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Aeron Chairs As Stupidity Barometers
McSpew writes: "This article at Salon describes how much startup venture money went to buying $700 Aeron chairs. Personally, I think Aerons suck. I'm sitting in one now and my back is killing me--I can never get this damn chair adjusted right, or to get it to stay in a configuration close to comfortable for very long. The wonderful high-tech mesh fabric acts like sandpaper and wears holes in my pants. I honestly miss the boring chair I had at my last job. Am I the only person who hates Aerons?" Aerons are stylish, but not everyone finds them the comfortable work chairs they're supposed to be. Here's one that looks truly comfortable.
A little Aeron Chair humor for everyone... it goes on for about of week of comics...
It occurred to me though that a management staff who found that their workforce likes the chairs can probably eke quite a bit of extra hours out of their employees by providing simple luxuries like this. I haven't used one long-term, so I can't address the "sandpaper" issue, but I did find that my back wasn't sore after sitting in one for a day.
Also it should be noted that with all the formerly VC-saturated companies going out of business lately, the average going price for an Aeron on Ebay is around $3-400
ironic dont you think that it was posted by tim
wasnt he the man who bought slashdot and took it public
hmm investors
dont like them but their money buys lots of sweet toys like cowboyneals chair (-;
regards
john jones
While some of these companies seem to have gone overboard on items of little legitimate business value, I wonder if stuff like the Aereon maybe doesn't represent an attempt to move to a new work paradigm, ie, don't stuff your employees into the cheapest furniture you can find. Give them comfortable, pleasant surroundings and they'll be more productive. I'm wondering if there weren't at least a couple of "new economy" principals who thought "new economy, new work paradigm" etc etc.
And all along I thought they traded them for advertising.
-russ
Don't piss off The Angry Economist
As discussed on slashdot a little over 2 years ago (I still want one):
http://www.snowcrash.se/products/netsurfer/
"And like that
[Dundie Accent ON] You call that a Chair? That's not a chair. Now this is a chair.
Krispy Cream is people
I'm presently working at a high-tech startup. I'm paid well, by startup standards. But we're sitting in cubes. I get about two solid hours of distraction-free time each day, and the rest of the time is full of the verdammt laserprinter starting up, or one of the nearest ten phones ringing, or somebody starting a conversation with my neighbor while walking up from fifteen yards away, or my other neighbor fighting with his wife on the phone, or...
Now, what good is that big paycheck doing? I can't go out and *buy* better working conditions.
Thanks, I'd rather have a pleasant work environment than a big paycheck.
The Aeron chair definately appears nice, but I've had the same huge old comfortable office chair for years and my butt would miss it, even if my mind didn't ;)
I think the keys to stick with, in chair buying, are:
- a metal main structure (base/leg[s]/armrests)
- a very comfortable and cushy fabric for any part of the chair that touches the body.
- no problem swiveling, tilting, and comfortably laying all the way back or sitting totally, for lack of a better word, "erect".
I guess what it comes down to is, at least your not on the floor.
[FYI] another Aeron chair link:
http://www.comfortliving.com/aeron.htm
- tre
http://piclabs.com
Well, there seems to be a decent amount of people who disapprove of the Aeron chairs.
;) Of course i'll pay shipping! And us poor fools who can barely afford the $35,000 a year tuition (yes, we got a $360 million dollar grant, and they hike tuition anyway), can have one of these chairs. (Lets not go into how much books costs!)
;) So act now and help save a poor suffing boy's behind.
I would like to offer a solution. To help us po' college boys who cant afford a $700 chair, but have to sit in a chair for 12 hours a day trying to code to finish while skipping all meals (well, mac and cheese is TECHNICALLY a meal). *takes another deep breath* I would be willing to offer to take the chairs off people hands
For the bunch of us who dont like to go into the fancy management rooms and steal them (I know ppl who have done that), we are sitting on what might as well be concrete.
For all those who sponser a po' boy, you will recieve a photo with your new donation, as well as a life story
true ....
But have you ever sat in a "fart chair"?
