Do these remind you of Encarta 98? Too bad, they're important.

Protect Your Wrists and Hands

Wrist protector mousepads and ergonomic keyboards like the one above are a little bulky, but keep your hands and wrists in the most natural position when you type. If you’re pounding away at your keyboard writing (or voting for the Face of Foothills for hours on end) they are definitely smart to consider. Check out the ergonomic selection of mouses, keyboards and other comfy computer goodies on Amazon.com.

Take Breaks

Remember breaks? You used to take them at lunchtime. On average, the body can handle approximately 20 minutes in one position before it needs to adjust. (Source: MayoClinic.com). We know how enthralling your Twitter is, but set a timer to go off each hour to be sure you pay attention to your poor body.  Many computers (and all macs) have this option in the clock. When it beeps, no matter how focused you are, get up, stretch and give your hands mini-massages. This also helps you check yourself and how much time has passed since you started playing Sim City.

Voice to Text Software

It’s OK if you look like a travel agent when you use voice-to-text headphones. Believe it or not, there is voice-to-text software that can perfectly (well, with 99% accuracy) transcribe your voice into text, at three times the rate of the average typist. The newer software can actually learn little nuances in your voice to become more and more precise. For $99-$199, you can spare your hands and wrists from typing on keys at all. Check out the options here on Amazon.com- we like MacSpeech Dictate.

Get an Intern to Help You

ASU is chock-full of 'em. Smart ones.

Stay geeky!

xo