[MACEP] laptops and ergonomics

[Mary Hochberg]

Laptop ergonomics are horrible, especially for daily use. I call it 
the "chipmunk pose"---head down, shoulders up, and hands pushed 
together.

Try pushing the laptop further away so that the keyboard is further 
away. This will help keep your wrists straighter. If your laptop 
doesn't have a place to rest your hands, get or make a wrist rest. A 
folded dishtowel works. You can buy or make nice ones too.

Tilting the entire keyboard slightly will also improve things. Adding 
rubber furniture feet to the back can help or you can buy some 
"laptop bumpers" which help cool the laptop and are detachable.

Check the lighting around you. First tilt the screen so that your 
head is at the most comfortable, then adjust the room lighting, 
screen brightness, and contrast.  While this isn't always possible, 
it certainly helps when you are at your desk.

Finally, take stretches and breaks regularly. On my Windows 
computers, I use "Mindful Clock"
http://www.mindfulnessdc.org/mindfulclock.html to help me remember to 
look away and do a quick shoulder roll or two. It's a slow and gentle 
reminder that relaxes rather than strains you. I've been meaning to 
find one for my Mac but haven't yet.

Students think laptops are cool but for everyday use, I regard them 
the same as pointy toed, spike heeled shoes. They look great but 
don't try to do your daily run in them.

Good luck!

---Mary


>On Feb 26, 2006, at 10:27 AM, JeanineDuBois wrote:
>
>>  I have my head bent down all the time. It's becoming a painful 
>>problem. I thought about creating a skid-free wedge to put under 
>>the keyboard, so that the laptop screen is a little better for my 
>>eye level (neck-wise). Any insights?
>>
>
>I have purchased a second screen for my 12 inch iBook, a 15 incher 
>from Costco for about $180 and scrounged up a keyboard.  Then, I 
>built an angled platform that puts the iBook up about 8 inches to 
>make the top of the two screens match height, more or less.
>
>Then, I found a script on-line, for free, that makes my iBook share 
>the screen real estate across the two screens and not just mirror 
>what's on it.  (Caveat!  One has to check the video card to make 
>sure your iBook's card is compatible with the script or you could 
>cripple your video output!  The script's Read me details this 
>caution.)
>
>Now, I work on the large screen and keep my menus and e-mail window 
>showing on the little iBook screen.  Very handy and it certainly 
>opens up my work.
>
>The link for the script can be found on this page:
> 
>	<http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html>http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html
>
>Pay close attention to the cautionary note about Rage video cards!
>
>Cheers,
>Mark
>
>
>Mark A. Petersen    <mailto:map at mac.com>map at mac.com    Portland, Oregon
>
>"I got lost in the suburbs last week.
>   It was horrible; mile after mile of ticky-tacky on steroids."
>     Molly Ivins
>
>
>
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-- 
---Mary Hochberg
User Specialist II @ Meadowlark/Buena Vista 541 687-3368 x 231
"Always do right -- this will gratify some and astonish the rest." 
- Mark Twain
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