During my time off at the end of the year, I was able to take some time and organize my desk in my new office. I’ve wanted to write about my workspace for a while and now’s as good a time as any.
Earlier this year, I said I was going to blog more, circumstances dictated otherwise, but better late than never.
Desk and Chair
My desk and chair are both from autonomous.ai. I got my chair in 2017 and the desk in 2018 to replace my old ikea corner desk.
I got the SmartDesk 2 with a white frame and bamboo desktop (matches other ikea furniture). The lift is nice, but I need to stand more often.
My chair is the evergreen ErgoChair 2. The color is very spring-y. It isn’t listed anymore, but looks mosts like the ErgoChair Pro. I love the chair.
Monitor 🖥️
I previously use a Dell 27", a Dell 22" (rotated vertically) and my laptop screen all at once. While it was nice, it was a bit unweildy. I recently got a Dell 34" Curved USB-C Monitor. It’s super nice with a WQHD 3440 x 1440 resolution.
Computer 💻
I recently upgraded my daily driver from an M1 Mac Mini to a 14" MacBook Pro M4 Max with 32 GB RAM and a 1TB HD. This should get me through the next 4-5 years 🤣.
Keyboard
I have a unique wrist condition (not carpal tunnel) that requires an ergonomic keyboard. For many years that was the Microsoft Natural keyboard. In 2021 I upgraded to the ErgoDox EZ, black with Kailh Box Brown switches. When I asked for advice on which switches to get, the CEO and Co-Founder, Erez Zukerman, actually responded and helped me out! I augmented it with additional wrist pads from amazon.
Sharp eyes might notice a second keyboard on the desk. It’s an Apple Magic keyboard with Touch ID I got from Back Market. It’s litterarly there just for the Touch ID. I’ll talk about this in another post when I talk about what software I use.
Mouse 🖱️
My mouse is also ergonomic. It’s the Logitech MX Vertical Mouse. It sits on a wedge shaped mouse pad in between the halves of the keyboard.
Broadcasting 🎤
This is the stuff I use for everything from Zoom meetings to virtual conferences and user groups.
Headphones️ 🎧
I have the SteelSeries Arctis 3 wireless gaming headphones. I did not get the bluetooth version, because, at the time, I was using linux and the audio was horrible. So I got the kind that requieres a dongle, but it’s hidden out of sight and folks say it sounds good, so 🤷🏻♂️. The only downside is that I need a micro-usb cable to charge them.
Webcam 📸
I’ve used a number of cameras over the years, some external and some built in. I previously used a Dell running linux and it had the webcam BELOW the screen. It was useless, so I tried a few logitech cams. They were fine. When I got my M1 Macbook Pro from work, it’s camera blew them all out of the water. With my new setup the laptop would stay closed, so I wanted an upgrade. I settled on the Logitech Brio 4K Webcam. It’s by far the best external camera I’ve had. I use the Logioptions software to set the field of view to 65 degrees.
Lighting 💡
My previous setup was multiple lights and arms from amazon, that while economical was very busy. In my previous office, the desk was against the wall, now it’s out in the middle, so I wanted to cleanup the clutter and the lights needed to change.
I settled on the Logitech for Creators Litra Glow. I looked at more expensive options, but settled on the Logitech (see a theme?). I like that it can be controlled by software. I can set it, so that the light turns on when I run zoom.
Misc
Everything else 🥯.
Dock
I only want to connect one cable. I learned this from my Dell with Linux (two cables, but anoying). I also didn’t want to need any special software with the dock (DisplayLink. again, thanks Dell). The Kensington SD5600T 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Dock USB-C, at the time (2022), fit all the requirements.
Speaker
My 27" Dell monitor had a spot for special external speakers to attatch to the bottom and the speakers on the 34" Dell are one of the few weaknesses. This cheap USB-C Speaker fits the bill. The clamp isn’t large enough for the bottom of the screen, so I have it on one the back of my desk organizers [1], [2].
Accessories
The monitor stand is glass and is nice because the feet individually adjust since part of it is on a black desk cover that’s an eighth of on inch thick or so.
I use a little metal stand to hold two laptops vertically.
These leather letter trays are an attempt to keep the clutter to a minimum.
The printer is an Epson EcoTank ET-3760. The ink is so much more affordable. We decided to get this rather than getting new HP ink. Best descision. Wireless or corded network. Scanner and copier when needed. The ink is cheap and lasts a long time.
Thanks
Thanks for reading this far. Sorry for the boxes. I moved house earlier this year and there are still some boxes around.
I hope to continue to write more. Some subjects for future posts:
- What’s in my backpack? 💼
What’s on my desk? 🖥️ 💻- Wearables I use ⌚️ 🎧
- What software do I use? 🧑🏻💻
- Future Spring 🍃 presentations 📊 (two next week!)
- Work Travel log
- Insights into an Open Source Project maintainers routine
- Mental health and well-being experiences (no advice or suggestions)
- Backlog of presentations/work travel between May 2017 and August 2023