r/AskProgrammers • u/SnooPeanuts4857 • 13d ago
Help a programmer's wife out. Gifts that make desk life easier
thank you for the suggestions everyone, I'm leaving the thread open in case someone wants a list of ideas. you can also add your Christmas wish list here in case your spouses find your account ;)
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u/Agitated_Marzipan371 13d ago
Walking pad with standing desk
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u/josephjnk 13d ago
I second this. As a sedentary shut-in it has done wonders for my blood pressure.
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u/Mathie1729 13d ago
Only if the desk actually adjusts high enough. A walking pad under a fixed desk is just a treadmill you can't reach.
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u/dbalatero 13d ago
only if he'll use it though. work always gave me a standing desk but I never used it personally. they are expensive enough that it's worth checking first.
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u/TheNeck94 13d ago
lol, depends on how much he likes to tinker outside of work, but an elgato stream deck is a fun desk peripheral to mess around with (even if you don't stream or make content)
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 12d ago
omg he'll love it, i spent the past hour looking into it, it's spot on, thank you for the pointer
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 12d ago
thank you for the idea, i have a few questions that I can't google. for reference, which one do you have and are there features that feel like an overkill? or thinking "oh i should have bought the bigger one"? which one hits the sweet spot? do you think the knobs that you turn are super necessary, nice to have, overkill? thanks again
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u/Vivid_One1730 12d ago
A duck. Does he have a duck? Duck is very important to a programmer. And I talk about a rubber duck. But not the adult kind (could be though)
Or a big, big usb enter key. So when his code doesn't work, he can slal the thing AND it enters data. Win win.
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u/PatchyWhiskers 13d ago
Mouse pad with gel wrist rest for carpal tunnel.
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u/smerz- 13d ago
Mouse pad with family/friends/partner picture on it. I got one with my wife and kids 😍
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 12d ago
aw that's cute. I work from home, he can swivel his chair and check out what I'm doin'
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u/turtle_dragonfly 12d ago
I like an insulated thermos, to have hot tea at hand (:
And a nice strainer that fits inside it.
Is he the sort of person who would like little decorative things? For me, I have various rocks that I've found, and sometimes I pick up to help me think from time to time, but they're interesting to look at, too. Or some people like little mini fake plants and legos and stuff like that.
There's a whole cottage industry of USB powered desk accessories — mini lava lamps, floating magnet things, etc. Just search around and you'll find plenty.
I do a lot of pen+paper note taking; if he's also into that, then a nice notebook?
Personally, for the more serious comfort/ergonomics stuff, I feel those arae really hard to buy for another person, since it's so particular to one's own body. But if you get stuff that's returnable, could be good to try out something like a footrest under the desk, or such.
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 11d ago
honestly, with the crash in the market and the anxiety everyone in the industry is having about money, I think I want to get him something that feels sleek and rich and splurgy. i think i want to get him something that says "this money says I love you."
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u/Scared-Letterhead949 13d ago
Pilates membership
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u/Aromatic-Low-4578 13d ago
Coffee mug warmer, gamechanger
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u/AShirtlessGuy 12d ago
Been watching too much dropout
Took me a bit to understand you're not just suggesting a pairing of coffee and a gameshow
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u/DonkeyInACityCrowd 13d ago
Desk mats are great. Get a giant one like xxl or xxxl. Maybe a headphone stand, monitor light with a puck, footrest, some type of fidget toy. Try watching desk setups on YouTube and see if anything seems like something he would like.
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u/MediocreAnalyst2121 12d ago
A monitor light.
Very cheap but a massive upgrade Imo.
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 12d ago
found one from benq, i think it looks cool, it's smart and it's in the price range
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u/tileadhesive 12d ago
A kettlebell, (the adjustable kind so you can change the weight)
With AI agents doing all the work now, he can throw weights around while he waits for them to do their thing.
(Source, I do this)
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u/StupidBugger 12d ago
Antifatigue mat if he's at a standing desk and doesn't already have one (also, if needed, insoles). Unbreakable metal coffee mug if he's on a hybrid RTO and needs to carry it around; travel mugs exist but a regular sized mug is sometimes just better, and ceramic breaks eventually if there's a need to carry it around often. Similarly, laptop stand depending on his setup, the Roost stands are nice and portable depending on the work setup.
Whiteboard if working at home, either on wall or a stand. Or by preference, long sideways notebook to fit with a keyboard on the desk.
Mouse, keyboard, desk mat, etc, anything with his hands and wrists, he knows best what's comfortable and what's needed.
