I built a lay-down desk • Hacker News Board

Re: I built a lay-down desk

#271

Post by tabbott » Mon, Oct 05, 2020, 11:00 PM UTC

unicodepepper wrote: post #132

ryanjodonnell wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This looks like a poor man's AltWork. https://altwork.com/products/signature-series?variant=316179... I bought an AltWork earlier this year when COVID hit and it's been pretty fantastic. Currently standing at it. 5 stars would reccomend!

I see the keyboard/mouse surface seems to be magnetic - do you have to use special peripherals for them too?

They have magnet stickers you attach to the back of any keyboard (or mouse) and it'll work. My keyboard is kinda heavy so it needed like 10 magnets attached to it, but it's completely stable.

That said, for lying down, you really want a trackball mouse (the alternative is to dock the mouse when not in use, which is OK if you mostly use the keyboard for everything).

Re: I built a lay-down desk

#272

Post by pjs_ » Mon, Oct 05, 2020, 11:00 PM UTC

polote wrote: post #234

pjs_ wrote: post #218

Honestly glad that this guy is out there doing his thing but I wonder if his dating challenges (also discussed on the blog) might be somehow correlated with this setup...

Author here, you made me laugh so hard, of course it is correlated

Right on man, seems like you have a good sense of humour which puts you ahead of most of the pack to begin with :) good luck!

Re: I built a lay-down desk

#273

Post by Fnoord » Mon, Oct 05, 2020, 11:01 PM UTC

> I can't use a mouse anymore, as the mouse would fall down, I'm probably going to replace it by a trackball

Apple Magic Trackpad 2 with velcro on bottom. Even a vertical mouse could work too. Else something which ensures mouse doesn't drop (foam, cord not too long, a holster to store it, or something magnetic perhaps).

What is the effect of such a desk going to be on blood flow? Does this increase chance of hemorrhoids?

I'd just use a hangmat with a MBP for a simple lay down desk. More modular and less work. Or a bed + laptop; what I currently use for remote work. More out of necessity (noise and space constraints) though.

Re: I built a lay-down desk

#274

Post by tabbott » Mon, Oct 05, 2020, 11:06 PM UTC

I've been using the Altwork (https://altwork.com/) desk for this purpose since January, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants this sort of thing. It was expensive (~$7K), but I needed it due to a medical condition that makes extended sitting difficult for me, and it's made a big difference in my ability to work despite this condition.

The workstation is awesome technology; it's really well built, nicely runs wires everywhere, etc. My only complaint is that the headrest is too hard to be lying down on it for hours at a time -- I fixed that by putting an old sweater between my head and the headrest, which made it perfectly comfortable for me. One thing that might not be obvious is that it takes up surprisingly little space -- something like 4' x 6'.

Talking to them about the delivery, a lot of their customers are other folks with medical reasons to want it, because I think that's what justifies the price point for people. But the price will come down with scale (there's already a $4K model: https://altwork.com/products/flex-altwork-station?variant=34...). And at that price point, the price is immaterial compared to software salaries, at least if you think about it as a capital item that will amortize over many years.

Re: I built a lay-down desk

#275

Post by fredrickd » Mon, Oct 05, 2020, 11:29 PM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #151

Abishek_Muthian wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I had my spine surgery and was bed-ridden I scoured the web for such a setup which will help me use a laptop in bed without moving my neck and wasn't able to find anything practical. I've now come to the conclusion that low latency video glasses/headset connected as external display to the laptop/smartphone is a better solution for that problem as it doesn't require any of these contraptions; But I'm still in se…

There is a company that is solving that! https://immersedvr.com Disclaimer: I'm an investor in Immersed, but I invested because I loved the product!

Fascinating.

I guess you have to find a low weight VR set though.

I completely get it because of how easy it is to get lost in the VR experience and forget about the outside worlds. Seems great for productivity. Might have to try it out sometime.

Re: I built a lay-down desk

#276

Post by hownottowrite » Mon, Oct 05, 2020, 11:40 PM UTC

“ Beautiful, isn't it? It took me half a lifetime to invent it. I'm sure you've discovered my deep and abiding interest in pain. At present I'm writing the definitive work on the subject. So I want you to be totally honest with me on how The Machine makes you feel.”

Re: I built a lay-down desk

#277

Post by Sohcahtoa82 » Mon, Oct 05, 2020, 11:47 PM UTC

skrebbel wrote: post #130

epidemian wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And damage does not scale linearly. I'd much rather have 50 200g rocks falling on my head than a single 10kg rock :)

> And damage does not scale linearly. This must be today's "most HN" comment.

When I think of a "most HN" comment, I think of one of four options:

- Dismisses a new project that simplifies a task and makes it more approachable to non-technical folks (Like the famous Dropbox comment [0])

- Is extremely pedantic and serves only as a distraction from a discussion

- Argues in favor of pure functional programming

- Misses obvious sarcasm, even when the /s is included.

[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224

Re: I built a lay-down desk

#278

Post by pessimizer » Mon, Oct 05, 2020, 11:48 PM UTC

grenoire wrote: post #265

hinkley wrote: post #253

I stopped hanging out in /r/DIY before /r/DIWHY became a thing, because it was turning into a roast of people risking life, limb, and property by doing something structurally unsound. There's educating people on building standards, and then there's just bagging on people. In an attempt to be more of the former than the latter, if the string or especially that strut sheer off of their mounts, that whole contraption is…

Lord, thank you for this comment. The structure looks like a death trap and the physics of its construction make very little sense. Be careful everybody!

More like a mild-mishap trap.

Re: I built a lay-down desk

#279

Post by walrus01 » Tue, Oct 06, 2020, 12:19 AM UTC

hinkley wrote: post #253

I stopped hanging out in /r/DIY before /r/DIWHY became a thing, because it was turning into a roast of people risking life, limb, and property by doing something structurally unsound. There's educating people on building standards, and then there's just bagging on people. In an attempt to be more of the former than the latter, if the string or especially that strut sheer off of their mounts, that whole contraption is…

Also I feel sorry for the noise and disturbance experienced by all of this person's neighbors, it looks like it was built in an apartment.

Re: I built a lay-down desk

#280

Post by afrojack123 » Tue, Oct 06, 2020, 12:21 AM UTC

Cool but work performance will take a hit because less blood flow will go to the front of the brain. You need a lay down desk with your front facing at the ground.