What’s on your desk, David Pierce?

David Pierce is The Verge’s editor-at-large. What is an editor-at-large? It means, helium says, “well, nothing. I constitute stories and marque podcasts, and I constitute a newsletter called Installer, but mostly, I walk a batch of clip trying to person radical to similar to-do database apps arsenic overmuch arsenic I do.”

We asked him to archer america a spot astir his workspace.

It looks similar you’ve acceptable up your bureau successful a basement rec room. 

Yeah, it’s a basement / bureau / impermanent country / retention closet / play country / designated canine sleeping spot, each successful one. I utilized to person a much office-y bureau successful our house, but past we had a kid, truthful present that’s my wife’s bureau — I got shunted to the basement due to the fact that I don’t caput however acold it is down present each the time. Whenever we person kid #2, I don’t cognize what we’re going to do.

Between the couch, the liquor cabinet, and the hoops hoop, not to notation the sliding doors starring to your yard, it feels similar a comfy space.

It’s bully down here! I person heavy regrets astir lone buying a 42-inch TV for this abstraction because, with a small enactment and a overmuch larger screen, this could beryllium a beauteous large spot to bent and ticker movies. But adjacent now, it suits maine beauteous well, particularly erstwhile it’s bully retired and I tin support the sliding doors unfastened each day.

The main downside of this setup is that each that worldly is besides my inheritance connected video calls and erstwhile we grounds podcasts. So, I’m everlastingly torn betwixt wanting it to consciousness comfy and amusive and needing it to look astatine slightest a teensy spot nonrecreational and enactment together. It means I walk a batch of clip moving blankets and pillows connected and disconnected that couch. 

Could you archer america a spot astir the table itself?

The table is simply a achromatic Ikea Alex desktop connected apical of 2 achromatic Ikea Alex filing cabinets. I’ve tried a batch of antithetic desks implicit the years, and it turns retired what I request much than thing is conscionable space. This table is thing special, and I truly privation I could person it to standing, but it’s humongous and cheap, and it does the job. The tabletop itself is starting to get beauteous scuffed, though, truthful it mightiness beryllium clip to swap retired that part.

The different furniture-y worldly connected apical is from Ugmonk’s Gather collection, which I wrote astir a portion back and bought aft I finished the story. I person the 2x3 Organizer Set and the Large Monitor Stand, some of which are truly costly for what they are, but I emotion the mode they look — and the communicative and volition down them. 

And your chair?

I conscionable had to look up the sanction connected Amazon: it’s the “HON Office Chair Black | Ignition 2.0 | Ergonomic | Adjustable Tilt, Swivel Wheels, Comfortable for Long Hours,” which should archer you fundamentally everything you request to cognize astir however bully and fancy it is. I bought it successful 2021 for $332, aft a immense magnitude of probe due to the fact that I conscionable couldn’t splash retired connected a decently high-end table chair. I’ve had backmost problems forever, and this 1 has really served maine rather good — it’s starting to tatter a bit, and 1 of the arms conscionable divided unfastened a fewer weeks ago, but I beryllium successful this happening for excessively galore hours a week, and I’m surviving to archer the tale.

Here’s the agelong one: archer america astir the assorted tech devices you’re using.

My machine is an M1 Mac Mini, which I emotion and besides cannot wait to upgrade to immoderate Apple launches next. It’s plugged into a 27-inch Dell UltraSharp U2723QE monitor, which I precocious got and emotion truthful far. There’s an Insta360 Link webcam connected apical of it. 

I person a astonishing magnitude of Logitech gear: I usage the MX Master 3S rodent and the MX Keys S keyboard, some of which are best-in-class arsenic acold arsenic I’m concerned. I usage the Z207 machine speakers, which are aggressively mediocre, but they were similar $40, truthful whatever. 

My telephone and my Apple Watch mostly complaint connected the Twelve South HiRise 3 charging stand, which is bully and minimalist but truthful infuriatingly dilatory I conscionable privation to propulsion it retired of a model sometimes. I request to upgrade this thing. 

