The Comms Room

« first day (1234 days earlier) ← previous day next day → last day (4033 days later) »

Mark Henderson

23:10

Just had an interesting request - a doctor that I moonlight for needs a new laptop has his Toshiba Portege is aggravating his RSI. Any suggestions?

Joel E Salas

@MarkHenderson don't use a laptop

Mark Henderson

@JoelESalas Man everyone in here is so predictable

He's a doctor, so I'm going to assume that he has already tossed up the decision between laptop/no laptop

Also, as most doctors (here anyway) do, he has like 3 permanent offices in different hospitals etc

Skyhawk

@MarkHenderson What kind of RSI? Clicky thumb, or typing fingers?

Mark Henderson

But with our shitty internet connections, something like Anyconnect isn't really suitable

> The key board has given me bad RSI in my fingers and up my right arm.

So yeah fingers

voretaq7

@MarkHenderson Tell him to wear a damn wrist brace like he tells his patients.

Skyhawk

23:15

@MarkHenderson Hate to inflame holy passions, but one of the things I really like about the MBP/MBA keyboard is that it's easy on the fingers.

Mark Henderson

@Skyhawk That was actually my suggestion to him. 15" MBP and I'll put Windows on it for him

voretaq7

@Skyhawk but the sharp pointy edges on the cutout to open it are murder on your wrists.

"I don't fucking cut myself - the stupid Mac does it to me!" -- and that's how I wound up in the rubber room :(

Skyhawk

@MarkHenderson That's a winner.

@MarkHenderson As a side benefit, it will be the fastest computer he's ever seen, touched, or smelled, and doctors like that kind of thing.

Mark Henderson

@Skyhawk Oh yeah, he likes shiny htings

Joel E Salas

@MarkHenderson What's wrong with buying a real ergonomic keyboard and carting it around?

Mark Henderson

23:19

First time I met him, he turned up in a VW Eos. I joked to him "You left your expensive car at home because you were meeting the poor tech person, right?"

Turns out I was right, his other car is a convertible mercedes

Tanner

I like the MBP keyboard for light use, but I wouldn't want to use it for any serious amount of typing.

Joel E Salas

@MarkHenderson Rofl, so yes

Skyhawk

@Tanner What do you prefer?

Mark Henderson

@Tanner Really? This guy does about 20 pages a day, which is a reasonable amount of typing

Tanner

@Skyhawk Rather use a cheap keyboard

maybe it's the position? I can keep the keyboard lower if it's plugged in

but I know if I type on the MBP keyboard for more than a couple hours I'm going to be in pain that night

Skyhawk

23:21

@Tanner Oh, that could be. Few things are worse on the wrists/arms than a keyboard that's too high off the ground.

voretaq7

@Tanner I find that with any laptop keyboard

also they're all FLAT which is terrible.

Joel E Salas

@voretaq7 Flatness is the least ergonomic thing

Andrew

Flat is better than angled. Research suggests that they "should" be angled backwards but it looks funny and you cant' see the keys.

Think about bending your wrists back vs. forward.

Tanner

@Andrew backward?

voretaq7

@Andrew I dispute this research based on the fact that if I tilt my laptop 3-5 degrees toward me I can type all day, whereas if I type flat I can type about an hour.

@Tanner with the front of the keyboard higher than the back - and yes, that is technically better

Tanner

23:28

I dunno. That feels really awkward...

Andrew

healthycomputing.com/office/setup/keyboard

voretaq7

@Andrew the problem I find with flat keyboards is I hit the hard stop at the bottom of the key travel every damn time

Andrew

> 3 . If your keyboard is lower than the desk surface, tilt the back edge of the keyboard slightly down (known as "negative keyboard tilt").

Using a slightly negative keyboard tilt will help you keep your wrists in the proper (neutral) position. Try to avoid positive keyboard tilt (i.e., where the top row of keys is noticeably higher than the bottom row of keys). Also, make sure that if there are "legs" attached to the bottom front of your keyboard, they are left un-extended.

voretaq7

and that causes more trouble for me than anything else

@Andrew that if your keyboard is lower than the desk surface bit is critical

Andrew

@voretaq7 mechanical or membrane?

voretaq7

23:29

your wrists need to be above the keyboard

Andrew

But it's also assuming that your arms are above the desk...

voretaq7

@Andrew doesn't matter, but it's more noticeable with the short-throw membrane keyboards than with a buckling spring or similar long-throw mechanical switch.

Tanner

anyone here use a mechanical? I've been eyeballing them lately

voretaq7

Apple's keyboards are softer than most (which is good because they're like micro-throw switches) but if it's flat you still wind up bottoming out hard.

@Tanner I used to, but I've become dependent on 19 function keys

also I don't have a proper Mac keyboard - my mechanical keyboard is a genuine Model M

Joel E Salas

@voretaq7 BSD user AND a model M user?

Do you need some wax for your mustache, Captain Hipster?

voretaq7

23:32

@JoelESalas I've had that keyboard since 1993

and the only reason I know that is that's the manufacturing date stamped on the bottom.

@JoelESalas also you best be nice to me, it's one of the ones with the detachable long cord. I can garrote you with my keyboard, surfer boy!

freiheit

@JoelESalas You have a recommendation for a good brand? Weather's pretty warm here lately, so I'm almost ready to switch from full beard to handlebar mustache...

« first day (1234 days earlier) ← previous day next day → last day (4033 days later) »

all rooms

Transcript for

Jan26

Jan '1427

Jan28

ServerFault's lobby

join this room
about this room

00:00

06:00

12:00

18:00

all times are UTC