Category Archives: laptop comfort

Should Kids Be Using Standing Desks?

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Standing desks in classrooms

As standing desks become a part of offices and home offices for promoting wellness, their application for classrooms to benefit the health of students has also become a growing trend.  Combined with a push to offer healthier school lunches and increase the opportunity for fitness at school, sit-stand desks have been viewed as an additional benefit for classrooms. Here are just a few of the advantages.

Boosting Focus

Standing increases blood flow to the brain without the intense rigor of physical exercise, which means enhanced focus in the classroom. By simply standing while learning, this moderate fitness for a one week period is equal to a child walking five miles. The use of stand up desks was also associated with significant improvements (7-14%) in executive function and working memory capabilities.

Improving Classroom Behavior

In a recent study by Texas A&N University, standing while learning increased classroom attention and engagement by 12%. That translates into seven more minutes per hour of engaged learning, which is otherwise lost in disruptive behavior by students and teachers managing that behavior.

Improving Overall Health and Fitness

The percentage of children with obesity in the United States has more than tripled since the 1970s. Today, about one in five school-aged children (ages 6–19) has obesity.*  Research shows that standing helps burn 17-35% more calories than sitting. Standing also helps prevent Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and improve BMI—all critical factors in combating an epidemic of childhood obesity.

Advocating for Standing Desks at Your School

Speak to your child’s teacher about supporting a sit-stand initiative. Approach parent/teacher organizations and any administrators or committees involved in supporting health at school.

Do Your Homework

Be prepared to present all the health benefits of standing desks in the classroom. Learn more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4929187/

Get Students Involved

Engaging student councils at school gets kids actively involved in the health of their fellow students and helps support your arguments for standing desks in school.

Launch a Fund-Raising Initiative

Schools will always be supportive when it comes to improving student health, but budgets will inevitably be a roadblock. If your plan is approved by administrative committees, creative fund-raising efforts can help generate the money necessary to bring sit-stands into the classroom without impacting school budget constraints.

Learn more about flexible and easy to use standing desk technology: Standing Desks Options

 

 

* https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm

 

When A Laptop is Too Hot To Handle

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hot laptops

All laptops get hot while you are working on them. But when is your laptop too hot? Have you been noticing unexpected self shutdowns? This may indicate a bigger problem. Laptops are designed with preventive sensors to stop overheating from causing damage. Frequent shutdowns may indicate technical problems.

Check Your Laptop Fan.

All laptops have a ventilating fan to release the excess heat they produce. Find the fan and place your hand near it. You should feel warm hot coming out. This means your heat management system is working properly. If the air coming out doesn’t seem that warm, this may mean a buildup of dust is limiting the fan’s capacity. If you are okay with opening up your laptop, you can find the fan inside. Blow on it  or use compressed air to get it clean. If you are not comfortable with this maintanence, find a reputable computer repair service to take care of the problem. (Make sure you let them know you think it just needs a thorough cleaning).

A LapDesk Can Help Your Lap Stay Cool & Comfortable.

Because working laptops can still be uncomfortably hot, use lap desks to help manage the heat and keep you comfortable. Portable laptop desks are good for business travelers as they make working in airports and in hotels easier. The GoRiser also has cooling vents to help ventilate the laptop, as well as SoftShock technology which provides a softer cushion for your lap.

Laptop Lap Desk

GoRiser Laptop Lap Desk

 

Other designs like I Spire Series Laptop Desk are ideal for home users with features like bumpers to keep the laptop securely in place making them more comfortable for those who use laptops while on the couch or in reclining positions.

Comfortable Laptop Lap Desk

I-Spire Laptop Lap Desk

Traveling with your digital devices? Here are some things you might need.

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Phones, laptops and tablets help us stay productive, pass the time and keep us networked while traveling.  Here are a few extras that can help enhance that on-the-road digital experience.

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Privacy Filters

On a crowded airplane, that casual glance at your laptop screen be annoying. Take the precaution of a privacy filter for peace of mind. Blackout privacy filters completely black out the side view of your laptop or tablet and even some smartphone screens(depends on the model). Yet the straight on view of the screen for you is completely clear. Privacy filter technology is improving, make screens easier to attach and remove for those occasions when you want to show someone your screen. Otherwise, even if you are not necessarily looking at confidential info, it’s still more comforting to keep your screen private.

