There are a few of us at AMD that work away from the office in Kew. With a family spread around the world and, a partner from a different country, being nomadic is as essential to my working life.

Things are a little different when you are on the ‘creative’ side of the table and for me this means screen real-estate. Of course mobility and large monitors don’t go together that well so my toolkit consists of a few different kits:

Site

When onsite it is impractical to use a computer so the iPad is the tool for the job.

• iPad
• ‘ManBag’
• Laser Measuring device
• Tape measure
• Jailbroken iPhone

I tend to put all my project’s files on GoodReader which has the remarkable ability to connect to client’s SFTP servers and mark up PDF drawings with a stylus. The key, for me, is to keep everything digital and on ‘the cloud’ so I never have a piece of paper to lose. If someone does give me a piece of paper, I take a photo of it. The iPhone is jailbroken so I can use MyWi to create a personal hotspot for my laptop and iPad in any country using a Pre-Pay SIM card.

Travel

• MacBook Pro 17″
• iPad/Jailbroken iPhone
• Etymotic HF2 headphones
• Victorinox Hard Cabin Case
• Microsoft Bluetooth Notebook Mouse 5000
• Avatron’s Air Display for iPad
• Incase Magazine Jacket for iPad and Sleeve for MacBook
• Geox brogues

This combination has been honed from a plethora of combinations of using keymote style apps for the iPhone and various input peripherals. Some might baulk at the idea of using a Microsoft mouse on a Mac, but there are two main reasons: a] It’s Bluetooth – one less USB port used up with silly dongles. b] It has a physical scroll wheel with a button; essential for CAD applications (in my opinion). The earphones also keep me sane when easyJet-ing around europe because they block out 90% of the screaming children noise that comes with being an easyJet Plus card holder. You may find it amusing that I listed a pair of shoes, but when you have to walk from a godforsaken gate in the heat of summer comfortable shoes that breathe are just the job. Steve Jobs can get away with tennis shoes, I prefer something a bit less casual.

Home

• Apple 24″ Cinema Display
• Razer Mouse
• 3D Connexion ‘mouse’
• Eames Soft Pad Aluminium Group Chair
• Timbuk2 courier bag
• 2TB Hard Disk

Wherever I lay my monitor, that’s my home.

It seems a luxury, but as I have said and always will; there aint nothing better than more pixels; and the chair is the same for my butt! I have to admit though, mine was an incredible bargain on eBay.

The mouse takes a little more explaining. Why use a consumer grade product, when you can get something four times more accurate? A gaming mouse provides amazing accuracy for all those lines I draw.

Backup is important, so, as well as SFTP file syncing via Transmit, I also use Apple’s amazing Time Machine on a couple of 2TB drives that quietly save everything. These get taken as far away from the computer as possible; regularly. This way, if you have to create your machine from scratch it only takes a few hours, rather than days, to get it back to how you’re comfortable with it.

My working philosophy is all about the Sync.

Transmit is an app that anyone who needs to share files or sync with a server needs to buy. If you save your local files to match the server it will mirror and sync for you to make working offline so much easier.

Skype. Evil, but totally necessary. I even pay them.

GotoMeeting Now with HD video conferencing! Not only can you do whole design meetings via screen sharing, but you can also gauge how your amazing ideas come across via the looks on the participants faces!*

DropBox – If you aren’t using this then you don’t deserve to be connected to the internet. Start using it and you’ll see the genius for collaboration on ad-hoc projects. It also has huge traction in the iOS app world, so is useful for syncing.

Reeder is a simple and beautifully designed app for all major platforms. A lot of people ask how I can absorb so much of the internet and this is the secret. Plough through RSS on almost any site, even if it doesn’t have a specific RSS feed.

1Password Keeps your logins and payment details for almost anything. It also suits the Nomad because you can set up various identities for those loathsome massive forms you need to fill in when ordering your teeth whitening strips or nose trimmers.**

* – Thanks, Dad!

** – Or whatever you people order online.