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My $47 collapsible standing desk
- TamDenholm 14y agoYou'll get one of these from Ikea too, £29 in the UK. Search for: BJURSTA, NORBO or NORBERG.
- lvh 14y agoNot surprising since according to the seller it is in fact an Ikea product :)
- jurre 14y agothe 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.
- lnanek2 14y agoActually, gazing downward has been shown to reduce headaches, eye strain, blur, and mental fatigue. You aren't supposed to tilt your neck to look down, though, you are supposed to angle your eyes downward to get the less strain benefit. Monitor at eye height just seems to be a bunch of companies wanting to sell prop up accessories and more complex desks.
- daniel_solano 14y agoPerhaps I'm confused, but shouldn't the distance between your elbows and eyes be roughly the same regardless of whether your sitting or standing? If not, then what's the best non-(cheap/easy/portable) solution that addresses the issue?
- AngryParsley 14y agoIt should be the same, but it's easier to tweak ergonomics for a non-portable set-up. I can't change the height of the desk, so I set the keyboard on the desk and adjust my chair so the keyboard is at the right height. Then I put books under the monitor until it's at the right height. Like so: http://abughrai.be/pics/desk4/DSC_8568.JPG http://abughrai.be/pics/desk4/DSC_8568.JPG For portability, there's not much you can do. Laptops are great, but they have trade-offs. Whenever a decent head-mounted display comes out, it will drastically improve the ergonomics of portable computing.
- pyre 14y agoThe cheap way to solve this is to prop the monitors up on something. At my old office we used sturdy paper cups flipped upside-down under the monitor stand (3 per monitor).
- throw_away 14y agosturdy or not, paper cups sound precarious. at my office, we use stacked reams of paper.
- sudonim 14y agoI 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 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.
- andrewfelix 14y agoBeen using that one too. Hurt like hell the first week. But now that I'm getting used to it I love it.
- tammer 14y agoI 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.
- PakG1 14y agoDepending on your body, even when you're sitting, having them at the same height can be uncomfortable for extended periods of time.
- nodata 14y ago> 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.
- lloeki 14y agoSo 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).
- nodata 14y agoOh come on - the macbook air is no four hundred dollar laptop. > Even then, just because you have money doesn't mean you need not think about how to spend it It didn't say that. I said it makes no sense no ponder over something for years. Better to earn money where he's good at earning money, and get the extra three years utilisation and enjoyment from what he wants to buy.
- jaems33 14y agoIf had a bit more expendable income: http://www.dwr.com/product/workscape-folding-table.do http://www.dwr.com/product/workscape-folding-table.do
- tzs 14y agoWhat advantage does that have over this? http://www.officemax.com/office-furniture/tables/folding-tables/product-prod2150064 http://www.officemax.com/office-furniture/tables/folding-tab...
- jaems33 14y agoWell for one the table top is aluminum and can support up to 2000 lbs. And it's a lot sleeker looking.
- siodine 14y agoLast I checked, there's no conclusive evidence showing a standing desk has any health benefits over sitting. Treadmill desks, on the other hand...
- rcgs 14y agoI'm not sure about the health benefits, but it certainly helps your posture.
- richardw 14y agoThere have been a few articles linking sitting to shortened life lately. E.g.: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/sitting-2-years-life-epidemiologist-finds-correlation-sitting-a-shorter-lifespan-article-1.1112285 http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/sitting-2-years... And a year ago: "The study found that women who sit for more than six hours a day were about 40 percent more likely to die during the study than women who sat fewer than three hours per day." http://www.healthkicker.com/751136264/sitting-for-hours-may-result-in-a-shorter-life/ http://www.healthkicker.com/751136264/sitting-for-hours-may-...
- siodine 14y agoYes, but there are similar problems with standing. http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/CUESitStand.html# http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/CUESitStand.html# http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/16/AR2010101602903.html?hpid=topnews http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10...
