I don't have an office, even though I work from home.
I alternate between:
1. An amazing café on the beach - warm, sunny, coffee (and beer!) on tap
2. The garden - if it's the right time of year, Wifi is lacking so tend to stay more focussed
3. Barstool in Kitchen/Stood up working
4. Dining room table - white wall behind, good for video calls
5. Lounge
6. Trains
I'm fortunate enough to be able to work with just a laptop, no large screens/mice/speakers/headphones/paper etc needed, so I don't feel that I'm without stuff if I'm not at a desk.
Curious what you do? I do web development & programming and feel that when using a laptop my productivity can nosedive unless I have a full size keyboard.
Different strokes and all that but I have a reasonably big desktop setup (4 large monitors, multiple machines, etc.) but my main keyboard is an Apple Bluetooth one which feels no bigger than the one on my MacBook Pro.. :-)
I tried those for a couple of days, I must be use to very cumbersome keyboards because I felt myself pushing it all over the desk with my heavy strokes.
The same - web dev. I have an rMBP so can bump the res up quite significantly if needed. I'm not sure if this keyboard would be what you'd class as full size - it doesn't have a numpad of course, but that's OK - I type less numbers than you'd expect really!
A single Ikea desk, beside a window that has good blinds, on the 19th floor of a building with a view over North London.
Under the desk a UPS, NAS (18TB RAID6), the WiFi plus a single powerful workstation (16-core, 192GB RAM, SSD for main drive, 6TB RAID0 scratch disks).
On the desk some books, a bottle of single malt whisky, a playstation (dusty and not wired up) and a scanner. A single large monitor (high quality). A desk lamp with halogen bulb.
My home office is just a corner of a room, with all the tools I need nearby.
It is slightly messy, I tend to have mail opened on the desk, and small things around it.
It's comfortable, a place I enjoy being.
But it's also a work zone... my viewing of videos and entertainment is on a television purposefully not visible from the desk. Meaning I must leave the work environment to enjoy entertainment with others.
I'm not fortunate enough to be able to create a study room that could be an office. Space is limited, but the ideal would be a comfortable library space, lit well enough (but not enough to harm the books), and quiet.
Nah, those days are gone... I bought the machine when working on my MSc project as it worked out to be similar in price to renting AWS machines at the time for the duration of the project and work.
I needed 20+ virtual machines to be running, for a long period of time (3-6 months), gathering and processing data, to perform various experiments during the project.
The crux of it was that as AWS would cost me the same ballpark as 6 consumer desktops or 1 professional workstation, that I might as well buy and own the hardware.
Then the choice was between 6 consumer machines all using energy and producing noise + heat, or the 1 workstation (idling most of the time). I chose the workstation as it would be more flexible in the future (now).
The workstation has lasted years and is still a superb workhorse. I'd go this route again as it's proved great value for money and still has years in it.
It's an older HP Z800, runs Linux now but used to run Windows.
The NAS, whilst it is feature rich, I've disabled everything other then full-disk encryption. The only thing running on it is Squeezebox: http://oinkzwurgl.org/ssods_intro
Interesting, thanks. I originally got a 4 drive QNAP but it's way too limited in terms of CPU, it couldn't keep up with rsync+ssh transfers. I ended up replacing it with a HP microserver and am very happy with it. So far 4 drives in RAID6 have been enough but it would be nice to have versions with more drives. I guess I could fit a 5th drive in the optical drive slot.
Edit: I see that these Pro QNAP versions are actually high-specced and high-priced Intel machines. The HP microservers still hit a sweet spot of low price and ECC ram though. QNAP must be making a bundle by effectively differentiating themselves in their software. Nothing in the hardware seems to justify the pricing.
I'm on a N40L and found that FDE taxed the CPU too much underneath a RAID 6 array to be useful. I've heard that the more recent models are CPU upgradable to CPUs with AES-NI. What sort of FDE R/W speeds are you seeing?
I don't have one really. I have a T400 thinkpad and work wherever I feel comfortable. I avoid a specific place to work as I find that terribly demotivating.