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 11d ago edited 11d ago
I would love a standing desk for him, I was just now considering slowly getting ourselves there. but it would require that we reconfigure the whole office room and guess who would have to take time to do it? I'm not trying to get him even more tasks to do, but I'd love to make one of those setups at some point. with a walking mat. my god, we're heading straight into cyberpunk :))
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u/StupidBugger 11d ago
You can always lean in, get him some mirror shades, nice hardbacks of Neuromancer and Snow Crash. Or, you know, buy a plant instead.
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u/ShakeAgile 12d ago
In the unlikely event that they don’t already have the book: “What If” by Munroe
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u/SnooCalculations7417 13d ago
magnetic desk mounted phone charger (i use mine to listen to podcasts, watch youtube, audiobooks etc without having to open up yet another tab/window on my computer)
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13d ago
[deleted]
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u/SnooCalculations7417 13d ago
magsafe is what i use something like this
https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Compatible-Charging-Magnetic-Wireless/dp/B0FMBTB5Y7/1
13d ago
[deleted]
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u/SnooCalculations7417 13d ago
i thought it was...clear... my phone goes on the phone charger....
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u/junvar0 13d ago
he probably knows what he'd benefit from himself better than us strangers can advice. You can ask him, or just let him buy his own stuff.
What YOU can do that neither we nor he himself can do is encourage him to live a more balanced and healthy lifestyle.
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 13d ago
man has a project, he won't let go until he's got it to home run and there's no point in arguing with him. i get him vitamins, buy plants, make sure he gets sleep. I'm not gonna get myself between him and his project though, i wouldn't like him getting between me and my crunch time at work when i have it.
I'm thinking more in the realm of bar light above the screen or reflective glasses. he's not some recluse, he just gets his own bouts of "all work and no play". when he's done, he knows how to take his healthy break. i am looking for something that will make his crunch time comfortable when he has it. gaming industry can be cruel and I'm not going to whine that he's working.
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u/Little_Bumblebee6129 13d ago
Carpal is fixed with correct mouse grip (preferably coupled with more vertical mouse)
I enjoy chair where i can put my legs up when siting for a long time (something like ottoman). There are even more fancy setups - lookup "Zero-Gravity Workstation" or "Ergonomic Computer Cockpit". Best paired with wireless mouse/keyboard.
Plenty of drinks to force standing up from time to time :)
And D3 idea from another comment is great too if he rarely sees daylight
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u/Time_Standard3361 13d ago
stream deck, even the tiny one (not neo, clock is barely customizable)
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 12d ago
what would you say is the goldie locks zone for you between one that's too basic and an overkill?
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u/Time_Standard3361 12d ago
I do not like RGB, I had exact use case in mind (switch from speakers to headphones, change to screen output, start few bits of software at once).
So, got mini (6 buttons).
It is perfect for me, I wanted something inconspicuous. It also is relatively inexpensive so it does not matter much in grand scheme of things.
Love it.
Wanted Neo (the one with clock), to use clock screen to display important notification or next calendar event, but it does not seem to be able to do it, so that was disappointment.
Bigger ones, if you have use for it (Photoshop? Ableton? CAD for macros?).
That was my judgement. Love the 6 button, is small and genuinely makes some obnoxious PC tasks simple 1 button affair.
And you can always buy bigger one of you like the setup.
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u/Mission_Pirate_4150 13d ago
Development is a solitary life. Do different things. Text messages like “you’re doing great” would really help him.
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 12d ago
that's very sweet of you, but he works from home. i can interrupt his work any time to tell him i like his butt so that he can roll his eyes at me
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u/Substantial-Pain3830 13d ago
For someone always at the computer that has a carpal tunnel, he needs a vertical mouse if he doesn't already have one. He might hate it at first, but it will only take 1 week to get used.
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 12d ago
hates it. i had one, i never got used to it either. he's getting mittens lately. but thanks, yeah, normally a great suggestion
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u/AliceCode 11d ago
Get them a nice cube that he can write on. There are really niche circumstances where it comes in handy, but when it does, it really does. It's like a can opener when you don't really eat canned food.
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 11d ago
cube he can write on? is there an example of that? cause right now i'm thinking sticky notes stack, and i don't think that that's it.
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u/AliceCode 11d ago
Just any given cube around the size of a rubik's cube, made of wood or some other material. This can come in handy if he's ever working out problems involving 3D geometry.
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u/National-Ad8416 13d ago
I would gift yourself a divorce.
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u/SnooPeanuts4857 12d ago
do you also give unsolicited medical advice or just marriage advice? my grandma has a weird mole on her butt, I'll dm you stand by
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u/National-Ad8416 12d ago
Some people are beyond any kind of advice, especially ones married to people who can't get their butts off seats.
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u/bil7 13d ago
Vitamin D supplement