Controlling the Cable Congestion?

JaytheMover asks: "I've just moved, and my wife won't allow me to set up my desk as I had before. I had a gaggle of cables under my desk which only NOW seems to bother her in the new house. How do you guys keep this mess under control? I Googled 'Cable Organizer' and found this thing called the cable organizer at cable-safe.com which hangs the cords like in a closet or this cable snake thing which binds them all together. What do Slashdot readers use to keep their cable clean and their wives happy?"

Comments

Velcro straps

[nmnilsson]

Firstly, my s/o always complained about cables, until I got her her own computer.
Only then did she realize that cables aren't just there to annoy her.
I'm not meaning she's dull either; we're often annoyed by stuff we experience the point with it
(think road work: "What the hell are they digging up the road for. Can't they see I'm trying to drive here?..." etc).

Second, velcro straps are good for getting the cables off the floor.
Our cables are now basically hanging rat's nests, but without the monstrous dust bunnies, and it's easier to vacuum.

Old Stage Hand Trick

[Marillion]

Stage hands have needed to deal with cable management for years. Granted 50amp power cables are much heavier than cat5 cable, but the problem remains. And theatres with rotating productions need to reconfigure the lighting and the cabling with each new production.

The most common technique is to use good old fashioned string. Most hands refer to it as Tie Line. Run a wire where you need it, tie it up. Tie line is usually cut to about half a yard (or metre), tied in a clove knot, and finished with the same knot you tie your shoes with. After a year or two, they wear out, but it's cheap and easy.

Many rental shops will put Velcro ties on their cables. I think it's silly given that's it's 50x more exprensive, but it's their money.