Standing Desk Conversion

Having experienced the benefits of a standing desk at my last job, I wanted to create a similar environment at home. With the restriction that it must be built upon my existing cherry desk, I wanted a solution that was not too out of place near my traditional living room.

I decided on a two-shelf approach, the first for the monitors and the second for the keyboard and mouse. Then I needed a way to support the shelves. On a previous project, I used concrete form tubes as a structural building material and was pleased with how easy they were to work with. In addition, my desk has cutouts for cords, and the hollow tubes would allow easy and hidden cord management.

Materials

• concrete form tube, 8" diameter (approximately)
• concrete form tube, 10" diameter (approximately)
• pre-finished shelf, 11.8" D x 35.8" W, black
• pre-finished shelf, 11.8" D x 47.8" W, black
• primer
• paint, Colonial Red, gloss
• wood glue
• GelPro anti-fatigue mat (optional)
• adjustable height stool (optional)

Tools

• razor knife
• router (woodworking kind, not internet kind )

Steps

1. Create prototype

   I used books to prop up the shelves so I could determine the right height for me while using the computer.

   
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2. Cut tubes to size

   I cut the larger diameter tube to the height of the monitor shelf, and the smaller diameter tube to the height of the keyboard shelf. I cut notches in the larger tubes for cord management.

   
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3. Prime and paint tubes

   The surface of the tubes is a loose paper printed with information which spirals around the tube. I just painted right over it, hoping the added texture would add a little interest.

   
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4. Route grooves into shelves

   I traced the outline of the tubes onto the shelves, and routed the grooves free-handed. I could have done a more precise job, but the groove is on the bottom of the shelf and not usually visible.

   
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5. Glue it together

   I filled the grooves with a liberal amount of wood glue, then set the tubes into the grooves and let them dry. Again, I wasn't much concerned with appearance since the grooves are underneath the shelves.

   
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6. Install

   I routed the monitor cables through the notches and down through the tubes. My wireless keyboard and mouse were easier to install.

   
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I am very pleased with the result. The mobility of the keyboard shelf is a benefit I hadn't really considered, but it sure is handy.

Life Categories

Some time ago, while reading Getting Things Done and The Power Of Less, I decided I needed a list of categories for things in my life. I would use these categories to organize everything in a consistent manner.

I wrote out a list of things I'm interested in, and grouped them into more general subjects. Then I thought about their priority in my life and how important each thing was to me. Twelve seemed like a manageable number of categories. In this way I came up with an initial list. After using my initial list for a week or so, I rearranged and combined some of the categories. I've made small changes since then, too, but the list has been quite stable.

Here is my current list:

• Activity
  • Book Club
  • Travel
• Computer
• Entertainment
  • Book
  • Movie
  • Music
  • TV Show
• Finance
• Game
  • Dominion
  • Illyriad
  • Lord of the Rings Online
  • Pandemic
  • Race for the Galaxy
  • Second Life
• Hobby
  • Coin
  • Genealogy
  • Hot Wheels
  • LEGO
• Home
• Internet
• Life
  • Health
  • People
• Science Fiction
  • Doctor Who
  • Star Trek
  • Star Wars
• Software Development
• Work

A category list will be different for everyone, of course, emphasizing your own interests and their priority and importance to you. For instance, you might have Sports instead of Science Fiction.

I use these categories to organize everything: browser bookmarks, email, files on my hard drive and Dropbox, photos, to do tasks, and so on. This consistency across applications and services has made me feel more organized, and streamlined filing and searching tasks. I'm more efficient now.

Pentominoes

Pentominoes are the set of twelve possible arrangements of five squares.

As a puzzle game, pentominoes can be arranged into various 2D shapes. For example, since there are 60 squares, the following rectangular arrangements can be found.

Dimensions	Number of Solutions
6x10	2339
5x12	1010
4x15	368
3x20	2

The game Blokus contains a full set of pentominoes in each of four colors.

This article shows how you can make your own from blank dice.