The Desk of Haruki Murakami | Hacker News Reader

The Desk of Haruki Murakami

harukimurakami.com

138 pointssamclemens72 comments

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It's a fun contrast to the desk of the late Jim Williams:

http://m.eet.com/media/1116686/williams%20desk.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Williams_%28analog_designe...

Is there some kind of website where people can upload their office/desk pictures including better descriptions (like those plus-icons) and a little Text?

I don't know why, but to me it's motivating and just interresting to see how other people work. And i don't mean websites presenting huge offices of big companies. I mean homeoffices etc. A few years ago this was really big on Flickr, but since "nobody" is really active on Flickr anymore, i feel like those days are gone.

I bet there is a good number of interesting peoples workplaces to look at. :)

It's not exactly what you described, but you may like reddit.com/r/battlestations

It's close! I know that subreddit, but it's too much hardware-related. /r/macsetups is the same.

For me it's more about the workplace in combination with the people that work there.

I mean a combination of those subreddits and a site like usesthis.com with the possibility to mark items on pictures.

Yes. I recall someone describing their setup with a specific Ikea desk, and how he mounted all their switches, wires, splitters under the desk which made all cable mess on the desk disappear. This motivated me to completely replicate that setup, down to buying that exact same Ikea desk. Still too hardware related for your taste I guess, but I think there would be overlap in the communities.

Would make sense if this would be consolidated in a reddit community, seems like the right place for a hobby like this.

There's the LifeHacker workspace show-and-tell group on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/groups/lifehacker-workspace-showandte...

Or /r/workspaces.

You may like wayswework.io.

That's pretty cool, but it seems more like an interview format (like usesthis.com). I'm looking more for a project where people "tell their own story" and show how they work.

I actually started a Tumbler account to this extent (mainly for the easy user-submission aspect).

http://workspacial.tumblr.com/

It's since been completely inactive - but I'd certainly like to redo it if there was some interest. Perhaps a Subreddit would be better suited.

I'm always fascinated with other peoples work habits/spaces when they have a choice, it always tells you something about the way they work.

Here's mine - http://i.imgur.com/IpRAW3m.jpg 7x3ft standing desk I built with my business partner :)

Love that Ergo 4000!

I got the new Sculpt, also pretty nice! :)

I looked at the Sculpt as it was out at the time but I've never been a fan of that style of key (mostly due to bad experiences using them on laptops).

Out of curiosity did you use the 4000 before and how do you find it?

I tried it, but i couldn't get it to work for me. I was coming from an Apple Wireless Keyboard and the size of the 4000 was just to big for my taste. I got pretty used to having my mouse pretty near my keyboard and not have to spread my arms very far.

I had a mechanical keyboard for a while after the AWK, but my hands did hurt after long programming sessions. So i gave the Sculpt a go.

It took me a while to get used to it, since it's also wider than the AWK, but not as wide as the 4000. Since i had to fix my hand-hurting issues, i powered through it and now i'm pretty happy.

So to answer your question: Since i was using an Apple Keyboard for years, the click-clacky laptop-style keys were not in issue for me. :)

Excellent thank you for the response, the 4000 seems to be getting replaced by the Sculpts so it's good to know they are still good, I have a 4000 at home, work and a spare in it's box for if either breaks (they are that important to me now) but I might give the Sculpt a go, I rarely use the numpad and the 4000's are indeed huge.

They are awesome, made a massive difference to the pain I was getting and improved posture at the same time, win/win and dirt cheap as well.

I just use my blog: http://jakeseliger.com/2015/01/24/geekdesk-max-sit-stand-des... and write a new post every couple years.

This kind of gets at what you're asking. It's more for people who might be better known in their sphere of interest. http://lifehacker.com/tag/how-i-work

Closely related is https://usesthis.com/ , which focuses more on text description of people's working tools and habits than screenshots. Joey Hess' interview [1] was particularly memorable.

