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Get a couple of these. Works great, is simple, can be quickly reconfigured, works with almost any desk that you can screw into the bottom of, and did I saw it works great?

Add some velcro ties to it if you have too much stuff otherwise all the individual hooks give you plenty of places to hang loops of cables.

Ikea, in Holland, gives you a 5% discount if you order with IE. Of course I'm not going to fire up Windows to order from Ikea! So, I simply "lie" and take 5% off.

I don't understand... if by 'Holland' you means the Netherlads, you can't even order online. From http://www.ikea.com/ms/nl_NL/customer_service/faq/faq.html#0301:

"2. Kan ik online producten bestellen?
Het is in Nederland helaas niet mogelijk om online producten te bestellen. Bij de IKEA winkel bij jou in de buurt kan je terecht voor al je aankopen en voor advies van onze medewerkers."

(rough translation: "2. Can I order products online? Unfortunately it is in the Netherlands not possible to order products online. ...")

That's what I did. If you live in an largish apartment building, chances are good you have free access to a treadmill already.

I got a plastic tray from Ikea and tied some elastic around the back so I could mount it on the control panel and read a book while I walked. This way I didn't feel like I was "losing time", rather it was a chance to get in a solid block of reading while getting some exercise. And it really makes the time fly faster.

Nope, my double bed is Southern Yellow Pine. Sure, it's laminated, but that isn't a problem for me - most glued joints nowadays are stronger than the wood.
Ikea also sells solid wood dressers, although they tend to sell more pine than oak, which is not always a bad thing.
And you're assuming that I don't care enough to select against buying crap. Not that all engineered wood products are crap, but this is generally the case in furniture.
Oh, and typing in 'solid wood' in their search page yields this. In minutes I found a handful of sizable items that are solid wood with the exception of large panels that were not structural in concealed locations (one of those places where engineered wood is more economical and less problematic than solid wood). The typical ones are fiber board and plywood.

It is so uncomfortable, that I have to change typing position a lot. And I have to get up and walk around for awhile when I cannot feel my posterior any more.

I had proper office chair before, but my back was always hurting. Not so anymore - no back pains whatsoever. Uncomfortable is comfortable!

Certainly is. I'm currently sitting on this one: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90096456 - nice lumbar support and really does the job. Probably not present material tho.

I have this chair at home and I love it...

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/00103102

It was well worth the $200.

The high back lets you recline fully when enjoying a movie. It's very comfortable and has a bunch of options to set height, back stiffness / angle it reclines to.

Yes, about 5 mg per bulb is right (though falling as technology improves).

I think this is where I first saw a calculation of Hg emissions: if mercury emissions are about 0.079 mg/kWh, and a CFL saves 296 kWh of electricity over its lifetime, then 23 mg of mercury emissions are prevented. Even if you take one quarter of the mercury emissions (the author of the linked page notes that his value is high), you still save 5.9 mg of mercury, more than the 5 mg in the bulb.

And of course if you recycle them, no mercury is emitted. (Well, maybe some trace.) If you live near a large city, there's probably an IkeaMOM's stores collect CFLs for recycling.

The other story was about ways to DoS the Great Firewall of China from outside. You can, in theory, overload the content filter parts. If they're too busy to forge RST packets (or they don't forge them in time), that part of the Great Firewall won't work. You can also create false positives. So you can send packets containing banned content into China to create false positives (and tell that it's working by watching for forged RSTs). And you can reflect it by using OS bugs that sometimes reply with parts of the original packet (e.g. pings), which could allow you to create millions of false positives for them to investigate. Unlike most things, those allow outsiders to interfere, who have no worry about being arrested by the Chinese government. Of course, they would adapt things to filter them out, but hopefully that would accidentally create more openings in it by filtering out too much, creating new opportunities.

Those might even work, so I hope someone follows up on them :) Note that I wrote them all as I Believe in Irrational Property instead of I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property. Here they are:

RIAA Yacht Copied in Daring Act of Piracy

In a what the Coast Guard is calling a 'daring act of nautical infringement,' pirates have copied RIAA CEO Mitch Bainwol's personal yacht. After attacking with high speed inner tubes, they quickly made off with the data necessary to exactly duplicate the ship and vanished, but not before leaving behind an NFO with a pirate flag and a threat to 'rip' former RIAA chief Hillary Rosen's ship next. The RIAA is now demanding that the US Government issue Letters of Marquee and Reprisal so that they can prosecute these pirates under a little-known provision of copyright law governing ship designs as well as Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the US Constitution.

