Flexible camera mounts + ergonomic computer use on airplanes

Typing & Ergonomics
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Hi! I recently did some computering on a couple flights, and figured it was time to document and share a rather nice way to have good ergonomics while using a laptop during a flight: https://mgsloan.com/posts/comfortable-airplane-computing/

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Particularly relevant may be the section about some flexible camera mounts I just got for my keyboardio Model 01 - https://mgsloan.com/posts/comfortable-airplane-computing/#variation-model-01-tilted-outwards-via-flexible-mounts - https://smile.amazon.com/Aobelieve-Flexible-Gooseneck-Security-Keymission/dp/B074CGZXKZ?sa-no-redirect=1 . They worked out way better than I thought they would. These are a decent option if you are looking for a way to use your keyboardio directly on your lap, with more stability than just plain perching.

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5 Likes
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Nice writeup, Michael. With regard to your comments at the end, you might find this helpful:

The programming experience I really want is a keyboard and a VR headset, with a VR IDE that, for example, temporarily opens a directory when I look at it, exposing the files within. Look at a filename, and it temporarily opens the file. Tap in the air, or maybe a long blink, to add it to the workspace.

With Rust as the language, of course. :slight_smile:

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Agreed, this stuff with getting a good position for the screen is just a temporary workaround for the next few years, until AR / VR has enough DPI :slight_smile:

I also like Rust! My second favorite programming language after Haskell. In the last picture on the post I am coding in Rust.

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Great post Michael ! I am used to working in buses, planes and trains, and I am using a combination of these with my MS Surface Pro:

  • https://tablethookz.com/ which enables me to attach the Surface Pro on the front tablet (works well on the plane). I made a hack with a Sugru-made hook holder and a cheap Moko case, as otherwise the tablet hook is not really long enough to handle the height of the Surface Pro (it is rather made to accomodate iPad)
  • some luggage strap when there is no proper tablet on the front seat, that I use to attach the Surface Pro to eye’s level (on buses mostly)

And it is definitely very confortable even for a bus ride of 5 hours :slight_smile:

at the moment I am using the keyboardio attached (the holder with gives a slightly tilted angle), for now I find it sufficient but the flexible camera mount is definitely something I will consider. Thank you for this hack !

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Thanks @jazzfan1980 , I wasn’t aware of tablethookz - good stuff! I’ve added a mention of it to the end of the post. It certainly would be nice to have a more portable system, will certainly consider this in the future.

Perhaps the way to go is to have the laptop for computational power, but use a tablet for the display.