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Ergonomic Arrangement for Computers and Books?
An anonymous reader asks: "So here I am with yet another computer book (Network Programming with Perl) and a pending case of neck, back and eye strain as I try and juggle the book and the keyboard and try to keep an eye on what's on the monitor. I've tried all sorts of ways to try and wade through a book and type in the various examples but everything is a bit of a kludge. I'm hoping to learn what creative methods for integrating books and computers that folks have come up with. There has to be ways to keep the juggling acts and the assorted cramps and aches to a minimum."
Almost all of my O'Reilly books have the spines cut off.
Take them into your local Kinkos and for $1.00 an inch, they'll cut the spine off and 3-hole-punch it.
Then, hold the book together with 3 binder rings (which you can buy separately at Staples), and use a document stand to hold the book up near you computer.
The solution to the problem is a huge, huge, huge desk. I use a heavy-duty kitchen table for development at home, and have an actual huge desk at work. I find that the typical cube arrangements aren't very good, so if you're stuck with one ..
The thing with a big table is you can shuffle stuff around fairly easily. I like to have the biggest monitor possible in front of me, with my notebook to the side of that. If you have the aforementioned LARGE desk, then there is enough room to put a book between you, the monitor, and the keyboard, in addition to having lots of papers and crap on whichever side your notebook isn't on.
If I need to do any more reading (in depth) I have a smaller table with a reading lamp.
Seriously, try an obscenely large desk. Just a flat table. Aim for 4-5 feet deep as a bare minium, at least 6 feet long. It makes things seem a lot easier to deal with. I usually have 2-3 references and a pile of trade rags open on top of all the computer junk.
..don't panic
Typing from a hard copy has been around for almost a century now, and many techniques exist to make it easier.
...) with a program of your choice. I prefer TypingMaster 2002 primarily for the trouble-word logging, but your mileage may vary.
First and formost, dont ever look at the keyboard. Learn to touch-type those nasty perl characters (#{_
Don't look at your monitor, either. Type up a page at a time relying on your excellent touch-typing skills, and then proofread. The less your attention flits back and forth, the better your body will be.
Put the moniter and book close together, and hold the book open with... something handy. Obviously you could buy a book stand from the local stationary and / or music store, but in a pinch you can usually just push it up against something on your desk and hold it open by laying another book down at its base.
Turn your monitor contrast and brightness down and the ambient light in the room way up. There is nothing more straining to the eye than trying to go from focusing on field of brightly glowing phosphors to looking at a dimly reflected piece of oil and wood. If your work area is lit by a piece of energy-efficient, buzzing tube lighting, your eyes would be best served by an additional spread-spectrum flourescent or filament bulb of the type you can now get in hardware stores.
Take every opportunity to not be sitting in the same position. Between examples, swivel away from the screen and put your feet up. While reading intros and conclusions, stand up and pace around the room. Swivel to different positions while you type... The optimal one position to be in to aviod repetitive stress injuries is to not be in one position.
Another solution I have found that works well is to type your examples up wherever is most comfortable to you on a MIVO mailstation. Non-backlit LCD screens are very easy to transition to while reading paper, and the small size and weight will allow you to work almost anywhere. The 8k limit for messages means many perl examples will have to be chopped into smaller bits, but a simple e-mail later and the script can be quickly reassembled on your main box. The messageboards at www.linux-hacker.org can tell you how to unlock the machines to work with your ISP, and they (and their original branding, the e-message) can be found on e-bay for less than 20 dollars.
IANARST (I am not a repetitive stress therapist), but I think if you follow the above rules while listening to your own body's needs you will be fine.
-C
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