Microsoft Seeks Partnership With IKEA

After being spurned by Yahoo, Microsoft is seeking to acquire the furniture maker IKEA. Microsoft's Ballmer was quoted as saying, 'They have many assets I can use for leverage in pursuit of future acquisitions.' The deal appeared to get off to a bit of a rough start when Ballmer's tour of one of their factories was cut short after what authorities are describing as a 'bizarre furniture-related mishap,' in which three VPs who opposed to the deal were hospitalized. Authorities are not releasing many details, but one officer made the cryptic comment that, 'I didn't think even Bob Goatse could do that with a chair.' Even so, inside reports indicate that the remaining company officers are now 'very eager' to finalize the deal.

SCO Lawsuit Was Really "Performance Art"

SCO's D

Microsoft Seeks Partnership With IKEA

After being spurned by Yahoo, Microsoft is seeking to acquire the furniture maker IKEA. Microsoft's Ballmer was quoted as saying, 'They have many assets I can use for leverage in pursuit of future acquisitions.' The deal appeared to get off to a bit of a rough start when Ballmer's tour of one of their factories was cut short after what authorities are describing as a 'bizarre furniture-related mishap,' in which three VPs who opposed to the deal were hospitalized. Authorities are not releasing many details, but one officer made the cryptic comment that, 'I didn't think even Bob Goatse could do that with a chair.' Even so, inside reports indicate that the remaining company officers are now 'very eager' to finalize the deal.

I have a "Dave" from Ikea: http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/20078234 It's cheap, adjustable and has a cool angle thing that works well if your laptop's rubber feet are intact. There's room for an external mouse next to my X30 Thinkpad.

this absurdly simple hack was done using the $19 benjamin stool and a $6 coping saw. you could make it pretty snappy by taping off the edges and spray painting the inside a really bright color. you could also make a shallower tray if you had access to a table-saw with a plywood blade on it.

I've been using the Ikea Dave laptop table for over a year now, and I really like it. Features I especially like:

- Cantilevered, so you can scoot it up to your body
- Has legs, so you're not supporting in on your lap, and the legs are quite stable
- Tilt-able and height adjustable
- 17" laptop still has room on the side for a small mouse pad and mouse

The only con so far is what do do with it when the laptop isn't on it. It's kind of ugly, and doesn't fold up to put away.

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20078234

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20078234

It's called "Dave."

I've been using a Dave for over a year now. It's cheap, easily modified, and tilts for better viewing. The top piece is only held in by 4 screws which i replaced with some different hardware so that it can be removed and used as a lap desk. My roommate decided to attach peg board to the bottom of his so that he could wire in his usb peripherals.

I really should buy stock in IKEA....

I doubt Steve and the heads of the MPAA and RIAA shop at a mass market store like IKEA.

You might look at places that have furniture like this;
http://www.drexelheritage.com/index2.asp

instead of this;
http://www.ikea.com/

If money was no object, which chair in the pictures would you rather sit on?

It does a sufficient job: DRIV

Ikea started in Sweden.
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/timeline/f ull_story.html/
P

That's in addition to the fact that they're a lot warmer than the fluorescent lights I've experienced in the past.

Even better, there's the http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod uctDisplay?catalogId=10103&storeId=12&langId=-1&pr oductId=51601Galant desk with an electric adjustable height button. My mother bought one because she was having back problem being at her desk all day. Now she works standing or sitting based on how she feels - she thought it was a miracle.

I have this desk and love it - I think it's the most versatile and sturdy desk you can buy for the money. They come in different colors, and you can get all kinds of accessories for it - swivel monitor shelves, an extention to add another shelf at the top, side magazine and cd/dvd racks, side PC mounting shelves. It's an all around super geek desk. Even if the standing up thing doesn't work out, you will still end up with a pretty sweet desk.

Finally, I wanted to add one more famous person that works standing up: Walter Murch, one of the more well-known film and sound editors working today.

Lack of space?

