Posts Tagged ‘Peripherals’

Your Keyboard is Dirtier Than a Toilet Seat

Monday, April 12th, 2010

It’s a shocking title for an article, but several studies performed over the last decade prove it is possible.  Our computers are a big part of our lives at work and home and we (JumpstartMyPC.com) have spent countless hours preaching about the importance of “maintenance,” but always from the digital side of things.  The physical components of our computers (internal and external) also need some TLC and, as it turns out, we should get started yesterday.

“Keyboards were swabbed and those swabs sent off for analysis by a microbiologist. Frighteningly, several keyboards were highly contaminated, and at least one was removed on the scientist’s advice as it harbored four times the amount of harmful bacteria compared to a toilet seat, used as a reference point.”  This quote, taken from the article Study: keyboards make excellent homes for nasty bacteria is a sobering “call to arms” for PC users everywhere.  We spend countless hours on our computers and the majority of that time is spent “communicating” with our PC via the keyboard and mouse.  Ironically, these user input devices are often the last to receive any maintenance or cleaning.

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Organize and Stylize Your Workspace – Part II

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Earlier today, we posted the article Organize and Stylize Your Workspace.  I made reference to several great products and ideas for organizing your work area, but failed to mention that I have been tackling this issue for some time myself now.  Here’s a quick look at what I have done.

My Workspace

The picture might be a little grainy, but you get the… picture.  Here is a breakdown of the elements of my new workspace:

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Organize and Stylize Your Workspace

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Whether at home or at the office, organization is important.  Your productivity and efficiency can hinge on your ability to locate things quickly and easily.  Unfortunately, being busy often keeps us from finding the time to clean up our workspace and get our desk organized.  Sounds a bit like the “chicken or the egg” argument, doesn’t it?  Well, it’s time to make a change and we have some tips to help you out.

With any computer workspace there are a few standard hurdles to overcome.  Cables, monitors, speakers and peripherals are necessities, but take up valuable desk space and limit your “elbow room.”  Honestly, once you get all these things set up in the small bit of real estate that your office allows you, what room is there for actual work?  In most cases, the answer is as simple as a bigger desk or cubicle.  Unfortunately, due to space constraints and budgets, this easy answer is often impossible.  It is going to be up to you and a small amount of money to seize back your workspace and your sanity.

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