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A picture of Tim Van Damme

Tim Van Damme

Software designer (Gowalla)

in designer, mac

Who are you, and what do you do?

My name is Tim Van Damme, and I'm a software designer based in Belgium. I work from my home office every day, surrounded by my family of 6 (myself and the dog included). My employer is a US-based company called Gowalla. We spent 8 years in the US, but recently moved back to be closer to family. My keyboard side project is called MVKB ("maxvoltar keyboards"; clever, I know).

What hardware do you use?

A photo of Tim's desk from the outside looking in through open doors.

My current setup is a maxed out 2019 16" MacBook Pro which… I don't love (for the price). I can't wait for the new M-powered model hopefully later this year (I could get a smaller one right now, but as a designer I feel like I need the screen estate). I have it open on an arm, next to an LG 5k monitor with slight burn-in. I love the monitor and hope it never dies (because they don't produce them anymore and it's the only "budget" 5k option right now), but know it'll only be a matter of time before it does.

After being an avid fan of Apple peripherals for most of my computer-using years, last year I switched to a Logitech MX Master 2 mouse, and got myself a mechanical keyboard (the first of many). My collection of keyboards has grown vast, but I'm currently typing this on a RAMA M65-B Kuro (thanks Seb!) with GMK WoB keycaps, Durock v2 stabilizers (lubed with Krytox G205 Grade 2), and JWK FFFF linear switches (lubed with Krytox G205 Grade 0, not filmed).

And what software?

For work: Figma to design, Linear to keep track of what needs to be done, Quill for internal communication, Notion for internal documentation.

For keyboard stuff: Figma for design, Blender for renders, Discord for communication, Craft for keeping track of projects, Netlify for my website.

What would be your dream setup?

Honestly, I'm super happy with my current setup. I've been refining it over the years, and got it to a point I don't really have any improvements I want to make. I have one of those tall office chairs (they call them stools), and a standup desk which is raised. The combination of tall chair and raised desk helps a ton with my posture. Maybe I'd like to add another display to my desk at some point, but the choices for those are slim to non-existent right now.

My office is pretty messy, but it's a place where I can focus and be productive.