There's an interesting post over a ProBlogger (run by famous blogger and fellow Melbournite Darren Rowse) about office enviornments and the sort of kit he uses to get his work done. It's worth taking a look at the user comments in the post.

Just to complete the picture of what I'm using in my office I thought I'd provide a bit of a laundry list of my gear.

The main computer in the office is a MacMini Core Solo that I bought cheaply from Apple's online clearance Store. It's connected to three external hard drives. One holds my iTunes and iPhoto libraries, another is used for video editing and the third one is a utility drive that is used for EyeTV and other miscellaneous storage. The MacMini's internal drive is strictly for application and essential only. No data is stored on it.

My screen is 22" widescreen Chimei LCD. These deliver excellent bang-for-buck. It's big enough for me, is clear and was very cheap (under $400AUD). The mouse and keyboard are standard issue Apple Bluetooth units. Their battery life is surprisingly good and I use them with rechargeable batteries that last several months between charges.

The computer I use is a MacBook Pro that I carry almost everywhere. With the Three NetConnect service I have it means that I can get online just about everywhere I go.

On the low-tech side of things, I have a whiteboard on one wall for leaving myself reminders and planning. I've got a utility area in the back corner of the office with a binding machine, guillotine, heavy duty stapler and packing supply (like bubble wrap, tape gun etc) so that those sorts of tasks don't interfere with my main work area. as I do some DVD production from time to time I create DVD covers and print them with my Canon MP460. One of the great featrues of this printer is that it can be Bluetooth enabled. I popped a generic Bluetooth dongle i had lying around and I can now use it wirelssly when I bring the MacBook Pro into the office. As it's a scanner as well, I use its wired connection with the MacMini.

There are bookcases but I'm fast running out of space as my library is expanding rapidly at the moment with the study I'm doing. I'm currently shopping around for a couple of 1.8m high cases so i can replace the shortones I have at the moment.

My work desk is about 2.7 meters long so that the MacMini is at one end and I can work with the MacBook Pro at the other. That way, I can stay focussed when I work and not get tempted to fire up EyeTV and watch something on TV or from my iTunes library.

As I've mentioned previously, my office is separate from the house. This means that when I need to concentrate I can close the door. My family knows that the office is a workplace and the kids are pretty good at respecting that separation. The one thing I'm missing is a decent intercom between the house and the office - something I'll need to address soon.

 Building an office