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My $47 collapsible standing desk

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Re: My $47 collapsible standing desk

#41

Post by tammer »

jurre wrote: post #4

the problem with all these cheap/easy/portable solutions is that the monitor and keyboard are at the same height. this works when you're sitting but when you're standing you really need the keyboard to be lower (at around elbow height) and the monitor at face-level. This way you're not looking down (bad for your neck) or lifting your arms the whole time.

I concur - the different levels (as well as the option of sitting) make for a very comfortable setup.

FYI, my relatively cheap solution was to get an ikea fredrick "computer workstation" off craigslist. The item is discontinued, but they're still floating around, sometimes in the as-is section of an ikea.

many people don't bother to look up the canonical name for their desk when posting a listing so they're a little tricky to find.

Re: My $47 collapsible standing desk

#42

Post by jquery »

tptacek wrote: post #19
siodine wrote: post #9

Last I checked, there's no conclusive evidence showing a standing desk has any health benefits over sitting. Treadmill desks, on the other hand...

There is evidence in the opposite direction: http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/CUESitStand.html Being stationary in either a sitting or standing position is bad. There are ways in which sitting is uniquely bad, but there are also ways in which standing is uniquely bad. Both are bad. The answer is: you need to walk around or in some other way incur gross motor exercise regularly, on the order of twice an hour or so. This…

That's... pretty alarming. I wish it had citations so we could evaluate how compelling the evidence is.

Re: My $47 collapsible standing desk

#43

Post by PakG1 »

jurre wrote: post #4

the problem with all these cheap/easy/portable solutions is that the monitor and keyboard are at the same height. this works when you're sitting but when you're standing you really need the keyboard to be lower (at around elbow height) and the monitor at face-level. This way you're not looking down (bad for your neck) or lifting your arms the whole time.

Depending on your body, even when you're sitting, having them at the same height can be uncomfortable for extended periods of time.

Re: My $47 collapsible standing desk

#44

Post by bdcravens »

obilgic wrote: post #31

"Buys a $2000 laptop twice the market price And can't afford a decent desktop"

Cute to quote a troll comment. However, you can see it's a MacBook Air - those start at $1000, as it appears to be an 11-inch model. Moreover, the article never mentioned being unable to afford; he mentions lack of space.

Re: My $47 collapsible standing desk

#45

Post by andrewfelix »

sudonim wrote: post #40
jurre wrote: post #4

the problem with all these cheap/easy/portable solutions is that the monitor and keyboard are at the same height. this works when you're sitting but when you're standing you really need the keyboard to be lower (at around elbow height) and the monitor at face-level. This way you're not looking down (bad for your neck) or lifting your arms the whole time.

I did some research online and came to the same conclusion. I really like my $22 solution that addresses that. I've been using it for a month now and it's phenomenal. http://news.ycombinator.org/item?id=4134307 I'm not a fan of laptop on a flat surface... because do you put it on the right surface for your arms? Or your eyes? Something is losing out.

Been using that one too. Hurt like hell the first week. But now that I'm getting used to it I love it.

Re: My $47 collapsible standing desk

#47

Post by nodata »

jurre wrote: post #4

the problem with all these cheap/easy/portable solutions is that the monitor and keyboard are at the same height. this works when you're sitting but when you're standing you really need the keyboard to be lower (at around elbow height) and the monitor at face-level. This way you're not looking down (bad for your neck) or lifting your arms the whole time.

> I've wanted a standing desk ever since I first read about the idea three or four years ago.

Three years of thinking to save a couple of hundred bucks?!

This guy has a macbook air sitting on his desk, jesus christ.

Re: My $47 collapsible standing desk

#49

Post by lloeki »

nodata wrote: post #47
jurre wrote: post #4

the problem with all these cheap/easy/portable solutions is that the monitor and keyboard are at the same height. this works when you're sitting but when you're standing you really need the keyboard to be lower (at around elbow height) and the monitor at face-level. This way you're not looking down (bad for your neck) or lifting your arms the whole time.

> I've wanted a standing desk ever since I first read about the idea three or four years ago. Three years of thinking to save a couple of hundred bucks?! This guy has a macbook air sitting on his desk, jesus christ.

So what? The guy owns a Mac, therefore he's bathing in money?

This kind of prejudice is ridiculous. He bought a Mac ergo he has boatloads of money and can throw some more without a thought?

I'm not one of the Apple Tax conspirationists: I find Macs fair priced for their value (hardware, software and daily ROI), but I recognize they are not cheap (in any sense). So I put my money where my mouth is, saved some cash, and bought a MacBook Pro stuffed with 4GB RAM and a 256GB SSD a few years ago. That was IMO some well-spent money, but I am not able put even a tenth of what it cost me on the table right now.

Even then, just because you have money doesn't mean you need not think about how to spend it (if anything that might be the biggest contribution as to why one "has money": because it's spent thoughtfully, else you just burn what you earn). Especially if it's to put some serious money on something akin to an experiment (and it's not like he thought about it every single day during three years).

Re: My $47 collapsible standing desk

#50

Post by forgotusername »

m0nastic wrote: post #24

I'm presently in the process of renovating my office, and for months I was adamant about not having a desk at all. I've finally compromised with a dual approach that I think will be workable (and still prevent me from spending 16-20 hours a day sitting in front of my desk). The jury is still out on how sustainable it'll be, but here's what I've come up with: A Steelcase Airtouch Table‡1 (which I think is what they us…

The double dagger shouldn't appear prior to the dagger or asterisk, inserting unusual Unicode is confusing and detracts from this comment's readability. I appreciate the desire for flare, but this just looks daft appearing on a comment thread (and forces me to involuntarily think "ponce!" at each occurrence of the symbol :).
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