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2008 November 25 | Ergoware Blog

Archive for November 25th, 2008

Apple MacBook Pro Review from an Ergonomic Perspective

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

Admit it, you’ve probably fallen under the Apple marketing campaign and found yourself singing along to one of their catchy songs they use to promote new products, stood in line for the latest iPhone, or purchased one –or several—iPods to carry your personal music library wherever you go. And did I mention their desktop computer and laptops? Not only are they sleek, but incredibly user-friendly. In a world of telecommuting and online business, laptop ergonomics are becoming incredibly important to the average computer user.

Apple’s popularity boom has not only come from their trendy marketing campaign, but also because their products produce longevity and reliability. Here are some tips to take from the latest in Apple MacBook review if you are looking to make a purchase of an ergonomic laptop.

Some laptop keyboards can appear to stiff and even “sticky” when compared to the traditional desktop keyboard. These types of laptop keyboards will in turn require that you put extra pressure when typing, which can result in wrist strain and other uncomfortable feelings. For some time, college students and young professionals purchased smaller laptops so they could easily transfer them from school to work, or comfortably fit them in their book bags. In turn, the keyboards also became much smaller and forced users to scrunch their hands and fingers together when typing.

The keyboard on the MacBook Pro is easy to type on and will respond to even the lightest of touch. The MacBook Pro comes in two different screen sizes and both keyboards are comfortable to use. To become even more efficient with the laptop ergonomics of the MacBook Pro, take a refresher course on the key shortcuts to save time and reduce finger and wrist strain.

Laptop mouse pads are often difficult to get used to. Some mouse pads are uber sensitive and will respond to the lightest of touch and may disfigure program screens or relocate your cursor when you are typing a word document. On the flip side, other mouse pads require you to put extra pressure on the device, which can induce extra strain on the fingers.

The MacBook Pro offers a comfortable halfway point between the two. Test out the efficiency of the touchpad. Sweep your fingers across the pad to see how the touchpad responds. There are no extra left click and right click buttons, which gives you more room to navigate. Apple engineers have developed multi-touch gestures as well, letting you swipe, pinch, rotate and use four fingers to swipe and move through programs and the Internet, making it the most ergonomic MackBook Pro track pad to date. You can set the touchpad to respond to a tapping gesture of plug in your own mobile mouse that you feel comfortable using.

Another important feature that comes in to play with Apple ergonomics is that the keyboard is light sensitive and will illuminate in a darker room. Although it is not ergonomically correct to type in the dark, the illuminated keys help those that still look at the letters and keys when typing. The weight of the MacBook Pro is also considerable lighter when compared to other laptops. The 15 inch model is one inch thick and weighs less than five pounds, yet is strong and durable enough to take refuge in any backpack or book bag. The MacBook Pro is made of a single piece of aluminum which may also add to the lighter and compact nature of Apple ergonomics and products.

Other laptop ergonomics that the MacBook Pro includes is the LED backlight in the computer. Apple engineers have noticed that LED creates the same amount of brightness with less space than an LCD or CCFL display would normally use. This causes for a thinner structure and also allows for maximum brightness instantly without a “warm up” waiting period.

Do some of your own research and you will find many other types of Apple MacBook reviews. Apple products are not only user friendly, but also aesthetically pleasing. With so many satisfied customers of Apple products, you might also want to ask your neighbors and friends about the laptop ergonomic benefits of the MacBook.

Ergonomic Setup Tips for Paper Documents

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

There’s a wide gamut of individuals that work from or read off of papers in their daily life. High school and college students read off of class notes to type up notes, book reports and major projects. Teachers read off of papers when they are inputting their data from semester grades.  And there are a large number of professionals that read off of handwritten notes or other reading material to type of reports on their work computers. When it comes to your daily responsibilities with work and school, paper document ergonomics is an important factor to keep in mind when considering the well-being of your mind and body. Here are a few ergonomic setup tips to create an ergonomic workstation that best suits your lifestyle and career responsibilities.

  • Few people would realize that the positioning and placement of the paper documents you are working off of play an important role in your comfort level, especially when it comes down to your neck and shoulder pain.

Don’t put paper documents and reading material flat on your desk while reading off of them. You are more likely to tilt or twist your neck in between reading the document and looking at your computer screen. The repeated movement in the neck can cause neck strain and poor posture.

  • Your head and neck should not be twisted or bent in strange angles while you are working in front of a computer screen. If you are straining to read off of a paper document while working on your computer can lead to shoulder and neck pains and eye strain.
  • Use a paper holder to put your reading material as close as possible to the computer screen. This distance and the level of the paper should be at the same as your computer monitor. Having these at the same level will minimize how many times your eyes will refocus between looking at the document and computer screen and you won’t have to tilt your head in different directions to look at each item. There are three different types of paper holders.

