Software development can be intense. Hours of coding, debugging, and problem solving. So it’s important to have a reliable partner by your side. Mine just happens to have four legs, a tail, and a deep love for sitting on my keyboard.
Meet my pair programming buddy: Mia.
<figure data-asset-id="56268bbe-01ff-4f86-93a8-55da819536d0" data-image-id="56268bbe-01ff-4f86-93a8-55da819536d0"><img src="https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/a1dcf2a7-848a-005d-6c8d-62039a8e419d/370e969d-af0b-4b37-a8c0-85e15f6e9d69/IMG_3607.jpeg" data-asset-id="56268bbe-01ff-4f86-93a8-55da819536d0" data-image-id="56268bbe-01ff-4f86-93a8-55da819536d0" alt="Mia"></figure>
While she doesn’t know Python from JavaScript, and her idea of debugging is swatting at the mouse cursor, she’s an integral part of my daily workflow. Need someone to silently judge your messy code? She’s there. Need a warm presence to make your chair mysteriously shrink in size? She’s on it. Want to step away and think through a problem? She’s already lying on your laptop, forcing you to take a break. 
 
Some of her specialties include:
<ul>
 <li>Code Reviews (via unimpressed stares)</li>
 <li>Sprint Planning (sprinting across the room for no reason)</li>
 <li>Keyboard Shortcuts (accidentally discovering ones I never knew existed)&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Her real talent, though? Timing. Specifically, demanding tummy rubs at the exact moment I start a video call. It’s uncanny. The second I unmute, she appears out of nowhere, flops dramatically onto her back right in front of the camera, and stares like, “You know the drill.”
<figure data-asset-id="2366c64f-a1b4-406f-91e3-9985c98f811c" data-image-id="2366c64f-a1b4-406f-91e3-9985c98f811c"><img src="https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/a1dcf2a7-848a-005d-6c8d-62039a8e419d/bcf63ab8-632f-4ed1-a68f-3188765b3f58/IMG_3439.jpeg" data-asset-id="2366c64f-a1b4-406f-91e3-9985c98f811c" data-image-id="2366c64f-a1b4-406f-91e3-9985c98f811c" alt="Mia"></figure>
Ignore her and she'll start typing her own opinions into Slack. Delay too long and she’ll climb into my lap mid presentation like a fluffy little QA tester who found a bug in my attention. 
 
When she’s not causing mild chaos, she’s supervising from a nearby windowsill, tail flicking disapprovingly at my naming conventions. Sometimes she naps on my arm while I type one handed. Sometimes she launches surprise attacks on my mouse. 
 
Sure, she’s unpredictable, mildly unprofessional, and contributes nothing to GitHub but she’s also the reason my workdays have random bursts of laughter, movement, and soft purring in the background. 
 
Honestly? I wouldn’t ship code without her.

My Pair Programming Buddy

When it comes to the world of mechanical keyboards, I sometimes find it a bit overwhelming. With just so many options to choose from, it can sometimes be a bit tricky to find something that just works for me and I have to admit, I'm one of those people who just prefer to buy a pre-made one.&nbsp;
I've been on the hunt for one for a while now and ever since I bought the Keychron K3V2, which I absolutely loved, I've followed the company to see the development of their new products. After a while of waiting and searching, the Q1 Pro was released and it was sure worth the wait.
<figure data-asset-id="e6950bd9-d6c7-4817-a2c5-9ded14b062b0" data-image-id="e6950bd9-d6c7-4817-a2c5-9ded14b062b0"><img src="https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/a1dcf2a7-848a-005d-6c8d-62039a8e419d/f18fcfa8-d23e-4939-acbb-76b3f3f806b7/IMG_0904-square.jpeg" data-asset-id="e6950bd9-d6c7-4817-a2c5-9ded14b062b0" data-image-id="e6950bd9-d6c7-4817-a2c5-9ded14b062b0" alt="Keychron Q1 Pro"></figure>
Not only is it a dream to look at, but the typing experience on this feels premium and also sounds amazing. I opted for the brown switches, as I find them to be a good middle ground in terms of that clicky noise but one of the many great features of this keyboard is that the switches and keycaps can be swapped. Keychron are also known for building ISO compatible keyboards that work with both Windows and Mac, and although I only use Mac, it does mean that if in the future I want to pair this up with a Windows machine then I can do so as they do provide the supported keycaps.&nbsp;
<figure data-asset-id="9243ec52-85cc-4bdc-9879-7250ad21513e" data-image-id="9243ec52-85cc-4bdc-9879-7250ad21513e"><img src="https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/a1dcf2a7-848a-005d-6c8d-62039a8e419d/5651379c-e30f-4353-a108-eb02e5311455/IMG_0905-square.jpeg" data-asset-id="9243ec52-85cc-4bdc-9879-7250ad21513e" data-image-id="9243ec52-85cc-4bdc-9879-7250ad21513e" alt="Keychron Q1 Pro"></figure>
In terms of the RGB light, the keyboard comes with 22 types of backlight settings which I'm still yet to play around with. You can also connect the keyboard wirelessly with up to 3 devices, but there's also a USB C wired connection that I tend to use due to the reliability.&nbsp;
<figure data-asset-id="3623d830-1eff-4e46-8a0c-fae0e3ef6081" data-image-id="3623d830-1eff-4e46-8a0c-fae0e3ef6081"><img src="https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/a1dcf2a7-848a-005d-6c8d-62039a8e419d/168de75a-66e0-4238-bd5f-bfd85f981b27/IMG_0895-square.jpeg" data-asset-id="3623d830-1eff-4e46-8a0c-fae0e3ef6081" data-image-id="3623d830-1eff-4e46-8a0c-fae0e3ef6081" alt="Keychron Q1 Pro"></figure>
The integrated knob is also a nifty little feature that is currently being used to control volume but another great thing is that you are able to remap any key, create macro commands, shortcuts and key combinations using VIA.
Overall I'm super happy with this purchase. The aesthetically pleasing design and high-quality construction of this keyboard makes the high price tag worth it, in my opinion.&nbsp;Now it's just time to find a suitable travelling case so that I can use this when I'm in the office.