A cheap shelving unit would solve that problem. I got a nice metal shelving unit (similar to this but with only three shelves) a while back that looks good and holds quite a bit of stuff. Plus, it's completely open so I don't have to worry about heating issues like with a fully enclosed "media center" rack (I never understood why you'd put hot, sensitive electronics in a fully enclosed rack).

Finite number of inputs into my TV?

Get a mux. My current personal favorite is the AA1154 component switch. If you don't need component, you can get switches for composite/s-video or even DVI (and thus HDMI, since the two convert back and forth easily). Granted, the Audio Authority switches are expensive, but there are many PRODUCTS&cm_ite=1%20PRODUCT&cm_keycode=4">other options out there depending on the feature you want and the price you're willing to pay.

Lack of space?

A cheap shelving unit would solve that problem. I got a nice metal shelving unit (similar to this but with only three shelves) a while back that looks good and holds quite a bit of stuff. Plus, it's completely open so I don't have to worry about heating issues like with a fully enclosed "media center" rack (I never understood why you'd put hot, sensitive electronics in a fully enclosed rack).

Finite number of inputs into my TV?

Get a mux. My current personal favorite is the AA1154 component switch. If you don't need component, you can get switches for composite/s-video or even DVI (and thus HDMI, since the two convert back and forth easily). Granted, the Audio Authority switches are expensive, but there are many PRODUCTS&cm_ite=1%20PRODUCT&cm_keycode=4">other options out there depending on the feature you want and the price you're willing to pay.

And that's why Sweden is the world leader in... oh, that's right, nothing. No innovative tech, no huge exports.

Ahem.

Ingvar Kamprad is one of the richest men in the world (possibly the richest, depending on whose figures you believe). What a terrible country Sweden must be, if it stifles its entrepeneurs so much that all they can do is dominate international markets and end up richer than Bill Gates!

I think the room light should be enough to read the keyboard, but not more than that.

I can stand long computer session times better when using dark backgrounds and light text (In Firefox I forced all webpage colours to ave black backgrounds, yelow text and light blue links) I know the pages look diferent, but after a while you'll get used to this. (Old text terminal monitors always had black backgounds and light text).
And lower the room and monitor light so you can read fine, and don't find the image light too agressive. (Brighntess to the minimum, and contrast to litle over minumum).

I think a great room light is a white or yellow chrismas light tube (not flashing ones) placed near the ceiling behind you, so you'll have very good indirect light without shadow angles.

Maybe this light is a good choice:
http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod uctDisplay?topcategoryId=15579&catalogId=10103&sto reId=12&productId=11158&langId=-1&parentCats=15579
(it's white led based, very low heat and power consumtion).

About dark backgrounds I still don't accept why every aplication gui (mainly Microsoft) is using white backgounds on computer monitors) maybe it's to simulate a white paper, but paper is an passive light divice and computer monitors are a light source. (Who want's to look directly at light sources!?!)....

Unfortunately from the time being, I still can't use black windows background with black butons background in KDE 3.5.0 (I think it's a bug, so buttons just disapear:(

No kidding. For instance, here's an ideal one for the /. crowd...

Chair: Steelcase Leap

IMHO, the Leap is better than the famous Herman Miller Aeron for most purposes. It may not be as sexy, but it is more adjustable and more comfortable in long term use. In particular, the lumbar support of the Aeron is poorly thought out and uncomfortable, whereas the Leap has extremely adjustable and well designed lower back support. The one advantage of the Aeron is the breathable mesh. Whether this is important or not depends on the air conditioning in your office, and maybe whether you are prone to a sweaty ass.

You can buy the Leap chair online, but I recommend finding a local dealer. You get to sit in the chair, you get more options, more color and fabric choices, and to my suprise it was actually cheaper (at OneWorkplace in Milpitas, CA).

Desk: Ikea Jerker

The Jerker is a cheap ripoff of the fantastically expensive AnthroBench style technical workbenches. Either one provides flexible, configurable workspaces with space for everything you need in easy reach. They also let you choose your desk height for better ergonomics, even standing height if that's what you prefer. If you're spending your own money, the Jerker I believe has a much better price/performance ratio. It's cheap but well designed and well built. It holds up to office use. Of course we'll see what I think after the next earthquake.

