Index
Subject
: Re: LUG: Ergonomics of Computer use
From
: "Shawn Taylor" <taylorshawn@hotmail.[redacted]>
Date
: Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:22:53 -0400
Parent
Alex,
There are kneeling chairs that will keep your back straight. They put all of
your body weight on your legs. I saw one once about 10 years ago. They work
great. You flip back and forth every x hours between sitting and kneeling.
Also, try a USB Graphic Tablet and stylus as a mouse alternative.
Here are some other ergonomic tips.
http://www.safecomputingtips.com/
Lastly, you can print some of the code and review it not on a display. It's
not the most environmentally friendly option but it does let you mark it up
with coloured pens.
Good Luck,
Shawn
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Alexander Ray" <alexjray.ncsu@gmail.[redacted]>
Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 1:11 AM
To: "lug" <lug@lists.ncsu.[redacted]>
Subject: Ergonomics of Computer use
> Hey Guys,
>
> I'm throwing this out there cause I know I'm not the only one thats on
> the computer a lot. I'm working ~60 hours a week on my laptop now,
> and just a few weeks ago I was hit with wrist weirdness. Now I'm
> starting to get strained from just looking at the laptop screen for
> long periods at a time.
>
> So, what are your issues, problems, ideas, or solutions to ergonomic
> programming.
>
> I'll start off with a few of my own.
>
> Wrist Weirdness: I'm avoiding the use of the term 'carpal tunnel'
> because I know I can't spell that well, and I'm also refusing to admit
> it. I went out and did some homework for this one, doing research
> online and talking to therapists. At Ed's suggestion I looked at
> buying a more ergonomic keyboard, but man they are EXPENSIVE.
> I finally settled on a completely new typing position, interestingly
> based off of the old 'set' position I had in high school marching
> band.
> In addition, I really should be using a mouse instead of a trackpoint.
> I've been told its more ergonomic (and I'm not a point-and-click guy,
> so I wouldn't use it that much). For now its the little red nub in
> the middle of my keyboard.
>
> In the spirit of full disclosure I should say that I'm in
> colorguard/winterguard, and being a member of the rifle line is
> actually MORE strain on my wrists than programming, so I'm dealing
> with the combination of the two.
>
> Eyestrain and stress headaches. Man these can be killer. When I'm
> writing my own code (or een composing this letter ) I can type with my
> eyes closed. I try to do this as often as I can to just give my eyes
> a break. My problem now is that I'm constantly reading (I'm porting a
> whole slew of someone else's code), so I don't have that luxury. One
> of the things I've considered is seeing if I can get my hands on a
> projector (so I can read off a wall 12 feet away instead of 12 inches
> away.
> In addition, try to keep the brightness of your screen close to the
> amount of ambient light; this means both turning on the lights
> above/behind your computer and turning down the screen brightness.
> I've also been told that its best for your eyes if you look at
> something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes (20 20
> 20 rule), but I'll admit its hard for me to keep to that.
>
> Seating/Back stuff: I haven't found a good solution to this. I am
> constantly varying my seating position, but its variations on what I
> think are 'bad posture'. I'll admit I rarely sit up straight, so I'm
> trying to do more of that. I go from seat to floor to medicine ball
> and back again. I love the seats they have in the library, but I dont
> quite have $500 to drop on an ergonomic chair (my chair is from
> surplus and I had to fix it up a bit). Again, I'm taking what little
> 'posture' I know from marching band, and try to achieve the upper body
> that hornline members are supposed to get. An open, lifted upper body
> with the back straight.
>
> Cheers, and I look forward to hearing what y'all have to say.
> ~Alex
>
> Also: Ashtanga yoga for the win.
>