I sat there at my desk exhausted from another day of working from home. My 49" ultrawide curved monitor's screen continued to flash with alerts and intrusive pings. I ached; my back was sore. I hadn't left my desk in 8 hours.
I cant keep doing this
I thought to myself. Tech has become overwhelming, I remembered my first experience with tech in 1998 when I'd play on my father's old 1988 Macintosh Plus and felt joy at the compactness of it. More importantly, I enjoyed the idea of its inability to intrude into my life.
I decided to make a change, my set up had become too comfortable, and too instrusive. I was spending more time in the digital world than in the real one an unhealthy habit.
So, I rang up my dad and asked if he had that old macintosh plus. He said yeah but it's broken and won't turn on. I said that's okay I have an idea for it.
I had stumbled upon the idea of uncomfortable tech.
The idea is that tech is made intentionally cumbersome or uncomfortable to make you want to stop
I knew the old Macintosh Plus would be perfect for it and began a list of all the items for the build:
Kishaver F62 by Model F Keyboards
- Cleo 2 by QOR 360
- Macintosh Mouse Adapter by TinkerBoy
- 8" Screen by Pimoroni found on AdaFruit
- 3D Screen Holder File by Me
- 3D Print Order from JawsTec
- M1 Mac Mini by Apple
- Macintosh Plus case via Dad but you can find them on Ebay or Garage Sales if lucky
I sold my ultrawide monitor and old office chair to fund the projects more expensive pieces; chair and keyboard.
Assembly was straightforward.
The M1 Mac Mini fit perfectly, replacing the previous busted motherboard that also stood vertically. I used the box that the sceen came in to stand the new computer on, again it was a perfect size:
I then had the frame to hold the screen printed. I chose to use a 3D printer from online because I desired a powdered frame that is smoother in appearance than the typical layered approach.
If you prefer to save some money then check around in your local community for 3D printers and it'll probably be under 100 USD, dependent upon the finish selected and material.
Results
I have been using this set up for a few months now and it has done the job of keeping me focused and more importantly keeping me off of the computer as much. As far as productivity goes I've found it to help hone in my focus to tasks such as writing code and of course writing.
I have to focus because it is a race against uncomfort– I can only use the computer for about 1 hr before feeling the need to stand up, stretch, and go outside to get some fresh scenery for my eyes.
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