
Why the wires behind your computer are a tangled mess. - asciilifeform
http://www.pnas.org/content/104/42/16432.full
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jimfl
Because each of the cables is a different length, and each of the things
plugged into the computer is a different distance to the edge of the desk, and
each cable has a different stiffness, and tendency to retain the shape of
having been tied up with a twist-tie for much of its life, and so hang off in
different ways.

The article better describes why I have to struggle with my earbuds for 5
minutes after they've been put in a pocket.

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jcl
For what it's worth, when I am transporting cables, I find I can keep them
from tangling by folding the cable repeatedly in halves or thirds to make a
longish bundle, then tying the entire bundle in a single overhand knot, as if
it were a single piece of rope. I've rarely gotten tangles this way; in terms
of the article, I suppose it works because it keeps the string from agitating,
perhaps even better than using twist-ties.

I picked this method up from a piano teacher years ago, who used it to keep
his MIDI cables in order. The result is a bit bulkier than using a twist-tie
to bind the bundle, and I'm not sure how good it is for the cable for long-
term storage (since it effectively adds a slight twist at several points along
the cable's length). But the method has the benefits of being neat, effective,
quick to tie, and not needing additional ties/straps.

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harpastum
Interesting paper, but I think it has very little to do with cable tangling
behind computers. It seems to me that the latter is more a function of
manually plugging and unplugging cables over time, where we are manually
forming knots--like tying a shoe very slowly.

The main difference I see is that the strings in this study were allowed to
move freely, while cables are connected on at least one end, often both.

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dgallagher
But they're "not" a tangled mess! If you're a neat-freak like me, you've got
everything zip tied down, and some nice BlueLounge.com* cable-management to
boot!

*I'm not associated with BlueLounge in any way. I just love their cableyoyo's. :)

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evilneanderthal
i don't go that far, but i agree with the sentiment.

i've got everything slung up to the underside of the desk so it's not visibly
apparent what a mess it all is unless you really go looking for it.

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boredguy8
Because my office is spun about its axis while I'm not around?

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omarchowdhury
Instead of having to clean my room, my mother made me clean and organize my
wires.

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Keyframe
I hate wires.