If you don't know what a fart chair is, it's a chair that's been farted a lot in.
You can only fart so many times before the odour sticks to the chair.
When that happens you'll get a nice puff of fresh fart everytime you sit down.
True, but spending $700 on chairs when perfectly acceptable ones can be had for a fraction of that price
a) wastes money that could be better spent elsewhere; and
b) indicates the sort of attitude towards money that should have had investors running for cover
Cheers,
Tim
It's official. Most of you are morons.
The chair's are a BAROMETER.
That's like blaming the weather on the BAROMETER.
The article is pointing to these chairs as a useful guide to how much a company is wasting the venture capital they get.
i.e. a BAROMETER
Boy it's hot in here, stupid thermometer.
Krispy Cream is people
As a former Herman Miller employee up until recently, I have worked on the Aeron and Equa II (most customizable and my personal fav.) line.
When talking with a local Herman Miller sales representative here in Toronto, he disclosed that the employee discount is 65%. So for that C$1000 Aeron chair with all the options, he gets it for C$350.
I smiled when handing over my Visa.
The wonderful high-tech mesh fabric acts like sandpaper and wears holes in my pants.
The reason that your company is going under isn't the expensive chairs. The world just isn't ready for www.WoodPants.com right now.
I dunno -- my favorite chairs are the office chairs built in the 50s and 60s. They're comfortable and sturdy, and I can sit for many hours in them. They go for between $5-10 at any flea market or thrift store.
(Also, 20-30 year old drafting stools are much better than the $60 POS they sell in Office Depot for all you amateur architects and engineers out there)
Potato chips are a by-yourself food.
Right on! I bought an Aeron C size, but the damn thing wobbled side-to-side a bit, which was REALLY FUCKING ANNOYING. (I think it's only the C ones that did that, but my legs were too long for a B--and my big fat ass didn't fit! :-)
:-) I can do that again happily.
So I returned it and bought a Freedom chair (the one with the headrest, it kicks ass) from the nearest place in the bay area I could find. It makes the Aeron look cheap (it's more than $1000 USD with the headrest), but it's just amazing. I was in a car accident a year ago and after it I was having problems sitting and coding for hours and hours on end, but with this chair (and chiropractic
I know that spending more than $1000 USD for a chair (which is more than $1500 CAD, so it seemed even worse for me since I'm Canadian, eh) seems insane, but think of how many hours you spend in your office chair, and then think of how many hours you spend in your car (even with a long commute). So which do you think you get more benefit out of having extra comfort with?
If anyone here is thinking of buying an Aeron, at least sit in a Freedom chair first...
You can find very nice old fashionned wood swivel chairs at Pottery Barn and the like - most comfortable thing I have ever sat in. And it creaks when you lean back - don't get that in an Aeron.
-josh
regardless, the aeron will work for people who are 1) of average size, 2) select the right size of aeron (there are three - maybe you should look into the large version?), 3) want to maintain proper posture while being comfortable and 4) will put the time and effort into adjusting it. i never said it was the end-all be-all of good chairs.
the "sweaty-ass" is a product of sitting in a warmish room in a well cushioned chair for far too long. not sitting on my legs or feet - just sitting. i know people of all different body shapes that experience it. it seems to be a factor of the environment, the chair and the way you sit. obviously, if you're giving your skin some room to breath (like, for example, sitting on the aeron's mesh), you shouldn't have any trouble. if it's parked in a cushion and can't get air too easily, it's more of a problem.
anyway, yes, i know that people are different. that's why the aeron is such a good chair - you can customize it to fit you. yes, it won't work for everybody. but with proper time and effort, it can work for a majority i'm sure. i'd venture to say that more people would find a properly adjusted aeron comfortable than would your standard $70 office chair.
Every once in a while I like to masturbate a new word into my vocabulary, even if I don't know what it means.
Precisely. Compared to the cost of hiring a programmer, $700 is a piss in the ocean - if they really are significantly better than the competition. It's like fast computers and big monitors - if it helps people be happier and more productive, it's cheap at the price.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
compaq's call centre in dublin has Aeron chairs at every desk. 4 floors with hundreds of desks on each floor..
