You can sort of see much of my walking configuration in this picture, or bits of each.
- Lifespan TR1200DT - the treadmill base. Not much to say about this thing. It does its job. It came with a console that you can see the corner of in the picture on the right hand side. That console has a USB port to keep my phone charged, and it claims to have Bluetooth connectivity, but there's no Android support, so there's that. Dear LifeSpan, give me an API to code to - I'd love to be able to pull distance/time/calories from the console, and I'd also like to be able to adjust the speed from software.
- iMovR adjustible desk - comfortably large, and adjustable to a variety of heights. I've got the version that uses electrical motors that also has presets, in the theory that I might use the desk as a dual use surface, for walking and also seated work, and it'd be nice to have one button press that takes me back and forth.
- Dell USB keyboard - several jobs ago, I think, there was a box of extra keyboards for anybody that wanted them. I took several. I like the throw of the keys.
- Kensington Expert Mouse - I've had several trackballs over time, and the Kensington Expert Mouse is probably my favorite. I never use the third or forth buttons, but other than that, it's awesome.
- Samsung Google Chromebox - Most of the time, when I'm walking, I want to watch NetFlix or YouTube or listen to music or podcasts. A Chromebox is sufficient for those tasks, plus being able to jot down notes in my Google Docs spreadsheet and update HealthMonth and whatnot else that I might be doing. Apparently, I can also update this blog, as I'm doing that right now.
- ViewSonic monitor - it's a monitor, it's screwed to the wall.
- Samsung TV (not pictured) - also screwed to the wall, above the monitor. I was thinking that I'd dual-screen or have DVDs showing on one screen and be able to browse the web on the other, but I haven't really got that working. So the TV is usually turned off.
- Withings Pulse activity monitor - this is actually the thing that I wanted to talk about when I started this whole post. There are several devices you can affix to your body, from a FitBit clip (tried one, it wouldn't sync with my phone, nor with my laptop unless I booted into Windows, and who has time for that? Also, it fell apart too many times) to mechanical pedometers (surprisingly simple devices, a conductive marble in a wire cage. Count the number of times it rattles.) to more fancy wristwatches (I've got a Samsung Gear Live wristwatch that measures heart rate and steps taken, but that's got to be measuring wrist acceleration, which doesn't work well when I'm on the treadmill and resting my hands on the desk.) I like the Withings Pulse device, a little tile that you can snap into a wristband or into a belt clip, or they say you can just dump it in your pocket. Maybe I should have kept it in my pocket, because yesterday I discovered it wasn't in the belt clip anymore. Maybe it got loose as I was moving furniture at my folks', maybe at a picnic, maybe on a ferryboat to or from, but the device isn't much good to me when it's not affixed to my person. Once I got home, I went straight to Amazon.com who will get me a replacement by Wednesday. The replacement also comes with a sturdier wristband than the one I had before, which sounds good. Maybe, it'll also come with a belt clip that doesn't let the thing go when I'm dragging a steamer trunk down two flights of stairs. Probably not a well-tested use case.
Also sort of in this picture, but hidden from view, is a foldaway keyboard/mouse tray. I don't think it's really designed for this desk, though it was an accessory I purchased as part of the same order. I looked around to see if anybody was selling an iMovR ThermoDesk Stowaway Ergonomic Keyboard Tray on Amazon or eBay, but there doesn't seem to be a much of an aftermarket for these guys.
And, just to make this blog more update-y:
Distance: 62.93mi
That's around halfway from San Diego to Los Angeles. I should drill in a little bit and get more local landmarks.
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