Keychron Q1 Pro

One of the many reasons why I love being a Software Engineer is because of the hardware, software and tools that I am able to use daily but a big part of this role is having the correct setup. I think it's very important to have access to a setup that helps you maximise your efficiency when carrying out any type of engineering work.
I have to admit, my setup journey has been just that... a journey. It's strange to think that when I first started to code, I was content with just one screen, but ask me to do that now, and I will struggle. I guess you can thank lockdown for that mindset change.
So as time went on, and as it become more apparent that majority of my time would be spent at home, I thought it was time to give my setup a 'glow-up' and invest some money into the space.
<figure data-asset-id="3994d2f1-d2ca-4e85-96b8-645f97d70c5e" data-image-id="3994d2f1-d2ca-4e85-96b8-645f97d70c5e"><img src="https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/a1dcf2a7-848a-005d-6c8d-62039a8e419d/3f59ad9a-b7ff-4b89-bcce-d23dbd60d9a3/old-setup.jpg" data-asset-id="3994d2f1-d2ca-4e85-96b8-645f97d70c5e" data-image-id="3994d2f1-d2ca-4e85-96b8-645f97d70c5e" alt="Old setup"></figure>
Don't get me wrong, I loved my previous setup. By looking at it, you could kind of tell what type of things I'm into however I realised that I wasn't as productive and efficient as I wanted to be and this came down to the fact that I didn't have the right setup and tools for my role. My space was very limited and the external monitor I was using wasn't the best. Having a glass desk also meant that I was constantly spending time cleaning it and so I made the change.
<figure data-asset-id="a2906ea4-985f-4ff0-a381-5fc101ebb96f" data-image-id="a2906ea4-985f-4ff0-a381-5fc101ebb96f"><img src="https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/a1dcf2a7-848a-005d-6c8d-62039a8e419d/07387884-62d0-4fd7-8a7e-52324fd41a9e/new-setup.jpeg" data-asset-id="a2906ea4-985f-4ff0-a381-5fc101ebb96f" data-image-id="a2906ea4-985f-4ff0-a381-5fc101ebb96f" alt="New setup"></figure>
A big difference right? The first thing I did was move my setup to a more spacious room as it gave me a lot more space to utilise. Having two 4K monitors is really a dream come true; I now have the IDE on the vertical screen, and then the browser on the opposite one. Previously, my laptop was always tucked away, simply because I didn't have enough space but I'm now able to have my laptop on my desk, along with my iPad that I use for note taking, watching videos, listening to music etc. I'm also a big fan of RGB lights so I jazzed up my setup by placing some LED strip lights behind my monitors, which completed the whole look and gave it a subtle glow.
I also invested in some great quality peripherals. A few of them are:
<ul>
 <li>Logitech MX Master 3s</li>
 <li>Logitech MX Mechanical Mini</li>
 <li>CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Dock</li>
 <li>Invision Dual Monitor Arm Mount</li>
 <li>Sony SRS-XB32</li>
</ul>
I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out, however I know that this is something that will continue on evolving as time goes on.

Blog