.com thing.
it was one of the things they tried to impress the DECies with when they were integrating us into the Q. Strange... most of the DECies have left, Q has dropped Alpha..
Aeron chair stupidity -> not just a
I use Friend/Foe + mod-point modifiers as a karma/reputation system.
Sit on a Physioball instead of a chair - it's better for your body, posture and strength.
It's pretty clear to me that if your business involves people sitting at a computer for long periods it is in your best interest to ensure that they are not distracted by an uncomfortable seat. Whether or not the Aeron is really comfortable seems debatable.
Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.
Edward Everett (1794 - 1865)
The Office Depot/Ikea chairs don't qualify as being 'ergonomically correct' You cant find a real office chair for under $500 and those are the barebones models.
Trolls throughout history:
Jonathan Swift
The company I work for has SOME Aerons around - The .com division has them, as well as some others, so I've gotten to try them, and I don't like them, FOR ME.
Back when I was working from home, I went out and looked at chairs - LOTS of chairs. I don't remember the brand I bought, but for about $300 I got a chair that fits ME, which is all that counts
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
This is the best chair I have ever sat on. My Office Depot $150 special at home that I used to love, I can barely stand.
F*cked company sells a mousepad that sums up my opinion quite handily.
I don't know what type of chairs we use here at the office, but they aren't cheap. The boss has a very simply philosophy regardng equipment: get very good ergonomic chairs (~$1000), good computers with large hi-res monitors, and save money on eveything else. Hell, the boss's main desk is a folding buffet table like you can buy at Sam's Club. Spend the money on the important things, keeping the staff healthy and productive, rather than on status symbols like fancy desks or "designer" chairs.
Oh yeah, and anyone who spends 700 fucking dollars on a chair deserves to go broke. IMHFO. For that price it had better massage my back, do my taxes, and wipe my ass automatically. :-) - it does do all that - and it sucks on your toes too! if you're into that kinda thing, anyway...
Every once in a while I like to masturbate a new word into my vocabulary, even if I don't know what it means.
You could. But the chair will have a longer useful life than the dual Athlons. In fact, one really good chair might last several computer lifespans before it needs replacing, so I consider an Aeron to be a bargain by comparison.
Ita erat quando hic adveni.
Flatulence Filter
. The puffy, activated-charcoal-filled cushion will trap both the noise AND the odor of your low-end emissions. Most office chairs are odor free until you stand up...
-- "I am disrespectful to dirt. Can you not see that I am serious!"
Compared to the ridiculous business models of many of these companies, the decision to order Aeron chairs looks like the Marshall Plan
I've sat in my friend's Aeron, and it rules. You have to adjust it to YOU, the person whose buttocks will be ruling the seat of power.
If you're going to be sitting in a chair for up to 10 hours a day for a couple of years, isn't a measly $700 a fantastic investment?! And not just from a user's POV: what sane manager wouldn't want to make his geeks happy and comfortable?
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
Setting up Linux is less trouble than this. I can have a box up and running in an hour if not less fully configured before i'd get this cjair set just right for me!...but it does look cool.
DRM? No thanks, I'll just get it somewhere else...
Of course, there's no way in hell I'd pay the $700 for one of these at home . . . but the laid-off VP whose office I lifted this one from doesn't seem to mind.
anyway, it really isn't as bothersome as i originally made it out to be. it takes a little time, but it's well worth it.
hope this helps, should you ever have the chance to sit in one.
Every once in a while I like to masturbate a new word into my vocabulary, even if I don't know what it means.
Everyone here agrees that the chairs are less a cause and more a symbol of the .com fall from grace, but it's more important to evaluate why the money was spent in the first place.
