Is it weird to bring my own keyboard to a new job?

[Jixr]

Anyone have any ideas about securing your keyboard at work when you leave for the day?

I'm building a custom for my brother in law for christmas, I'm already afraid that he won't be allowed to use it at work ( a health insurance place )
and he has mentioned he wants a good keyboard at work but is worried about theives as there have been previous theft at his office. ( though the theif was caught and fired )

I'm giving him a Mionix Zibal 60 with lubed reds, and possibly some custom keycaps and maybe even painting the case if i have enough time to do so.

the keyboard has one of those super thick fixed cables ( about 1/4" ) and was thinking maybe he could cable lock it to his desk or something. Considering its a $150 keyboard, and the amount of time and money I've spent making it his I would hate to see it dissapear.

[hoggy]

If the keyboard doesn't look too flash, no-one will give a second glance...

[synerr]

the keyboard has one of those super thick fixed cables ( about 1/4" ) and was thinking maybe he could cable lock it to his desk or something. Considering its a $150 keyboard, and the amount of time and money I've spent making it his I would hate to see it dissapear.

Thieves often go for stuff they think is of high value and easy to pass on.  Laptops, phones, etc.  a keyboard would not be particularly appealing.

[danrew]

I bring an HHKB to and from work everyday in the case EK sells. It works well for me.
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,cases&pid=pdkb01sd

Having a keyboard that has a detachable USB cord makes it easy to either stash the keyboard in a drawer or just taking it home with you.

[lilky]

Nah, dude, it's not weird to bring your mechanical keyboard into work. I mean, sure it may be considered unusual in the eyes of some other people, but most won't give a crap. If anything, you might get to introduce more people to the world of mechanical keyboards. And if anyone judges you, then whatever, they won't know what they're missing out on.

[Tony]

Most of our work colleagues is very much like us Geekhackers.

They have their own weirdness to worry about, so they don't care a bit about keyboards.

[Emospence]

Just brought my 87UW to work and had some comments on the white colour (most keyboards here are black) and lack of numpad. Doubt any of them will ever guess the price heh

[rowdy]

Anyone have any ideas about securing your keyboard at work when you leave for the day?

I'm building a custom for my brother in law for christmas, I'm already afraid that he won't be allowed to use it at work ( a health insurance place )
and he has mentioned he wants a good keyboard at work but is worried about theives as there have been previous theft at his office. ( though the theif was caught and fired )

I'm giving him a Mionix Zibal 60 with lubed reds, and possibly some custom keycaps and maybe even painting the case if i have enough time to do so.

the keyboard has one of those super thick fixed cables ( about 1/4" ) and was thinking maybe he could cable lock it to his desk or something. Considering its a $150 keyboard, and the amount of time and money I've spent making it his I would hate to see it dissapear.

This is backlit keyboard, yes?

Someone might see the pretty lights and take the keyboard.

Even if you secure the cable, nothing to stop someone from cutting the cable and making a new one - custom cables are not that difficult to obtain and a fraction of the cost of a new keyboard.

If you get a non-backlit keyboard, find some old yellowed (and maybe slightly shiny) keycaps - everyone will think it is just an old crappy keyboard

[tbc]

what kind of a loser steals a keyboard lol?

I would dare him/her to steal mine and then mock him/her to death;  totally worth it.

[spremino]

Since I'm just an intern I'm still going through training and not really contributing much so I don't feel like I'm a real part of "the team" yet.

Don't allow that to make you think you aren't on par with others. Most likely you will contribute more than most of them who are comfortable in their position.

Would it be weird for me to bring in my own keyboard? No one in my department has brought in their own keyboard, they're all using the corporate assigned Dell L100.

Most people will deal with whatever is thrown at them, both inside and outside the office. Companies do not care about their employees having the best tools for the job, nor they care to build the most productive environment. You are on your own.

I always brought my own tools: keyboards, trackballs, chairs... Whatever I thought would have made my job more comfortable. Sometimes my colleagues made quick remarks about my obsession, but nothing more. Only avoid clicky keyboard.

[wincent]

Not sure how weird it is to BYO to a new job, as I think it will vary very much from place to place.

