I honestly think Taran did a fantastic job with this, especially since he has the experience to successfully refer back to his own experiences dealing with this. Taran was probably a better suit for a video like this than Linus, in my opinion. Also, nice transition to the sponsorship.
Steven Kistler I prefeer him better because is a bit more relaxed than Linus and yeah, the sponsor deployment he made was excellent. when linus switch to sponsor I close the vid. Thats it. If this guy start his own channel, sure will turn into a good one.
I have a simple method of forcing myself to get up every 30-60 minutes: keep a glass of water at your desk, and you'll have to go refill it every so often, creating 30-120 second breaks reasonably often. Plus I keep myself very well hydrated. Sometimes I will grab a different drink, but it's the same effect. I also get the bonus of a cat jumping onto my desk every hour or so, demanding that I snuggle her, so that breaks up the monotony too.
Last time I kept water on my computer desk, it tipped over and got all over my gaming PC, which left me without a gaming PC for almost a year (too lazy to replace parts). But I resurrected it recently and I am typing with it now. Just bad luck lol.
Change your water and PC arrangement until any amount of tipping or nudging won't be able to get liquid onto your computer... I have my computer under the right side of the desk and make sure to keep any water (or other liquids) on the left side. Even if I really screw up, at worst I might lose my keyboard and some paperwork.
You guys are giving entire desk rearrangements as solutions, when the obvious thing to change is not the environment, but the liquid container. Always keep a capped thermos on your desks, especially the ones with a hygienically-covered spout that you can tuck away in a locked lid, and then open by pressing a release button whenever you wish to sip.
i know right? I hope they do this more often. For my friends who might want get into computers more than just gaming, these kind of tech quickie vids, with reference to other vids about subjects used, is really handy.
If I may make a suggestion for the next As Fast As Possible video? How about a video on File Compression? (things like Zip files, or Rar files) I've always wanted to learn how the compression makes the file size smaller, even though technically it's still the same size. For example, say I'm downloading a 2GB file, but it's compressed into a 1GB Rar file, how does that speed up the download? I mean, I'm still getting a 2GB file, but only downloading 1GB. Then I'm able to uncompress it, and it's 2GB again. Of course, I might just be extremely dumb, but I really want to learn how it works.
it really depends on what your compressing too. They've already done a fast as possible on gifs (and why they suck because of compression) and video formats. - for example, basically, instead of changing every pixel colour every frame they only change a pixel colour when it's needed. This both reduces processing needed for the video and storage space needed.
Would indeed be a nice topic. Here's a short explanation written at 3 am. You have two types of compression, lossless and lossy. Lossless is where no information is lost during compression, this is what you would hope a compression software would have. Lossy means not all data is preserved, it's better suited for cat images and videos. Both are basically achieved by replacing big chunks of data with smaller ones. As Alexandra Pedro said getting rid of repeating symbols or replacing big common data with smaller one is one way to go. A 2GB file that is compressed to 1GB means you have half the download to worry about, meaning half the time and data bandwidth online. It is however not half the total time as this depends on how your program rebuilds the file. How this file becomes 2GB again is by knowing the algorithm that compressed it. Think of it as ordering a desk or a closet from IKEA, what you get is a very small "flattish" box that looks nothing like the finished product, and takes maybe 20% of its total space. You also get instructions on how to build the desk to get the original form you are expecting. The RAR file you downloaded is exactly that, a different organisation of your original file that takes up less space and a set of instructions to rebuild it.
I've been using MS Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, the one you showed in the video, for years now for coding and casual gaming and I've absolutely loved it. I only wish they'd release a mechanical version of it with switch type of my choice. I would be willing to pay REALLY well for that.
Please Linus do a video on food and/or exercise. I understand the last people you would think would exercise are people using computers all day but people need to understand the importance of their health and know what they put into themselves. Many big YTers have been having major health issues and it has come to my mind that a majority of people also suffer from improper nutrition. It'll essentially be a tech quickie teaching us the importance of our bodies and how if we take care of them, then we can enjoy our wonderful PCs for a longer time period.
deadbob54 I totally understand. But not being allowed to use our tech because we live with an unhealthy lifestyle is a shame. Of course this does not apply to everyone, but it applies to a massive amount of people.
***** It' not for me. I have lost 60 pounds these past few months and I love it. 200 lb to ~140. Most people on these channels will not search for healthy videos so bringing it up may do some good.
As a lifelong gamer who used to severely overweight, (295 pounds down to 189), I can confidently say I agree that it needs to be brought up. It's disturbing to me how many gamers and tech enthusiasts care nothing for their health. It's really kind of awesome being in shape when you get used to it, hell I like it so much I went and chose it as my career field and became a certified physical fitness trainer after I got out of the Army. I don't think everyone should try to get into that deep if they don't want to, but EVERYONE, gamer or no, needs to be reminded to be diligent when it comes to their nutrition and fitness. After all, who doesn't wanna live longer?
I primarily watch all of your videos from my phone, but when you're on a mobile device you can't click on screen links. I'd love to be able to check out the other videos you link, but to do it I have to manually go search them after this video is over. It'd be super awesome if you guys could include "in description" links to everything you link on screen.