It seems to me that the relitively young executives who recieved hundreds of millions in Venture Capital - since they didn't have to really earn it - failed to value it properly, perhaps due to youtht and inexperience (certainly not the fase for all) and perhaps simply due to market conditions which presented the delusion that money grew on trees, since there was no incentive at the time to make a proffit. Let's look at that for a minute. It's the CEO's responsibility to manage a company for success, usualy determined by it's stock price. The market seemed unconcerned with profit, or even revenue so why should the CEOs. Why not buy $750 chairs for every employee? It's not like we need to spend the money on technical infastructure, or support or production, after all the market thinks we're doing just fine. Look at our stock price! (circa July 1999).
My point is, while the blame for the fallout can be placed on CEOs who allowed their companies to make frivolous use of VC, they were only responding to the market, which told them they were doing fine. I blame stock analysts who started gaining celebrity status by whowing up on CNBC with wild preditions which were of course self-fulfilling prophecies, particularly in light of the tremendous number of uninformed indevidual investors - willing to follow anyone who stood up to lead - that flooded the markets durring those years.
Come on, we can't blame the chairs.
--CTH
--Got Lists? | Top 95 Star Wars Line
Many many years ago, there used to be a shop near my University that sold these. They had one of the fully reclining balans chairs (which, from looking at the web site, they don't seem to do any more). It's the wierdest sensation to sit in a chair and throw your weight backwards until the chair tips onto the next rail, and keep going until you end up nearly horizontal. You have to have blind faith that the chair is going to take it, and you won't end up landing on your head. But once you get there, it's the most comfortable chair you'll ever sit on.
"The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
There is only one True Chair Vendor: Lay-Z-Boy While it may not always be practical, NOTHING compares to a Lay-Z-Boy. Period. The armrests work great as optical mouse pads, you can sleep in it if necessary/desired, you will never, ever have back problems. Granted, they are a little expensive and require a creative solution to monitor positioning, but they're still a good deal cheaper than an Aeron.
I lied, they do still sell them. Take a look at http://www.stokke-furniture.no/rot/html/h_gravity. html
"The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
Wonder which one they could be talking about?
There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.
Why is it so difficult to believe that other people's experience is different than your own?
I've never in my life experienced anything remotely like "sweaty ass". Perhaps you had all your previous chairs adjusted wrong?
I doubt it. More likely, you have a very different body type and behavior from me. I'm tallish (6'3"), and the back of the Aeron bit into my shoulder blades, for example. It gives no neck support whatsoever, so is tiring over long periods, and the armrests didn't come up high enough that I could rest both elbows on them without slumping my shoulders, stressing the muscles in my upper back. You can't sit cross-legged in the damn things without a cushion - that sandpaper material shreds your ankles. Do you get the idea? I'm different from you, and no amount of fiddling with ergonomic levers will change that.
I would just like to saybrag that I have had sex with five different women in my chair. I got the chair in 1986. It has a plush bottom and back, with metallic arm rests that are the perfect width & position for a lady to comfortably spread her legs for a nice bout of cunnilingus. It is wide, it is stained, is is comfortable, and it has many memories attached to it. It has seen me through DOS 3.0 on up to Mandrake 8.0.
My wife wants me to give it up but it just ain't gonna happen. I love you honey, but damn you just can't replace those memories.
In fact, one girl lost her virginity in that chair. Ain't no chair in the world that can make up for that, baby. Not an Aeron, not Python's Comfy Chair, not nothin.
Just wanted to share.
so, what they're saying is the only company to actually make money on the dot economy last year was Herman Miller?
cool. we've got a slew of aerons here, as well as their Resolve system. it's so sweet... replace cubicles with honeycombs...
i'd just hate to see the company that made our office system go out of business, just when i had my eye on a bunch of cool accessories
- Entertaining Bits from the Ancient Kernel Tree
There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.
I think I would like this chair way more than my current office Aeron - but at $915 there's no way I (or my employer) would spring for one. I would sure love one for my home office though...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Second. If you're in the Boston area, there's a shop called Back Care Basics that sells them. Very hard to find in the US. Expensive, but worth trying out.
