As a developer I spend a lot of time in front of my computer (and when not developing I’m still on the computer with my other bad habit). I’ve known my posture isn’t very good, but never done anything about it. Finally it seems my poor posture is catching up with me. I’ve been having neck-aches and headaches that appear to be related to my “slouching”.
So… to fix that I set out to setup my desk at home a little better.
The first thing I did was pick up a new 22″ wide-screen monitor from Best Buy. I’m a bit of a cheapskate so I went with the Hannspree HF229H. It was $50 off at the time I purchased it. 
. I think this monitor is pretty good. Its very bright and has good contrast. However, I can clearly see the display on my MacBook Pro is sharper, better contract, better color, etc. Not enough to make me think about dropping 3X on a LCD from Apple, but you get my point. Anyway… I set it up so that it sits up, almost level with my head so I’m not bending my neck.
Step two was to put my MacBook Pro on a stand. Here I went the cheap route again, and I’m regretting it. The stand I got is OK (just some no-name thing from MicroCenter), but it really doesn’t fit my Mac well. I didn’t realize how little (relatively speaking) the Mac’s screen is able to open up. Other laptops I’ve had can go nearly flat. The Mac can’t go much past 90 degrees. One of the limitations of its design – oh well (side note – its funny, but that issue with the design doesn’t bother me, instead I take it as good trade off from having the “hinge posts” protruding up out of the back of the laptop like your average HP or Dell).
Now I’m not slumped over my laptop on my desk trying to get my nose close enough to see. Next, I needed a new keyboard. I picked up the Logitech Wave Keyboard. I’ve always had a thing for “ergonomic” keyboards and have been buying Microsoft Natural Keyboards since they first came out. In general, I like Logitech mice better so I thought I’d give it a try. To be honest, its a little funky using it on the Mac. Home and End don’t work like I think they should, but overall I like the feel.
Finally, I picked up a Logitech VX Revolution mouse. Not the Nano though – you can see my thoughts about the Nano here. I have to say the “freewheeling” scroll wheel has to be the best thing to happen to a mouse since the original scroll wheel was added. After it stopped working on my Nano, I really missed it.
My next steps start getting expensive – new chair and a new desk. I haven’t found anything that I like yet, but I’m thinking of checking out Target’s Commercial Interiors near my house and see what they have. Its nothing I’m going to buy anytime soon though. If you have any suggestions on a good desk or chair, I’d love to hear it.
All of these changes have helped quite a bit. I now sit with much better posture (I have to force myself to and still catch myself slumping at times). I should’ve done this a long time ago.
