Slashdot Mirror
The Ultimate Computer Chair?
An anonymous reader writes "Check out www.mypce.com. They address the idea
of the computer workspaces by treating the it as an overall environment
instead of the desk and monitor we're all used to. Hopefully, the industry will
start moving in this direction and address more of the physical issues of computing.
No idea on pricing, but very cool nonetheless."
Ads for these chairs were in Wired Magazine already some months ago. Nifty stuff, though
It looks just like one of those home gyms. And then when the marketing speak said:
> The MasterPeace Rocks and Cradles you
I thought... "You can rock, rock, rock! yourself to firmer abs!"... damn those infomercials.
The biggest problem with those is there is no place to put good old fashion pen to paper.
Even when I was in R&D I still liked to use pen and paper beside my superfast machine. I like a big desk with lots of room to scribble.
Interesting side note, since we were in R&D, we weren't allowed any "scrap" paper to work on. All our work had to be in our logbooks, that had all our notes (aparently incase of patent dispute). So I started doing my doodles in that. Then I put things like, "if you are reading this, then I must be dead, the treasure is buried....". Of course, after our head of project died, i stopped doing that.
I use to have a funny sig, but slash cut it off, and I forgot what the punchline was.
Not mentioning the fact that this idea is old, I see a few problems. Some of us don't exclusively work with computers. Sure, a good half/two thirds of my desk is dedicated to computing space, but I also do stuff with paper and I need space to do that. Or, more importantly, store CD cases, Star Wars action figures, and pile empty pizza boxes. A work/computing environment without a foot of assorted junk piled on top isn't a true environment.
Besides, the system is too restrictive. I don't like my box shipping with the device. I want to choose what components I use. Similarily, until the quality on LCD displays matches that of CRTs, I'll keep using those. And unless I'm mistaken there's no switching system to allow you to hang a CRT from there.
I mean, it's an idea we've all had, and cherished for a while (I remember in UF Stef bought one to increase his Quaking skills, we all know how that worked out), but it's just not feasible that way.
As much as we would like to think it is, a Personal Computing Environment isn't 100% PC.
The only time I would need a computer environment that did not include open desk area, book shelves, CD/DVD racks, and filing drawers is when I game.
$7000 is just too damn expensive for a gaming rig; especially one I don't build the system myself. Screw that. A comfy La-Z-Boy recliner, surround sound system, and custom built desk I designed myself would cost me so much less I'd have $4000 left for my dream system. Hmmmmm...
I was taking one day at a time, but then several days got together and ambushed me. (from a Rhymes with Orange comic)
Clearly these people have not talked to the developer community in designing these chairs. I see no Dr. Pepper / Red Bull holders nor any place to set your half-eaten bag of Cheetos.
When will someone get it?
jack's bicycle is music to my ears
*Mobility* is the name of the game from here on. Design focus should be more on technology usability issues, rather than how to make human beings adapt to the 1980-90's version of fixed workststions. Thank goodness, the latter are goin away.
Sure, there is a need for better fixed workstation ergonomics, but very few organizations will spend the capital necessary to deploy this sort of thing on a wide scale.
There's probably a niche market in design and graphics shops for things like this, mostly as a design statement to impress clients.
If innovations like this were cheap, we *might* see them make the residential office markets.
"Devices like this ensure that geeks do not get laid by the cute coworker down the hall. "
Perhaps, but they do ensure that you're the one the cute coworker down the hall comes to when she needs her computer fixed. For a lot of geeks, that's a drastic improvement. Remember when the comic book store guy tried to push through the Vulcan Pon Farr ritual? It's kinda like that.
"Derp de derp."
For a while I thought my keyboard (Kinesis Ergo) was to thank (and perhaps the MS Trackball Explorer, which you click with your thumb). I still like my keyboard -- RSI aside, it's a great input device -- but I think there's a limit to what they can do.
