This post describes my working environment, providing some insights into what the space is used for, and my reaction to the things in it. It is located in Cliff Cottage, on the upper = main floor, at the head of the stairs. It occupies an area of 3.4 square meters = 36.6 square feet, and is 2 meters long and 1.7 meters wide.
An office is not just space. Work in this modern age involves a dependency on electricity. So my desk has 12 electrical sockets divided between two outlets (6 each) on either side of the window. In addition, there is a need for ample light: daylight when it is available through that window, LED lamps, especially, when it is not. One also needs ergonomically designed equipment, especially if one is going to be working many hours during the day.
The photo, above, shows my office space. Office equipment, such as a desk and a chair, are essential for providing functionality in a working environment. These also help maintaining health and happiness. One realization that came writing this post is that there are so many Ikea products. But not everything. The desk is not from Ikea, but was purchased from a office outfitting store in Steinkjer. It is electrically powered height adjustable. While some would never want one, others find it ideal, because it allows them to stand or sit and vary their position, depending on their mood. However, standing (without adequate movement) can also be a health issue. I quit standing at my desk when I turned 75. Instead, I attempt to get in an hour of walking, outdoors or in 2 x 30 minute or 3 x 20 minute indoor sessions, that may include several trips up and down stairs.
The computing equipment did not come from Ikea. Most of it was provided by Multicom, located in Åmli = elm slope, a village in a rural municipality of the same name, in Agder, the most southern county in Norway.
When this area was designated a space for an office in 2010, ceiling tiles were added. In addition, the space was fitted with a florescent light. Under the European Economic Area (EEA) = 27 European Union countries, plus Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, directive on Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) from 2011, the production and import of new fluorescent lighting was banned from 2023. Sales will be allowed until stocks were used up, and consumers were allowed to use them until they stopped working. The reason for the ban was based on their use of toxic materials, especially mercury, although there were other concerning materials, such as phosphorus. Thus, this ban is to protect human health and the environment from their harmful effects. In round numbers, the LED replacement tubes are twice as expensive, but use about 50% less power, and last about ten times longer.
Legislation banning florescent tubes is pending in other parts of the world, as well. In USA, it is the various states that have to initiate legislation. The following states have banned them, to the best of my ability I have attempted to state the year when that ban will take place: California (2025), Colorado (2025), Hawaii (2025), Maine (2026), Maryland (2025), Nevada (2024), New Jersey (2023), Oregon (2025) Rhode Island (2025), Vermont (2024), Washington (2023), Washington DC (2022). Meanwhile, in Canada, most fluorescent lamps containing mercury will be prohibited by 2029-12-31, with the first prohibitions set for 2026-01-01.
As can be seen in the above photo, there is a cotton curtain in a philodendron pattern that covers the window. It was designed by Malin Gyllensvaan (? – ) for Ikea. A living philodendron, growing in its own pot was once located near there. It has been moved because it took up too much space. On the window wall, off to the right, but not shown in the photo, is an Alex half-height storage unit with five drawers that stores my valuable possessions, as well as not so valuable junk.
In that unit, one tool is a Casio FX-82 calculator. I have bought four iterations of it, starting in 1982, with the last bought in 2020. All were cheap but adequate scientific calculators released in several variations over the years aimed at tertiary level students. These are powered by 2 AA batteries which because of the calculator’s low power consumption, meant the machine would last for years without a battery change. While most computing devices have an adequate scientific calculator app, there are some circumstances where these are not allowed. One case is the amateur radio operator exam. Thus, the last one was bought to make calculations on that exam.
Also in the unit is a soldering station, with additional equipment to prevent damage associated with electro-static discharge (ESD). On top of the unit are battery charging devices for battery powered power tools, hand-held devices and more. Also attached to the wall is a unit to hold small tools including 24 screw drivers and other ESD compliant tools for working with electronics. Above that is a storage unit with 24 drawers for small electrical components/ parts. In the ceiling of that exterior wall there is LED strip lighting.
Behind the Alex unit, and about 70 cm from the edge of the desk, there is a linen cupboard facing away from the desk area, It is 60 x 100 x 210 cm (D x W x H). Its back is used to hold a peg board, which has many different types of decorative items on it. Accessed from the other side, the top 50 cm of the linen closet is used to store some of my surplus computer and other equipment. For example, this is where I have five keyboards, two mice, four small obsolete computers, a slide scanner, a telescope, a synthesizer, a tripod and more.
On the wall shown in the photo, there are two burgundy (red) four compartment Ikea Eket storage units. On top of them there are items from the early 1970s, including a Ten-Tec Argonaut 504 radio transceiver, and three yellow Crayonne storage containers, as well as a contemporary yellow hard hat. The Eket compartments hold books, writing supplies, a stereo microscope, power supplies and mugs with assorted pens and pencils. Along the lower edge there are LED light strips.
Below the Eket compartments there is a shelf that holds three mustard (yellow) Ikea Moppe units. One of them with 9 small drawers, one with 6 medium sized drawers, and yet another with three large drawers. Shelldun, a frequently broken then repaired ceramic turtle, lives between the first and the second. He reminds me of my turtle clan, Mohawk ancestry. My Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 interface is stored between the second and third units. Also on the shelf are two photos of my daughter Shelagh, and my mother, Jennie, as well as a portable HF radio. To the right of these, attached to the wall there is a yellow and black 34 dB ear defender, and a Logitech G Pro X wireless headset.
Finally, we come to the desk itself. The desk measures 100 x 180 cm, but lacks a segment that measures 80 cm x 20 cm.
