I’m a hopeless romantic.
I have this Eden-esque fantasy where all of the cords to all my hardware are neatly wrapped and labeled and managed and stored out of view.
I often spend entire afternoons with ties and clips and other doodads, attempting to construct this utopia.
And I always fail. Like I did today.
Let’s review:
- Powerstrip #1
- Powerstrip #2
- Powerstrip #3
- USB 2.0 #1 drive power pack and power cord
- USB 2.0 #1 USB cable to USB hub
- USB 2.0 #2 drive power pack and power cord
- USB 2.0 #2 USB cable to USB hub
- USB 2.0 #3 drive power pack and power cord
- USB 2.0 #3 USB cable to USB hub
- USB hub to desktop cable
- USB hub power pack and cable
- Router power cable
- Router to DSL Modem cable
- Router to Desktop Ethernet cable
- Router to Laptop Ethernet cable
- DSL Modem power cable
- DSL to DSL Filter cable
- DSL Filter to phone jack cable
- Telephone headset to keypad cord
- Telephone keypad to DSL filter cable
- Telephone recording adapter to DSL filter cable
- Telephone recording adapter to Olympus digital recorder cable
- Olympus digital recorder to USB hub cable
- Laptop power cable to laptop and to powerstrip
- Laptop USB 2.0 PCMIA card with power cord into existing USB slot on laptop
- Printer to desktop USB cable
- Printer power cord
- iPod to desktop cable
- Keyboard to USB hub cable
- Mouse to Keyboard USB cable
- Computer speakers power cord
- Subwoofer to desktop cord
- Channel left speaker to subwoofer cord
- Channel right speaker to subwoofer cord
- Audio controller to subwoofer cord
- LCD panel power cord
- LCD panel to desktop power cord
- DVD burner power cable
- DVD to USB hub power cable
- iSight to Desktop Firewire cable
- Mac Mini power cord and power adapter
- Cellphone charger
- (waiting) USB headset/mic
- (waiting in other room) Multi-channel sound mixing board
- (waiting in other room) Unidirectional microphone
- (waiting in other room) Audio compressor and bord
- (waiting in closet) KORG n-360 keyboard
- (and I could even count the entertainment area:) TV power cable, TV to DVD cables, PS2 power cable, PS2 controller cables, VCR power cable, TV to VCR cable, DVD speaker cables (five channels + subwoofer)
- (almost forgot) My cable cable! For cable TV!
The part that really makes Baby Jesus cry is the adapters that don’t have a cord from the adapter to the plug – you can’t plug those MFs in alongside the rest of the setup into the powerstrips – requiring you to get more powerstrips. I think I need to start wearing one of those monitors that X-ray techs where that can tell you how much radiation you’re absorbing each day.
I next hare-brained scheme would be to make a net or black mesh sheet that acts like an envelope/bag to contain all of this mess and hide it out of view. Or mount a wooden box painted black with a lid on the back of the computer desk to just throw all this stuff in and then have a few holes where the cords can come out.
Wi-fi. My ass, wi-fi.
Paperless office? Cordless office? Don’t make me laugh.
Andy, if you find that Eden, can I come along? Having just crawled out from an hour under my desk, where I’d been trying my latest scheme to make all the cords behave themselves, your post made me laugh–kind of crazed, hysterical laughter. My latest has been to mount a wire mesh basket beneath the desk and run all the cords through it. Sort of worked, but I can already see it’s not the perfect solution. Someone out there’s gonna find one and we’ll all pay her willingly.
Ha ha great observations of the common cord tangles, I recently moved my setup to another room in the house and it took me fully an hour to get the lines untangled to move the components.( and now it’s a tangled mess again).
thanks for the laughs.
jerry Shown
Andy, this was hysterical. Can we win? I just took my laptop, with only its power cord, into an empty room with just a table as a desk. It looks cord free! Then I brought in the printer, and my Maxtor, and it still looks pretty neat. I found I can hide those cords. I left all my chargers and phones etc. back in my office. I am almost positive I am getting more work done without all those ropes of cords. Is this what is meant by simplification?