Our house is part of an old 12th century church. The part of the house that runs into this church is my home office. We work here with 2 (sometimes 3) people.
The view is amazing, but I've crammed it with cheap functional desks and chairs and shelfes/tables. The walls are painted a nice purple, but the rest is all about "while we're not making a bunch of money, we can't have nice things".
Do mind that our equipment ( Computers, screens, (3D-)printers etc) is all up to date, no savings there, obviously.
I work from home full time, and live across the road from the English Channel (St Leonards On Sea), in a Victorian Maisonette. My office is on the 3rd floor with bay windows overlooking the sea.
The office room itself is largish, with 1.5 sofas, and a small table for tea. I have two desks - one sitting and one standing. My sitting desk is for writing code only. My standing desk is for everything else (meetings, email, etc.) My code-desk faces the sea so I can look out at the blue for inspiration if I need to. Above my standing desk is a whiteboard for notes/todo/etc. I have a small closet with a printer and supplies. I have to shield my workhorse machine from the sun sometimes so it does get too hot in the summer. In the English winter (10 months out of the year), it makes for a nice natural cooling system :)
But, sorry to say so, that's one of the worst websites I have seen in 2014 - a slow flash page with long animations, annoying sounds effects and bad UX (even for year 2011).
A custom made desk by the window with an obscured Indian Ocean view (Mombasa). Three monitors on the desk. Under the desk a build server and what was my main computer stacked one over the other. I work from home, and all this is just at the corner of what is supposed to be a bedroom. Nice curtains to have just enough light in the room and a nasty array of various cables all over the place.
We moved to the mountains in Central Arizona about 14 years ago and my wife helped setup my home office: large book cases, a huge teak desk, and an ergonomic chair. I have a view of the red rocks/mountains, which is nice.
So, I have a nice home office but I don't much use it because I prefer working in different places around our house and outside, weather and available shade permitting. I use my office mainly when I need to plug my laptop into a large monitor. Otherwise I like to use a light weight lap desk and roam. About once a month I will work out of a coffee shop.
We live in a small town, lots of friends and things to do. Flaggstaff and Cottonwood are in the area for major shopping. We moved from the beach in California and I substitute kayaking for the ocean. Shoot me an email if you are in the area.
The most notable not work related items in my office: a guitar, a Cromemco Z-2D computer, a writing desk that I inherited from my grandmother, an old square milk churn, a rusty leg vice that was my grandfathers and a Vroling wood-burning stove ( http://www.vroling.nl/afbeeldingen/vroling%20kachel.jpg , but mine is nicer).
And then there are the boxes in the corner, because we only moved here 3 years ago. Oops.
I moved out of the US a year ago to travel around the world but never left the first city I visited in asia. I work from home. My split level condo is on the 40th floor with a view of the sunset, ocean, and the city skyline. My office moves from living room to bedroom depending on houseguests. I have 2 27" apple cinema displays; each on its own aidata laptop desk that can be raised so I can stand or sit. I have a chair that can recline from sitting position to laying flat. I have a vibrating exercise machine that I stand on when I'm tired of sitting. I have a surround system and a projector so I can watch hd movies across from where I work. The projector screen is about 8 feet wide (I wish I had the space to project a larger image). The projector is hooked up to a macbook pro with a 4TB disk with about 1200 movies.
Despite all that, I think the best part is that my gf (who is half my age) hangs out on the couch next to me.
I cycle between working in my basement "office", my living room with a convertible standing desk, and when the weather is permitting, out on the back yard semi-patio-thing.
Converted day 6'x6' walk in closet into my office..
Hung a 40" on the center of the wall, with 20" panel..
Kneeling chair, and storage for books and stuff around the top..
http://imgur.com/PgLEaO3
I thought it would feel cramped at first, but it doesn't.. Allows me much greater focus, and everything is in arms reach.
I work from my apartment in the Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood in Montreal. It's a small prewar apartment, and the living room has its original stucco walls.
I work sometimes from my desk, sometimes from a standing standing at the other side of the room by the window, and sometimes from neighborhood cafes.
