My Workstation (2012 edition)

Every so often, I like to document my workspace. Lately, there's been a trend to go completely minimalist for a workspace (it seems to be the fad these days), and I've seen pictures of people with just a MacBook Air on a matress on the floor. Or a MacBook air sitting on some exotic slab of wood with a simple coffee mug next to it.

My Workstation (2012)
My 2012 workspace. (D7000, 17-55 2.8 - f/8 at 1/100s, SB-25 bounced off ceiling).

Well, my workspace has never been quite like that. I'm not just a writer or a coder; I do programming, photography, tech repair (less often nowadays, but still...), and a bunch of other little tasks that require more than just a laptop with a keyboard.

You may remember when I posted a picture/post about my workspace when I worked with the Archdiocese of St. Louis, or even earlier, from 2008 at my apartment in St. Louis. Since I work from home now, my 'at work' and 'at home' workspaces are one and the same.

Over on the Flickr page, I provide a ton of little notes (go there and hover over the image), along with a more in-depth description of everything. But the main thing I notice since the earlier 2008 picture is that I've substantially trimmed down the amount of computers I work with on a daily basis. I now just use my iPad and MacBook Air for everything (the Air has Parallels running Ubuntu Linux, Windows XP, Windows 7, and Windows 8).

It's also amazing to think that this little MacBook Air packs more punch (processor-wise) than my old 24" iMac Extreme from 2007. It's more than adequate for most of my needs, but I'm definitely keeping my eyes open for a faster Mac that'll cut down on time in Aperture rendering 30+ MB RAW files and compiling apps in Xcode and Eclipse...

Comments

Nice speakers. I recently the similar Bose "Companion 20" speakers for use in presentations here at the parish. They sound great and are loud while still easy to set up and carry around. Expensive, though.

They're expensive, but after having gone through four different sets of 'shielded, computer speakers' that had buzzes, hums, and didn't sound that great (from $30-50), I finally decided $80 would be worth it for a pair of small speakers that will last into my retirement most likely.

Jeff,
You're the second Mac power-user that's reported good performance from a MacBook Air. That's great. I'm about due for a replacement... ;)

How's the heat factor? My two MacBook Pro's run pretty warm.

Not nearly as bad as the Pro; I've owned every generation of Pro, and two generations of Airs, and the Pro was always a ton warmer, and sometimes even scalding hot. I can comfortably use my Air for most anything except for photo editing in Aperture (that seems to keep the fans on full and the temperature slightly uncomfortable.

But with the Pro, I would either need a lap desk, or remember to take my hands off the keyboard every now and then, lest I get a small burn!