A couple of things (and by things I mean posts) really struck me this week:
(1) Pictures of 37 Signals’ New Office (via Brooks Review)
Holy crap that’s a nice office. I’ve lived in California for too long for my brain to be able to grasp the concept of that much open space. In contrast, here’s the Line Thirteen Office:
That’s right, my office consists of an Ikea Ektorp armchair in the corner of my living room (and believe me, we’d have the chair even if Line Thirteen didn’t exist).
My desk is a piece of scrap lumber, left over from the construction of a train table for my son (I think it’s pine). I sanded it smooth, rounded all the corners and edges and it works rather well. It’s just wide enough so that it rests partially on the chair, taking some of the weight off of my legs. Ideally it could be a bit wider so I could place a sheet of paper to one side without having to move my laptop off center.
Patrick Rhone suggests the following:
I also am increasingly of the opinion that the perfect desk is likely one that you make yourself.
If this is true, at least I’m on the right track. I’m quite productive with this setup, and it’s extremely comfortable. Unfortunately, it affords no possibility of a second monitor, which would be a really nice feature to have sometimes.
(2) Dave Caolo’s Sweet Mac Setup (More like this, by Shawn Blanc)
What struck me here was how thoroughly old and thrashed Dave’s main machine is.
My main computer is a well-worn, 2GHz Intel Core Duo MacBook Pro with a 15″ display. This machine has been in 5 US states and three countries; it’s missing three keys and the bottom is badly scratched. It’s also the most reliable workhorse I’ve ever owned. I’ll continue to use it until it dies or refuses to run essential software, whichever comes first.
I was beginning to think I was the only person (or at least the only person who relies on their machine every single day) to still be using the original MacBook Pro. In 2005 I was still using a Powerbook G4 Titanium 800 MHz (DVI). None of the newer G4 models were terribly compelling to me even though my machine suffered from a severe case of the paint flaking issue. Then, on January 10th, 2006 Apple introduced the very first MacBook Pro. I lasted exactly 3 days before ordering one. It arrived on February 24th, and I’ve been using it ever since (4 years, 7 months and 12 days as of this draft).
Here she is in all her glory:
A closeup of where the case never quite came together properly after I upgraded the hard drive:
A closeup of the dent from the time I dropped my backpack (a Spire Zoom purchased in 1999 and currently on its third laptop):
A view of the general state of keyboard (I’ve still got all my keys!):
I haven’t been using the machine all this time as some kind of statement (and I don’t think Dave has either, but as Patrick Rhone points out it does kind of make one). It’s partly money (I don’t have a lot of it), but it’s mostly the fact that I am completely satisfied with how well this laptop continues to perform deep into its fifth year.
PS: If you read Dave Caolo’s interview with Shawn Blanc and want more, check out his iPad Life piece at The Brooks Review