[1]: https://usesthis.com/interviews/joey.hess/

http://thesweetsetup.com/category/sweet-setup-interview/ though it's for Mac/iPhone

Then you will love https://reddit.com/r/PrivateStudyRooms

I run a website that shows the office of big companies, but the idea you mention is something I've thought about doing for a while.

Do you have any people whose desks you'd be most interested in seeing?

Maybe the interviews at http://www.freundevonfreunden.com - the website is in english.

http://deskhunt.com/

I really like Murakami's work- my favourite is 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle'. But I've just finished reading 'Kafka on the Shore' and came away thinking it was too much fantasy and a bit shallow. Because of his masterful style he sometimes gets away with unresolved plots and mysteries but this was just too much.

I like magical realism though. Any recommendations for other writers?

If you like magical realism, you might enjoy One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is a metaphoric interpretation of Columbian history based upon the lives of many generations of one family.

I loved it (it took a few attempts to finish it though).

I think Marquez's work is more realistic (and not always evident when he strays into the magical); Murakami sometimes crosses straight into fantasy. If that makes sense at all.

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov is possibly my favourite magical realism book. I found that some of David Mitchell's writing is similar to Murakami, specifically number9dream, Ghostwritten and Cloud Atlas. Through reading Murakami I've gotten into Kobo Abe, he shares that weirdness with him and are very Kafkaesque, I loved The Woman in the Dunes and The Box Man.

The Master and Margarita and Wind Up Bird Chronicle are two of my favorite books at the moment, so this seems like a good bet. The way both authors blend physically/spatially/temporally distinct characters and settings into one narrative is very similar, and incredibly satisfying.

Interesting, I've only read 'Kafka on the Shore' and haven't read another Murakami because I didn't connect with it at all. Maybe I should try 'The Wind-up Bird Chronicle'?

Definitely try 'The Wind-up Bird Chronicle', I think it is regarded as one of his best works although it is a bit slower paced.

For me 'Kafka on the Shore' contained a bit too many magical events that were then left unexplained and unexplored- but I didn't think it was bad at all.

The other novel I really liked was the 1Q84 trilogy.

I would start with Wild Sheep Chase (an unusual quest/adventure story) or Hard Boiled Wonderland (a bit of Lovecraft meets P.K. Dick). Wind-up Bird is slower, a bit graphic and less fun.

Norwegian Wood was my favorite.

Borges short stories - some of my favourites are very accessible: The Garden of Forking Paths and The Aleph. Some of his stories are difficult to read and make more sense as you know the author better. He wrote interesting works such as reviews on fictitious books. If you are looking for 'not shallow', he's your man. I also second 'The Master and Margarita' recommended by iambatman.

Salman Rushdie all the way!

My favorite is satanic verses, by far.

Midnight's children is his most popular work though.

For both books, having even a basic knowledge of Indian history would make the experience much better.

The ground beneath her feet is incredible too. Shame is intense, and if you're feeling thin on South Asian history I'd go with either.

Or if you want to go with European/world history, enchantress of Florence is a good one. Very well reviewed but I personally never read beyond the first thirty pages.

His new book 1001 nights is coming out this Sept. The short excerpt published in new yorker from it was incredible, so that might be a good option too.

East/West is a great short story collection, but has less magic than his novels.

Great suggestions, thank you very much (and the same holds for the other replies to my question).

As other have said, read Mikhail Bulgakov, including his "Heart of a Dog".

Also try Italo Calvino, his short stories are especially good. Calvino writes in many different literary styles, and magical realism is often at the core of his stories. "The Baron In The Trees" was one of the first books I read by him.

For when you have the mental space, a rather interesting / meta Calvino book: If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

I really liked "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" too.

Stick with Murakami, he's pretty much absorbed the entire Western canon and now left us with his charming "shuffling" of it. Hopefully you also read Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball 1973. They were his first two and recently reprinted ( this month, August 2015 ) in English.

