End of an Era
Way back when, something like 6 years ago, I went to IKEA and bought a large computer desk workstation. It was just the coolest computer desk ever. Here it is:
Pretty formidable, eh? The first time I sat back and took a good look at it, I laughed; see, when I was a kid, I used to build starship control panels out of cardboard and paper and the center extension for Grandma's kitchen table, so I could fly imaginary missions to the farthest reaches of our galaxy from the comfort of the TV room. Those panels got a lot of use. Thankfully, being made of paper and colored with markers, I could make new ones quite rapidly when I wore out the old ones.
Anyway, so when I first looked at this I realized it looked an awful lot like these control panels from the bridge of the USS Enterprise. All grown up... and I built a starship control panel for real. Uber-nerd. Yep.
So, that desk became my office, and the dominating center of my living room (at least until I got my big HDTV "main viewer," heh). I've spent all that time working on this desk doing things like Mystic For Hire and Kindergoth and freelance work. I've done my finances and taxes and who knows how much web surfing, as well as some music-making and of course quite a bit of gaming too. The Command Bridge has been pretty much the center of my working and artistic life.
But now, this era comes to its end (as all things do). That was my old office.
This is my new office.
It's a MacBook Pro 17". It now has every bit of software on it that I need to do everything that I do with a computer, except for music recording. So with this, my Wacom tablet, and the "as seen on TV" Table-Mate II folding table bought at Target, my living room couch is now the center of my universe, heh. The Mac is more than powerful enough to do all my stuff - I even have Windows XP on it, so it's replacing TWO computers - and with wireless I can really work anywhere.
I'm happy with this new arrangement, and my living room looks a lot bigger. There are now bookshelves where the desk used to be, and I'm thinking about getting an "L" shaped sofa or perhaps even that man's Holy Grail of furniture, the huge overstuffed recliner. And now there's room for art up on the walls, too.
I could go on with Mac love for an hour, but I'll spare you. :)
My old desk has gone to a good home, one of my cow-orkers who has a lot of computers at home. I'm sure it will serve him as well as it did me - after 6 years of use and cat-climbing, it hardly has a mark on it, nearly new condition. I'm sure it will last another 50 years, it's made so well. And sadly, IKEA has discontinued the model, truly ending an era.
So long, Command Bridge... hello, Mobile Art Production Station!
Pretty formidable, eh? The first time I sat back and took a good look at it, I laughed; see, when I was a kid, I used to build starship control panels out of cardboard and paper and the center extension for Grandma's kitchen table, so I could fly imaginary missions to the farthest reaches of our galaxy from the comfort of the TV room. Those panels got a lot of use. Thankfully, being made of paper and colored with markers, I could make new ones quite rapidly when I wore out the old ones.
Anyway, so when I first looked at this I realized it looked an awful lot like these control panels from the bridge of the USS Enterprise. All grown up... and I built a starship control panel for real. Uber-nerd. Yep.
So, that desk became my office, and the dominating center of my living room (at least until I got my big HDTV "main viewer," heh). I've spent all that time working on this desk doing things like Mystic For Hire and Kindergoth and freelance work. I've done my finances and taxes and who knows how much web surfing, as well as some music-making and of course quite a bit of gaming too. The Command Bridge has been pretty much the center of my working and artistic life.
But now, this era comes to its end (as all things do). That was my old office.
This is my new office.
It's a MacBook Pro 17". It now has every bit of software on it that I need to do everything that I do with a computer, except for music recording. So with this, my Wacom tablet, and the "as seen on TV" Table-Mate II folding table bought at Target, my living room couch is now the center of my universe, heh. The Mac is more than powerful enough to do all my stuff - I even have Windows XP on it, so it's replacing TWO computers - and with wireless I can really work anywhere.
I'm happy with this new arrangement, and my living room looks a lot bigger. There are now bookshelves where the desk used to be, and I'm thinking about getting an "L" shaped sofa or perhaps even that man's Holy Grail of furniture, the huge overstuffed recliner. And now there's room for art up on the walls, too.
I could go on with Mac love for an hour, but I'll spare you. :)
My old desk has gone to a good home, one of my cow-orkers who has a lot of computers at home. I'm sure it will serve him as well as it did me - after 6 years of use and cat-climbing, it hardly has a mark on it, nearly new condition. I'm sure it will last another 50 years, it's made so well. And sadly, IKEA has discontinued the model, truly ending an era.
So long, Command Bridge... hello, Mobile Art Production Station!
posted by Jeff Z at 9:09 PM
3 comments
