Self indulgent discussion of computer peripherals

[kitewithfish]

I've been kind of proactive in updating my work computer set up to be actually kind of awesome for the kind of thing I want to do with it. 

Basically, I spend a huge amount of time on the computer at work, and I had just accepted that the stuff I had there was what I had to have and had to deal with, and lately I'm not going to accept that. 

SO, I got myself a trackball mouse ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OOWB3O) which makes me really damn happy because the scroll wheel does this AWESOME thing where you can use it to zoom in on pages, which makes all the massive amount of reading I do significantly less annoying, and it just makes me pleased to actually have things that work and don't suck, and are MINE. 

In a significantly more self indulgent move, I found this compact mechanical keyboard that I'm actually typing on right now (at home!  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01872MCIA) that will replace the kind of gummy and too-big work keyboard that I have been stuck with, and I am already really looking forward to using it. The keys on this one are just nice and clicky without being absurdly loud, and it makes me feel like I am using an actual piece of technology, as opposed to a piece of crap. 

And I recently found out this little freeware app that allows you to adjust the opacity of all the windows on your screen separately. So now I'm able to set myself up with actual work to do, and up on a youtube video about, I dunno, the history of woolens trade in England, and have something pleasant to listen to instead of the noisy people in my office who a) have offices with doors that could actually shut, and b) talk really loudly about boring things. (I have learned way too much about some lady's uncle's summer cabin this week.)

In unrelated news, I have been doing a slow watch of all of Star Trek The Original Series and, honestly, it's a damn great show. I'm still in the first season, so it has lots of chances to become a parody of itself, I guess, but actually, I really like the acting and the writing and even the cheapness of the sets has a certain kind of charm. It's also a version of Trek that is just so... young.  It feels like everything is up in the air, that none of the big decisions have been made and the show is just having a blast making things up as they go. I only just watched Balance of Terror (aka, the episode where the Romulans are introduced) and it's just remarkably compelling TV. I'm kind of bewildered. I thought I would have to make a lot of excuses for it, and I really just don't. 

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

Yeah, I get the concerns about the special effects and sets. During my recent rewatch it stood out to me that they took various shortcuts in editing, introducing previously used shots (that made people on the bridge appear and disappear).

However the characters and storytelling remain strong and it's obvious why it endured.

[ms_minerva]

I love Balance of Terror! It's one of my favorite episodes with one of my absolute favorite scenes in the series--when Kirk tells off the lieutenant for being a bigot to Spock ("Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There's no room for it on the Bridge. Do I make myself clear?"). Powerful stuff.