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This reminds me of when I did something nasty to my back and could only lie down - instead of mounting my laptop I hooked it up to a projector I already had for

This reminds me of when I did something nasty to my back and could only lie down - instead of mounting my laptop I hooked it up to a projector I already had for films and pointed it at the ceiling. It required low light, but it was what I had available at the time and worked for the length of time it took for my back to get better. However, I have to quibble with the "Healthy Hacking: DIY Supine Workstation" article linked to. That's a guaranteed way to make sure your muscles waste away, particularly if your aim is to "improve [the] ability to work for long hours." The human body is designed for movement, and static working is having a terrible impact, particularly on people who work on computers: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csz4bf https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csz4bf My back was a mess until I got a standing desk and started pilates. What I found interesting is that the standing desk made me move around quite a bit more - I end up doing lower-body yoga poses sometimes and I feel much better for it. I deliberately choose not to work long hours (I recognise I'm lucky in that respect, although I run my own company, so it's partially earned luck) but when I do need to, I can always bring my desk down and use a chair.

elliottkember 5y ago
I recently read the phrase "the most ergonomic position is the next one" somewhere, and thought it was very memorable.
- stronglikedan 5y ago
  > the most ergonomic position is the next one I currently have 3 mice (all different shapes), a trackpad, and a trackball hooked up to my workstation, with some on the left of my keyboard and some on the right. I switch between them depending on what currently hurts most. Seems to work better for my tendonitis than when I only used one device with my right hand. It's basically all the devices I went through, one at a time, trying to figure out which worked the best. They all do!
- least 5y ago
  Changing it up is really important for certain. In fact ergonomic advice for dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome is going to contradict advice for dealing with ulnar tunnel syndrome.
bee_rider 5y ago
I've never been a dancer, just not my thing, but with a standing desk and headphones I find myself code-dancing constantly.
- belter 5y ago
  Of course you have to dance: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28036487 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28036487
- mgsloan2 5y ago
  Hell yeah! I particularly find it easy to move around with my keyboard strapped to my belt - https://mgsloan.com/posts/tree-based-computing/ https://mgsloan.com/posts/tree-based-computing/
megameter 5y ago
Supine posture isn't really all that static if you're awake and on a surface at least as hard as tatami - you can shift around on the floor much more than in a chair, especially if the monitor can adjust a bit with you. Add a pillow anywhere and your entire force distribution changes. I would be a little more suspicious of the hammock idea, or soft beds. If you're sinking into it, it's obviously immobilizing. Floor desking is my go-to for maximum variability though. It just needs "enough" monitor height/size that you don't hunch over to peer at the text. The rest happens naturally. In both cases I use only a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo now. When I started out doing this I quickly realized it was the peripherals that were the problem.
- frereubu 5y ago
  I see what you mean in terms of movement, but lying down is also not a natural position for a human body except for the duration of sleep. I mean, you might be able to avoid bed sores, but you're not using your core muscles in the way that the body is evolved for and your joints aren't being used in a way that will keep them in tune. It's a bit like astronauts losing a lot of general body tone and having to go through quite a bit of conditioning when they return to earth.
christophergs 5y ago
Yep, the projector approach is what I've used before. Here are some pics/write up: https://coursemaker.org/blog/create-affordable-lay-down-desk/ https://coursemaker.org/blog/create-affordable-lay-down-desk...
mgsloan2 5y ago
Author of the supine computing post here. I agree thoroughly that variety is best for health overall. In a different post I wrote a section about it: https://mgsloan.com/posts/deskless-ergo-wfh/#variety-is-key https://mgsloan.com/posts/deskless-ergo-wfh/#variety-is-key . I think it comes up elsewhere, but I should probably emphasize it in every post!

elliottkember 5y ago

I recently read the phrase "the most ergonomic position is the next one" somewhere, and thought it was very memorable.

stronglikedan 5y ago
> the most ergonomic position is the next one I currently have 3 mice (all different shapes), a trackpad, and a trackball hooked up to my workstation, with some on the left of my keyboard and some on the right. I switch between them depending on what currently hurts most. Seems to work better for my tendonitis than when I only used one device with my right hand. It's basically all the devices I went through, one at a time, trying to figure out which worked the best. They all do!
least 5y ago
Changing it up is really important for certain. In fact ergonomic advice for dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome is going to contradict advice for dealing with ulnar tunnel syndrome.

bee_rider 5y ago

I've never been a dancer, just not my thing, but with a standing desk and headphones I find myself code-dancing constantly.

belter 5y ago
Of course you have to dance: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28036487 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28036487
mgsloan2 5y ago
Hell yeah! I particularly find it easy to move around with my keyboard strapped to my belt - https://mgsloan.com/posts/tree-based-computing/ https://mgsloan.com/posts/tree-based-computing/

megameter 5y ago

Supine posture isn't really all that static if you're awake and on a surface at least as hard as tatami - you can shift around on the floor much more than in a chair, especially if the monitor can adjust a bit with you. Add a pillow anywhere and your entire force distribution changes. I would be a little more suspicious of the hammock idea, or soft beds. If you're sinking into it, it's obviously immobilizing. Floor desking is my go-to for maximum variability though. It just needs "enough" monitor height/size that you don't hunch over to peer at the text. The rest happens naturally. In both cases I use only a wireless keyboard/trackpad combo now. When I started out doing this I quickly realized it was the peripherals that were the problem.

frereubu 5y ago
I see what you mean in terms of movement, but lying down is also not a natural position for a human body except for the duration of sleep. I mean, you might be able to avoid bed sores, but you're not using your core muscles in the way that the body is evolved for and your joints aren't being used in a way that will keep them in tune. It's a bit like astronauts losing a lot of general body tone and having to go through quite a bit of conditioning when they return to earth.

christophergs 5y ago

Yep, the projector approach is what I've used before. Here are some pics/write up: https://coursemaker.org/blog/create-affordable-lay-down-desk/ https://coursemaker.org/blog/create-affordable-lay-down-desk...

mgsloan2 5y ago

Author of the supine computing post here. I agree thoroughly that variety is best for health overall. In a different post I wrote a section about it: https://mgsloan.com/posts/deskless-ergo-wfh/#variety-is-key https://mgsloan.com/posts/deskless-ergo-wfh/#variety-is-key . I think it comes up elsewhere, but I should probably emphasize it in every post!