The Hardware Behind "This is Not a Conspiracy Theory"

This year I made some upgrades to my aging technology infrastructure and thought I'd share what I came up with and how I feel about my results.

iMac Retina 27"

My 2010 base model iMac was a very good video workstation for about three years. But a lot changed for me during that time: I moved from 720p resolution to 1080p, I started using 3D tools, and I developed a visual style that required much more compositing. During the production of Episode Two, I finally reached the point where I was waiting too much and wasting too much time.

So earlier this year I did my research and invested in a new workstation: the 27" Retina iMac, with a 4 ghz processor, 32 gigs RAM and a Radeon R9 M295X video card. (I bought the RAM through Crucial; don't buy Apple's over-priced RAM.) This is pretty much the most powerful iMac available. 

The most striking feature of this system is its 5k display. Do most people really need 5k? They probably don't. I got it so I'm prepared if/when video production moves to 4k. The display is sharp and vibrant, but after a while, you get used to it and its brilliance fades away. If you aren't a professional who'll benefit from that extra resolution, the standard iMac display still seems plenty great.

After a bit of initial fiddling, this machine runs Premiere Pro perfectly. (Until the El Capitan upgrade anyway, but that's another story.) Encoding video is an entirely different experience from my old machine. Exports used to take so long I'd queue them up at lunch or the end of the day, but now almost anything takes less than ten minutes. My other important apps, like Photoshop and After Effects, are fast and stable. I'm actually hard-pressed to complain about anything – maybe more USB ports? Apple has refined these machines to near perfection. This is the best computer I've ever owned. 

Nora now uses my old workstation and it performs great for her needs. I'm planning to run this machine for three years, then sell it while it still has a fairly high value and put those funds toward the next system.

I also purchased these accessories to complete my workstation.

LaCie d2 Thunderbolt 2 4TB
This is my primary hard drive for video work. I partitioned it into two 2TB drives, so that I can back it up with my previous 2TB video drives. I use Super Duper for system back-ups and Chronosync to mirror drives.

G-DRIVE USB3 1TB
I use this as my video scratch drive.

Anker 4-Port USB Hub 
I now run four USB hard drives so I need additional ports for other peripherals. This hub works flawlessly, but if I did it again, I'd get the 7-port version.

Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750
Recently I had to replace my wired Apple keyboard, which was wearing out. I love that this Logitech keyboard is solar, so there's no more batteries to replace. Overall, it works very well, but I prefer the layout of my the old wired keyboard, which spaced out the key sections better. The realm of keyboards doesn't seem to offer much for discerning users. It's just a bunch of Apple clones, and the ones aimed at serious users are "clicky keyboards". In addition to being ugly, these things generate a real racket. Somebody should make a beautiful, quiet keyboard for people who want the best experience possible.

The Writing Machine (aka Cheap PC)

I do almost all my writing in Scrivener. Because I don't want to be cooped up in my office all the time, I often write on my old Macbook. It remains entirely functional, but has become unbearably slow. And the battery (which was already replaced once) now lasts about an hour.

So I needed a new laptop for writing, as well as web research and email. That made Chromebooks an option, but since I write entirely in Scrivener, I’d need some clunky workaround to sync-up Google Docs. A Macbook Air would be the ideal solution, but it costs too much and kinda seems like overkill. I recently learned there are now full-fledged Windows PCs at sub-$200, Chromebook-like prices, so that’s the path I chose.

I bought the Lenovo Ideapad 100S, installed the Windows version of Scrivener, and sync my docs via Dropbox. This works great, with no cross-platform hassles. I also use Dropbox to capture stills, PDFs and other bits of media from the web. Then on my iMac, Hazel automatically files these documents into their proper folder, and DEVONthink imports PDFs.

And for a little cherry on top, I bought a cheap game controller, I plug the laptop into the TV via HDMI, and Nora and I can do some occasional basic gaming.

All in all, this solution does the job, it cost less than $200, and I had everything set-up in little time. (It helped that I have previous experience with Windows. If you don't, it might take a bit longer, but still shouldn't be too time-consuming.)

