In response to My Home Office, Gnomie Neal Gray (aka Red Lantern) writes:

Hi Chris,

I check out your video feeds via iTunes subscription. (I’m never on the computer at the same time you’re live, go figure). I am also a former Iowan myself and can attest that you really enjoy Iowa when you don’t live there anymore. In answer to that nagging question in the back of your mind, no, I didn’t even bother with Iowa’s class action lawsuit… seriously, what is their problem? Microsoft has better things to do than dealing with lawsuits.

I did have some comments about the video for your home office, but when I got halfway through, I realized it was more of one of those “list of 5 things” geeks can add to their home office. And I HAD to e-mail that to ya.

So here we go:

  1. Definitely got to take a one dollar bill and turn it into a million dollar bill. It’s all about realizing your dreams and setting a goal in your life (no matter how impossible it may seem at the current moment). Anyone who has ever heard about the book or the video called “The Secret,” know what that’s all about. Oh, and you’re supposed to place it where you will see it every day!
  2. Consider getting the paperback edition of the Alan Moore graphic novel The Watchmen. Considered by some to be a literary classic, it shows that you at least have some kind of taste. Whether you actually read it or not is actually up to you. (I’m not suggesting that you actually read it though.) The book will stand out really bold on any shelf. Rightfully, it should. Anyway, why do you think they are called “bookshelves?” Also with the movie in production, it shows that you have some sense of style and trendiness. You may not actually be trendy or stylish, but at least you have The Watchmen on your shelf!
  3. Put a guitar on the wall. You don’t even have to know how to play one to enjoy the ambience of having a guitar hanging on the wall. The more obscure the model or the number of signatures on the piece (famous or not) really adds to the visual enjoyment. If music is not your thing, but World of Warcraft is, consider a large battle axe prop or a sword. Also if wall space isn’t available but shelf space is, consider a small prop dagger or even one of those prop light sabers. Nice!
  4. Consider a bulletin board or a whiteboard. I have a small white board that I picked up from the nearby office supply, and it’s perfect for when spoken words don’t work and written ones get the point across. Either gives the illusion of organization. Now when it comes to my office, I think I need a bulletin board the size of the entire room. Anyway, you might as well admit it. You can imagine someone flashing a little whiteboard at you with the word “pwnd”. It also beats the look of a pc monitor surrounded by post-its.
  5. Get a classic looking toolbox or a really old metal tackle box. Yeah, you may like your tools in the fancy little leather case because of its organizational abilities and its compactness, but nothing says to everyone that you’re an old school geek than toting a big ol’ tool box to handle whatever computer problem you are going to face. For setting off that old school geek vibe, it’s either that, or you may want to consider Albert Einstein’s or maybe even Chris’ hair style. But hairstyle really doesn’t do a whole lot to add to one’s office space, does it? Anyway, that box is going to take up some premium space in your office, so plan out its location well in advance. If you don’t, there will be many stubbed toes in your future.

If the previous ideas aren’t good enough, then always look at what’s on thinkgeek.com (as referred to in the video for “world’s most annoying gadget”). If you can’t find anything there, you might want to reconsider the idea that maybe you’re not really a geek at all. If that ends up being true, I believe you’re going to need to shop at Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shop to find things more suitable for your office. I hear plaid is all the rage right now.

As for the true geeks, you probably ordered one of everything on thinkgeek.com, didn’t ya?

e-ya later!

In response to the same video, inventor Gnomie Bill Oertel, Jr. writes:

Hey Chris,

Saw your office video and I wondered when was the last time you opened your computer case? I’ve repaired dozens of computers that died a slow death from hair-ballius. With your computer sitting on the floor it’s sucking up every microscopic carpet fiber you kick up just walking around. Then you have your hairy ‘children’ (AKA: dogs) running back and forth — this, too, kicks up carpet fibers even more then people do because of their claws, as well as dog hair.

All of this is being sucked into your computer when it’s sitting on the floor. I’ve had computers with hairballs the size of baseballs.

A good rule of thumb: Keep your machine at least 12″ to 18″ off the floor.

One other thing is “NEVER” place a computer over or next to a cold air duct…. just look at your furnace filter and you’ll see what I mean.

Anyone with ‘hairy’ pets should get in the habit of opening and cleaning out their computer every 3 months (Min). Clean the air intake opening/ the exhaust case fan/CPU fan and heat sink/the Power Supply fan(s). When blowing out these fans be sure to hold it from spinning as you will burn out the bearings in them if you over rev them past their normal RPM.