Toward greater productivity
The past couple of days have seen me take steps toward greater productivity.
I have been wondering whether a second computer monitor would help me when I'm doing a Zoom interview or simply writing up my articles. I wanted to get one secondhand, but the cheapest place I know to get one, the Terrapin Trader surplus-goods shop at the University of Maryland, has been closed since the start of the pandemic. And I didn't want to buy a brand-new one in case I ended up not using it as much as I think I will. (I've never worked on a dual-screen computer before.)
Now, Lady Grazia, one of the many SCAdians on my list of Facebook friends, has been posting lists of stuff she's giving away all week long. I think she and her husband are on a decluttering streak. Most of the things she's posted about I have no use for, such as a Japanese calligraphy set -- nice, but since I have had trouble getting going with European calligraphy, I don't think I need any more equipment in that department.
But then she posted that she had five computer monitors sitting around, ready for new homes. So I jumped right on it in a private message, and yesterday afternoon I was heading out to Wheaton to pick up my prize. Grazia offered me a huge two-monitor stand for clamping onto a table, but I knew that such a gadget would never work with my current desk, so I asked for a monitor that already had its own base. The one she and her husband gave me is a somewhat older-model flat-screen, with less of a wide-screen aspect ratio than my laptop monitor, but I'm not fussy.
I needed a DVI-to-HDMI cable, but the boy toy ordered one off of Amazon when I got home, and it arrived today. That was only about $6. Most of my work today involved excavating my desk and the scanner table next to it -- SO MUCH excess paper -- so that I could make space for the new monitor and the boy toy could get under the desk and figure out how to plug all the electrical cords in.
So, now I'm all set up!
Once again I realize that I know some amazing people, and I am awed by the power of the universe to provide in the most unexpected ways.
Over and out. This entry was originally posted at https://luscious-purple.dreamwidth.org/262534.html. Please feel free to comment either here or there.
I have been wondering whether a second computer monitor would help me when I'm doing a Zoom interview or simply writing up my articles. I wanted to get one secondhand, but the cheapest place I know to get one, the Terrapin Trader surplus-goods shop at the University of Maryland, has been closed since the start of the pandemic. And I didn't want to buy a brand-new one in case I ended up not using it as much as I think I will. (I've never worked on a dual-screen computer before.)
Now, Lady Grazia, one of the many SCAdians on my list of Facebook friends, has been posting lists of stuff she's giving away all week long. I think she and her husband are on a decluttering streak. Most of the things she's posted about I have no use for, such as a Japanese calligraphy set -- nice, but since I have had trouble getting going with European calligraphy, I don't think I need any more equipment in that department.
But then she posted that she had five computer monitors sitting around, ready for new homes. So I jumped right on it in a private message, and yesterday afternoon I was heading out to Wheaton to pick up my prize. Grazia offered me a huge two-monitor stand for clamping onto a table, but I knew that such a gadget would never work with my current desk, so I asked for a monitor that already had its own base. The one she and her husband gave me is a somewhat older-model flat-screen, with less of a wide-screen aspect ratio than my laptop monitor, but I'm not fussy.
I needed a DVI-to-HDMI cable, but the boy toy ordered one off of Amazon when I got home, and it arrived today. That was only about $6. Most of my work today involved excavating my desk and the scanner table next to it -- SO MUCH excess paper -- so that I could make space for the new monitor and the boy toy could get under the desk and figure out how to plug all the electrical cords in.
So, now I'm all set up!
Once again I realize that I know some amazing people, and I am awed by the power of the universe to provide in the most unexpected ways.
Over and out. This entry was originally posted at https://luscious-purple.dreamwidth.org/262534.html. Please feel free to comment either here or there.