The Captain's Cabin

20 things I own, 30 things on my shortlist, organized by category below. Every card says which is which.

Coffee and kitchen

Coffee gear for a home office where the first cup has to happen fast and the good cup still has to happen eventually. Nothing here is a purchase yet, this is the shortlist I am working from before I buy any of it.

On my shortlist

Baratza Encore Conical Burr Coffee Grinder

A conical burr grinder gives an even grind, which matters more for cup quality than most people expect.

40 grind settings from espresso-fine to French press coarse, and it has stayed a top pick in the specialty coffee world for over a decade.

Skip it if you already own a decent burr grinder or you are happy with pre-ground.

Buy on Amazon

On my shortlist

Keurig K-Elite Coffee Maker

For home-office coffee on days there is no time for pour-over, one button beats a whole ritual.

Brews four cup sizes plus a strong-brew setting, and the hot water spout works for tea and instant oatmeal too.

Skip it if you only drink coffee you have ground yourself, or you do not want another single-use pod in the trash.

Buy on Amazon

On my shortlist

COSORI Electric Gooseneck Kettle with Temperature Presets

A gooseneck spout gives control over the pour, which is most of what separates a good pour-over from a rushed one.

Five built-in temperature presets (green tea through French press) hold within a couple degrees, so there is no guessing with a thermometer.

Skip it if you do not do pour-over and would only use it to boil water for tea.

Buy on Amazon

See all 6 in Coffee and kitchen →

Home office

A desk that has to work every weekday: smart-home basics, cable management, and a few things I have actually bought to stop the desk from turning into a pile of chargers and cords.

On my shortlist

Amazon Echo Show 5

An anchor screen for a smart home office, not just another speaker.

5.5-inch display for a glance at the calendar, and it runs the rest of the smart home gear on this list by voice.

Skip it if you already have a smart display or speaker covering the same room.

Buy on Amazon

I own this

SwitchBot Hub Mini Smart Remote

Added to bring an older TV and a window AC unit onto the same smart home system as everything else.

It bridges infrared remotes into Alexa and Google Home, so a device with no smart features gets voice and app control without replacing it.

Skip it if everything in the room already has native smart-home support and there is no old infrared remote to bridge.

Buy on Amazon

I own this

SwitchBot Blind Tilt Motorized Blinds

Bought to automate the light in a home office through the day without replacing the existing blinds.

Clips onto the existing tilt wand and the solar panel option means it is not tethered to a wall outlet.

Skip it if your blinds pull up and down on a cord rather than tilt, since this only motorizes the tilt.

Buy on Amazon

See all 15 in Home office →

E-bike commuting

I commute by e-bike with no car, north side of Chicago, most of the year. This is lock, light, and cargo gear for that commute, some of it riding on my own bike right now and some of it still on the shortlist.

On my shortlist

Garmin Varia RTL515 Radar Tail Light

For city commuting with cars around, radar beats guessing by sound alone.

Detects vehicles up to 140 meters back and the light brightens automatically as a car gets closer.

Skip it if you ride mostly on car-free paths, since the radar feature has nothing to track there.

Buy on Amazon

I own this

ILM Adult Bike Helmet with USB Rechargeable LED Lights

Bought this one because the front and back lights are built into the helmet itself.

USB rechargeable, so it is one less thing to remember to charge separately from the bike.

Skip it if you already have separate bike-mounted lights and just need a helmet.

Buy on Amazon

On my shortlist

Titanker Folding Bike Lock

For locking up outside all day, a lock that resists more than a basic cable.

Folds down small enough to mount on the frame, and hardened steel links hold up better against bolt cutters.

Skip it if you park somewhere secure overnight and only need light deterrence, since a cable lock would be lighter and cheaper.

Buy on Amazon

See all 9 in E-bike commuting →

Aquarium and fishkeeping

Home aquarium equipment and consumables. The filter cartridges and food here are repeat purchases; the tank kits and starter gear are what I would look at for a second tank.

On my shortlist

Tetra Complete 10 Gallon Aquarium Kit

The kit I would point a first-time fishkeeper at, because it removes the part where you match a filter and heater to a tank by hand.

Filter, light, and heater all come in one box instead of piecing a setup together part by part.

Skip it if you already own a filter, light, or heater separately, since buying the kit means paying for duplicates.

Buy on Amazon

On my shortlist

Aqueon MiniBow Desktop Aquarium Kit

A tank small enough to sit on a desk in a home office, which is the only spot a second tank would fit here.

Everything needed to get a little bow-front aquarium running is in the box, filter, light, and hood included.

Skip it if you want a tank larger than desktop size, since the MiniBow line tops out small.

Buy on Amazon

I own this

Fluval C4 Power Filter

Bought this exact filter and the carbon refills for it more than once.

Clips onto the tank easily and keeps the water clear without a lot of fuss, rated for tanks up to 70 gallons.

Skip it if your tank is under 20 gallons, since a filter this size is more flow than a small tank needs.

Buy on Amazon

See all 7 in Aquarium and fishkeeping →

Tech and gaming

Home lab, home office tech, and gaming gear, the Raspberry Pi cluster, the NAS enclosure, power banks, and a gaming setup, split between what is already running here and what is on my list to add.

I own this

Denon AVR-S970H 8K Ultra HD 7.2 Channel AV Receiver

Bought for a real surround setup for movies and games instead of TV speakers. Honest status: it is still in the box waiting on the room, so no listening notes yet.

8K passthrough and 7.2 channels, enough headroom that it should not need replacing for a long while.

Skip it if you only watch on a soundbar-equipped TV and do not want to run separate speaker wire.

Buy on Amazon

I own this

Anker Prime Power Bank, 27,650mAh 3-Port 250W

Bought this one for travel and it genuinely keeps a laptop and phone both charged through a long day out.

27,650mAh across 3 ports at up to 250W, and a digital readout shows exactly how much charge is left instead of a vague row of dots.

Skip it if you only need to top off a phone occasionally, since a bank this size is overkill for that.

Buy on Amazon

On my shortlist

PLAUD Note AI Voice Recorder

For meetings and voice memos where typing notes live would mean missing half the conversation.

Ultra-thin, clips near a phone or sits on a desk, and the transcription saves a lot of typing after the fact.

Skip it if you already use your phone's built-in recorder and transcription app and it covers your needs.

Buy on Amazon

See all 13 in Tech and gaming →

Guides

Longer reads built around one real setup.