The evaluation of an action as 'practical' . . . depends on what it is that one wishes to practice.
agreed. i spent a lot of time looking for a chair. i had previously used an aeron when i was running the network at a television station and was stunned by how comfortable it was when i sat in it. i left that job and kept thinking about the chair and how much i'd like to have one. i then recently became interested in correct posture - i spend way too much time at a computer to fuck around here. i've used only split keyboards for a long time, but i've been working toward reducing glare on my monitor, eye stress, etc. i decided that i needed to have a good chair to save my back, legs, arms, etc. after a lot of looking, i found the aeron to be good for me. one of the drawing factors was the mesh seat & back. i live in virginia, and we've been having uncharacteristically hot weather lately. i wanted something that would be comfortable, ergonomically correct, and save me from the irritation i frequently encounter when i sit in the wrong chair for a long time. the aeron happened to be the perfect match. i didn't pay for mine - it's on loan to me from the tv station i used to work at - but i would gladly pay $700 for one. when you consider how much back surgery costs, the quite literal pain in the ass that comes from sitting too long, etc., $700 really isn't all that much. i got mine because i felt it was a wise choice, comfort- and health-wise.
Every once in a while I like to masturbate a new word into my vocabulary, even if I don't know what it means.
Yeah but compaq could probably afford to do something like that. They've been around alot longer then companies like Pets.com and etoys.com. Etoys spent money on court cost's and lawyer fees as well when they tried to sue etoy.com. Some companies CAN afford these chairs. It's not a total barometer for everyone, just for companies who should have used the VC for their business gols instead of perks. Case in point, the hospital my wife had a surgery in about a year or so ago had Aerons for the nurses at the nurse station. Same thing with the hospital my nephew was born in. Do you really think that it costs the hospital 5 bucks for an asprin? That's what they charge the insurance companies.
Gorkman
As a former Herman Miller employee up until recently, I have worked on the Aeron and Equa II (most customizable and my personal fav.) line. You would be surprised to know how much workmanship and hard work is put into these chairs. Every single chair is assembled, customized, and inspected by a person. No robots, no automation.
You would be surprised how much attention is given to a perfect chair. Not one chair leaves the plant unless it's absolutely perfect. Not even the tiniest scratch or ripple in fabric is acceptable. They don't "touch up" their chairs if something is found, it's totally disassembled and the effected part is disposed of. No touch-up paint, no stain removers.
My point is, you pay for the quality, workmanship, and sweat put into making the chairs absolutely perfect. Herman Miller isn't a company that screws around when it comes to doing it right. And believe me, it drove me nuts the first few weeks working there at their high standards of workmanship; but now I truly understand why.
- DanIt's pronounced "thermometer".
that's how we get everything at my workplace...as soon as someone gets laid off, scavenge their office for anything of value, and replace your stuff with it.
that's how i got my scroll mouse, 19" monitor and speakers.
i realize those things are piddley compared to a $700 chair, but over here the "dot-com" days are definitely over.
It's funny how we had years of the media praising the just-out-of-college dotcommer who started his own company and raised all this venture capital. Who then wasted all their money on pool tables and 700 dollar chairs. Now we see that maybe people in their early twenties are a little too stupid to run corporations. Though I guess in the dot-com world stupidity tends to extend to all age groups.
And I almost forgot. Reflex had Aeron chairs too.
-Vercingetorix
"Necessitas non habet legem." -St. Augustine
The probability of a Dot-Com failing is directly proportional to the ratio of Aerons Chairs.
:-)
Actually, this is just one more metric in a convincing series: Guy Kawasaki says in his talks that there is a perfect 1:1 correspondence between people that exhibit the following four traits and those that will lose all of your money (Remember, Guy is a VC himself these days...):
1. They drive German cars.
2. They have goatees.
3. They wear too much cologne.
4. They wear anything by Prada.
Remember, these aren't a causality, but do exhibit perfect 1:1 correlation
Seriously, though, Aerons are good, but not the best of chairs, but they are indeed predictors of dotcom dain bramage. I knew it was time to get out of a company I worked for a couple of years ago when they outfitted the whole main conference room with a doxen and a half Aerons (separated by a floor-to-ceiling glass wall from the reception area, where it was absolutely useless for any sort of strategic planning or discussion of confidential client data (pretty much everything) making the entire room just a showpiece of the dotcom mentality...) Gee, that sentence was bad. Too bad...