When i started at my last job there were a couple guys with split keyboards (one with a Goldtouch and another with a Kinesis freestyle). Over the next few months, another Goldtouch user joined the team, then another got custom thing with MX browns (and no branding, so I am not sure what it was).

Fast forward a couple of years later and more people on the team have their own keyboards than don't. We've had Kinesis Advantage, a TypeMatrix, a few different ones with MX browns and blues. It's quite delightful, but it has been a bit noisy...

[Belfong]

Wow, must be great to have people who loves keyboard as colleague!

[mcrommert]

We have super cheap hp keyboards at work and I got them to give me a Microsoft Natural 4000 which for a non mechanical is a very nice board.  I have been thinking about moving to a mechanical board (i would have to buy it myself) but I am very worried about sound.  I am the admin for the director and my office is part of his separated by a small wall.  Any good recommendations for a cheaper keyboard (below 100 would be nice).  I use a omnikey 101 at home and i would think i would be best off with cherry browns for sound with o rings.  But I am new to this

[do_Og@n]

We have super cheap hp keyboards at work and I got them to give me a Microsoft Natural 4000 which for a non mechanical is a very nice board.  I have been thinking about moving to a mechanical board (i would have to buy it myself) but I am very worried about sound.  I am the admin for the director and my office is part of his separated by a small wall.  Any good recommendations for a cheaper keyboard (below 100 would be nice).  I use a omnikey 101 at home and i would think i would be best off with cherry browns for sound with o rings.  But I am new to this

You would be surprised at how quick the people around you get used to all that clicking. It really only adds to the background noise of the office and doesn't distract to much in most cases.

My suggestion would be to bring your Omnikey to work for a little bit and gauge how the people around you react to it before you go out and buy a new keyboard.

[mcrommert]

We have super cheap hp keyboards at work and I got them to give me a Microsoft Natural 4000 which for a non mechanical is a very nice board.  I have been thinking about moving to a mechanical board (i would have to buy it myself) but I am very worried about sound.  I am the admin for the director and my office is part of his separated by a small wall.  Any good recommendations for a cheaper keyboard (below 100 would be nice).  I use a omnikey 101 at home and i would think i would be best off with cherry browns for sound with o rings.  But I am new to this

You would be surprised at how quick the people around you get used to all that clicking. It really only adds to the background noise of the office and doesn't distract to much in most cases.

My suggestion would be to bring your Omnikey to work for a little bit and gauge how the people around you react to it before you go out and buy a new keyboard.

If i was anyone else at my job I would be fine with that...but i'm in a very quiet office and the fact that i'm right adjacent to my boss's office makes me want to keep it Quiet

[Folio]

Oo, I like this thread too Do any of you have security issues? Like does everyone feel safe leaving their precious's at work???

I keep my main driver, a RF 87U 55g, at work, as well as a RF numpad. It stands out (refer to the pic) so I lock it in my desk every night. I've heard that if you leave your work laptop docked without a security cable, it might get stolen.... I never knew. I mean come on, this is corporate.....

[Belfong]

We have super cheap hp keyboards at work and I got them to give me a Microsoft Natural 4000 which for a non mechanical is a very nice board.  I have been thinking about moving to a mechanical board (i would have to buy it myself) but I am very worried about sound.  I am the admin for the director and my office is part of his separated by a small wall.  Any good recommendations for a cheaper keyboard (below 100 would be nice).  I use a omnikey 101 at home and i would think i would be best off with cherry browns for sound with o rings.  But I am new to this

You would be surprised at how quick the people around you get used to all that clicking. It really only adds to the background noise of the office and doesn't distract to much in most cases.

My suggestion would be to bring your Omnikey to work for a little bit and gauge how the people around you react to it before you go out and buy a new keyboard.

If i was anyone else at my job I would be fine with that...but i'm in a very quiet office and the fact that i'm right adjacent to my boss's office makes me want to keep it Quiet

You might want to try Matias Quiet Pro. It is branded as the world's most quiet mechanical keyboard. I mean, it definitely is not as quiet as your rubber dome or chiclet keyboard but comparing mechanical to mechanical, it is very very quiet. I definitely recommend this if you want silence and mechanical keyboard.

The mini Quiet Pro cost $129 while the full size keyboard cost $149.

http://matias.ca

[esoomenona]

I keep my main driver, a RF 87U 55g, at work, as well as a RF numpad. It stands out (refer to the pic) so I lock it in my desk every night. I've heard that if you leave your work laptop docked without a security cable, it might get stolen.... I never knew. I mean come on, this is corporate.....

Pretty ****ty that you can't leave **** on your desk and it not be there the next day. When I don't need to take anything home, I leave my laptop and HHKB and 23UB with Cluck Clarks sitting on my desk.

[Belfong]

Oo, I like this thread too Do any of you have security issues? Like does everyone feel safe leaving their precious's at work???

I keep my main driver, a RF 87U 55g, at work, as well as a RF numpad. It stands out (refer to the pic) so I lock it in my desk every night. I've heard that if you leave your work laptop docked without a security cable, it might get stolen.... I never knew. I mean come on, this is corporate.....

(Attachment Link)

In my workplace, which is secured by access card, we had people cutting the kesington cable to take away ThinkPads! This is so ridiculous it's not even funny anymore!

[tbc]

isn't there like a law or something that says your workplace has to provide reasonable security for you?

like cameras?

[SpAmRaY]

isn't there like a law or something that says your workplace has to provide reasonable security for you?

like cameras?

I've never heard of that.

[Belfong]

Doesn't matter, not our ThinkPads - it is the company's - so if the company don't provide reasonable security, it's their loss.

Which is the reason I keep my HHKB locked in my cabinet.

[naasfu]

We've had people slip into our buildings and steal laptops before, so it makes me a bit nervous to bring something nice to work.  I don't know if they would know enough to steal a good keyboard though.

[Belfong]

Petty thieves probably do not know the value of some of the mechanical keyboards. They probably discard it just a $10 stuff. I have been using HHKB for around 6 months and while my colleagues commented that it's cute and small none of them realise that it is a US$200 keyboard! Else they would all flipped!

[Xowie]

I am in a 6 person grad student office with a lot of different people knowing the keycode. Due to this I always lock up the laptop my research group bought for me and my hhkb, both of which are easy enough to store in a desk drawer. In reality I think it is low risk BUT I would feel bad if the laptop was stolen (and really mad if the hhkb was stolen).

[mougrim]

Well, there are no passers-by on my workplace. So I'd feel pretty secure about leaving it for a day.

[Belfong]

I bet most of you here connect your keyboard to a notebook. In my case, I connect to the MacBook Air. I'm curious as to whether you think a TKL is too huge in your workspace. I find the Poker and HHKB perfect and I just think the TKL is too big. My RF 55g is not getting a lot of love at home but I am not sure about brining it to work. My desk is already pretty cramp as it is! Often, I wish I had a desktop at work.

[macdude22]

You might want to try Matias Quiet Pro. It is branded as the world's most quiet mechanical keyboard. I mean, it definitely is not as quiet as your rubber dome or chiclet keyboard but comparing mechanical to mechanical, it is very very quiet. I definitely recommend this if you want silence and mechanical keyboard.

The mini Quiet Pro cost $129 while the full size keyboard cost $149.

http://matias.ca

I use a Matias Laptop Pro at work. My boss is louder than this board as he hammers away at the standard 8 dollar dell keyboard. It's not as quiet as say the Apple Wireless Board (chicklet) but it's only marginally louder than your standard keyboard, and perhaps quieter as you hone your mechanical typing skills.

I used to be a Cherry Blue man but now I sing the praises of the Quiet Click Switches to anyone who will listen. I bought a Quiet Pro for home as well, I prefer the feel of these switches to Cherry Blues now.

[kansas city shuffle]

We've had people slip into our buildings and steal laptops before, so it makes me a bit nervous to bring something nice to work.  I don't know if they would know enough to steal a good keyboard though.

As with anything you run the risk of your belongings being 'lifted', kb or laptop. If you're ok with that risk then by all means.