Note that it's vinyl on his shelves, not books. Safe to say nearly all of it is jazz. Nice loudspeaker in the corner too. When you love music you play it loud so you can be more immersed in it rather than have something merely in the background.

Yes, Murakami is indeed avid record collector.

"In a 2011 New York Times article, Murakami estimated that he owns 10,000 records, but says he was afraid to count."

http://theweek.com/articles/444246/literary-playlist-guide-m...

I hope one day my desk will make it to HN frontpage ;-) By then I am sure it will be just as tidy as Haruki's desk

So everything looks neat, but he's twisting his back to look at the monitor?

Of course it's a Mac ;-)

I thought that too, but it looks like it would be pretty easy to slide over behind the keyboard for serious use. Maybe that's what he does. (Although I do know people who work crooked like that all the time!)

I think having the monitor off to the side and not behind the keyboard and mouse would make my neck hurt. But, it's a gorgeous desk.

I can't view these images in China, is there anyone that kind to upload them to another host: say imgur?

Here ya go – http://imgur.com/a/XzWG0

Thanks a lot!

Also note, Murakami-san has the only pencil eraser worth even considering using: the Staedtler Mars® plastic 526 50.

You're missing out on the Seed Radar: http://www.seedr.co.jp/en/eraser.html

Amazed by your attention to detail...and in need of a good eraser. Thanks for the tip.

One speaker looks like a Geneva Model XL[1]. I really like the Geneva speakers - I have a Model M and XS.

1. http://www.genevalab.com/sound/ch_de/genevasound-xl-wireless...

I'd really like to know more about the other desktop, i.e. what software he uses (both to actually write and collect thoughts/infos). Writers tend to differ a lot there, with some just using the newest Word, some keeping around ancient copies of WordStar and some even using Emacs...

Those speakers look super high end... I'd be more interested in the Hifi he and the records than his rather dull desk!

There is nothing indicating that he likes to run. Is he still running marathons?

pretty much my dream office

How come?

That's hardly an office but a living room with sub-par ergonomics when it comes to getting work done.

> sub-par ergonomics

uh, you can't even see what type of chair he uses.

> hardly an office

So to be an office there is some strict requirements that it has to fulfil? I'll tell the local startup incubator in Phnom Penh where developers sat outside in 40c on wooden benches (with plastic container over power outlet for protection on rainy days) because the few rooms inside were occupied (no a/c).

I don't even need to see the chair. Just the mere positioning of the screen makes me cringe.

The article mentions vinyl records, a coffe mug, a baseball figurine... That's hardly the kind of equipment that comes to my mind when I think of an office. How does it make it a dream office when the only relevant material mentioned are a bunch of pencils?

This is just some guy showing off his music collection.

Let me know when your vastly superior office has allowed to to produce work that makes you a perennial Nobel contender, or equivalent thereof.

Are you sure you're aware what he does for a living?

> Just the mere positioning of the screen makes me cringe.

There's a chance the photographer moved the monitor to show a lot of the room that would otherwise have been hidden.

My home office has a bunch of anime figures and posters because it's my office and I'll decorate it how I see fit.

How are the albums, coffee mug, and baseball figurines not relevant material to a creative worker?

Or even to non-creative workers that have to spend 1/3 their life in that space. You want it to be comfortable. Either by literal ergonomic comfort, or by the creature comforts of the familiar and pleasing.

Can you tell more about this startup incubator? Where is situated? Does it have a website?

Thanks!

http://smallworldcambodia.com. Check out the video. They have a really good thing going on there, great community of startups and a positive vibe.

That would largely depend on what kind of work you're doing.

It must be really hard to get any work done with your nose pointed so far skyward.

You could probably say similar for Hans Zimmer's "office"[0].

[0] http://www.stuckincustoms.com/2010/01/29/the-secret-lair-of-...

Wow, that's gorgeous. Except for the last shot of the jumble of cables, which made me cringe. But the rest, nice.

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