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Comment by jtemplestein | Hacker News Reader

Most of these hacks (and the comments in this post) miss a crucial point about standing desks. They are supposed to be ergonomic. [1]

Putting your laptop on a bunch of boxes puts a lot of strain on your arms. Of course this also doesn't work if you have a big display on your desk.

I'd be interested in hacking a standing desk that is

1) ergonomic

2) offers support for both laptops and big displays

3) has a usable keyboard drawer for both standing and sitting position

If all else fails we'll just make a living selling desks like that. (and no, geekdesk does not meet all requirements)

[1] http://www.infologix.com/images/usr/ergonomic-computer-cart....

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I've tackled most of those with my cheap standing desk...although it's height is not easily adjustable. To switch things up, I have a futon with a lapboard in my office as well:

http://elasticdog.com/2011/01/shelf-made-standing-desk/

Great thinking with the light above the keyboard.

Is the monitor height a rule, or a guide?

I spend most of my time in a Linux terminal, where the command I type appears at the bottom of the screen.

I figure that diagram assumes you're looking around the top third of the screen, so raise my monitor a bit higher than that.

Thank you for the pointer to that ergonomic diagram - I hadn't thought about the requirement that the wrists be about level with your elbows, but it makes sense that you want to keep your wrists straight and avoid stress.

In my case I simply adjusted the height of the desktop and the monitor separately until it felt right and ended up with exactly what's in the diagram. But the various hacks I see aren't adjustable enough to take an experimental approach.

Desk hackers take note of the parent comment! Measure your elbow height and eye level and build accordingly!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't a proper ergonomic standing desk have a bar or step to rest a foot for long-term activity?

Also, are you supposed to hold your elbows in that position for long periods of time? I feel like there should be an extension to rest the forearms or wrists.

You really shouldn't support the weight of your arms using your wrists or forearms.

If you're standing with proper posture, your upper arms are nicely aligned with the body, and your muscles should easily support the minimal weight of your forearms.

Edit: incidentally, as I'm experimenting with a standing desk, I have a stool which is about a foot too low to stand on. I do, however, find myself using it to accomplish all sorts of odd leg positions and stretches.

Right, but I mean is it good to support your arms with your elbows in the same position for hours to possibly years? I didn't mean for fatigue. It just doesn't seem to me (as a layman) as if any of our joints would appreciate that over the long-term.

Supporting your forearms in a neutral position using your musculoskeletal should be much, much better for you than by using external pressure on your forearms or (worse) wrists. It's really very, very little weight, and certainly no strain on the elbows.

Keep in mind that you aren't typing or mousing all the time. In a standing position, I find that I'm much more likely to drop my hands by my sides, or cross my arms when thinking, than I am when sitting at a desk.

A good parallel to typing is playing classical piano, where the hands are lifted, and a straight line can be projected through the wrist to the elbow.

Resting the wrist or elbow on some sort of extension is what causes the strain. The trick is building the strength to hold up your hands and arms (maybe take up piano ;) ) without becoming tense in your shoulders and back. All of this follows from having a good posture.

That's not all. Stop sitting on your ass 8 hours a day now and you'll also receive:

48% less chance of dying of a heart attack!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100722102039.ht...

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