| Cult of Mac

Ease repetitive strain with Kensington’s new trackball mouse

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Give the repetitive strain a rest with Kensington's new trackball.
Give the repetitive strain a rest with Kensington's new trackball.
Photo: Kensington

If you’re tethered to a computer all day and start to get agonizing pain from repetitive motions, don’t panic. There are lots of ergonomic devices out there to help, including the brand new Kensington SlimBlade Pro Trackball.

It’s like a mouse, but it doesn’t move. You roll the large trackball with your palm and click on the four huge buttons with your fingers or parts of your hand. And it doesn’t matter which hand you favor.

Part 2: From PC pigsty to prim M1 Pro MacBook workstation [Setups]

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In round 2, I experiment with an open laptop stand, a mechanical keyboard with a wrist rest, a Magic Trackpad 2, an ergonomic mouse with a trackball and a monitor light bar.
In round 2, I experiment with an open laptop stand, a mechanical keyboard with a wrist rest, a Magic Trackpad 2, an ergonomic mouse with a trackball and a monitor light bar.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

I wrote recently about the shameful squalor of my previous “setup” — basically a borrowed PC laptop perched on a pile of junk — and my effort to build something worthwhile around a gleaming new 14-inch M1 Pro MacBook. Well, like a lot of people in the throes of building a computer setup, I found that second-guessing haunted me into buying a whole lot of alternative gear.

You know, for testing purposes. Trial and error. Not because of my apparent shopping addiction. Or not much, anyway.

Going ‘ergo everything’ with an M1 MacBook Pro rig [Setups]

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Ergonomic furniture and peripherals plus pleasing decor equal comfy setup.
Ergonomic furniture and peripherals plus pleasing decor equal comfy setup.
Photo: YezzirDoodles@Reddit.com

Coincidentally, our last Setups post concerned itself with proper ergonomics, and today’s sticks with the theme. On Friday we wrote about a person making a comfortable and productive workstation out of little more than a laptop. This time, someone has gone “ergo everything” on an M1 MacBook Pro rig with a big external monitor and a nice set of peripherals, furniture and accessories.

Banish bad posture forever with the unique Roost MacBook stand

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Up, up up! The Roost elevates your MacBook experience. Photos Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Up, up up! The Roost elevates your MacBook experience. Photos Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

I was supposed to get a Roost to review last year after the successful Kickstarter went into production. I didn’t, but we fixed that at the beginning of this summer, and think God we did – this stand will change the way you use your MacBook.

The Roost is a crazy collapsible scaffold that unfolds from nothing to become a sturdy stand the holds the MacBook at eye-level. Assuming you combine it with regular breaks, and set your keyboard at the right height, you will never have to experience neck, arm or back pain ever again.

Class Up Your Workspace With These Elegant Wooden Lap Desks [Gallery]

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Elephant not included.
Elephant not included.

I’m always on the lookout for some nice accoutrements to make my working day a bit more delightful, and as an Apple fan, the better something looks and works, the more I want it.

Take these sweet Macbook lap desks and iMac risers–made of walnut and oak with a birch core–from Danish design firm Nordic Appeal: they’re light, super functional and as elegant looking as I’ve ever seen.

Ergonomically, it’s useful to bring your Mac screen to about eye level, and having these little risers and wedges will certainly help you do that, no matter what desk, coffee shop table or lap you ultimately do your work on.