my name is mwd

I’ve recently been forced to upgrade my input device collection at work due to the previous set of ergonomic devices giving up after 6 years of (ab)use. Alas I can’t get exactly the same as before, as annoyingly manufacturers like to fiddle, so I’m having to get use to variations on the theme. My setup now looks like this:

In the middle is a Goldtouch keyboard. In my experience, choice of ergonomic devices is a very personal thing, and what suits one person won’t necessarily suit another, but for me the Goldtouch device works great. Not only can I adjust the angle between the two halves to suit me (and the rake also), but the lack of keypad means I can bring my mouse arm in a bit. They do a Mac version, but I ordered mine in a rush, and it was a struggle enough to find a non PC one quickly, so I’ve just got the standard layout.

To the right is a Logitech Trackman track ball. The new version isn’t as nice as the old version, but not having to wave my arm about helps lots.

To the left is something that’s new to me, but I imagine old hat to lots of people, a Griffin PowerMate.

The PowerMate is quite simple – it’s just a USB dial. I can use it instead of a scroll wheel on the mouse to scroll up and down in documents, or to adjust the volume in apps like iTunes. It’s nothing revolutionary, but it’s just a nice thing to use for such tasks, mainly down to the wonderful build quality of the device – it feels like the dial from an expensive hifi. Definitely worth having if you deal with long documents or play with things like video or music editing.

So there you go, that’s my new desk setup. If nothing else, I’ve found having unusual input devices tends to put people off using my machine when I’m not there :)