- pdxpatzer 14y agoTo test with the concept of standing desk I simply got this "baker's rack". I found it at the local store for about $90. No need to build anything. Whitmor 6054-268 Supreme Bakers Rack, Chrome and Wood http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6054-268-Supreme-Bakers-Chrome/dp/B0014QS1XC/ http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6054-268-Supreme-Bakers-Chrome... Placed the laptop at about eye level then used a couple of art books to prop up the keyboard and trackball at the right height. At the end of the experiment it went back in the garden functioning as an accessory to the barbeque grill. :)
- porterhaney 14y agoI mean, this could be a sitting desk if you mounted it a touch lower.
- m0nastic 14y agoI'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 use at Fogcreek, but if not, it seems similar) for standing some period of the day. A ridiculous setup for sitting which involves mounting a Manfrotto Magic Arm‡2, and a Tether Table base‡3 to the chrome frame of my LeCorbusier lounge‡4. I figure I can stand for a bit, then sit in the lounge, etc. ‡1 http://store.steelcase.com/products/airtouch-height-adjustable-desk/?utm_source=steelcase.com&utm_campaign=steelcase.com-products&utm_content=airtouch http://store.steelcase.com/products/airtouch-height-adjustab... ‡2 http://www.shop.tethertools.com/Magic-Arm-Clamp-Kit-BG14BNDL.htm http://www.shop.tethertools.com/Magic-Arm-Clamp-Kit-BG14BNDL... ‡3 http://www.shop.tethertools.com/Aero-Master-TTA1M.htm http://www.shop.tethertools.com/Aero-Master-TTA1M.htm ‡4 http://www.dwr.com/product/lc4-chaise-lounge-cowhide.do?sortby=ourPicks http://www.dwr.com/product/lc4-chaise-lounge-cowhide.do?sort...
- greyerzer 14y agoSorry, I can't tell whether you are trying to parody the whole "check out my awesome workspace"-thing or whether you are actually serious? In case you are serious (please excuse the profanity): Holy Sh* *!
- m0nastic 14y agoI'm "serious" in the sense that this is indeed what I'm planning to do (I haven't gotten the Airtouch table yet as I've only recently come back around to the idea of having a desk at all, but I already have the lounge chair/arm mount combo thing). I recognize that it's kind of pretentious (although my previous plan was to make my office into a 1940's detective office, so I'm no stranger to pretension).
- greyerzer 14y agoCongratulations! I definitely envy you for the LC4. From 1 to 10, how comfortable is it?
- obilgic 14y ago"Buys a $2000 laptop twice the market price And can't afford a decent desktop"
- bdcravens 14y agoCute 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.
- columbo 14y agoI use this: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70209869/ http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70209869/ works great, and it's at the right height for bar stools so I can choose to sit or stand
- beagle3 14y agoFor $50, you can get a portable, adjustable height one: http://www.amazon.com/Invacare-Over-Bed-Table/dp/B000QA0EHI http://www.amazon.com/Invacare-Over-Bed-Table/dp/B000QA0EHI - they're not flimsy, can take ~20lbs (more then enough for a laptop + reasonably sized screen).
- nodata 14y agoIt's. A. Shelf. A "collapsible standing desk"? Please.
- zio99 14y agowhat books are those? clean code and what's the other one?
- eliben 14y agoThat doesn't look very ergonimic. So you give up on your wrists for the sake of your back/knees? Why not keep both?
- segmond 14y agoI use a cardboard box on my desk, when I want to stand. Been doing it for months.
- freehunter 14y agoDid my browser not load part of the CSS, or is this site really incredibly hard on the eyes? Light grey text on a pure white background isn't readable. I tried highlighting the text to read it, but it highlighted at a neon pink hue.
- jsnrkd 14y agoI recently combined a GeekDesk frame with an Ikea countertop with great success. http://jsndev.net/104/geekdesk-and-ikea-standing-desk/ http://jsndev.net/104/geekdesk-and-ikea-standing-desk/