
Ask HN: What's on your desk? - lookup
Being greeted by a fellow employee about the lack of decoration at my desk, I would like to extend it to the community to describe some of the most useful items on your desk that you could not go a week without.
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kadabra9
I have a few printouts stuck to my wall with common snippets I use frequently
but often have to look up....regexes, sublimetext shortcuts, db schemas, etc.

I also have one big notebook that serves as a day to day scratchpad for
projects that I'm working on, and a smaller notepad that I use as my daily to
do list. Every day, the first thing I do at work is pull out this smaller pad
and jot down a quick task list, by hand. I've tried the online task lists (I'm
basically addicted to trying them) but at the end of the day I still go back
to the old school pen and paper approach. Whatever works for you.

Aside from the prinouts, notepads and obvious stuff like monitor/laptop, I
have a coffee mug and nice pair of stereo headphones for when I need to tune
out.

~~~
septerr
Printouts of often needed code snippets is a great idea. I think it would help
me to put up printouts of 'context-switch-snippets'. Like when I need to go to
iOS programming after doing Ruby for a while, a quick checklist of the syntax
and things I end up looking up again every time I make the switch (diff
between retain/strong/assign).

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thebiglebrewski
Samsung Series 7 750 27" monitor, box of business cards, "rolodex" (just a
stack of cards), my macbook pro 13", WD my passport for time machine backup, a
projector that we barely use but has some cables on top of it that go with it,
an NYCDA t-shirt, The Book of Ruby, Beginning Rails 3, Stylin' with CSS,
AngularJS Directives, Wired Magazine, buckyballs, a Sphero I barely use, a
stamp, an ink well for the stamp, a pen, a little thing of vaseline, and an
iPod shuffle charger for my waterproof guy I use while swimming

That specific enough for ya?

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rikkus
Apart from keyboard and mouse, pad and pen, there's nothing on my desk I
couldn't go a week without. I'd rather lose the pad and pen, but they're
useful.

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lookup
These look pretty neat: [http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Mobile-Phone-Holder-
Iphone/dp...](http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Mobile-Phone-Holder-
Iphone/dp/B008XRZD9U/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1398705288&sr=1-1&keywords=cool+desk+accessories)

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lukasm
\- laster pointer just to point at random stuff (completely pointless). \- pen
and some paper \- mug \- my wallet, some change, keys and oyster card \- my
Nexus charging (as always)

And the usual stuff Macbook pro + screen (don't buy apple, better get Dell or
Samsung with 4k) + stand + logitech K760 + some cheap mouse

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makeitsonumber1
Beer tasting index card, a few scenic photos I took on vacation years ago,
Radioactive Man Homer Simpson, Wireless headphones, coffee sleeve from the
best coffee bar I've ever been too & a note book. If I have to sit here for 8
hours a day, I figure I should at least like the scenery.

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at-fates-hands
My desk is so small I can barely fit my two 22" monitors along with the laptop
dock on it. Besides the phone shoved in the corner (because, I mean, who
_calls_ a developer these days??) I have a small notebook for ideas and other
inspiration and my smartphone.

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api_or_ipa
On my restored 1960's metal tanker desk, I've got my 13" mbp (on a stand), a
20" monitor, 3 raspberry pis, 2 notebooks, my headphones, a cherry MX brown
mech. keyboard, wireless mouse and a couple pens.

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brudgers
Not decoration, not the monitors, and not the stack of bills...

Bought it in the UCF bookstore for about $100 in the spring of 1989, the
unusual thing on my desk is an HP11C. Now in its 26th year, it's still a goto
device.

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codegeek
My client moves me every few months within the same building. So I have the
most boring desk just like you. I keep it simple. Pack stuff in 1 box and move
when asked.

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coldcode
Macbook Pro, 24in display, box of KCups, jar of B12, kleenex and some post it
notes. I'm a mostly digital person.

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jamesxwatkins
4x2.5" monitor stands (dual monitors) that cater to the "ergonomic" set-up of
my desk.

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Tharkun
My laptop, 22” monitor, keyboard, mouse, a pen and a notepad. And a cup of
tea, of course.

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good-citizen
pen and paper! sometimes just drawing it out is way better than a mouse.

~~~
T-hawk
I've got a small clipboard-sized whiteboard with a fine point marker.
Eraseability helps a lot over pen and paper.

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olgeni
Line-printer Snoopy calendar for the year 1969?

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taylorlapeyre
My laptop, a lamp, and a Braun alarm clock.

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comrh
Tissues, post it notes and a stress ball.

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jesusmichael
I have a calculator with giant buttons.

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motyar
My legs.

Its how I sit when I read HN.

