2021: State of the Shop | Samuel Holloway

I work in IT, with a focus on software development. I’ve been 100% remote for 5 years. This article describes the physical gear in my home office that I use for both work and my personal projects. In the next post I’ll do the same for all of the software I use.

Computers#

I alternate my time across three computers. A work laptop, a personal laptop, and a personal desktop.

As the table below shows, I’m clearly in the Apple camp. My strategy with computers is I tend to buy the best one I can afford at the time – maxing out RAM, etc – and then use it until it physically stops working.

Computer Specs

Purpose	Make	Model	Year	Size	CPU	RAM	GPU	Hard Drive
Work Laptop	Apple	MacBook Pro	2019	15-inch	2.3 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9	32 GB 2400 MHz DDR4	Radeon Pro 560X 4 GB	500 GB SSD
Personal Laptop	Apple	MacBook Air	Mid 2012	11-inch	1.7 Ghz Dual-Core Intel i5	8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3	Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB	121 GB SSD
Personal Desktop	Apple	iMac	Mid 2011	27-inch	2.7 Ghz Quad-Core Intel i5	18.4 GB	AMD	1 TB Disk

Phones#

I have a love/hate relationship with my phones. My job provides one which I use for work stuff and I have an personal one for everything else. My strategy for phones is the same as my computers. Buy the best I can afford and then keep it until it breaks.

I’ve been using iPhones since 2013. I’m currently considering switching to a Linux based phone for when I need a new one.

Phone Specs

Purpose	Make	Model
Work Phone	Apple	iPhone 8
Personal Phone	Apple	iPhone 8

Monitors#

Since I work from home, my work laptop is usually connected to two external monitors. The primary is an ultra wide monitor that I love. The secondary monitor is a left over monitor from my son’s old computer setup.

At the moment they are both using the monitor stands that they shipped with. I’m considering buying monitor arms that mount to the desk to provide more desk space. I’ll probably upgrade the smaller monitor to a larger size in the future. Both monitors are connected using USB-C to HDMI cables.

Only having two external monitors is a sore point for me. If Apple supported more external monitors I’d take advantage of it.

Monitor Specs

Make	Model	Size
Dell	UltraSharp U3415W	34-inch
LG	IPS LED	21.5-inch

Office Furniture#

My home office is in my basement. It’s a fairly small room, but I’ve managed to fit enough furniture in there that I can comfortably work in there. When I started working from home I invested in a good desk and chair.

The motorized desk shifts height from sitting to standing positions. The ergonomic chair had a few optional upgrades. I paid extra for adjustable arm rests, but quickly learned that they encourage me to slouch to one side. I don’t recommend them and have lowered mine so I can’t use them.

For my personal desktop, I use a cheap desk my wife bought from Target for $75 over 19 years ago. It has a keyboard tray a small drawer. Nothing fancy but does the job.

As nice as my workstation is, I often need a break from it. I have a low end recliner I got from CostCo that I sit in for reading and an even lower end futon that I can stretch out on. The basement can get chilly so I throw an ash colored Moore & Giles Merino wool blanket over the recliner and a plaid wool blanket that I got from CoalCracker Bushcraft (love their YouTube videos) over the futon.

In both cases, the blankets are far nicer than the furniture they rest on.

Furniture Specs

Purpose	Type	Make	Model	Features
Primary Desk	Motorized Desk	Autonomous	SmartDesk 2	Changes from sitting to standing.
Secondary Desk	Simple Desk	Target	Blond Mission	Has a drawer and keyboard tray.
Office Chair	Ergonomic Chair	Herman Miller	Aeron	Adjustable w/ arm rests
Recliner	Chair	Nordic Home	Leather Recliner and Ottoman	Similar to an Eames Lounge chair.
Couch	Futon	Weekends Only		Transforms into a bed. :)

Ergonomics#

Being a knowledge worker is not without its own set of physical challenges. Sitting all day is horrible on the body and there is nothing natural about using a computer all day. In an attempt to minimize the wear and tear, I’ve acquired several ergonomic aids that I use daily.

A generic foot rest and standing pad make a noticeable difference on my hips and lower back.

Years of coding has taken a toll on my right wrist and shoulder. I’ve been using ergonomic keyboards for years and they help. The mouse though is pain inducing. A few years ago I switched to a trackball and started wearing a wrist brace. The combination of the two helps minimizing twisting my wrist.

The trackball is fun to use with the ultra-wide monitor, but ergonomically I don’t know if it’s better for me or not. When I got it, I opted for the USB version. I’ll get a wireless version next time.

My main keyboard is a Microsoft Sculpt. It’s a great keyboard and I’d buy it again. My old keyboard is Microsoft’s Natural Ergonomic 4000. It’s currently hooked up to my old PC. I wouldn’t buy it again. It’s too bulky and connects via USB.

Ergonomic Stuff

Purpose	Make	Model
Wrist brace	3M	Futuro
Ergonomic Keyboard	Microsoft	Wireless Sculpt
Ergonomic Keyboard	Microsoft	USB Natural Ergonomic 4000
Trackball	Kingston	USB Expert Mouse

Absolute Essentials#

Probably the most important thing in my office is my Mr. Coffee electric coffee warmer that I got off of Amazon for $20. I use it to keep my coffee warm in the morning. My mug of choice is a 12 oz black mug I got from GitHub in a fanboy moment.

After lunch I switch from coffee to water. For that I have a skinny black water bottle. Its a Ello Cooper vacuum insulated 22-oz. I really like the water bottle. It does a good job keeping water cold, doesn’t have a metallic taste, and feels pretty good in my hand.

Note Taking#

My note taking game is fragmented at best. Depending on what I’m doing, my state of mind, the placement of the sun and moon, and a million other considerations I alternate between using sticky notes, random scratch pads and various note taking apps.

That said, when I’m thinking deeply and want to organize my thoughts I prefer to use a Moleskin notebook. There is something about the binding and paper weight that elevates the writing experience. I tend to use the Moleskins for taking notes about technical topics, sketching out technical designs, and brainstorming. I collect my old notebooks and its fun to revisit them.

I don’t like spending money on pens but I am particular about them. I prefer Uni-ball or Pilot gel pens. Black ink only, thank you very much.

Travel#

When I’m not trying to survive a global pandemic I tend to travel a few days a month for work. On these trips I will either take a Moore & Giles Mad Dog leather bag to haul my laptop in or a company issued backpack.

I love the look and feel of the leather bag but the backpack is more convenient. When trying to decide which one to grab it really comes down to the nature of the trip and who I’ll be interfacing with.

Audio#

Working remote means teleconferencing. I truly hate it, but it enables me to work globally so I do it.

On calls I use my phone’s earbuds for headphones but I find that they make my voice sound thin. Last year I bought a Blue Yeti USB microphone. This fills my voice out a bit and I like the way it looks. Unfortunately it’s pretty bulky and takes up space on my desk. I’ve thought about buying a microphone arm for it, but I think that might distract whoever I’m talking to since I’m not hosting a podcast.

When I’m not on a video call, I tend to listen to music. I stream music and podcasts from my phone to a Marshal Bluetooth speaker.

In a Nutshell#

So that’s all the productive stuff I’ve got crammed into my office. I didn’t mention the four guitars, two amps, two overflowing book shelves, 4 whiteboards, various wall decorations, and nicknacks. It’s just all of the physical stuff that I use to get things done. The next article is about all of the software I use on a daily basis. Until next time.