A great video explaining some of the basics of computer ergonomics however some of the most important elements of posture were not touched upon. Whilst many office chairs have lumbar support and height adjustment they are rarely properly positioned for an individual. You should be obtaining a 90 degree angle in your hip, knee and elbow joint (this is for users without back injury etc.) and the back rest should be adjusted correctly so that the lumbar support sits in the small of your back (or your lumbar region :) ). Not wanting to criticise Taran but leaning his forearms on the desk whilst working increases the chance of him leaning forward and away from his backrest. When I am doing Display Equipment Assessments it would be advised that he reposition his mouse and keyboard closer to the desk edge to allow him to push his seat back - this would allow him to work comfortably with his back fully supported without him leaning forward onto the desktop.
YOu can tell he's a video editor..he drops in the video links exactly where he wanted them in his script....it's one of the best edited TechQuickie videos i've seen.
+PsychoFactor The RSI vid is set to private because, according to Taran, the video's information in it is out of date. He wants to do a new updated video that has his updated information in it.
Where did the RSI video go? I got it while editing, and it's horrible. Some daysI can't even grip a hairbrush. I so badly want to see your tips around RSI and editing because doctors are basically like, "Well just don't use it so much." 😐
i'm trying to search for it too :( i'm an artist and doctors just really tell me to leave the pen for a few MONTHS. i'm a freelancer, i can't afford to do that!
Thanks a lot, I just modifyed my chair's height, arms too, moved a bit my keyboard closer to the mouse, raised my monitor, tilted it a little and all these little things made it way more confortable within seconds! :o
I just bought and built an ErgoDox keyboard. It's awesome. As far as needing to use the whole keyboard for editing the ErgoDox is fully programmable with multiple layers so you could put all of your editing keys on one hand on one layer provided you don't more than 38.
Thank you Taran for all this information. It made me re-look at my personal pc layout and my work pc layout. It was useful to me and I have now made changes to my PC layouts. Keep up the great work
What my productivity would look like if I stood up and took a break every 15 minutes: 0:00 sit down, think about what work needs to be done 5:00 get distracted by checking email, fb, etc. 14:00 begin working 15:00 take break 16:00 repeat at 0:00
my differences: 1) monitor height: my eye is about lower third of my monitor. I find that this forces me to sit correctly to view the monitor. 2) glasses: I have three pairs, bifocals for every day use, reading for computer and farsighted when I am in nature. 3) Monitor: I keep my monitor near the minimum brightness for working. I use normal brightness for games and videos. 4) keyboard: I use a split keyboard. This prevents my hands from wondering. I also find it more comfortable with may hand a bit further apart. 5) desk: I use a wire rack and the keyboard rack sticks out. This sets my keyboard at a comfortable position. 6) excessive: I use the CICO method. I get up to get coffee and then I get up to let the coffee out.
I can't even begin to tell you how many switches and keyboards and wrist rests i went through finding one that was finally comfortable for me to use for long periods. (Probably nothing compared to all of you at LTT) But finally ended up settling on the KUL 87 ES which in itself is a fairly standard TKL layout but what's more important is the switches inside the MX Browns were way more comfortable than the MX greens or Clears i was using before.
After a couple hours of gaming (or even less in most cases), I noticed that my arms and elbows were getting sore due to the hard wooden arm rests on my chair, or my shoulders would experience fatigue from hovering over the table/keyboard tray. A Logitech G13 advanced gameboard helped out while I would play, and it felt very comfortable. However, I still felt the shoulder/elbow pain because of my chair. At first I considered getting an attachable armrest for my desk like an ergo-arm. I ended up letting my husband split a neck pillow in half, and wrapped it around the arm rests of the chair and it's been comfortable ever since. Hooray for cheaper solutions! :D
Please don’t take me wrong. Taran may not have the best “image” on screen but he has a great presence based on good work, good topics, well written stuff, good voice cadence, etc... I really would like to see more of his work on front of the camera.
One thing I learned recently about resting your arms on a hard surface like your desk or arm rests is that it can cause Ulnar nerve entrapment which leads to loss of motor functions in your hand/fingers
Nice video. One thing i would add from experience an L shaped rounded edge desk helps a lot if you use multiple monitors and have a lot of periferals (gaming or otherwise).
it seems to work great for women who like to store their " toys " on the desk while having room for the monitor, mic, camera for the recording and etc. too
Thanks for letting Terran (spelling?) continue on this 'take care of yourself' path Linus, it's a message that we need to keep hearing from different sources so it becomes something we naturally do, rather than being a whiney employee looking to 'waste' the company director's money on our health and well-being rather than going towards putting the company name on a bunch of stadiums (or in Linus's case, buying all the Mclarens). I'm hoping those keymouse's, keymice... whatever.. are as good as they appear and their use become widespread. It's the first product like that which has really grabbed me as being a big step forward without all the steps back that others require.
I also use a mouse pad for extra cushioning. Except in my case, it's a desk mat(90cm x 40cm) and I just made it hang a bit in the front of the desk at an angle, so mostly the area where the mouse is does it hang out.