"The future's good and the present is nothing to sneeze at." - Roblimo's last
Disclaimer: My wife drafts for a local dealership. She's going to quit, but the propaganda is strong.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
A chair is a chair.
The Aeron chairs I've tried have not been adjustable enough (arm-rest height is critical; I need to have my elbows way up). That nylon burlap they use is a disaster. And the damped, geared cantilevering doesn't allow for a comforting rocking motion during pensive moments.
$700 was retarded enough for the lesser models; the most adjustable ones went for upwards of $1500.
I got a $199 Global at Staples or Office Depot or OfficeMax or somewhere.
Simple, well-padded cloth seat, adjustable back-height with lumbar bulge, and armrests that adjust in-out, up-down, and front-back tilt.
I've spent over 24 hours straight in that chair (modulo bathroom and fridge breaks) and had only stiff knees.
$700 Aerons, $500k Silicon Valley houses, and $40/hr Java "talent" really were the biggest boondoggles of the Internet boom.
--Blair
I agree with this to a certain extent. At work, we have these chairs. The mesh is GREAT in the sense that you don't get the sweaty-ass (tm!?) and sweaty-back. My last job involved about 4 hours of sweaty-ass/back daily.
;-)
But $700!? I work at a start-up SIPS company, and we have about 120 of these in the office. Now I wonder how much the DESK costed... and I wonder why those in the corporate group that only use Word and Excel have the same $4000 laptops running W2KPro as us consultants... Yes, there are about 120 of these laptops that come standard with the desk, in addition to whatever other computers us "consultants" REALLY need.
Honestly, I love the chair, I love the desk, I love the fancy designer lamp on my desk, and I love the laptop (minus the OS). But this article sort of makes me worried over what I'll be doing in a year or so....
But back to the point. I like the chair. It's a pain in the ass to adjust, sort of, but honestly speaking, how many of us just loved to play around with all the adjustments for the first week or so after we got them? Within that first week of tinkering with it, I got my settings right.
Remember that Herman-Miller is not a finance company and most likely wasn't financing the transactions.
maru
Only twelve hours later did I realize that I was still sitting in the chair and that my buttocks didn't hurt. I had not twitched or slouched once in the whole session.
But you are right, Aeron chairs are a stupidity test. It tests those who think that just because they are expensive they cannot be worth the money.
Everytime an Aeron story comes out Im reminded of how much FREEKIN cooler these chairs are. Sure they're almost as expensive as a luxury car, but a Mercedes doesn't have inetrnal fiber ports or room for four moniitors!
www.poetittech.com
"$700 Aeron chairs."
Try $1200. My last employer (The now bankrupt consulting firm marchFIRST.) had 10,000 of them in a Chicago warehouse, because there was never enough money to send them out.
The real loser in this is Herman-Miller, maker of the chairs. When Herman-Miller and its vendors sold these chairs in bulk to all the dotcoms, they sold on credit with NO SECURITY. That means there is no collateral, including the chairs themselves. Now the chairs are being sold out of bankruptcy to other firms for pennies on the dollar, hampering further sales.
My Aeron is fantastic. As another poster pointed out, you can't just sit down and expect miracles. You've got to adjust it to your own body. Not that I'm claiming they will work for everybody. I just know that my whole office has one, and everybody seems to like them.
If you've got ergonomic issues, it's critical that you get the problems fixed. Otherwise you're looking at life changing permanent damage to your back, hands, or whatever. I've just been through hand therapy, and believe me, nothing scares me more than the thought of losing the use of my hands. I'm a programmer, systems administrator, and piano player. My hands are a critical part of my livelyhood. Plus I want to be able to pick up my kids someday!
Check out www.tifaq.org. It's a great resource on general ergonomics, as well as a central place to find things like chairs and keyboards and pointing devices.
