | OnePlus Ace 5 series / iQOO Neo10 Pro / Redmi K80 | Meizu 21 is discontinued and downgraded. In the current ¥2–3K range these are the mainstream consensus |
| Gaming performance | iQOO Neo10 Pro / Redmi K80 Pro | Dual chips + big battery |
| Camera flagship | vivo X300 Pro / Xiaomi 15 Ultra | First pick for photography fans |
| Display / productivity king | Samsung S25 Ultra | S Pen + display benchmark |
| Ad-free / clean OS | iPhone / Samsung | Ads in domestic ROMs are still a downside |
| Tablet | iPad (ecosystem) / Xiaomi Pad (value) | |
| Smartwatch | Apple Watch (iOS) / Huawei GT series (battery) | Health monitoring, sit-too-long reminders |
Note: Phones update the fastest here — check the current month’s rankings again before buying. The Meizu 21 was once a niche gem (“ad-free + flagship chip + flat screen”), but it’s now outdated.
📷 Imaging
| Category | Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full-frame all-rounder | Sony A7M4 | The A7R3 is a 2017 model. The A7M4 is still the value pick for “photo first, video second” |
| New full-frame flagship | Sony A7M5 (released Dec 2025) | 30fps burst, 7K oversampled 4K60 with no crop, ¥17999 — go for it if the budget allows |
| High-res / landscape | Sony A7CR / A7R5 | 61MP; the A7CR is light (515g), great for street and travel |
| Entry full-frame | Sony A7C2 | A one-and-done pick for students / documenting life |
| Vlog camera | Sony ZV-E1 | Full-frame video flagship |
| Do-it-all lens | Sigma 28-70 f2.8 DG DN / Tamron 28-200 | Third-party value legends |
| Editing software | Lightroom + Capture One (as needed) | C1’s out-of-camera color is better; LR’s ecosystem/sync is smoother |
| Memory cards | Sony TOUGH / SanDisk Extreme Pro | High-res A7R5/A7CR needs fast cards — don’t cheap out here |
🎵 Music / Audio
| Category | Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming (lossless) | Apple Music / Spotify / NetEase (library) | Apple Music’s lossless + spatial audio is great value |
| Local playback | foobar2000 / Navidrome (self-hosted) | Navidrome can pair with a NAS for a private streaming server |
| Monitor headphones | Sennheiser HD series / Beyerdynamic DT series | Positional listening, mixing reference |
| Commute ANC | Sony WH-1000XM series / AirPods Pro | XM is the ANC benchmark; AirPods win on ecosystem |
| DAW (composing) | Logic Pro (Mac) / Reaper (light, cheap) | Reaper is a one-time buy, low footprint, good for guitar/piano demos |
🖱️ Peripherals
| Category | Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Value mouse | Logitech G304 | Wireless, lightweight classic |
| Advanced wireless mouse | Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 / MX Master 3S | Esports vs. productivity |
| Mechanical keyboard | Custom (VIA/QMK) / AJAZZ, Dareu | Domestic custom builds are now mainstream |
| Monitor (coding) | 4K 27" or 2K high-refresh / ultrawide | For multi-window needs |
| Ergonomic chair | Sihoo / UE (domestic value) | |
| Monitor arm | Loctek / NB | Frees the desk, protects your neck |
| Charging (travel) | Anker / Baseus GaN multi-port | One brick charges phone + laptop + camera |
| Power bank | Anker / Xiaomi (with PD fast charge) | 65W+ can top up a laptop in a pinch |
💾 Storage / Self-hosted Infrastructure
| Category | Recommendation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud drive | 115 Cloud (resources / instant upload) + self-hosted (privacy) | Makes sense for the domestic scenario |
| Self-hosted drive | Nextcloud / Seafile | For privacy-sensitive data |
| NAS OS | Synology DSM (hassle-free) / TrueNAS / fnOS (rising domestic star) | You already tinker with a NAS |
| Sync tool | Syncthing | Decentralized, cross-device |
| Photo management | Immich (self-hosted, AI albums) | The best self-hosted replacement for Google Photos |
| Password management | Vaultwarden (self-hosted) / Bitwarden (hassle-free) | Rust-based lightweight Bitwarden, <50MB RAM, compatible with all clients |
| Notes / knowledge base | Obsidian (local backlinks) / SiYuan (database) | Obsidian is local Markdown, syncs via Git/NAS |
| To-do / GTD | Logseq (outline) / TickTick | Outline flow vs. traditional list flow |
| NAT traversal | Tailscale / frp | |
| Reverse proxy | Caddy (automatic HTTPS) / Nginx | You use Nginx |
| Monitoring / alerts | Uptime Kuma + ntfy | Push notifications when services go down; you already use ntfy |
| RSS reading | FreshRSS (self-hosted) + client | Fights information bubbles, aggregates quality sources |
| Bookmarks / read-later | Karakeep (formerly Hoarder) / Linkwarden | Self-hosted bookmarks, AI auto-tagging |
| Container dashboard | Dockge / Portainer | Dockge is lightweight and compose-focused |
Life Habits
Keep a stable 7+ hours of sleep every day.
Optimal diet structure: protein + moderate fat + limited ultra-processed food (UPF).
Eat fruit ≫ drink juice.
Strength training at least 2–3 times a week + walk more day to day. Sitting too long is a programmer’s number-one killer — more insidious than staying up late.
Eye care: the 20-20-20 rule for screens (every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds); match your monitor brightness to the ambient light.
Self-discipline brings freedom, not constraint.
Get it done first, then make it perfect.
Work / Engineering Practices
Anything you’ve done manually twice should be a script the third time.
Follow 3-2-1 for backups: 3 copies, 2 kinds of media, 1 off-site. A backup you’ve never verified you can restore isn’t a backup.
Write commit messages for yourself three months from now, not for the commit count.
If it can be explained clearly in a doc, don’t leave it only in your head. Time spent writing a README / CLAUDE.md for a project always pays off.
For tech choices, first ask “can we avoid introducing it,” then ask “which one to introduce.” Every dependency is future debt.
Interpersonal Relations
The essence of communication is what the other person understood, not what you said.
No one is watching you as closely as you think. In others’ eyes you’re often insignificant.
Relationships need active maintenance — they don’t renew themselves. For friends worth trusting, reach out to hang every now and then.
Asking for help isn’t shameful. Bottling it up and toughing it out alone is the truly inefficient path.
The Problem of Inner Friction
If money can solve a hassle, don’t burn your own time and emotions on it.
Most anxiety comes from thinking too much and doing too little.
Getting things done cures anxiety better than perfection does — get moving, and the dopamine comes back on its own.
Declutter regularly: cancel unused subscriptions, leave dead group chats, uninstall time-sink apps. Both physical and digital decluttering ease inner friction.
Swap “should” for “choose.” You choose to do this — you’re not being held hostage by it.