top-quark.blog

$7 laptop stand

So, several months ago, when I first got my new laptop (yes, the ibook), I went traveling across the net to see what sorts of gimmicky and expensive crap I could buy for my system. Though intrigued by its clean design, high quality, and practicality, I was fracking appalled by the $90 pricetag of this particular stand.

It is undeniably nice. But, I hate apple yuppies, and... I'm a DIY-er.

Anyone with a bit of constructive ability should be able to figure this one out. It's just a bunch of 3/4" PVC with associated fittings, totaling about $7, with plenty of material to spare. If you had a PVC bender, you could build it even cheaper. While it does wobble ever-so-slightly, it's not irritating, and is largely mitigated when you keep your palms on the rests, or use a separate keyboard. The wobble could well be my fault, though, since I haven't actually glued mine together yet. If it *really* bothered you, I suppose it could be filled with sand, or, gods forbid, you could modify it to have additional structural elements.

Aside from the obvious benes like clearing up desk space, it's helped to keep the system a lot cooler. I haven't heard the fan kick in since I built it, which I'm sure the internals appreciate.

There's an ergonomic benefit, too. Your average computer hobbyist/professional has a really fantastically bad slouch. I say this from a position of authority, having once had such a slouch, until the last year or so. Between elevating all my desktop displays on a hutch, and this laptop stand's similar effect, my posture's improved dramatically. Not that the chin-up bar and strenuous physical conditioning didn't help, but the continuous effort typically has more effect than the sporadic. If you were going for that angle, it would probably also help to have a table-level keyboard to prevent shoulder scrunching.

For my apple-loving readership, I know all this practicality talk's irritating. In not so many words, then, what is it that makes this cheap stand better than the premade hoi polloi?

It's white.

Racists, the lot of you.