Evolution: the picture post

Looking back at my life, it’s quite amusing how my [computer] setup has evolved over time. I recall the days when I was only using a plain vanilla PC with a graphics card just enough to play games at their lowest settings, a 15″ CRT monitor, etc. etc. – I guess it just shows how much of a geek I am.

Getting my first job after college, Nono and I (or was it just only me) cashed in our computer loans and I got a relatively good computer, of course still with the beige chassis, but at least with a whopping 17″ (which was big at that time). Of course along the course of my life, I was given the opportunity to save up (whether from jobs or rackets) and finally indulge in some personal “luxuries.”

I’ve been posting pictures of the new stuff in my Gallery and Flickr accounts, but really had no chance to “talk” about them – so I guess this post would be the perfect opportunity to do so.

I remember my first “luxury” purchase for the computer was a wireless keyboard and mouse. This was probably the point where I realized that these “luxury” items can be productive in a sense. Having less wires made it easier to use the computer just about anywhere – which translated to say, doing some work while in the bed instead of stressing yourself out in an uncomfortable chair (which reminds me, I have to invest in a chair as well)

I then graduated to upgrading my computer chassis to an all aluminum Lian-li PC65 and I never looked back – there was no way I was going to go back to a grime magnet of a case, when the anodized aluminum Lian-li case can easily be disassembled, cleaned and reused. In fact I even upgraded to another, larger Lian-li PC75 – which is what I continue to use to this day.

Long story short, I learned to appreciate the uses of those things most people might consider as useless. At some point, I also started documenting how my workspace layout (visually) changed over time. First we have my setup from 2003:

We have the awesome computer table and the large-ish 19″ CRT – which conked out very early without the possibility of repair. I then bought a 20″ CRT from a surplus shop for about 500 pesos. Surprisingly I only had it replaced last year – so it turned out to be one of the best deals I had in my entire life. Next picture is the shot from last year.

A lot of incremental upgrades were done on the PC itself – the details of which I’d rather not bore you with. But because of the dual displays and mixer, I had to drastically change my workspace layout. Suffice to say while it may look good in the picture – it wasn’t exactly an efficient way to utilize the space.

We now go to the most recent incarnation of my workspace.

Because of the new year’s loot I got – specifically the keyboard, you can see from the previous picture that it would be impossible to put it anywhere anymore. Hence the need for a new, real “table” table (and workspace)

I really wanted to hold of buying a new table (and a glass one at that) until I transferred to my own place (which will be built next-year) but need always trumps want. I guess I’ll just have to sell this table when I move – or hopefully find a use for it in the new place.

On the bright side, I had more space to accommodate this awesome gift from my boss:

It’s a Wacom Intuos₃ graphic tablet – which looks (and works) much better when compared to my old Graphire2

Oh and not to mention that I now have a decent place to store my scanner when not in use, I just pull that whole “plastic cabinet” out and I can now use the scanner as well. I couldn’t do that with my previous workspace layouts since there wasn’t just enough space – so I had to store it along with my clothes… then pull it out whenever I would use it – which was extremely tedious.

I truly believe that this workspace has the most efficient layout I’ve come up with to date. Maybe if I feel like it, I’d even start fixing the wiring behind everything hahahaha.