Life, with my desktop returned.

I wrote about the weaknesses of my iPad-only setup and how I was using my laptop and an external monitor. I lamented having to have the MacBook Pro open, so that I could use the camera.

I have a small desk from Ikea, that is quickly filled. A MBP on a stand, an external monitor, keyboard and mouse and there’s not much room for anything else. That's a problem for someone who likes to keep notes in notebooks.

I had a desk setup that I hated, so that I could use a camera, that is frankly, not very good. Find another way to Screencast, and to handle the innumerable video calls that are now a corporate imperative, and I could revert to something better.

The answer is obvious. iPhones have very good cameras. I’m looking at a couple of software solutions, which I’ll post on later.

Making that decision allowed me to close the MBP, and get it off the desk, using it in clamshell mode. Already, an improvement. Thing is, I’d got rather used to two monitors. How good would a matching pair of monitors look? I decided to buy the smaller LG (4k) from Apple, which was the one that I already had. To mount the pair, I opted for a dual monitor mount from Fully.

I awaited the deliveries like a kid on Christmas Eve.

Boom. The day arrived. Wait? This monitor is too big. Ah…

The current LG “smaller one” is bigger than the previous “smaller one”. My legendary lack of attention to detail had reared its head. Whoops.

Actually, the different-sized monitors look fine. Particularly, if I turn the smaller one to portrait orientation, which is kind of funky. I have two booms attached - one for my podcasting microphone, and another to hold my phone for video calls, which I take on my AirPods.

So now, I can push my keyboard and mouse to the edge of the desk and have plenty of space to write by hand.

Does everything look more “tech” than I would like? Yes. That’s kind of inevitable with two big monitors, but If I’m going in for a long analogue session, I can go sit on the terrace - and that’s got to be better, hasn’t it? There’s nothing more analogue than being outside, in nature.

Obviously, now that the desk is perfected, I’m planning on spending more time away from the office…

Honestly, I’m my own worst enemy.