In-line document holders place the documents between the computer screen and keyboard in a specific angle that follows your field of vision. This type of holder eliminates your side-to-side head and neck movements and makes it easier for you to look at the computer screen and document.

Screen-mounted paper holders are connected to the side of your computer screen so that the document is in alignment. This type of holder is ideal for those that only work off of a single or few sheets of paper.

Freestanding paper holders have a sloping surface that should be in alignment with the same plane as your computer screen. On some models, you can adjust the height and/or angle to best suit your field of vision. Depending on the type of reading material you are working off of, there are freestanding paper holder models that are idea for holding a single piece of paper or a large book. Freestanding paper holders should be positioned near the side of the computer screen and at the same distance as the screen. It is also possible to rotate the holder at different angles to follow the visual field curve if necessary.

  • Install proper lighting at your ergonomic workstation. Few people make it a priority to establish ample lighting in their work area. However, not enough lighting can trigger glare problems with your computer screen and force you to strain and squint your eyes. If you don’t have proper ceiling lights, consider a desk lamp or some other type of task lighting to allow for proper lighting on the documents.

Because there are so many industries that require workers to read off of other documents to complete work on their computer screen, it’s important to ask yourself if you are using correct paper document ergonomics. There’s nothing appealing to eye strain so make sure your work station is fully equipped with ergonomic products.

Look into an ergonomic keyboard, mouse, chair and footrest and other ergonomic office products to ensure that the well-being of your body is maintained. With so many products out there, shop around and find the best items for your work station.

The Best Office Pranks (Part 3)

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

Even through the hardest times with our current economy, co workers are still thinking of innovative ways to bring funny office humor to lift the spirits of others. Office pranks never seem to get annoying and there’s a new generation of people out there looking to annoy their fellow coworkers and bosses. Here are the Best Office Pranks Part 3.

1. “It’s music to my ears”–We all have this type of person in our office…the person who has awful taste in music and has no consideration for others. He or she never seems to remember to bring in headphones and decidedly blasts their crazy techno or Mariachi music throughout the office for everyone else to enjoy. Here’s a way to get even with your music maker.

While your co-worker is out to lunch or away from their computer for a few minutes, create your own file of music, preferably the type of music that annoys them the most, or a type of music that is even more irritating than what they already play. Transfer from the music file onto a USB port and download it onto their desktop.

On your colleague’s computer, go to the control panel and look into the sound devices. Go into the sound tab and click on the Start Windows tab, or any other popular tab that is frequently used and replace the existing sounds with those from your music file. Apply the changes, turn their speakers up the highest volume and turn their computer off. When they get back to their computer and restart their program, the music file your applied will start blaring from their speakers. It will surely scare your colleague and they might reconsider bringing in their headphones to personally enjoy their music.

2. Electronic Overload–(One of the more complicated of office practical jokes) Let’s say you have a boss or manager in your office that isn’t the sharpest when it comes to technology. Have one of your IT guys or an electrician re-wire some of the electronics in his or her office. For example, when they turn on the light switch, their radio turns on. Or, when they pick up their phone, the fan starts blowing. Be creative with this one and don’t forget to rewire everything after the prank is over.

www.bestofficepranks.com

3. Welcome Back Gift–When your favorite boss leaves for a week for his annual vacation, get to work with your co-workers and line the floor of his office with Styrofoam cups, mouse traps, dominos, or even crumpled up paper. After coming back from a relaxing vacation, he will definitely be peaved when it takes him a couple hours to clean up the mess. And don’t forget to conveniently place a garbage can near his office or cubicle to discard the clutter.

www.bestofficepranks.com

4. Hole Punch Haven–If you have a particularly messy coworker who, let’s say, leaves their desk awry over the weekend with various papers, pens and wrappers strewn about their workspace, you can get them to notice very quickly that they are the hugest pig in the sty. While they are away from their desk, grab their car keys and bring a large bag full of hole punch scraps with you. If you can, open up their air vents and fill them up with the hole punches. Find an annoying radio station and turn the volume to full blast. While the car is off, turn the air to its highest level, lock the car up, and safely return their keys back to their desk. As your employee gets ready to leave for lunch or the office for the day, watch from a window as their air vents spits paper shredding back at them while country music blasts in their ears. They’ll definitely remember to clean up after themselves.

www.bestofficepranks.com

5. Feeling a Little Rewired?–If you have two computers that are next to each other, switch all of the cords between the two docking stations. The duo will never figure out why their new CD won’t play on their drive, or why all of their important documents and files have magically disappeared and have been replaced with someone else’s work.