A Geek Goes Flying

About two and a half years ago I stumbled across the ideal (for me) portable sit-stand laptop stand , the TRIPODSY. I still have it and still love it, but there’s a problem: It seems to have disappeared and been scrubbed from the Internet. It came with a set of instructions (see below) that included a QR code linking to a YouTube “ video instruction ,” but that video is now private. The Amazon link is now a “ Projector Tripod Stand .” Only a few remnants exist (including this since-sold OfferUp listing ). So I guess now I’m just archiving knowledge here for anyone lucky enough to have snagged one when they were around. Other options exist: The “ StandMore Portable Standing Desk with Keyboard Tray ” ($190) is the Tripodsy under a different name. Looks identical. The Tripod Standing Desk ($220) and 17x8" keyboard platform ($50) ($270 + shipping?) is still apparently available. (There’s also the $400 “Pro” version.) A  redditor put together something roughly comparable  (...

Tripodsy standing desk with MacBook Pro A trip to Mammoth validated my concept of a portable office. (Of course, this trip we ended up in a condo with a desk, making the standing desk less of a requirement - though still useful - and rendered the collapsible stool superfluous. But, this condo doesn't have a Keurig, so now I’m thinking: Amazon Basics Compact Dual Brew Single Serve Capsule Coffee Maker . But I digress.) Stuck inside while an atmospheric river dumps snow outside (the picture here was taken on the third floor!), I’m getting work done with the following setup: Tripodsy standing desk , that I carried up in a 24" duffel bag : Apple MacBook Pro 14" with a ShaggyMax screen protector and Speck FlapTop sleeve (says it’s for the 13" Air and it fits that, too, bu the MBP 14" fits perfectly). NuPhy Air75 with brown switches, shine-through keycaps and revised logic board . (I’m not sure I’d use this keyboard like this again. The brown switches aren’t my ...

I’m waiting patiently for the Nomad Desk ( IndieGogo ). But the current timeline for that is next summer: “June 2023 Production& Delivery.” Sigh. At the moment I’m using the Rigg Monitor Mount on a kitchen bar-height counter, but that’s ... Not great. After looking at other options‡ I picked up a TRIPODSY Portable Laptop Standing Desk ($160 but I found one for sale on Mecari second-hand for $100), which seems like it might be The One™. The maximum height is apparently 70" (per a response to a question posted on Amazon; specs say 61" which is still fine), it includes the keyboard platform, it’ll hold up to 11 lbs and a laptop up to 16". The keyboard shelf is a spacious 17.6" wide. I've been using it for a few hours so far, and so far I like it well enough. The shelf is wide enough for a NuPhy Air 75 or Keychron K6 (or even K2 75% ) keyboard and Logitech M557 mouse to coexist comfortably, though my normal small 6x8" mousepad overhangs by half a...