Many people will see Red, the Angry Birds speaker, that is only used when multiple people are encouraged to listen to something. Red is purported to be a northern cardinal = Cardinalis cardinalis. This species is native to where I have my biological origins, in Essex county, Ontario, which is the most southerly county in Canada. Also on my desk is a ceramic tile showing the Essex county tartan, superimposed on a county map. This is where I place my coffee cup.
An Asus P50 computer sits on the desk, but is barely visible in the photo, being largely hidden by a monitor stand. It has an AMD Ryzen 7 4000 processor, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD. It can be used for most office functions, but is not powerful enough for video editing or serious gaming. The computer is attached to the server and internet using a Unify Flex Mini 5-port gigabyte switch, with PoE = Power over Ethernet. Fiberoptic broadband increasingly moves large quantities of data through cyberspace.
Keyboards and mice are the most important input devices, as they have been since personal computers emerged. Currently, these are a Logitech ERGO K860 keyboard, and a Vertical mouse.
A monitor is the most important output device. These have become thinner, with improved resolution. The current monitor is a AOC Q27P2Q 27″ QHD IPS 2560 x 1440 pixels i 16:9 format. The monitor sits on an Ikea Elloven monitor stand. The drawer in the stand, mainly contains writing implements, the most common being Pilot V-ball 0.5 mm with blue liquid ink.
We also have a Canon i-Sensys MF643CDW colour laser printer with a scanner, that is located between my office, and Trish’s office, that she refers to as the Blue Room. It was purchased in 2019. The advantage of a laser printer, in contrast to an ink-jet printer, is that the ink cartridges do not dry out. We print out very few pages a year, yet there is never a problem when we do so. Most of the time, the machine is used as a scanner.
The last item on the desk deserving a comment is the combination desk lamp with 3 diopter magnifying glass. The light source is a circular florescent tube. This is the last remaining florescent lamp in the house where we lack LED replacement tubes. The needed replacement lamp is referred to as a Osram Substitube T9 LED circular light, with a 212 mm diameter, 1320 Lumen that consumes 11 W. It has a colour temperature of 4000 K = cold white. Power consumption with the original lamp is 22 W. This is not the first light source that we have had difficulty converting. The upstairs bathroom has a short (451 mm length) linear tube. I could not find a replacement until one day, in the local co-op I found one. It was purchased immediately. It will be replaced as soon as the current light wears out. I expect something similar will happen with this one remaining circular light.
I sit at an Ikea Råvaror (Swedish) = Fresh Produce (English) non-adjustable folding chair. When I initially tried the chair out, I made sure that it was suitable for my height and weight. It is comfortable to use. Many people are too concerned about desk chair padding. Personally, I don’t think one obtains extra comfort from it. Most of the time when I use this chair, my (human) back is not touching the seat back. However, I feel sitting like this improves my posture.
While the screen-saver is difficult to see in the first photo, it is reproduced below. It is incorrectly titled, “A Map of the Area that I call Home.” It has been used, with this incorrect title, as the screen saver on all of my computers, for at least 15 years. On the left is part of Vancouver Island. In the middle is the Salish Sea. On the right at the top = north, is Canada. On the right at the bottom = south, is USA. If one examines the photo in detail, there is a slight difference in the topography north and south of the border.
In contrast, Trish’s screen saver has a large number of photographs that she has taken, that she cycles between.
One of the first differences we noted when we moved to Norway, was that the health aspects of seating were taken seriously. Pupils were assigned desks and chairs that were suited to their bodies, and school nurses and other professionals were engaged in this process. Height adjustments of chairs and desks for growing children should made, say, two – four times a year. Adults should probably check things annually. Pregnant women may also want to make more frequent adjustments.
Procedures for a home office with a seat adjustable chair and desk.
Begin by sitting. First, adjust the chair seat height so that feet are comfortable on the floor. Adjustments to the back support can then be made. Second, adjust the desk height so that hands feel comfortable on the keyboard and mouse. Measure and note this position. Third, adjust the display/ monitor/ screen height so that it can be seen comfortably without strain. Yes, this means that monitors should be height adjustable. Place the top of the screen at or slightly below (0 – 30°) eye level. It should also be placed about an arm’s length away from the user, so that the entire screen can be viewed comfortably. With a sit-stand chair, there is also a fourth adjustment. Stand and remove the chair. Adjust the desk height once again so the hands feel comfortable using the keyboard and mouse. Measure and note this position. The display should need no further adjustment.
One of the main challenges of modern offices is that people are connected 24/7. Yes, perpetually. We are fortunate, in some respects, we experience electrical outages randomly, but at about monthly intervals. This forces us to do something else, for up to a few hours.
In addition, people should plan activities away from computers up to several hours a day. Activities may include: walking, gardening, woodworking, reading, and or much more.
Note: I am not the most enthusiastic user of the word home. In part it is because the term is used commercially by companies such as Home Depot. A more honest name for them would have been Building Supplies Depot. The term gives a sense of false intimacy to a business. I also dislike the term home being used in connection with commercially made food. I have come across home made products that have been made in factories. I usually avoid buying them.
Every place where a person lives is different. People have very specific ideas as to what that place should and should not be. To avoid having to take all of these specifics into consideration, and to avoid the wrath of readers by failing to do so, I changed the name of this post less than 26 hours before publication from Home Office to Household Office, then to My Office, before landing on Brock’s Office. After all, this is not the only office in our household.
Trish wanted me to add that I do not use this office for much of my writing. Yes, the office space is too open, and I have no opportunity to keep others away. I often prefer to isolate myself from the world, lying on my bed, using a laptop.