Less interesting than people pretend; more interesting than people admit. Here is what is actually within arm’s reach right now, in roughly the order I’d notice if it were missing.
The screen
A 27-inch 4K display, slightly off-center because the sun is in my eyes when it’s centered. Plugged into a laptop sitting closed in a vertical stand. The laptop hasn’t been opened in three months.
Input
A mechanical keyboard with brown switches — quiet enough to use on calls. A trackpad to the left of it (I’m right-handed, but the trackpad lives on the left so my dominant hand stays on the keys). The trackpad has a coffee stain that has been there since November.
Not-computers
A small lamp with a warm bulb. A plant that has survived four years of neglect. A water bottle I refill twice a day. A notebook open to a page that mostly has the date written on it. A black pen, refilled.
What’s missing
A second monitor. Stickers. Anything labeled “ergonomic.” A standing desk — I tried two of those and went back to sitting.
The most surprising thing about workspace photos online is how staged most of them are. The ones I trust have a wrinkled sleeve in frame.
(Phase-4 generic placeholder — rewrite when you have a real desk.)