I posted pictures of my setup to /r/minimalism a while ago. Note that I have since failed to keep up this system perfectly, but often my desk does look like this. Seeing what I posted has inspired me to deal with loose paper better, which is my main cause of clutter.
Nice! I was living in the plateau not too long ago also. But recently moved a little further out to southwest area. Rent is ridiculously cheap here compared to Toronto. I've seen rent go as low as $350 all inclusive for a private apartment. That's nuts.
Same story, work from home. Equip: 15"MacBook retina i7 ssd, 2x cinema displays (older 24"), Logitech mouse, ikea adjustable desk, adjustable chair. iOS developer.
Hi Graeme, we're in Le Plateau too, moved here from SF (previously Berlin and Sydney).
We have a nice office on Blvd Saint Laurent looking directly out onto Mont Royal: high ceilings, 11 inch MBAs, 27in screens, Ikea trestle tables, etc. It's not a home office per se, but home for us nonetheless.
You should drop by if you ever walk past. We're just above Code Black Coffee.
Its a great idea to use an Apple keyboard... for taking a picture of your workspace. Then back to the real keyboard.
More seriously, I really wish any USB keyboard could be "converted" into a Apple Bluetooth keyboard (as far as the Mac knows) - they have great connectivity, battery life.
I had the Apple Bluetooth, then went with the Apple wired to get a full size experience. I'm now using the Logitech wireless, which is full size, and solar powered. At first I didn't like that it's not the "Apple" feel, but now, I like it better I think. (not Bluetooth, but the adapter is tiny, especially if you're using Thunderbolt display or another docking situation with USB ports, since it's never in your laptop)
I jump back and forth between an Apple chicklet keyboard and a Das Keyboard with the brown switches, and I can never decide which I like more. I love the feel of the mechanical keyboard, but the Apple one has such a short throw that I can almost forgive the mushiness. I also think the Das Keyboard has too much bezel which makes it take more room on my desk than I'd like. But then I long for that nice click and satisfying feel, and go back.
I'm using both mechanical and MacBook built-in, and I'm not sure if I like mechanical better.
It's kinda cool to type on it, but the keys are just so huge, it feels like I'm using a typewriter. Using the Apple keyboard is the opposite, it's like I'm just slightly brushing the surface.
If you're pressing the keys on a mechanical keyboard all the way down, then you're not using it correctly. One big advantage of (most) mechanical keyboards is that there's a clear tactile and/or audible indication of actuation, at which point you can release the key.
Ha, that's actually a great tip. I think I was just too used to regular keyboard, where you have to press until the key touches the bottom -- but with mechanical keyboard it's enough to press until I can feel the feedback.
I takes some getting used to, I have to consciously try to press the keys lightly, but it kinda feels nice! I'm definitely enjoying my mechanical keyboard much more this way.
Also, 10 keys typing is a must with a mechanical keyboard.
* Motorized adjustable standing desk from the Ikea (Linak legs; whole thing was under €600), in standing mode. Yes, fixed standing desks are not going to work, you need to be able to alternate between standing and sitting throughout the day.
* On the left, Synology DS213j, TP-Link TD-W8970 ADSL2+ Modem router and Meissner 750VA UPS to keep my internet connection going during Eskom (South African electricity supplier) power outages / load shedding (tested, works a treat! with laptops charged, I can continue accessing internet for a few hours of no power. Telkom exchanges have their own power supplies)
* Cheap laptop with IPS display (see http://wp.me/p1dVx9-6k ) connected to Samsung external LCD. You're seeing Emacs on the left with Zenburn theme, and Intellij IDEA 13 on the right with Darcula IDE + Solarized Dark editor themes, everything still on Ubuntu 12.04.
* My corner is indeed quite cluttered, but comfortable to work in. :)
That's my home office, I live on what used to be a working dock in the north of England but was filled in and used for housing so it has a nice feel, I love it because I'm 200ft from a massive river (great for thinking walks http://i.imgur.com/ibfcLn2.jpg, not so great when a massive storm surge nearly topped it in Dec heh - http://i.imgur.com/P2DRT0h.jpg).
