I've been improving my desk accessories since the COVID breakout.
Aeron Chair + IKEA IDÅSEN electric standing desk. With perfect height combination finally, I don't feel shoulder pain when typing. Unlike most standing desks, IDÅSEN is not wobbly at all.
A double-decker book stand. I sometimes get distracted when I use the computer so I started to spend more time on paper-based workflow. I have serious back pain when I am writing, and taking notes from textbooks is not pleasant because books are not only too far but tend to close themselves from time to time. The double-decker book stands[0] solved both problems perfectly.
Mac Pro. I used to have a PC and Macbook Pro and switch back and forth because I want Windows to play video games and macOS for the rest of the tasks. It was a mess. I also tried Hackintosh it was not good. With Mac Pro, I can reboot to Bootcamp pretty fast. TBH it's not a good deal but it did reduce the hassle so there's no regret. M1 is good and all but there's no Bootcamp and the GPU is not as powerful.
What didn't meet the expectation are the monitor mounts. Not only they didn't add any value for me, but also the maximum height is too low for me. Eventually, I go back to the old solution: Just put several thick textbooks under the monitors. (my personal choice: CLRS + CSAPP + HTDP + Computer Networking + Algorithms 4th :))
> Just put several thick textbooks under the monitors. (my personal choice: CLRS + CSAPP + HTDP + Computer Networking + Algorithms 4th :))
It always makes me chuckle inside when a company is too cheap to buy people proper stands for monitors and instead you see people use textbooks from the office reference library… and when you add up the cost of the actual books, it costs an order of magnitude more than the actual made for the purpose stand would cost. Computer networking and algorithms 4th alone already bring you in the 200$ territory if I’m not mistaken.
Not a dog at you in particular, just an observation.
Haha, this is so true. Good observation! With that said, I live in China so most of the books are translated versions so:
1. They're substantially cheaper, the total of those books should be around $100 while the monitor mounts me more than $140
2. Those classical tech books are usually translated by the same publication so the design and size are satisfyingly the same.
It is one of the small things I feel grateful for. Books in China generally cost like $6 ~ $18. The first time I see the price tag of English books it was just jaw-dropping.
For me the Aeron chair. When you're working from home for a year, shelling out a few hundred dollars for a nice chair is worth it. I bought mine from a chair repair shop which usually deals with commercial clients, it is a refurbished chair with some gratis extras added by the owner after we agreed on a price ($450). I like that I bought it from a chair repair shop because I can always go back there if there is a problem but I have not had a problem.
In April, 2020, I got an Aeron chair, Uplift standing desk, 30"+ monitor, and after wrist fatigue, the same MS Sculpt ergonomic keyboard and Evoluent mouse I have at work. I essentially recreated my work setup at home. I thought I might have overdone it, but a year later, zero regrets.
> Aeron Chair + IKEA IDÅSEN electric standing desk.
A good chair is a must-have for any office worker or PC gamer.
And as a gamer, I tell fellow gamers to avoid "gaming" chairs and instead opt for a high-end office chair. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Aeron, but I have a nice Steelcase Think.
Last year around this time, I also upgraded from a 9 year old $200 Ikea Fredrik desk to an electric Fully Jarvis.
Been looking for a new chair for a while - and I really like that Aeron allows you to NOT get the fully adjustable arm rests. All I did all day on my current chair (Arozzi) is accidentally move them when I get up from the chair - to the point where I took the arm apart and put a bolt in it.
Aeron Chair + IKEA IDÅSEN electric standing desk. With perfect height combination finally, I don't feel shoulder pain when typing. Unlike most standing desks, IDÅSEN is not wobbly at all.
A double-decker book stand. I sometimes get distracted when I use the computer so I started to spend more time on paper-based workflow. I have serious back pain when I am writing, and taking notes from textbooks is not pleasant because books are not only too far but tend to close themselves from time to time. The double-decker book stands[0] solved both problems perfectly.
Mac Pro. I used to have a PC and Macbook Pro and switch back and forth because I want Windows to play video games and macOS for the rest of the tasks. It was a mess. I also tried Hackintosh it was not good. With Mac Pro, I can reboot to Bootcamp pretty fast. TBH it's not a good deal but it did reduce the hassle so there's no regret. M1 is good and all but there's no Bootcamp and the GPU is not as powerful.
What didn't meet the expectation are the monitor mounts. Not only they didn't add any value for me, but also the maximum height is too low for me. Eventually, I go back to the old solution: Just put several thick textbooks under the monitors. (my personal choice: CLRS + CSAPP + HTDP + Computer Networking + Algorithms 4th :))
[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nice-Bookstand-Desktop-Cookbook-Adj... (I couldn't find a purchasable link but the picture shows the idea, and there should be plenty of similar products on the market)