Not long after Marc Maron started his “WTF” podcast, he asked what equipment he should buy. I told him to get two Shure SM7B microphones, which are very forgiving of miscellaneous noise. They really pick up what is on microphone and kind of shed the other stuff, which is nice if you’re recording in a place that’s not a real studio. He had a Mac, so I told him you don’t need anything besides Garage Band. It’s a simple setup that is pretty much what I still use.

There are a lot of good podcast apps, but I use one called Overcast that was made by [web developer] Marco Arment. It is very simple, but it totally works. It has a nice little social feature that allows you to share an episode you particularly liked with your Twitter followers or Facebook friends who also have the app.

I understand that a Canon 5D is a really good camera, but I would be sort of embarrassed to go out in public with it because it’s so ugly. I have a Pentax K-01, which is a really lovely, medium-size mirrorless camera. I almost always use a 40 mm lens, which is pretty close to what your eye sees.

I have the stereo system of an enthusiast dad from 1972. The receiver is a solid-state McIntosh Mac 4100 that’s got a lot of great buttons on it, the kind of buttons that make a satisfying click. The turntable is a Dual CS-5000. And I have these gargantuan Sansui speakers that I guess are from the ’60s. They probably weigh 80 pounds apiece but sound gorgeous.

I used to have a Windows Phone, which I was really happy with, but I switched to iPhone specifically because the MLB at Bat app wasn’t going to be available on the Windows Phone anymore [it’s since returned]. I live in Los Angeles, but I’m from San Francisco, so there is always a Giants or A’s game going on. One nice thing about having two home teams is that they’re often playing at different times, so you get a 4 o’clock game and a 7 o’clock game. I turn it on when I’m cooking dinner, driving around or giving my children a bath. Buying that subscription is the best $120 I’ve ever spent.

I have left my beard more or less unchecked for the last 18 months. But before that, I used a safety razor called a Merkur HD and a Japanese blade called the Feather. The thing about the Feather is it requires almost no pressure to cut. Once you’re comfortable using that kind of razor and not cutting your face off, it gives you a nice, easy straight shave.

For Father’s Day I got a Breville Smart Scoop, a really awesome ice cream maker with a motor to turn [the ice cream] and a condenser to make it cold. It is significantly better than regular ice cream from the store. And I am not putting down store ice cream, which is also pretty great.

—Edited from an interview by Chris Kornelis