Here are my tech tools as of April 2026.
Hardware
- 2023 iMac Mini M2 with an Apple Studio Monitor as my main desktop computer
- 2020 MacBook Air M1 as laptop
- iPad Pro 2021 11-inch for remote work
- Fujitsu ScanSnap for document and bulk scanning
- Epson V600 flatbed scanner for photographs
- iPhone 17 for most photography
Software
- RootsMagic 11 as my primary genealogy database software as of December, 2025. While I still love TNG (see below), I felt it was time to move my data to a mainstream software product. I gave Family Tree Maker a try also, but there was too much data cleanup involved, and FTM is not fully GEDCOM compliant. RM11 also has a really nice task management system – probably the best I’ve seen in a genealogy software package.
- TNG (The Next Generation) Data Manager – I still have a local TNG server on my desktop computer – it’s a great way to get an at-a-glance view of an ancestor. I export from RM11 every months or so to update the database. I also still use TNG for my online family tree at road13genealogy.com.
- Obsidian has become my tool of choice for capturing complex research in progress. I’ve developed some custom templates for research plans, research logs, and source archiving. Obsidian is basically a Markdown file viewer/database and plays nice with various AI tools.
- Mylio has become my photo metadata editor. I am using the free desktop version. I really like all its features but I’m not crazy about the user interface. I was using Photo Mechanic previously but it’s very much overkill for my needs.
- Scrivener is my platform for writing large genealogy book projects. Again, I like the features but am not crazy about the user interface.
