7 ms·

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

by jurre 14y ago

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.

lnanek2 14y ago
Actually, 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.
- kiba 14y ago
  Do you have a citation for that?
  - siodine 14y ago
    http://www.novadesk.com/Portals/84375/docs/ergonomic-summary.pdf http://www.novadesk.com/Portals/84375/docs/ergonomic-summary... Hopefully someone can upload "Head and Neck Posture at Computer Workstations - What’s Neutral?"
daniel_solano 14y ago
Perhaps 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 ago
  It 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 ago
The 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 ago
  sturdy or not, paper cups sound precarious. at my office, we use stacked reams of paper.
  - mahmud 14y ago
    you people and your small desks. Mine is 6x2 feet.
    - pyre 14y ago
      I've read this a couple of times, and I'm still not understanding it. How does the area of your desk surface (6'x2') relate to me or the parent post using items (paper cups, reams of paper) to elevate our monitors?
sudonim 14y ago
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 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 ago
  Been using that one too. Hurt like hell the first week. But now that I'm getting used to it I love it.
tammer 14y ago
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.
PakG1 14y ago
Depending 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 ago
  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).
  - nodata 14y ago
    Oh 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.

by jurre 14y ago

lnanek2 14y ago

Actually, 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.

kiba 14y ago
Do you have a citation for that?
- siodine 14y ago
  http://www.novadesk.com/Portals/84375/docs/ergonomic-summary.pdf http://www.novadesk.com/Portals/84375/docs/ergonomic-summary... Hopefully someone can upload "Head and Neck Posture at Computer Workstations - What’s Neutral?"

daniel_solano 14y ago

Perhaps 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 ago
It 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 ago

The 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 ago
sturdy or not, paper cups sound precarious. at my office, we use stacked reams of paper.
- mahmud 14y ago
  you people and your small desks. Mine is 6x2 feet.
  - pyre 14y ago
    I've read this a couple of times, and I'm still not understanding it. How does the area of your desk surface (6'x2') relate to me or the parent post using items (paper cups, reams of paper) to elevate our monitors?

sudonim 14y ago

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

tammer 14y ago

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.

PakG1 14y ago

Depending 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 ago
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).
- nodata 14y ago
  Oh 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.