I can't stand working in a mess, I have to tidy both offices before I can settle down to do any real work and I've found as I get older I need more quiet to work properly I don't seem to be able to tolerate distracts as well as I could, I'm lucky in that while I'm starting a business and money is tight the North East of England is very cheap to rent in so we still have a two bed with a spare bedroom for an office :).
http://i.imgur.com/yB0IN1e.jpg is my work office (which feels like home sometimes!) rented in an old Victorian building the council run, high ceilings and lots of space and light which is nice.
I got it off freecycle for free, it's built like a battle ship chassis is heavy guage steel and underneath is covered with cable management, based on style and condition I'd say it's at least late 80's old maybe older.
When I finally have some money I'm going to get the chassis shot blasted and powder coated black and an identical top panel cut out of marine ply, I absolutely adore the aesthetics and comfort but it looks a tad tatty as is.
I use an Ikea Gallant desk. My main computer (home built Linux system running Windows via VirtualBox) sits underneath, and a large-screen Asus monitor is on top, as does my laptop. I try to keep the physical desktop devoid of non-essential stuff, but this is a losing battle. I also have a video projector directed at the wall in front of me.
My office is full of books, plants, my LEGO projects, and other miscellaneous toys and distractions. The walls are decorated with classic covers from Byte Magazine
I have one window with three bird feeders to my right. I can also look into my backyard (through another room).
Ha! We share quite a few lego models. I probably "invested" 2K on Legos so far but have recently slowed down purchases. Following instructions for building models seems to shut down a part of my brain and just destresses me. Not sure if I'm alone in that or not. Nice man cave though!
Most of my day is taken up with unstructured, creative efforts. I balance that out with Lego sets that allow me to get the desired result by simply following the instructions. I know exactly what you mean.
There's something really great about the Gallant desks. Cheap, roomy, well built, no fuss. I have the version with T-Legs, but I can't honestly go back to other kinds of desks.
Agreed - I have had one for years with adjustable T-Legs. Being over 6 foot, needed a desk I could get the height correct and they are perfect for that.
The table top is starting to get a little crappy with some of the finish bubbling off due to my constant resting of hands so will just need to purchase a new one at some point - but no real rush.
Very sturdy desk overall, it's small - but with monitor arms for 24 and 17 inch displays I have more than enough desk room for keyboard/mouse and notepad.
161 comments
[ 297 ms ] story [ 460 ms ] threadI alternate between:
1. An amazing café on the beach - warm, sunny, coffee (and beer!) on tap 2. The garden - if it's the right time of year, Wifi is lacking so tend to stay more focussed 3. Barstool in Kitchen/Stood up working 4. Dining room table - white wall behind, good for video calls 5. Lounge 6. Trains
I'm fortunate enough to be able to work with just a laptop, no large screens/mice/speakers/headphones/paper etc needed, so I don't feel that I'm without stuff if I'm not at a desk.
Under the desk a UPS, NAS (18TB RAID6), the WiFi plus a single powerful workstation (16-core, 192GB RAM, SSD for main drive, 6TB RAID0 scratch disks).
On the desk some books, a bottle of single malt whisky, a playstation (dusty and not wired up) and a scanner. A single large monitor (high quality). A desk lamp with halogen bulb.
My home office is just a corner of a room, with all the tools I need nearby.
It is slightly messy, I tend to have mail opened on the desk, and small things around it.
It's comfortable, a place I enjoy being.
But it's also a work zone... my viewing of videos and entertainment is on a television purposefully not visible from the desk. Meaning I must leave the work environment to enjoy entertainment with others.
I'm not fortunate enough to be able to create a study room that could be an office. Space is limited, but the ideal would be a comfortable library space, lit well enough (but not enough to harm the books), and quiet.
Nah, those days are gone... I bought the machine when working on my MSc project as it worked out to be similar in price to renting AWS machines at the time for the duration of the project and work.
I needed 20+ virtual machines to be running, for a long period of time (3-6 months), gathering and processing data, to perform various experiments during the project.
The crux of it was that as AWS would cost me the same ballpark as 6 consumer desktops or 1 professional workstation, that I might as well buy and own the hardware.
