Ask HN: What is on your desk besides your computer (and components), and phone?
I have a few business magazines, a picture of an island off the coast of New Zealand, a picture of a Porsche 911, vitamins, a stack of biz cards, and a small fan.
Hmm.... A small desk lamp, a scotch tape dispenser, two unused staplers, two unused hole punches, two vertical wire-files for the bits of loose paper that won't go away (one of which is completely empty, the other half-so), two stainless steel water bottles, my sunglasses, the wrist watch I never wear, my keys, a couple of smaller writing pads, and three VOIP phones (for testing). There's also a couple tech books that I never open (because I use the eBook versions on my iPhone, exNook, etc., now instead), along with the latest squarebound corporate policy tome that says I shouldn't post this.
All that and a small model bus with my hometown on the destination board to remind me that if I fail I'll be back on that bus going somewhere I fought to get out of.
I like the bus reminder. I need one of those.
Legal pads. With all the technology I deal with on a regular day, nothing beats having a legal pad handy to jot notes on. Something about handwriting really seems to help me remember interesting things from Hacker news, or odd notes from phone calls.
You are looking at the cubical of an average systems administrator. You notice a few items scattered around the desk (the computer is locked down and cannot be taken)
Random Books:
Pointers on C
C Programing Language
Unix Power Tools
Sed and Awk
Classic Shell Scripting
Unix in a Nutshell
A couple of notebooks
A coffee mug and a cup of water
A green marker for the Whiteboard
There is an exit to the West.
Papers of current project, pop-up post it dispenser (indispensable, no pun intended), a few books I'm currently reading, etch-a-sketch.
sweeping from left to right, excluding imac, kbd, mouse, cell phone, extra monitor: - despair.com "Potential" desktopper - graph 8.5x11 notepad - small form diary/calendar - sunglasses - my keys [ironically, to a 911 turbo s cabrio] - delcom usb led 904005-SB http://www.delcomproducts.com/productdetails.asp?productnum=... - two ipads and two ipod touches - book for financial exam - lego police set [police minifigure collection] and lego helicopter - cars from a few lego train sets - cufflinks - pencil holder with staedler 0.3 drafting pencils - american express
If that 911 turbo s cabrio is black with black wheels im probably looking at the same car.
I went with the light blue metallic. That color is strangely entrancing at night [my 335xi is in a very similar hue]
A few business cards, various papers, glass of water, mug of pens/pencils etc., postcard received from a friend visiting Amsterdam, small buddha statue kind of like this: http://bit.ly/iO2Iy5
Nothing. A cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind.
The reply I've always heard to this is: "Then is an empty desk the sign of an empty mind?"
I do believe that you've picked up what I put down.
Seriously though, my desktop is essentially bare. I like the space to spread my arms out as I think, and I find that a large clean surface allows me to concentrate better than a desk full of books, knickknacks, and office supplies does.
Yes, me too. People have mistaken my cubicle for an unoccupied one.
From left to right on my deak
A ball, my phone, my laptop, three pens, a mug and a lottery ticket.
Screwdriver, book on electric circuits, mug with spare change. (feet)
* 24 pack of Mt. Dew. * "Learning javascript and vb" book * Unopened bills from 4 months ago * Double dildo * Lube
Dude, I'd be embarrassed admitting something like that was on my desk.
shakes head at vb book
I kinda wish I had a vb book. I could handle vb6 way back when, but now the whole .NET thing makes me cry (why is it System.Drawing.Color.Red????)
Microsoft sells keyboards.
a water bottle