A progression through career, time, and technology.
Desk 1: 1999 – early 2001
Notable items: Dell GX1 series desktops running Windows NT SP6 (no USB) and Novell 4.?. I think the desktop laying on its side is a Compaq (pre-HP merge with a front loading/no tray cd slot). Everything including peripherals is beige. I can’t remember if the mice had scroll wheels or not but I’m leaning toward no. Loved my Dell rebranded Sony Trinitron flat screen CRT – sharpest picture ever!
Desk 2 – early 2001 thru mid 2002
Notable items: Beige CRT monitors and computer cases, but perihperals (PS2) are black. The skinnier cases are Dell Dimensions, the rounded case under my desk was an NEC PC I was testing (it was horrible). We were running Win2K by then, CD-R’s were plentiful, and we were rolling out Palm 3′s, 3C’s (management usually, haha) and Palm 5′s a bit later. Best feature was my Herman Miller Aeron chair (pre 9/11 gov money ftw!)
Desk 3 – mid 2002 thru mid 2006
Notable items: I moved buildings four times during this job, and this is the desk I sat at the longest. Photo is circa 2004? Finally – flat panel monitors! Everything including monitors, cases, and peripherals are all black but are still PS2. We were most likely running Windows XP. Note my Handspring Treo 270 next to the keyboard – it was my first “smartphone” and I loved that thing to death (literally, I broke and replaced the door hinge twice). This was my smallest desk to date and was located in what could only be referred to as a carpeted garage (long story).
Desk 4 – mid 2006 – ??
Notable items: Dual 19 LCD’s. Desk still messy. Peripherals are all USB now. My iPhone is charging next to my keyboard. Through the course of these past 10 years there’s always been one item on every desk I’ve had : my Sun coffee mug which has been with me since the second day of my first “real” job is. Though you can’t see it in every photo it’s always there somewhere.
It’s been an interesting experience watching technology evolve over the years – to see monitors go from giant back-breaking CRT’s to lightweight LCD’s. PC cases are slimmer and sleeker now, and the chances of cutting one’s finger off on a sharp edge have diminished greatly. My first PDA was a Palm 3, and now I’m rolling with an iPhone. Ten years doesn’t seem so long ago but in technology time it feels like a lifetime ago.