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Tablet Portfolios

Tablets are especially useful for business trips. They are compact and versatile and are quickly becoming one of the go-to digital technologies for quick and easy digital presentations. Now you can improve the productivity of your tablet by accessorizing. Tablet folios feature new designs that allow you to view your tablet free standing, or hand held, in vertical or horizontal orientations and in several different viewing angles. Executive folios even come with a Bluetooth keyboard.  And it doesn’t matter whether you are left handed or right handed, new folio designs accommodate both. It’s also nice to have traditional stand-bys with your tablet—such a writing pad, pen and business card holder, a few perks that make traveling with your tablet more productive.

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Laptop Lapdesk

As wonderful as laptops are for travel, on a long flight they can leave your lap a little warm, if not hot. Lapdesks eliminate the burn. With built in cooling channels  you will never suffer from scorched thigh syndrome again. Modern designs also feature bumpers that keep the laptop securely in place and slightly angled for easy typing. Toss one in your briefcase or bag pack for your next trip.

What Office Managers May Need to Get for Open Space Offices

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NY-DC079_OFFICE_P_20140706171723.jpgOpen office plans may not only change our work patterns, but also the office products we use everyday. Less reliance on the cubicle means workers are no longer tied to the desktop computer.  This new found freedom however, also introduces issues for office managers. How do you equip office staff who may have smaller work stations, or even no workstations at all?

While the average worker had 225 square feet of space in 2010, by 2017 that figure will fall 33 percent, to 151 square feet, according to data from CoreNet Global.

 

Laptops: Mobility vs. Discomfort

Laptops are designed to be slim and portable, but not necessarily comfortable. Flat keyboards and touchpads reintroduce ergonomic issues that were resolved with the proper desktop computer accessories.

To help reduce wrist strain, or laptopitis, the laptop lap desk creates proper elevation of the laptop as well as providing a secure cushioned platform on which to rest it while working.

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Overdependence on Digital: Does Anybody Have a Pen?

Sometimes moving freely throughout an open office plan with your electronic devices can mean having the entire internet at your disposal, yet not having quick access to something as simple and necessary as a pen and paper. After all, there are  occasions when with tablet in one hand and phone in the other, you may desperately need to simply write down a phone number.

With the new MobilePro Series, tablet accessory, you can integrate your iPad with office basics like pen, paper and business cards. So no matter where you are brainstorming in the latest upscale open office space, you can jot down notes and check your email.

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No Walls: Collaboration vs. Intrusion

One of the most discussed issues of open office plans is the reduction of personal space. Though cubicle walls seem to create isolation, they also provide some personal privacy. Though the idea that open floor plans would encourage collaboration and engagement between workers seems interesting, in some cases that loss of boundaries feels like intrusion, especially when working with mobile electronic devices. Casual glances at what is on your laptop or tablet screen, or even your smartphone ,may not seem like a serious offense, but could end up making everyone a bit more guarded.

Maintaining personal privacy with privacy screens can help reduce that sense of intrusion. With PrivaScreen blackout privacy filters you create peripheral blind sides that prevent prying eyes from viewing your screen. Not only for laptops, you can also get privacy filters for tablets and phones.

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Do You Have What it Takes to be a Digital Nomad?

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Working independently seems like a dream for many who are stuck in a cubicle 9 to 5. But with the perks come other demands that may need be so dreamy.

Personal discipline

The 40 hour work week is actually scheduling our work performance. Regimentation allows us to focus on projects without worrying about time or productivity. As a digital nomad, you need to be able to create your own personal performance structure. In other words, digital nomads create their own timeclock, setting personal deadlines for projects, defining how long a project will take to complete and making sure time working at home is time well spent. Working from home is full of distractions, after all, from kids  to chores, to the lure of unchecked leisure time. Disciplined digital nomads know when to put everything else on hold for work.

What Would a Digital Nomad Take to a Desert Island?

Tablet Gear

Smartphone Gear

Laptop Gear

 

Ability to work anywhere

The home office can be comfy, too comfy sometimes.  Away from the corporate cubicle, the home office can easily become more than an office, a personal sanctuary that appeals to our comforts, but may also weaken our ability to address challenges. Digital nomads pride themselves on being able to work at cafes, airports and even unfamiliar office environments where they may need to temporarily set up shop. Digital nomads thrive outside their comfort zone.

