Robert Spahr - The Way I Work

The Way I Work

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Applications and Software Tools:

Gentoo Linux
I use Gentoo Linux which is a source based GNU/Linux distribution.

Installation Notes — Gentoo Linux
Install Gentoo Linux on a Thinkpad X13AMD Gen 1

Free and open-source software (FOSS) is important to me, and I use it to create my auto-generated collage I call Cruft. Some of the most important applications I use that respect user freedoms are Vim and Geany text editors. I keep most of my files as plain text, and I use these editors to write code. For email I use Mozilla Thunderbird, it's robust and I use GPG for secure email communications and Cryptsetup to encrypt my hard drives for information security. Firefox is my web browser, and for added privacy I use the addons uBlockOrigins, Privacy Badger, and HTTPS Everywhere. To edit images I use the GIMP, and for automated command-line editing I use Imagemagick. My office suite is Libreoffice for when I need to use spreadsheets for grading, or presentations and word processing for lectures. Kdenlive is used to edit video. Newsboat keeps my RSS feeds up-to-date.

Studio Spaces:
I code and produce software based art using standing desks and external monitors which I connect to my Thinkpad X13AMD Gen 1 and Thinkpad X260. My home office has external hard drives for automated backups, as well as the servers that auto-generate my Cruft artwork. I keep a cast iron teapot nearby so that I can always brew my favorite tea called Black Dragon Pearl. My university studio space is also where I produce large scale multi-media work using traditional materials such as charcoal, wax, acrylic and ink.