I finally got around to arranging my desk a bit better so that I could use my CRT as a second screen for the PowerBook, and so that Rachel didn’t feel like I was staring at her the whole time. There’s nothing worse that sitting across a desk from someone and feeling like you’re being stared at. After a while you can get used to it, but it’s really distracting if you can’t.
Here’s a photo of my desk as it currently stands. This is now really comfortable thanks to the Apple bluetooth keyboard and the Griffin iCurve laptop stand. Both are simple, well designed and a pleasure to use. Rachel says the iCurve looks ridiculous – she’s right of course, but it gets the screen up to eye-height and that’s worth looking stupid for. It’s not like anyone’s going to see it.
On the desk you can see my PC keyboard on the left, and accompanying trackball nestling in the shadows under the PowerBook. I have another trackball attached to the Mac – we both use these extensively as a more comfortable replacement for a mouse. I’ve got four on this desk alone. Behind the Apple keyboard is my iPod, which is still connected up to the PC until I decide to move it. The monitor has dual inputs, so I can switch to the PC’s output whenever I need to. (Remembering to type on the correct keyboard is a different matter entirely).
Items on the periphery are a JavaScript rhino (atop the monitor), an Ani poster (on the wall), a CD stack from IKEA, and silhouetted atop Rachel’s monitor in the background is Tux the penguin and the ThinkGeek monkey (thus I am out-geeked).
So that’s how I’m set up, and I have to say I’m really enjoying the dual-display experience.
Comments
And I really like the idea of the iCurve.
Drew, would you happen to know if it fits other laptops, or is it just for Macs?
I need a new keyboard and mouse though.. not sure what to get. What is the range of the apple keyboard?
The important thing is that, being bluetooth, the signal isn’t broadcast in-the-clear. With the radio-based wireless keyboards you’re open to eavesdroppers (which is serious stuff if you consider the sensitivity of a lot of stuff you type).