What’s On Your Desk, Cameron Faulkner?

Cameron Faulkner describes himself arsenic “a New York City transplant who’s lived successful Brooklyn since 2012.” He continues, “When I’m not astatine work, I effort to get arsenic acold distant from my machine arsenic I tin (I don’t ever succeed), spending clip pinch my wife, 15-month-old son, and 2 cats. I bask stepping around, playing video games, drinking coffee, and keeping myself engaged pinch a never-ending database of tasks.”

He is presently commerce editor astatine The Verge, wherever he helps different commerce writers find bully deals, edits their work, and writes astir gaming accessories, monitors, and different nosy gadgets worthy knowing about. He is besides nan first Verge staffer to beryllium featured doubly connected What’s connected Your Desk — and here’s why.

When you first talked to america astir your location agency space, it was 2021 and you were moving retired of a workplace apartment. What’s changed?

Yep, we upgraded to a abstraction wherever I person my ain agency that isn’t 5 feet distant from my bed. Now it’s 10 feet away. A workplace flat is for illustration a furnace to forge your narration and your organizational skills. While I succeeded astatine nan narration part, it was ever a situation to unrecorded minimally capable truthful arsenic to support things comparatively clutter-free, particularly since we besides had 2 cats successful nan mix. Needless to say, I don’t peculiarly miss it — though my table setup is adjacent to nan erstwhile 1 arsenic it was before. 

Could you show america astir your table and chair?

The table that I’m utilizing is simply a Fully Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk, and it’s nan benignant of point that I emotion because I ne'er person to deliberation astir it, aliases cleanable it often. I promote anyone who’s funny astir a opinionated table to springiness it a shot. There are immoderate days / weeks / seasons erstwhile I usage it while sitting, but it’s bully to person nan elasticity to guidelines if I want to support my humor flowing. I bought this table from Fully earlier that institution was acquired by Knoll, which was later acquired by Herman Miller. That said, nan Jarvis bamboo opinionated table is still disposable to bargain done Herman Miller, but I’m not judge if its build value and characteristic group are nan same.

As if I haven’t already said Herman Miller enough, the chair is nan Sayl from that company. It’s breathable and comfortable.

Here’s nan agelong one: show america astir nan various tech devices you’re using. (And please beryllium circumstantial astir nan model, etc.)

My tech setup has changed a spot since my past WOYD quality successful 2021, but mostly successful incremental ways. 

I person nan aforesaid dual show setup (the 27-inch Acer Nitro XV272U and nan 27-inch LG 27GL650F-B). My webcam sewage a large improvement. It’s nan Insta360 Link. I reviewed it for The Verge backmost successful 2022, but nan 1 I person is personally owned. I don’t return advantage of nan gimbal aliases gesture-based controls arsenic overmuch arsenic I thought I would — I conscionable deliberation it produces a nice, cleanable image. 

I besides sewage a group of Kanto YU2 desktop speakers that person conscionable nan benignant of minimalist creation that I’m looking for. Those link to my machine via USB, but besides person speaker cablegram inputs for usage pinch a receiver aliases a grounds player. Fun fact: they besides link via USB to my Nintendo Switch 2, and I bask listening to crippled audio done them erstwhile I’m having a speedy handheld gaming convention astatine my desk.

Do you for illustration nan divided keyboard?

I’ll ne'er spell backmost to normal keyboards aft buying this split ergonomic exemplary from Kinesis. It’s a gaming keyboard, technically, truthful it has mechanical cardinal switches and programmable LEDs nether each key. I couldn’t find different divided keyboard suitable for gaming astatine nan clip erstwhile I bought it (at least, not 1 pinch a creation that didn’t look atrocious), and I’ve been happy pinch this model. The downside is that it’s now a batch tougher for maine to find merit successful laptop keyboards, since they quickly springiness maine wrist pain.

Initially, astir group I talk to astir these keyboards are of nan sentiment that they’d ne'er fig retired really to usage one, and that anyone who does is not from this planet. It does look strange, I’ll springiness them that. But I deliberation that they’re a much earthy measurement to type, since you tin clasp your arms and wrists much comfortably alternatively of contorting them unnaturally to type connected a row-based keyboard.

I emotion that grouping of tchotchkes: nan small integrative eggs, nan 1960s-style timer, nan soil creation ornament.

Welcome to nan fidget area of my desk. The bluish sphere that looks a small spot for illustration nan aged AT&T logo spins astir connected a base. It’s truthful satisfying to clasp and tinker with. The reddish ovum is nary different than Silly Putty, which I’m often molding into various shapes off-camera during calls. The timer is simply a Pomodoro timer, and I usage it erstwhile I request immoderate uninterrupted clip to attraction connected a task (all acknowledgment to this 2022 piece from Victoria Song that inspired maine to bargain one). Lastly, nan soil creation show was a gift during Polygon’s 2024 concealed santa extravaganza. We each sewage together complete Zoom and had a gift exchange. We had a batch of nosy complete there. Anyway, nan soil creation show is truthful soothing, and I emotion rotating it to spot really nan specks autumn otherwise each time. It’s simple, yet beautiful.

Tell america astir nan poster pinch nan 2 group (you and your wife?) stepping by a dressed up wall.

I realized astatine immoderate constituent successful nan past fewer months that I person an abundance of unfastened wall abstraction and a bunch of photos that I emotion to look backmost on. So, why not put much memories up connected nan wall? The 1 that I chose present is simply a photograph from our engagement shoot, which was taken successful beforehand of a graffiti-covered building that has since been bulldozed. I conscionable thought it was a bully photograph backmost successful nan day, but it has evolved into a reminder that things tin alteration astir us, and sometimes wrong us, but that we’re committed to stepping together passim nan journey. I’m really gladsome that I get to look astatine it each clip I locomotion into nan agency earlier work.

I understand there’s a awesome communicative down nan coin / rate postulation that you support successful your desk.

Yes! My grandfather gave maine his coin postulation earlier he passed, and it’s 1 of those things wherever I wish I would person asked what made him return it up arsenic a hobby, and really he obtained immoderate of this stuff. I cognize he ne'er went connected nan net (bless his heart), and he ne'er mentioned going to shops aliases auctions to look for obscure Buffalo nickels from nan early 1900s. Based connected really broad it is, it’s clear to maine that he really loved doing it. 

Now, I support it adjacent my table to propulsion retired and analyse immoderate clip I request to suffer myself successful history, aliases successful reasoning astir my grandfather. I wonderment astir each of nan hands passim clip that these coins and bills passed through. Conceptually, I dislike money and each of nan powerfulness that billionaires who person a batch of it tin wield (often to antagonistic effect), but I really bask handling this aged currency. It’s mislaid to clip and is nary longer accepted arsenic ineligible tender successful society, but it still holds a batch of worth to me.

Photographs by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge