Author: Jennifer Ansell
Jennifer Ansell
After dabbling in computers in her formative years, Jennifer is now up to her neck in IT: “My husband is an IT, his best man is an IT and the man who walked me down the aisle is an IT.” And now she manages an IT office! Let’s hope her gardening and other hobbies are enough to keep her from babbling computer-speak.
Articles by this author
New Year’s Resolution: A cleaner and healthier… desk. What a Mess!
We spend 8 to 10 (or more) hours a day at work - more time than we spend anywhere else - and our desks/workspaces are becoming our kitchen tables. But, do you realize that our desks are covered in more bacteria than your average washroom?! (Jan 20, 2012)
AAACHOOO!
Yes indeed, it’s cold and flu season again. If you sit at your desk 5 days a week, and for long hours at a time, you are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to flu prevention. Yes you! While you sit there coding, eating, coughing and sneezing, your desk, keyboard, phone and even your monitor and ear-buds or headset have become a sea of germs. If you want to keep from getting sick over and over again, or stop your team members from passing bugs around, there are simple steps to take... (Dec 07, 2011)
Get Back!
Oh my aching back! Too many people who work seated for long hours at a stretch complain of aching, sore and stiff backs. If your posture is less than perfect, you may also be experiencing low energy levels and breathing trouble. (Nov 02, 2011)
“Bad” stuff that’s GOOD
There is plenty of "Bad" stuff that is actually good for you including peanut butter, eggs, beef, chocolate, nuts, and coffee... (Oct 18, 2011)
“Good” stuff that’s BAD
So you want to try to eat better? Well, as I always say, Caveat emptor - Buyer beware! Next month - "BAD" food that's Good! (Sep 09, 2011)
The Pains of Eye Strain
Since people began staring at flickering screens, there have been many articles about Eye Strain. But many people aren’t seeing the bigger picture: you have to look at your office as well as your body. Monitors may have changed a great deal in the past decade but there are 3 fundamental things every computer user needs to do for the health of your eyes... (Aug 23, 2011)
Stand up for your health!
IMPORTANT NOTICE regarding deep vein thrombosis (DVT)! Sadly, last weekend, a young man passed away due to a blood clot that had moved from his leg to his lungs. The blood clot was a direct result of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Many SysOps and ITs spend far too much time seated (often in improperly configured chairs - see earlier posts about getting the right chair). (Aug 03, 2011)
Reading and Writing!
Do you actually read your emails carefully? Be honest. Most of us just skim through them and details can get lost along the way. Skimming through an email can cause you to miss important details about more than meetings. (Jul 21, 2011)
Too much stuff!
To paraphrase George Carlin: An office is just a place to keep your stuff while you go online and get more stuff. At some point your “stuff” becomes broken, redundant or outmoded, and you have to get rid of it. But what do you do with all that stuff? (Jul 06, 2011)
$ Sudo Stay Alert
There are many studies indicating that if you turn off your screens (all of them - phones included) an hour or 2 before you go to sleep, you will sleep better – not necessarily longer but the quality will be better. (NB: Turning off your monitors when not in use can also save you a bundle in electricity.) (Jun 29, 2011)
4 Parameters for your environment / Interface
MSiCS has begun to cover your hardware (desks, chairs) & software (food, exercise). Today we’ll look at your interface (environment). (Jun 17, 2011)
Snacks Rule & Snacking Rules
MSiCS has, so far, been dealing with your hardware (dust & workstation mechanics). Let’s take a look at programming (food). Too many people eat lunch (& even breakfast & supper) at their desks. Multi-tasking may be wonderful for some things but not for your body. If you’re feeding it when it thinks it’s supposed to be doing other things, you’ll find it’s inefficient and will slow you down. This defeats the purpose of ‘saving time’ & you’re back to square 1. In short – try not to eat at your workstation. (Jun 06, 2011)
It’s A Sitting Situation – Part 3 of 3
Kneeling chairs have been around since 1979 and have been quite popular. There are hundreds of varieties. Kneeling chairs, however beneficial, are not for everyone. This is definitely a case of try it out BEFORE you even consider buying one. (May 30, 2011)
It’s A Sitting Situation – Part 2 of 3
Actually, you may be able to. Standing work stations have become very popular in the past couple of years. They even made the front page of the New York Times back in 2009. (May 18, 2011)
It’s a sitting situation - Part 1 of 3
IT workers are like snowflakes: no 2 are alike. Everyone is shaped differently and works differently. So, when it comes to your chair, you have to pick the one that’s right for you. Test drive different varieties before you choose an ergonomic chair. (May 09, 2011)
IT: Mens sana in corpore sano
Welcome to the first article of MSiCS : Mens sana in corpore sano (a healthy mind in a healthy body) which is a quote from the Roman Poet of the 1st century AD, Juvenal. I’ll be taking a look at the Best Practices of keeping you in shape so you can keep your systems in shape. (Apr 29, 2011)
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Grand Prize Winner Spam Survey
We are extremely pleased with the tremendous response that we have received to this point from our Fight Email Spam survey. As promised we have randomly selected winners of our gift card prizes and most recently,... (Feb 21, 2012)
Recent Spam Survey Winners
We are extremely pleased with the tremendous response that we have received to this point from our Fight Email Spam survey. As promised we have randomly selected winners of our gift card prizes and the grand prize... (Jan 23, 2012)
New Year's Resolution
We spend 8 to 10 (or more) hours a day at work - more time than we spend anywhere else - and our desks/workspaces are becoming our kitchen tables. But, do you realize that our desks are covered in more bacteria... (Jan 20, 2012)