I use the Trackman marble exclusively. I find I can be more precise with it than a regular mouse, and I don't need to slide it around so it takes less space, and I can keep spinning it to the side forever instead of a regular mouse that I'd have to pick up and reposition. But yeah, it needs some kind of scroll wheel. Some other trackballs use a ring around the ball, but all of those are built into a big square that makes it seem like it should be mounted on a podium or in an arcade machine rather than next to a keyboard.
Foot pedals and a standing desk are a great combination. I use the one from Kinesis. The wire is longer than I need, and I'm 5'11". In fact, I highly recommend people mapping at least one of the repetitive keys to a foot pedal.
This is a great topic for a video. I usually get up for 5 minutes every hour, and I have to say, I feel much better than when I was sitting 5 hours straight at work.
Try using two mice or trackballs with a split keyboard. You can then alternate which hand controls the cursor . This will allow you to press your short cuts unless they use keys from both sides.
3:58 I have one and the buttons aren't for scrolling. On mine they are forward and back buttons (like the back button on your browser) and there is no scroll wheel. I don't use it much except when I need to control a desktop as I use a laptop and have no mice. And yes if you are wondering that does mean I play first person games with a touch pad.
I feel I'm close to an ergonomic setup for my needs. Comfy chair, mechanical keyboard with cherry MX blue switches, Logitech g502 mouse fits great in my hand and I just bought a height adjustable monitor so I'm not always looking down. Always wanted a pullout tray for my keyboard. Also for night time computer use consider using software called flux which adjusts the blue levels throughout the day so you don't strain your eyes
There is a program called .flux that changes the color hue of your monitor as the day progresses. It really helped me when i spent hours upon hours reading textbooks, reddit, and just browsing the web.
as someone who can be sitting at a desk for hours on end doing nothing but art I always make it my routine to get up and get/make something to snack on between pictures. This not only keeps me more alert and full but it makes sure I'm not sitting at my desk indefinitely for the *whole friggen day*
This video is great, I think that anyone who uses the computer more than 3 hours a day NEEDS to know proper body mechanics. In my physical therapy program we learned a couple other IMPORTANT postural tips to reduce back, neck, and wrist pain. 1. walk around, or do some quick activity (i.e. body squats) at LEAST every hour 2. keep your shoulders back 3. scoot your butt back to the back of the chair and scoot the chair close up to the desk 4. make sure your mouse is close to your keyboard to reduce ulnar deviation of the wrist 5. KEEP YOUR CHIN BACK, don't be protruding your head forward TRY IT OUT!
Taran's great! Maybe a couple too many mentions of other videos, though. Maybe add a section for additional info (links) at the end of the video when you make reference to more than a couple of vids instead?
i like the whole "use you desk at the right height and use it as your armrest" idea, but i would need a deeper desk and a new chair for that, but i'll keep it in mind.
I always find Taran and Linus the more enjoyable to listen to. The first time I saw a video with Luke, I was like "Go away strange man, this is Linus' show" (before I saw Taran videos). True story
During the summer of last year, I had no job and no school to attend. I'm not very social, and I left my house probably two times throughout that whole period. All the other time was spent on my desktop. I was on my desktop for around 12 hours a day for a little over two months. I suffered 0 negative results. Now I have a job and am moving for about 5 hours a day. That should be enough to compensate for sitting the rest of the day, lol.
Hey thanks for the video. I wanted to watch your video linked in this video called "repetitive strain injury explained". but when i click, it says "private video". if it is just mistake then please make it public so that people can watch. thank you
One thing this video didn't go over was chair height level. Some places say knees bent at 90 degrees some say just over 90. the problem I have is that when my legs are 90 my desk is too low and I share a workspace so that makes ergonomics complicated.
One thing my computer science teacher showed me is for every hour you stare at the screen and don't look away, look into a blank space on your wall and blink really fast for a couple seconds it "refreshes" your vision, and helps prevent eye strain
This is a great video. Great topic that's a bit out of left field with good information and presented well. If Taran was the one who worked on this video and script himself then job well done.
My setup is nothing like what you recommend xD. For starters I exceed the weight maximum on my chair so I am scarred to raise it so that my eyes are level with the top of my monitor. Probably the only thing that I have going for me is the fact that my foldout table that I use as a desk is damages in such a way that the keyboard is slightly tilted back. Though it's uneven so I placed cards under the the side that wasn't touching the desk. Also I like how I'm setup on warped foldout table and my younger brother has a super fancy glass desk with tons of room for everything.
Could you do a video on color spaces? such as Adobe RGB or sRGB and DCI-P3. It would make it easier for people like me watching your monitor reviews to understand what the percentages mean.
My favorite was the vertical mouse. It was gifted to me, so I figured I'd give it a fair shake. Now, mind you, the user experience was atrocious and I gave up on it. The reason why it was my favorite? It's a wireless, vertical mouse. The way I naturally reached across my desk to grab it? I kept on batting it across the room.
If i only could chose one ergonomic computer stuff, it would be the Ergotron mounting arm i own. For me it have many benefits, like much more desk space and being able to move the monitor anywhere i want without much trouble.