Then the choice was between 6 consumer machines all using energy and producing noise + heat, or the 1 workstation (idling most of the time). I chose the workstation as it would be more flexible in the future (now).
The workstation has lasted years and is still a superb workhorse. I'd go this route again as it's proved great value for money and still has years in it.
It's an older HP Z800, runs Linux now but used to run Windows.
The NAS, whilst it is feature rich, I've disabled everything other then full-disk encryption. The only thing running on it is Squeezebox: http://oinkzwurgl.org/ssods_intro
Edit: I see that these Pro QNAP versions are actually high-specced and high-priced Intel machines. The HP microservers still hit a sweet spot of low price and ECC ram though. QNAP must be making a bundle by effectively differentiating themselves in their software. Nothing in the hardware seems to justify the pricing.
It seems the newer generation has moved to Intel but still without AES-NI:
https://ssl.www8.hp.com/us/en/products/proliant-servers/prod...
It's not clear from what I've read if you can swap the processor out.
Why do you run FDE? How do you boot it?
See http://b3n.org/installed-xeon-e3-1230v2-in-gen8-hp-microserv... for info on how to do the chip upgrades in the current model.
The view is amazing, but I've crammed it with cheap functional desks and chairs and shelfes/tables. The walls are painted a nice purple, but the rest is all about "while we're not making a bunch of money, we can't have nice things".
Do mind that our equipment ( Computers, screens, (3D-)printers etc) is all up to date, no savings there, obviously.
The office room itself is largish, with 1.5 sofas, and a small table for tea. I have two desks - one sitting and one standing. My sitting desk is for writing code only. My standing desk is for everything else (meetings, email, etc.) My code-desk faces the sea so I can look out at the blue for inspiration if I need to. Above my standing desk is a whiteboard for notes/todo/etc. I have a small closet with a printer and supplies. I have to shield my workhorse machine from the sun sometimes so it does get too hot in the summer. In the English winter (10 months out of the year), it makes for a nice natural cooling system :)
-- EDIT -- here is a very poor quality photo: https://twitter.com/binarymax/status/460012757317074944/phot...
But, sorry to say so, that's one of the worst websites I have seen in 2014 - a slow flash page with long animations, annoying sounds effects and bad UX (even for year 2011).
So, I have a nice home office but I don't much use it because I prefer working in different places around our house and outside, weather and available shade permitting. I use my office mainly when I need to plug my laptop into a large monitor. Otherwise I like to use a light weight lap desk and roam. About once a month I will work out of a coffee shop.
And then there are the boxes in the corner, because we only moved here 3 years ago. Oops.
it's nice to finally have a decent space to work in. Having a comfortable spot that I enjoy being in has definitely improved my productivity.
My goal is to eventually work from home.. maybe 2014 will be my year :)
Despite all that, I think the best part is that my gf (who is half my age) hangs out on the couch next to me.
Sexpat?
Relevant pictures:
https://twitter.com/jessegumm/status/460019341355143168
https://twitter.com/jessegumm/status/460020285786578944
https://twitter.com/jessegumm/status/460019950338727936
Not that they write better code, they're just prettier :D
https://news.layervault.com/stories/8613-ask-dn-your-workspa...
I thought it would feel cramped at first, but it doesn't.. Allows me much greater focus, and everything is in arms reach.
https://www.linux.com/news/special-feature/linux-developers http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLinuxFoundation/search?query=...
I work sometimes from my desk, sometimes from a standing standing at the other side of the room by the window, and sometimes from neighborhood cafes.
I posted pictures of my setup to /r/minimalism a while ago. Note that I have since failed to keep up this system perfectly, but often my desk does look like this. Seeing what I posted has inspired me to deal with loose paper better, which is my main cause of clutter.
http://www.reddit.com/r/minimalism/comments/1hi0i7/my_new_mi...