[Folio]

Yea. I never knew security where I work, especially at headquarters for a $1 billion company, would be this shady. The only thing I've heard of being stolen was change in a piggy bank. They thought a custodian did it, but you can't prove that because there are no cameras in the office. Why would a corporate office have cameras anyway? I mean, we're all adults here.

But alas, managers tell their employees to lock up their laptops or bring them home. I've left mine at the office unsecured so many times until I heard about that. If I lost all my work.... 

So now, I'm scared for my RF keyboard.

[JaccoW]

If I remember I will try making a photo of my "Ground Control" tomorrow.
Laptop on a stand, external usb monitor to the side and a TKL with Miama "Odessa Remix" on it.

I've had some comments on my keyboard but most seemed more interested in my external screen. I expect them to start popping up on more desks the next few months.
None complained about the noise though. Then again, Clears only give a slight rattle from the key bouncing back up at most when used properly.

[Touch_It]

No, I brought a OG keyboard with a 5 pin din connector and space invader switches to work.

[Neo.X]

I bought my own keyboard, mouse and mouse pad to work. 

[Lain1911]

Is it weird to drive your own car to work?

[Sifo]

I just keep a "portable setup" that can fit in my Astro bag chilling around. Not just school/work but also for LANs or whatever, has everything I need and isn't that bulky or take up too much space.

[daerid]

Oo, I like this thread too Do any of you have security issues? Like does everyone feel safe leaving their precious's at work???

I keep my main driver, a RF 87U 55g, at work, as well as a RF numpad. It stands out (refer to the pic) so I lock it in my desk every night. I've heard that if you leave your work laptop docked without a security cable, it might get stolen.... I never knew. I mean come on, this is corporate.....

(Attachment Link)

I'm actually a bit jelly of that RealForce.

[nubbinator]

All of my coworkers have commented on my keyboard it seems like.  I can tell some are jealous because they comment on it and ask if they're passing out new keyboards.  One coworker also commented on always hearing me typing away today.  When I asked her if it was annoying at all, she said no.

Score one for Ergo Clears at work.

[kansas city shuffle]

Is it weird to drive your own car to work?

Haha... bravo, bravo... 

[ideus]

It is weird getting a new job, that does not allow you to use your favorite keyboard. Quit that job.

[daerid]

It is weird getting a new job, that does not allow you to use your favorite keyboard. Quit that job.

This. If you work at a job where the primary responsibility is typing, and the company won't provide adequate tools, they better allow you to bring your own. Otherwise, quit. Because they don't value their employees.

[Folio]

I'm actually a bit jelly of that RealForce.

It's just the two RF colors combined. Nothing to be too jel about Don't you have these keyboards anyways? Also, the keys have been getting a lot of attention from the older coworkers and I'm sad that no one else in the entire company knows what a mechanical keyboard is.

[blackbox]

I do not think it is weird. I will probably buy something with mx red for work.

[atlas3686]

Not weird at all, I think my boss was pretty happy I went through the trouble of buying a nice keyboard so I could be more productive. I have worried about my type-s lying at work but luckily my office gets locked up and there aren't people around after hours.

[Fullcream]

Just got a new job last week and the keyboard is terrible. I'm going to do it. Will leave the novelty keys at home though.

[mougrim]

Just got a new job last week and the keyboard is terrible. I'm going to do it. Will leave the novelty keys at home though.

Why? It's more fun with novelty keys

[JaccoW]

Just got a new job last week and the keyboard is terrible. I'm going to do it. Will leave the novelty keys at home though.

Why? It's more fun with novelty keys

Slap on something fun like Miami and roll with it.

I'm definitely going to bring my FC660M with Macross set when I get it.

[Belfong]

I find that caps like BroBots and GasMask gets a lot more attention from co workers compare to just colorful flat key caps. Maybe they have not seen these beautifully crafted caps.

[RESPRiT]

Then they hear how much you paid of them...

[atlas3686]

Then they hear how much you paid of them...

I definitely wouldn't mention that unless you looking for a delay on your next raise 

[mougrim]

Then they hear how much you paid of them...

I definitely wouldn't mention that unless you looking for a delay on your next raise 

Oh no, they won't dare to delay payrise to a madman