Working independently is also working alone

Being an independent worker seems like the perfect fit for a free spirit, but working independently can also mean being less connected to the home office team. Far from daily meetings and brainstorming, digital nomads may need to become less reliant on others for the completion of tasks and more dependent on themselves for essential information. This doesn’t mean that digital nomads are working without others, just that the lines of communication become less robust with their distance from headquarters. The availability of  other office associates in a corporate environment can mean face to face coordination to prevent misinformation, as well as the ability to maintain real time consistency in a project’s timeline performance. The remote factor increases the risk for miscommunication and mistakes.  Digital nomads know this and manage a strict schedule of confirmation emails and conference calls to ensure their place in  the successful completion of a project.

Tis the Season for Practicality: Five Unique Gifts That Stay Useful All Year Long.

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For Those Who Love to Laminate

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It may seem odd, but laminating can be an obsession. Just talk to any teacher or crafter. The new laminators from Fellowes feature two unique features. InstaHeat warms up the laminator in a minute or less—a very important feature for those who can’t wait two minutes to get started laminating.  The second feature is AutoSense, which automatically adjusts to pouch thickness. This feature is important if you are changing pouches and forget to readjust your machine. If you know someone who loves laminating, check out these options: Laminator Gifts.

 

 

 

For Tablet Users

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This essential gift for tablet fans uses suction to create a strong hands-free stand for a tablet. Tablets can be used in landscape or portrait viewing and the special design of the SuctionStand enhances the audio of the tablet.

 

 

 

Lounging with Your Laptop

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An inexpensive and useful gift is the Laptop LapDesk. Laptops are convenient, but using them on the couch or with your feet propped up on a desk can get uncomfortable. The Laptop LapDesk gives you a comfortable way to use your laptop without cramping your style.

 

 

 

No More Cold Feet

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We know foot rests are helpful, but wouldn’t it be great if they could also keep your toes toasty? This climate control footrest can provide soothing warmth on cold days, especially after you just tramped through a snowy parking lot. This handy device can also cool your feet on hot days. Either way, your gift recipient will thank you all season long!

 

 

 

The Heavy Handed Mouser

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Need an office stocking stuffer? The Plush Touch Wrist Support gives comforting pillow-like support to anyone who has to use a mouse all day. Compared to simple mouse pads, you will feel the difference in the superior softness of the FoamFusion Technology. Upgrade an associate with the gift of mousing comfort.

Is Your Laptop Giving You HOLS?

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That’s Hunched Over Laptop Syndrome.
With the increased use of laptops over desktop computers, we begin to adjust to our technology in unhealthy ways.
Looking “down” at screens for long periods of time causes neck and shoulder tension.
Flat laptop keyboards force us to bend our wrists in awkward positions in order to type, leading to wrist and arm pain.
And with the mobility of laptops, we work on them on sofas, on coffee tables and pretty much anywhere, thinking we are making ourselves more comfortable, but in fact, twisting our bodies into unrelaxed positions as we strain to work.

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Eliminating HOLS

Laptop Lifts raise your monitor to an ideal height, reducing neck and shoulder tension.
Lifts also angle the keyboard for more comfortable typing.
Most importantly, Laptop Lifts keep you working in a healthier, less strained sitting position so you can enjoy the mobility without the pain.

Learn More about Laptop Lifts: Click here: Laptop Comfort Solutions

 

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The Growth of Co-Worker Work Spaces

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Creating a Co-Worker Space

Co-working, the creation of a shared work space, continues to grow and positively influence those who participate. According to annual survey from DeskMag.com, the maximum capacity of most spaces is now 41 people, and the average membership size is 44. Desk utilization is up, from 49% to 55%, meaning spaces are being used by their members more frequently. 62% said they have no plans to leave their locations, while less than 5% will stay just for one month, disproving the idea that co-workers are just mobile workers.

Who is the Typical Co-Worker?

53% are freelancers, with the remainder being a mix of entrepreneurs, and surprisingly, small company employees and big company employees, as companies seek new ways to maintain a workforce without the huge overhead of company-owned office space.

Expansion plans are running high: 29% of spaces plan to add extra desks, 9% want to upgrade to a bigger location, and 36% will open a new second location.

Other than desks, what else is needed for a co-worker work space?

A commercial shredder that has the capacity for heavy usage and the efficiency to manage shredding jobs without a lot of attention required from workers focused on their own projects.

A universally accessible printer/scanner/copier as well as a binding and laminating station allow for comprehensive document production.

Plug and Work workstations may not be decked out with personal photos, but they can include work-ready laptop and tablet lifts for those on-the-go workers whose job descriptions need a home base for their mobile business.

Heavy, locking file cabinets can be cumbersome. Lightweight, mobile storage boxes with security features allows records  to be stored, rearranged and moved around the work space with ease.

 

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