This is the best and most expensive ergonomic chair you can buy, period.
Carl G. Jung
--
"With one breath, with one flow, You will know Synchronicity" -La Policia
Oh yeah, and anyone who spends 700 fucking dollars on a chair deserves to go broke. IMHFO. For that price it had better massage my back, do my taxes, and wipe my ass automatically. :-)
Humorless sig goes here.
I sit in an Aeron at work, and it's great! Truly comfortable for sitting on one's ass for many hours straight.
:)
Of course, there's no way in hell I'd pay the $700 for one of these at home . . . but the laid-off VP whose office I lifted this one from doesn't seem to mind.
I just bought one new for my dorm room, and in my mind, at least, it makes perfect sense. I spend a lot of time sitting at my computer, whether making money, working on programming assignments, or just reading the web. Given the amount of time spent in it, it's easy to justify paying $731 (after tax and leather armrests) for one, just like I justified a $600 monitor last summer.
Someone with a full time job would probably have a tougher time justifying one for home, but I'm sure you can do it if you work hard enough
Sounds like these companies spent tens of thousands on Chairs, when they should have spent it on...Oh I don't know....Maybe Advertising?
Disclaimer - IANSWLMP - I am not someone who likes marketing people
OTOH, the author has described the chairs as a symbol of decline, not the actual reason (Although it seems to imply one follows the other). Maybe they all failed because of poor business models to begin with, not misspending after setup. Anyone have any idea how many companies bought N amount of Aeron chairs to start with then succeeded?
I don't think I'm very happy. I always fall asleep to the sound of my own screams.
i use and aeron at home. when i first got it, i spend a considerable amount of time getting it adjusted to suit me perfectly. that means setting the height so your feet rest on the ground, setting up the lumbar support properly, getting the correct tilt both forward and backward, getting the armrest height set properly, etc. it can be a chore, but if you take the time to do it, it truly is one of the most comfortable chairs.
one thing i've always hated about being a computer geek was what we here at work refer to as sweaty-ass . you know - you've been sitting in the same chair for 6 hours coding or browsing or quaking or whatever and the heat and humidity make for a relatively uncomfortable rear. the aerson's mesh works wonders for this - i can sit in that chair for an hour or two or ten and not have any trouble whatsoever. and i've never had any problem with it wearing out my clothes or anything. i'd guess that the poster doesn't have the chair set up correctly and therefore fidgets quite a bit, meaning extra wear on the clothes.
anyway, if you can invest the time and money, you can have a comfortable and healthy chair with the aeron.
Every once in a while I like to masturbate a new word into my vocabulary, even if I don't know what it means.
I use a Thatsit at home and it's the only chair I've ever been able to sit in for more than 4 hours without it causing be back/ass pain.
They come (or at least when my company bought them they came) in three different sizes. If you have the wrong size, it's impossible to adjust it to be comfortable. I use the large -- with the small or the medium, the front edge of the seat hits the back of my thighs at an uncomfortable place. I'm only 5'10" (177 cm) and my legs aren't particularly long -- I suspect that tall people might have a problem all the sizes.
I own an Aeron chair, and the Pellicle fabric is silky-smooth to the touch. The only way it would wear holes in ANYTHING is if your pants are made of tissue paper!
My Aeron is sooooo comfortable, even after literally 8 to 10 straight hours of sitting. It's like floating on air. Even better, I can kick back, put my feet up, and catch a few Z's in it quite comfortably if needed.
The whole three pages on Salon can be summerised as Lewis' Law on the probability of Dot-Com failure.
The probability of a Dot-Com failing is directly proportional to the ratio of Aerons Chairs:)
Now
- Quokka had "hundreds" of Aerons.
- Quokka burned through $200 million.
If we round "hundreds" up to 1000, we have $700,000 investment in chairs, or roughly 1/3 of 1% of $200 million. Two days of a programmer's salary cost more than his chair. Cubicles cost vastly more than chairs.Many things contributed to the dot com failures. Expensive chairs did not.