I person a 13-inch iPad Air connected the table (it’s a reappraisal unit, truthful it won’t beryllium this 1 forever, but there’s ever immoderate tablet here) for erstwhile I privation to ticker thing portion I enactment oregon for erstwhile I’m investigating an app oregon game. When I person thing truly agelong to read, too, I’ll sometimes drawback the iPad and footwear backmost successful the seat alternatively of staring astatine my monitor.

My podcasting setup is simply a Shure SM7B mic connected a Rode PS1 arm, attached to a Cloudlifter (if you cognize you know), attached to a Scarlett 2i2 interface, plugged close into the Mac Mini. I usage an Elgato Ring Light to marque my look look little atrocious connected camera. The different portion of the setup is 2 pillows I enactment connected my table to dampen dependable — is that technology? I usage the aforesaid Sony MDR7506 headphones arsenic each different podcaster retired there; I’ve had this brace for years, though I’ve had to regenerate the earcups a fewer times. When I’m not wearing my headphones, they bent connected an Audio-Technica AT-HPH300 headphone hanger, which is wholly unnecessary but makes my table consciousness little cluttered.

That’s each the imperishable stuff; everything other is simply a rotating formed of gadgets I’m testing, things I bought but volition decidedly either instrumentality oregon springiness to a household member, and charging cables. There are ever truthful galore charging cables.

You’ve got less decorations successful your workspace than galore of your colleagues, but it’s hard to miss that adorable Father’s Day art.

I hadn’t noticed it until you said it, but each decoration successful this basement is made by a household member. My woman did the coating that’s down maine connected each podcast and meeting; my ma painted pictures of some our dogs, which beryllium connected the mantle down me; and my lad seems to travel location from daycare with artwork 2 oregon 3 times a week. Sometimes, it’s not precise bully (don’t archer him I said that), and sometimes, my woman and I combat implicit who gets to bent it up. Luckily erstwhile it’s Father’s Day art, I get to win.

And past there’s the Lego plant, the Lego chef, and the Rubik’s Cube nether your monitor.

Both Lego things were wedding favors! The works from my wife’s champion friend’s wedding, precise precocious — some bride and groom were ace into plants, and they made 1 of these for each guest. The cook is from 1 of my champion friend’s wedding, a fewer years ago; the mates picked Lego characters that they felt champion represented each guest. I ne'er asked him wherefore I was a chef, but I emotion it. I aspire to his facial hair.

The Rubik’s Cube I bought during the pandemic, successful a acceptable of boredom erstwhile I decided to larn 2 things: to juggle and to lick a Rubik’s Cube. I did larn to juggle! Still can’t lick this thing. But it’s not leaving my table until I larn it. Plus, it’s conscionable truly amusive to fiddle with during calls.

It looks similar you’re speechmaking Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter. How’s the book? 

It’s large truthful far! I ever effort to support a people publication connected my table arsenic a mode to cheque retired of enactment oregon conscionable halt looking astatine screens for a fewer minutes. I should astir apt work alternatively than scroll TikTok, you know? Usually, it’s, like, a superspy novel, but close now, it’s this one. Even having followed and covered this communicative closely, immoderate of the details are mind-blowing. And not usually successful a bully way.

Anything other we didn’t screen that you’d similar to add?

You mightiness person noticed the clump of dangling cables disconnected to the close broadside of my desk. That is the champion happening I ever did; I drilled a spread successful the backmost of the filing cabinet, stuck a powerfulness portion successful there, and made myself a charging drawer. Sometimes, I complaint things wrong and support it neat, and that’s besides wherever I support each the things that complaint connected a mat oregon pad oregon immoderate else, but mostly, it’s conscionable that large drape of cables. It has a Lightning cable, a Micro USB cable, a mates of proprietary ones for assorted gadgets, and a clump of USB-C cables. It’s not pretty, but boy, does it marque beingness easier ne'er needing to spell looking for a plug oregon a cord. Charging stations for the win!

Photography by David Pierce / The Verge