Merisa (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} merisa) wrote,@ 2006-10-08 20:40:00 |
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This was crossposted from my Vox blog, which looks better because it has pictures.
About a year ago, I had a grand plan. I have a lovely desk. It's huge, black, and, in the event of a nuclear attack I can hide underneath it and rule over the cockroaches. It's a pain to move, but I love it. When it came time to build a new computer (an adventure in and of itself), I decided that I should make my computer look nice. Nice, you know, like a grown-ups computer. No neon rims or flames. No strobe lights or disco balls. Like something a hip 20-something might have. I tried to call a hip 20-something, but, not having any of those available, I winged it.
I didn't get very far. See, you don't have many choices in the PC hardware field. There's beige, black, and black and silver. On rare occasions, you'll get the Apple White, which is what I went for for my case. Nice, something like an overgrown Mac Mini. And that's as far as I got. My mouse is a moderately attractive Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000, but it performs terrible and looks less attractive because the cheap rubberized coating has worn off. Not good. I have an Icemat mouse pad, which actually does look very, very nice. $40 for a mouse pad? No, I'm not insane, it's worth every penny. I had to abandon my plan when it came to my monitor, a Samsung SyncMaster 204T because, although it came in silver or black, the silver version was out of stock and the black version was on sale. Money trumps aesthetics. And my headphones are black and silver.
Ah, black and silver. I hate black and silver. With a passion. It doesn't look ugly on its own, mind. It looks ugly because it's cheap. See, at some point, the black was deep and glossy and the silver was brushed metal or chrome. Very chic. No longer. Now, black and silver is associated with cheap products that kind of want to look expensive.
So where am I now? Searching, in vain for a keyboard. The keyboard of my dreams. Let's start with the requirements. USB, please, since I would like to easily use it with a Mac and PC (I realize I can get an adapter if need be). Wireless is nice, but not necessary. It should look nice. What do I think looks nice? Well, the Logitech diNovo is nice (I know, it's silver and black), the trouble is, it's a set, takes lots of batteries, and is ridiculously expensive. I just want the keyboard. And I want the numeric keypad to be attached. So it fails.
Did I mention I wanted performance, too? Yeah, I'm picky like that. I do a lot of typing and it's important that I have a keyboard that I'm comfortable with.
So I'm looking at the Enermax Crystal keyboard. It's attractive, heavy and has a more standard layout compared to the Logitech. Though it's all relative. The laptop style low profile keys and tight spacing seem possibly problematic.
There just doesn't seem to be a lot of choices for high end computer peripherals. Oh, sure, there are ones aimed at 'professional gamers' (all three of them), like the very solid Saitek Eclipse keyboard. But those tend to look like, well, toys. Expensive toys, but toys. I want my toys to look like they're meant for grownups.
C'mon, how about color? No, not neon iMac colors, but a little here and there. Something classy.
Maybe burgundy? Copper? Earthtones that can still fit in with a bedroom or living room. I hope no one mentions buying a Mac keyboard, by the way. That is not an option. The iMac may be a lovely system, but it has one of my least favorite keyboards ever. It feels mushy and slow, I frequently miss keystrokes, and, worst of all, it's clear. Oh, it looks great out of the box, but keyboards will attract copious amounts of dirt. A clear case just shows it off. Bad, bad, bad. Ah well, that's how it goes, I suppose.
About a year ago, I had a grand plan. I have a lovely desk. It's huge, black, and, in the event of a nuclear attack I can hide underneath it and rule over the cockroaches. It's a pain to move, but I love it. When it came time to build a new computer (an adventure in and of itself), I decided that I should make my computer look nice. Nice, you know, like a grown-ups computer. No neon rims or flames. No strobe lights or disco balls. Like something a hip 20-something might have. I tried to call a hip 20-something, but, not having any of those available, I winged it.
I didn't get very far. See, you don't have many choices in the PC hardware field. There's beige, black, and black and silver. On rare occasions, you'll get the Apple White, which is what I went for for my case. Nice, something like an overgrown Mac Mini. And that's as far as I got. My mouse is a moderately attractive Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 6000, but it performs terrible and looks less attractive because the cheap rubberized coating has worn off. Not good. I have an Icemat mouse pad, which actually does look very, very nice. $40 for a mouse pad? No, I'm not insane, it's worth every penny. I had to abandon my plan when it came to my monitor, a Samsung SyncMaster 204T because, although it came in silver or black, the silver version was out of stock and the black version was on sale. Money trumps aesthetics. And my headphones are black and silver.
Ah, black and silver. I hate black and silver. With a passion. It doesn't look ugly on its own, mind. It looks ugly because it's cheap. See, at some point, the black was deep and glossy and the silver was brushed metal or chrome. Very chic. No longer. Now, black and silver is associated with cheap products that kind of want to look expensive.
So where am I now? Searching, in vain for a keyboard. The keyboard of my dreams. Let's start with the requirements. USB, please, since I would like to easily use it with a Mac and PC (I realize I can get an adapter if need be). Wireless is nice, but not necessary. It should look nice. What do I think looks nice? Well, the Logitech diNovo is nice (I know, it's silver and black), the trouble is, it's a set, takes lots of batteries, and is ridiculously expensive. I just want the keyboard. And I want the numeric keypad to be attached. So it fails.
Did I mention I wanted performance, too? Yeah, I'm picky like that. I do a lot of typing and it's important that I have a keyboard that I'm comfortable with.
So I'm looking at the Enermax Crystal keyboard. It's attractive, heavy and has a more standard layout compared to the Logitech. Though it's all relative. The laptop style low profile keys and tight spacing seem possibly problematic.
There just doesn't seem to be a lot of choices for high end computer peripherals. Oh, sure, there are ones aimed at 'professional gamers' (all three of them), like the very solid Saitek Eclipse keyboard. But those tend to look like, well, toys. Expensive toys, but toys. I want my toys to look like they're meant for grownups.
C'mon, how about color? No, not neon iMac colors, but a little here and there. Something classy.
Maybe burgundy? Copper? Earthtones that can still fit in with a bedroom or living room. I hope no one mentions buying a Mac keyboard, by the way. That is not an option. The iMac may be a lovely system, but it has one of my least favorite keyboards ever. It feels mushy and slow, I frequently miss keystrokes, and, worst of all, it's clear. Oh, it looks great out of the box, but keyboards will attract copious amounts of dirt. A clear case just shows it off. Bad, bad, bad. Ah well, that's how it goes, I suppose.
