My desk

Photography

Ordered chaos.

Inspired by Kate Donnelly’s site, referred to the other day, here’s a snap of my desk:

G3, Oly 9-18mm @ 9mm.

No punches have been pulled, no cosmetic arrangements added and, clearly, I need to do some dusting, as the cleaning lady is not allowed to touch anything here. The overall ethos at work here is consonant with my belief that ‘tidiness, like consistency, is the bane of small minds’.

This workspace reflects two of my interests – managing money and photography. Here’s what’s going on:

  • Three Dell 2209WA 1680 x 1050 21.5″ displays, color matched using an EyeOne colorimeter. I prefer the older coarser pixel pitch to the finer pixels in the latest ones, as it makes reading easier on my eyes. Supported on reams of paper because the world has yet to see a monitor that is as well designed as the one on the old iMacG4 ‘screen on a stick’ of ages past. Obligatory 3M PostIt notes come and go. My HP100 Hackintosh powering the Dells sits under the desk.
  • One artisan-made cup (the cup and the contents) of French Roast coffee.
  • The HP12C RPN calculator, used by Real Men whose ordered minds understand that input of variables must precede input of operators. 25+ years on that one. I occasionally badger HP for replacement rubber feet when mine fall off and, amazingly, they reply with free ones.
  • A classic Bic ball pen which is the only writing instrument I use.
  • The only phone in the house I use – the iPhone 4S.
  • A couple of inexpensive Logitech speakers whose sound blows away anything a stock Mac or PC can deliver.
  • An ancient DLO iPhone1 belt case, much repaired, and still fitting the latest model fine.
  • A Logitech USB Desktop Microphone, between the two displays on the right, used for emails and voice overs in the occasional video I make for this site. Outstanding voice quality for very little, putting the built-in microphone in my MacBook Air to shame.
  • My ‘wallet’, comprised of a small holder for a credit card, DL, etc., with some 25 years on it.
  • A couple of flash memory sticks under the center monitor, the ‘macho’ one being my son’s.
  • An iPod Nano in a LunaTik watch band which I never use but my son loves. I prefer a throwback to analog, mechanical days, one of the few concessions I make to ‘old times’.
  • An Edirol R09 digital sound recorder, in the $1 green canvas case at right, largely obsoleted by the iPhone.
  • A Kensington wired ‘Slim Type Keyboard for Mac’. With mechanical scissor switches for the keys, this one puts Apple’s offerings to shame and comes complete with the obligatory key pad numerate people demand. The keyboard cover protects against costly spills from the second item above.
  • An ancient Logitech MX900 bluetooth mouse, recommended by a fellow photographer, which goes through 2 AA rechargeable batteries in four days and that’s the only bad thing about it. The mouse rests on a 3M Mousepad, quite outstanding. I have experimented with tablet pads and they do not work for me.
  • Scribblings, jottings and prospectuses.
  • A magnificent Sligh pedestal desk with keyboard drawer – a rare concession to luxury.
  • No Border Terrier visible. I asked Bert, the resident hound, to put in an appearance but the modeling fee demanded was too high. These are hard times. You can just make out his little bottom on the snuggle ball at the right!