Check this page out to see how various people have pimped out their Jerker desks:

http://adam.pra.to/content/jerker/

Martin

The furniture you buy can make a huge difference in how much space you have. I live in a small apartment, and have way too many tables (because I write, do homework, tinker with electronics, have multiple computers, etc.) I made room by getting a bunk bed that doesn't have a bed on the bottom. I have my main computer desk `under' my bed, and I sleep on top.

You can find the one I have at IKEA for $200:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod uctDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&productId=11 534&langId=-1&parentCats=10103*10144

I also have other helpful pieces of IKEA furniture, like a $39 desk-on-wheels for my Linux desktop. It is really easy to move around, so when you have to rearrange furniture, it's not too much effort. Other things I've found helpful are shelves with partitions and things like:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod uctDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&langId=-1&pr oductId=15923

This lets me store my junk somewhere but not have to look at it. Very helpful, and a very good looking coffee table.

The furniture you buy can make a huge difference in how much space you have. I live in a small apartment, and have way too many tables (because I write, do homework, tinker with electronics, have multiple computers, etc.) I made room by getting a bunk bed that doesn't have a bed on the bottom. I have my main computer desk `under' my bed, and I sleep on top.

You can find the one I have at IKEA for $200:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod uctDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&productId=11 534&langId=-1&parentCats=10103*10144

I also have other helpful pieces of IKEA furniture, like a $39 desk-on-wheels for my Linux desktop. It is really easy to move around, so when you have to rearrange furniture, it's not too much effort. Other things I've found helpful are shelves with partitions and things like:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod uctDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&langId=-1&pr oductId=15923

This lets me store my junk somewhere but not have to look at it. Very helpful, and a very good looking coffee table.

Before you are serious to start a company, make sure you've the right mantra and willing to endure a lot of hardship. I'm not going to lecture you too much as you've to experience it anyway...

Location:Paul Graham's advice on this.

If you're looking for a regular office, try to find a place that you can pay by month-to-month. Yes this kind of stuff does exist. Signing a one year contract is not so nice. If you can afford, please find a work-live space or a loft.

Phone: If you need a landline, don't do it. We pay SBC $135 USD just to get a line into the building, and then another $135 USD for "inside wiring", which is just connecting the line from the building phone box to the room. @#$#@ing rip off. Even if you choose the most basic plan for just a dial tone for $7 USD, they'll still end up giving you $15 USD a month bill. Ah yes, if for some reason you use the phone to dial a long distance call, prepared to get shafted heavily.... They charged me $69 USD for 6 minutes call to Asia (because somebody used the wrong phone !!) Instead, go get Vonage. $25 USD unlimited is so nice. You will thank me for telling you this.

Furniture: if you're in Bay Area, IKEA's tables are good enough especially you can dismantle the legs quickly and MOVE. If you happen to catch good price, you can get one for around $21 USD. Don't go to OfficeMax or Office Depot to buy those rip off tables.

Also, we got A LOT OF IKEA stuff free on Craigslist: one Ikea table worth $30 USD, a cloth hanger, halogen lamps plus a sofa. (It's good to be near a big university with many rich kids too. So watch out Craigslist on around 15th and 30th each month. Move out time!)

Computers and software: I don't see the point on using a specific platform. As long as it does the job well you need to learn it. We have Powerbooks and Mac mini running MacOS X, a lot of PCs running Debian, OpenBSD, Solaris and a SGI O2 plus Indy (picked up free from Craigslist too) running Irix.

And most important of all, focus. There are so many possibilities but you only have that much time. Good luck.

or choose this, much lighter/cheaper & versatile.

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod uctDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=12&productId=11 533&langId=-1&parentCats=10121*10390

Boom.

IKEA sells a bed called "gutvik" ... a promise to german customers of having a good f*ck - product names can by tricky

Well, actually the robot was constructed to help people with the, until now, almost impossible task of putting together furniture from flat packages.

Despite the apparent calm at IKEA Atlanta's grand opening this week, the damage was already done. To confiscate computers without disrupting the flow of office demo displays The Man gutted all HP desktops and laptops before opening day leaving only shells.

Nothing to see here, soccer moms and Jeff Foxworthy fans. Move on along.

