Hobart John
Your Computer Station
Edited 15th. of December 2021 using Mint V17 NOT Mint V19 and Libreoffice on PC25.
Here are some hints for people who want to set up their own computer station.
Test URL for 50P Cine
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I would like to pass on a few general hints or ideas to the reader.
Your seating, desk and personal position.
Most of my working life consisted being in a workshop or out on the road and known as outside service. So my main computer is setup on a workbench. Its height is 94 cm above the floor. I can stand or sit on a bench stool which gives me two positions for working at the computer.
When my feet and legs need a rest I sit on the stool. When my backside becomes numb I stand up. With a computer on a normal table or desk one has no choice of position.
Many computer desks advertised in newspapers and magazines are badly designed.
The vertical distance between the keyboard and mouse to the VDU (screen) is too much. This means that the operator has to move his head up and down too far.
I have worn trifocal spectacles for about a decade so I know how much of a bother it is to see the VDU easily. Gee, life wasn't meant to be easy. Even bifocal spectacles are awkward enough. At times I put a piece of hard foam plastic that I made that fits onto the centre joining part, the piece that holds the two lenses together. Then I don't have to tilt my head up so far. There is an alternative. A friend has a special pair of spectacles that has a movable centre piece. In other words it adjusts the lenses up or down so that he doesn't have to tilt his head up and down so much.
Lighting
Make sure that your computer VDU (monitor) is in a good position in regards to natural or unnatural light. That is you should not have a window behind your setup or probably within a metre on either side.
You don't want reflections from a window on your VDU. You should not see the reflection of a window or any light on the screen. For unnatural light which means electric light, or any gas, kerosene lighting. You may wonder why I mentioned gas and kerosene lights. Well in this age
of laptop and other handheld computers, you don't need 240 volt mains power.
Anyway, your electric light should be above your head or perhaps back 40 cm. and not too bright. My light is a single long 40 watt fluro light and I still had to drape some white plastic in front of it to darken it somewhat. You need to experiment.
Allow about 40 cm by 40 cm area on both sides of the keyboard. This is to allow you to shift the mouse from one side to the other every so often.
I need to impress on newcomers to computing that it is a world to itself, a different world with new ideas, new jargon you need to learn.
In fact it's a bit akin to learning a new foreign language, or a "foreigner" learning English.
People familiar with German for instance, will know that verbs can be at the end of a sentence. Many languages have a modifier word before a noun to show that it's a feminine, masculine or neuter word.
Well with the language of computers you, the newcomer/beginner need to clear your mind of what you may know about many things, to accept the words, jargon and the way things are described. Even we Australians who have most likely been taught the Kings English will have problems with American English.
One such word found at various places is "Done". Most of us would expect the word "Finished" or "Completed" but alas no. Learning the jargon is not difficult but just something extra to absorb.
Most newcomers find using the mouse a bit awkward but you must persevere.
There are many times when a shortcut key combination can be used instead of the mouse. These shortcut keys can be a combination of two or three keys on the keyboard. Something more to learn but like the jargon, can be picked up, learnt as one uses a computer.
===== end ===== Edited 21st. of february 2020
JCED02