Is the Ideapad 100S a great PC? Absolutely not. Its trackpad is clunky and the display is washed-out and has poor viewing angles.  In retrospect, I wish I went with the HP Stream 11, which has a better trackpad and display. I think it would have been worth the extra fifty bucks. But for my purposes, I can get used to the Ideapad's flaws. Otherwise, it functions well, performance is good, and the battery life seems eternal compared to my old Macbook. For $150, it was a fantastic buy.

A few other bits of gear

Acer Chromebook 11
Nora uses the Acer Chromebook 11 for web, email and video streaming. The wifi is bit prone to dropping out, but it generally functions well and she spends many hours on it.

Roku 2
This is our go-to video watching device. With Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime, and Netflix it offers a pretty robust selection for much less than the price of cable. You can also plug-in a thumb drive to watch any video files you have. Get the VHX app to watch TINACT on your TV.

Salt Crystal Lamp
Not gear exactly, but a nice addition to our work/life environment. We now have three of these. There's something very soothing about the light they emit, and I love that each one is a unique sculpture.

New Members' Update: Join Our Holiday Giveaway

Hey TINACT Members, a new update is live! Log-in to watch.

We're inviting creators to join our holiday giveaway. If you sell a digital goodie (ebook, album, application, video, movie, game, etc.) and you’d like to give it away to TINACT members as part of our Holiday Giveaway, get in touch. The items will be free to our members for about 48 hours near Christmas. (And if you’d like to give away TINACT to your community, let us know and we can make that happen.)

Our thanks to the awesome folks at DEVONthink for donating (DEVONthink Pro Office is one of my essential research tools). And thanks also to the equally awesome Shawn Blanc, who has a free video class on focus coming up in December.

"Making of" feature now free to the public

"The Making of This is Not a Conspiracy Theory" is the brand new, free video series about the production of This is Not a Conspiracy Theory. Since releasing Episode One of TINACT, I've published status update videos that run between episodes. Publishing updates for TINACT members has been a great way to connect with my audience, share my process, and keep them posted on the progress of the documentary. Nearly two-years, ten-status-updates, and seventy-five-minutes-of-video later, I've decided it's time to refresh the format.

The new series is something like a traditional "behind the scenes" format done in real time. The production process is documented throughout by me and my wife and producing partner, Nora Ryan. Whenever we think a new chapter should be added to the story, we gather these materials and publish a short video. The series covers the development of the film, as well as the close collaboration between me and Nora.

This series will also serve as a creative tool for development of TINACT episodes. It will be sandbox where I try out new ideas and techniques, the best of which will get synthesized into the episodes.

And perhaps most excitingly, this new series can be viewed for free by anyone. Before making this move, I asked permission from my customers: 99% of them supported this change. So thank you to my fans, who understood why making these videos free would provide the most benefit for the project.

While the "Making Of" series is now available freely, there are still behind-the-scenes perks reserved for those who purchase the series. Exclusive opportunities for interactivity and even collaboration will be featured in select extended versions of "Making Of" videos, and a wide assortment of digital goodies are also reserved for members. Nonetheless, the free version of the videos will serve as a strong introduction to what this documentary is about and I'm excited to share this intimate portrayal of my process with a wider audience.

And if you don't already own This is Not a Conspiracy Theory, make your series purchase now to get access to episodes as they are completed, as well as notifications when new "Making Of" videos are released. Each series purchase helps support future installments of This is Not a Conspiracy Theory.

New update, new format

A new update video has just been posted! This video marks the premiere of an exciting new format. We think you'll like it. This update also includes an important audience poll that will strongly influence the future of the show. 

Log-in here to watch. And if you haven't purchased yet, you can do so here.

Kickstarter campaign ends tonight!

Last chance to get Everything is a Remix t-shirts and posters on Kickstarter! You can also get This is Not a Conspiracy Theory for just $10. Campaign ends in 12 hours. Click here to back us on Kickstarter.