What really helped me was the armless chair I got, and the posture that has encouraged me to take. Which is actually no posture at all -- I shift positions on the chair at least twice an hour, sometimes leaning sideways, sometimes forward, and reclined in different ways. There's no real stability to the chair. None of the postures I take are ergonomically correct postures, which is why I think it's good -- no posture is right for too long a period.
The problem with a fancy system like this is that it's all about the Right Posture. It creates a whole frame around some "perfect" position, and from the look of it you'd have a hard time taking any other position. It's the same with a lot of the ergonomic devices, which advertise the relaxed and supported position you take, but you are locked into a single position, so even if there's less damage you have to worry that eventually it will accumulate since it's always the same damage.
I've got arthritis in my spine from being behind a computer for too long. This type of design with the monitor suspended over my head is what the same design I've come up with but haven't been able to build.
The idea of supporting your back and neck is a very good one if you're concerned about your long term health and you spend a lot of time behind a terminal.
There is a significant problem here. It needs to be able to be reclined. You need to be lying down for this design to do your back some good. Otherwise, this is just a raised chair.
Good start though.
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
If this ever catches on, we can say good bye to team work
Well, it _might_ be ok for gaming, but as a practical computer workstation, it leaves a lot to be desired.
I use my computer for working, not just gaming, so ample desk space is a necessity.
I'm also curious about the stability of the hanging monitors -- will the monitors shake every time you move?
Ditto getting in and out of the chair if you need to go to the printer, use the head, or hit the fridge for a shot of caffeine.
No idea on pricing
Why do websites list anything buyable without pricing? On this site, BUY NOW asks the user to email Paul. Don't they know how much they want for it? Even if the price changes daily, they can update the website. And they can have that "plus shipping" that could double the price. A little effort and they can allow the chair to be customized online.
Or they can do the random price thing like Amazon.com. Check a product from multiple browsers and you get multiple prices. This is great for finding the price point that maximizes profit.
And why didn't the slashdot editor request the price? Write a post that will be seen by thousands about a product, realize the price is unknown, and not take the time to write an email before approving the story. Aargh!
Did everybody send Paul an email? A million emails from slashdot users saying "So how much is it?" should make him happy. Maybe you should send the request a few times in case the first one gets lost in the crowd.
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I am currently researching T1 and Fractional T1 prices. Everybody except MegaPath requires a form be filled out. I do not want to give my email address to 20+ providers. I definitely do not want to give my name and physical address. Ask for my ZIP+4 if location is very important to the price, then give me the price on the web page before I lose interest and check the next website. Add a short-term Cookie so when I return to buy, you already know my city and state. (Why do they ask for City, State, and Zip, and then complain when my City does not match the spelling in their database? I really like the sites that make you guess that their City field is truncated to 12 characters.)
These are companies that are building the internet. I assume they want to make money. I assume that more customers means more money. Don't they know that most customers will expect to make their decision quickly without waiting for an email response? Another company may provide better service and better pricing, but we will probably go with the company that has a clue.
I spend my life entertaining my brain.
Amen! It may make a good gaming chair, but it's missing places for a phone, a writing surface, etc. Barely anyone works for a company whose product is purely virtual. Most computer users still use paper and pencil for certain things -- scribbling voicemail messages, writing notes in meetings, etc. What about our dead trees? I have two overhead bins full of dead trees that I need for my work.
It doesn't look like the monitors are all that stable, but at least they're flat screens -- they don't hurt as much as CRT's when they fall and smush you.
I have a bad habit of wiggling around when I'm thinking about things, this would definitely be a hassle if there were too much motion transfer from one of the parts to the others.
What if I bang on the keyboard, will that transfer movement elsewhere to the chair? Where's the spot for your caffeine of choice? Are you going to clutter the floor with wires for this thing? Is that an OSHA violation? Will my co-workers beat me up for my lunch money because I have a REALLY geeky looking chair? The questions are endless.
In summary: Interesting design, but not for real business-people. It looks too much like a toy to be taken seriously, and doesn't take into consideration the way people actually use computers.
It's a little wrong to say a tomato is a vegetable. It's a lot wrong to say it's a suspension bridge.