A small group of people have been VERY successful at keeping Ikea out of the Boston Area. It's ok, Boston is not a college town...

Article

Billy bookcases from Ikea are great for this, or any tall bookcase. The problem with other storage solutions is they are for "average" users. The biggest cd case/container I've seen are for 1000 or 1500. That doesnt begin to cover some cd collections I've seen. To maximize the space you've got to go higher, so get a tall bookcase. The one I bought from Ikea holds 1440 cds for under $100.

These sleeves, and a plastic 2-drawer CD storage thingy that they don't seem to make anymore. IKEA still makes CD storage boxes, they're reasonably cheap ($5/pair). They don't hold that many (23) if you use the jewel cases, but using the sleeves doubles or tripples the storage.

These guys were at linuxworld Boston yesterday. Pretty cool stuff, I was holding this in my hand yesterday. Kinda looked like an Ikea catalogue.

One more link from their company was http://www.makingthings.com/

from the link

swedish roots
The IKEA story began in 1943 in the small farming village of Elmtaryd in Sweden, when its founder, Ingvar Kamprad, was 17. Read about our company history.

Ingvar Kamprand is 'richer than Gates'

from the link

swedish roots
The IKEA story began in 1943 in the small farming village of Elmtaryd in Sweden, when its founder, Ingvar Kamprad, was 17. Read about our company history.

Ingvar Kamprand is 'richer than Gates'

While IKEA's roots are Swedish, they are actually based in the Netherlands

Yes, just get one from Ikea. They pack flat.

Please, it is aisles, not isles.
As to the stuff about 'fresh produce', normally the store manager is responsible for that.
Finally, that bit about the store being set up so you have to walk right through the entire store even if you know exactly what you want and where it is, that annoys the hell out of me as well. Ikea (furniture chain based in Sweden) does that as well and that is why I have not been there for years.

Cats usually don't chew on cables, so this is an indicator that something is wrong. And it's not your cables.

It might be an indicator that the two of you have a relation problem. The cat may want more attention. Especially if the cat does not go out of the house, you are the only one "social contact" for the cat. Play with the cat, pet the cat, crawl the cat. Or if you don't think that you have the time to do so, give away your cat to someone who cares for it; and get your self a cat doll.

Maybe your cat is a real hunter but has no other prey than those dangling cables. Get or make some cat toys. Remember: "Everything not nailed down is a cat toy." You just have to make sure that your cat toys are more attractive than your hardware.

A last idea, to cure the symptoms but not the disease: place your cables in flexible tubes. IKEA has flexible tubes in black and white that can be wrapped around the cables without disconnecting them. Unless your cat can look onto your table while standing on the floor, it will have a hard time chewing through those tubes.

Tux2000

IKEA

"In April, Swedish furniture giant Ikea explains that a children's bunk bed called the Gutvik is named for "a tiny town in Sweden." Announcing that bit of etymology becomes necessary when Germans point out that, in their neck of the woods, the word sounds like a phrase that means "good f***." Ikea yanks the Gutvik from its catalogs in Germany."

For example, what sports cars do you have in your garage? Ferrari or Porsche I'd assume.

I have a car built by Matra, which is branded Renault. So according to my papers I am driving something else than the brand tells me.

And what's the brand of your kitchen sink?

With kitchen installations it gets complicated. Often the different brands are selling the same utility for the same job. Dishwashers in Europe are often built by Electrolux, but sold as Whirlpool, Siemens, Bosch, AEG... Ovens often leave a Siemens facility, and then they are branded Whirlpool, Siemens, Bosch, AEG...
Same with floppy disks. There was one facility, which produced some 70% of all worldwide sales of floppydisks. But no brand ever reached more than 20% of the market.

Btw: My kitchen sink is called EMSEN .

If you've ever shoppped at IKEA then you've had to pretty much walk through their entire store because they have a path you follow and you get to see everything they have. There are shortcuts but most people just follow the path that's been laid out for them. Once a shop lures you in there's no benefit at all making it easy for you to find what you came to buy. Milk & bread all the way at the back of the store, kiddie stuff at the kiddie eye & grasp level. They got us figured out.

As stated earlier, I never encountered any real static problems.

So, I'm using this (multiple size/colors)