3 ms·

All of these so-called solutions are a waste of time and largely just adding a ridiculous amount of complexity to what is a very simple problem. Context: I wo

All of these so-called solutions are a waste of time and largely just adding a ridiculous amount of complexity to what is a very simple problem. Context: I worked a number of years in the special effects (movies) world. I supported hundreds of graphics artists working in dark rooms 16 hours a day. Think movies like Independence Day, Star Wars, etc. Dozens of artists wore all kinds of wrist braces all day. They also had just-about every single crazy ergonomic keyboard you could possibly imagine, including various forms of split, slanted, cavity, whatever. And, of course, the fanciest adjustable chairs and tables. I remember a couple of the guys working on Independence Day having to have surgery on their wrists. Crazy. Just nuts. Do you know who did not suffer from these injuries? Without fail, anyone who was actively involved in sports or physical training (going to the gym, lifting, swimming, etc.) AND took regular breaks. In my own case, having seen just how bad things could get, once I started to feel soreness on my wrists I took matters into my own hands. I use the flattest possible keyboards and a thumb-operated trackball. I designed and made my own desk to guarantee proper arm and wrist ergonomics. Laptops, for the most part, are evil. They force the wrist into a bad configuration. Not good for prolonged work if you care about your health. Aside from that, take breaks and lift weights. Amazing things happen when you squat, deadlift, bench and shoulder press on a regular program (I recommend Starting Strength). The vast majority of the crazy ergo setups out there are a waste of time. They do not address the root cause, which is treating your body like we are robots. We are not. We need moderation, rest and exercise. That's the solution or, at the very least, the way to mitigate and prevent injury.

fipar 2y ago
I agree completely with you regarding not treating our bodies as if we're robots. About a year ago I began lifting weights again, something I hadn't done in more than 20 years, and the difference is amazing. I used to have very frequent pain episodes that would severely affect my ability to type on a keyboard, and now they are almost completely gone (and when I do get them, it's nowhere near as severe as it used to be). That said, I still have a Model 100 (as the one depicted in the older pictures in the post) and the ergonomics are IMHO worth it, at least compared to some of the keyboards available, but in particular to builtin laptop keyboards (as you mention, everything is bad about laptops and I treat mine like a very portable desktop: if I need to be on the move, I take my keyboard and trackpad and use the laptop as a small display). On top of that, the fact that it's programmable turned out to be much better than I had thought. My workflow is heavily customized now and I'm objectively a lot faster than I used to be before. The layers system on this keyboard takes a bit of getting used to (as does the layout itself) but, at least for me, once I got through the learning curve, it's so good I'm going to buy another one to have as a spare.
- robomartin 2y ago
  I go all the way back to the introduction of the original Microsoft ergonomic keyboard and variants of the time. Watching a few hundred graphic artists grapple with this problem over a few years was a real education on the topic. They tried everything, from wrist braces to every type of keyboard and variant available. I remember one guy even resorted to taping the pen for his digitizing tablet to his hand in order to avoid having to grasp it for 12+ hours per day. Another guy taught himself to use two pens with the tablet to be able to alternate and relax one hand while continuing to work. All of it, I concluded, at the end of the day, was just nuts. What they had to do was to both exercise and take meaningful breaks every couple of hours or thereabouts. I need to go back and document my custom desk design. The approach I took worked very well.
  - polishdude20 2y ago
    Or maybe deadlines should have become more lax for them? I'm assuming they worked like that without breaks because of the impossible deadlines given to them?

fipar 2y ago

I agree completely with you regarding not treating our bodies as if we're robots. About a year ago I began lifting weights again, something I hadn't done in more than 20 years, and the difference is amazing. I used to have very frequent pain episodes that would severely affect my ability to type on a keyboard, and now they are almost completely gone (and when I do get them, it's nowhere near as severe as it used to be). That said, I still have a Model 100 (as the one depicted in the older pictures in the post) and the ergonomics are IMHO worth it, at least compared to some of the keyboards available, but in particular to builtin laptop keyboards (as you mention, everything is bad about laptops and I treat mine like a very portable desktop: if I need to be on the move, I take my keyboard and trackpad and use the laptop as a small display). On top of that, the fact that it's programmable turned out to be much better than I had thought. My workflow is heavily customized now and I'm objectively a lot faster than I used to be before. The layers system on this keyboard takes a bit of getting used to (as does the layout itself) but, at least for me, once I got through the learning curve, it's so good I'm going to buy another one to have as a spare.

robomartin 2y ago
I go all the way back to the introduction of the original Microsoft ergonomic keyboard and variants of the time. Watching a few hundred graphic artists grapple with this problem over a few years was a real education on the topic. They tried everything, from wrist braces to every type of keyboard and variant available. I remember one guy even resorted to taping the pen for his digitizing tablet to his hand in order to avoid having to grasp it for 12+ hours per day. Another guy taught himself to use two pens with the tablet to be able to alternate and relax one hand while continuing to work. All of it, I concluded, at the end of the day, was just nuts. What they had to do was to both exercise and take meaningful breaks every couple of hours or thereabouts. I need to go back and document my custom desk design. The approach I took worked very well.
- polishdude20 2y ago
  Or maybe deadlines should have become more lax for them? I'm assuming they worked like that without breaks because of the impossible deadlines given to them?