xset

5 things you couldn’t work without

// March 10th, 2005 // Personal

Take a look at your desk or workspace. If you’re anything like me then it’s a carefully crafted piece of chaos theory in action.

Everything on there is useful or has purpose but of all the clutter (apologies if you’re one of these uber tidy people for whom a desk is a sacred, set square perfect place) which 5 things can’t you live without?

---

CSS Pocket Reference – Eric A Meyer

This diminutive book is worth its weight in saffron! Referred to on a daily basis it serves as a constant reminder that CSS is both powerful and complex… to complex for me to remember it all so the book sits on my desk, normally about 6 inches from my left hand. My only worry is that it will one day disintegrate and I will have to replace it.

Blue gloopy thing

I can’t find a photo it but the concept is pretty simple. A cylinder about 10 inches tall and 3 inches in diameter separated across the horizontal centre by a disc with a half inch hole in it. It’s half full of blue gloop and when you turn it upside down the gloop begins it ponderous progress into the other half of the cylinder. Not only is it a great way to indulge in a brief spot of office meditation but it also gives others something to look at when I have to answer one of my many impromptu phone calls.

Post-it notes

In 1968 a 3M inventor came up with a formula for a crap glue… in 1980 a better inventor came up with the post-it note and the world has never looked back. Despite all the note functions in software such as Outlook and even stickies in Mac OSX I still find my self falling back on the classic Post-it as a quick pad and reminder device. I prefer the 3 x 5 yellow edition as it “syncs” with my Hipster PDA.

PowerBook

Oh come on … you knew it was coming. I’ve had it for less than a week and I can’t imagine being without it. It is very silver and very very cool. Now all I need is to work on the wireless mouse bit and it will be perfect!

The business card taped to my monitor

A recent innovation of mine and it serves as a solution to one of my biggest problems … what the heck is my company’s address / fax number / postcode etc. Plus it helps for those “brain dead thanks to too many cocktails over the weekend” monday mornings… where you can’t even remember your name let alone your job title!

---

So those are mine… what about you guys?

(5 things is a new feature here at XSet. I’ll be trying for a new one every week or so. Please feel free to play along and trackback or email me to let me know yours are posted. Don’t have a blog and want to play? Email me and I’ll stick them up here!)