Same story, work from home. Equip: 15"MacBook retina i7 ssd, 2x cinema displays (older 24"), Logitech mouse, ikea adjustable desk, adjustable chair. iOS developer.
http://imgur.com/0g3GkuF
We have a nice office on Blvd Saint Laurent looking directly out onto Mont Royal: high ceilings, 11 inch MBAs, 27in screens, Ikea trestle tables, etc. It's not a home office per se, but home for us nonetheless.
You should drop by if you ever walk past. We're just above Code Black Coffee.
http://www.reddit.com/r/battlestations
http://www.reddit.com/r/macsetups
More seriously, I really wish any USB keyboard could be "converted" into a Apple Bluetooth keyboard (as far as the Mac knows) - they have great connectivity, battery life.
http://www.reddit.com/r/mechanicalkeyboards
It's kinda cool to type on it, but the keys are just so huge, it feels like I'm using a typewriter. Using the Apple keyboard is the opposite, it's like I'm just slightly brushing the surface.
I takes some getting used to, I have to consciously try to press the keys lightly, but it kinda feels nice! I'm definitely enjoying my mechanical keyboard much more this way.
Also, 10 keys typing is a must with a mechanical keyboard.
* Motorized adjustable standing desk from the Ikea (Linak legs; whole thing was under €600), in standing mode. Yes, fixed standing desks are not going to work, you need to be able to alternate between standing and sitting throughout the day.
* On the left, Synology DS213j, TP-Link TD-W8970 ADSL2+ Modem router and Meissner 750VA UPS to keep my internet connection going during Eskom (South African electricity supplier) power outages / load shedding (tested, works a treat! with laptops charged, I can continue accessing internet for a few hours of no power. Telkom exchanges have their own power supplies)
* Cheap laptop with IPS display (see http://wp.me/p1dVx9-6k ) connected to Samsung external LCD. You're seeing Emacs on the left with Zenburn theme, and Intellij IDEA 13 on the right with Darcula IDE + Solarized Dark editor themes, everything still on Ubuntu 12.04.
* My corner is indeed quite cluttered, but comfortable to work in. :)
That's my home office, I live on what used to be a working dock in the north of England but was filled in and used for housing so it has a nice feel, I love it because I'm 200ft from a massive river (great for thinking walks http://i.imgur.com/ibfcLn2.jpg, not so great when a massive storm surge nearly topped it in Dec heh - http://i.imgur.com/P2DRT0h.jpg).
I can't stand working in a mess, I have to tidy both offices before I can settle down to do any real work and I've found as I get older I need more quiet to work properly I don't seem to be able to tolerate distracts as well as I could, I'm lucky in that while I'm starting a business and money is tight the North East of England is very cheap to rent in so we still have a two bed with a spare bedroom for an office :).
http://i.imgur.com/yB0IN1e.jpg is my work office (which feels like home sometimes!) rented in an old Victorian building the council run, high ceilings and lots of space and light which is nice.
They are Dell 2412M's.
I got it off freecycle for free, it's built like a battle ship chassis is heavy guage steel and underneath is covered with cable management, based on style and condition I'd say it's at least late 80's old maybe older.
When I finally have some money I'm going to get the chassis shot blasted and powder coated black and an identical top panel cut out of marine ply, I absolutely adore the aesthetics and comfort but it looks a tad tatty as is.
My office is full of books, plants, my LEGO projects, and other miscellaneous toys and distractions. The walls are decorated with classic covers from Byte Magazine
I have one window with three bird feeders to my right. I can also look into my backyard (through another room).
Here are some pictures:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5815303/jeff_home_office...
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/5815303/jeff_barr_home_o...
If you're worried about the wood getting damaged by repeated disassembly-reassembly cycles, you can use insert nuts to screw a machine bolt into: http://www.menards.com/main/tools-hardware/fasteners/nuts/mi...
The nice part is that an actual wood top not only looks and feels better, it's a bit cheaper than the particle board tops that IKEA makes.
The table top is starting to get a little crappy with some of the finish bubbling off due to my constant resting of hands so will just need to purchase a new one at some point - but no real rush.
Very sturdy desk overall, it's small - but with monitor arms for 24 and 17 inch displays I have more than enough desk room for keyboard/mouse and notepad.