The chairball!

[elfs]

A funny place to sit.
Hosted on Flickr!. Click to enlarge.

A friend of mine wanted a picture of what the chairball I'm using looks like and I couldn't find one, so I took a photo of my own. Yeah, it's dorky looking, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with it. It takes discipline to make it work. When it rolls, you move with it, so getting it centered in front of the keyboard is something of a trial-and-error procedure. Like those damn Swedish ergonomic chairs, keeping your back straight is entirely up to you. If you don't sit right, your back lets you know. And you have to sit with your legs splayed out in front and to each side, such that you don't roll too far.

And it's way too damn tempting to bounce, especially when I've had two cups of coffee. Still, after a month of it, I'll see where I am. If I like it, I may buy one of my own.

Comments

[kakoukorakos.livejournal.com]

I had such a chair and I did bounce. Often. I really love ball chairs, but after I ruined two of them just a few months apart (one was lost to the cat, another to a sharp on the floor that fell off the desk, probably also thanks to the cat...), I decided to go back to a conventional chair. Well, that plus I'm not spending as much time in front of my computer anymore so I don't get sedentary fatigue from working at the desk. It's a lot more comfortable and easy to change position in so it's less tiring. And better for your back too. After a while it does get easier to balance, and it couldn't hurt to let a little air out if it rolls to easily.

By the way, unless someone is now specifically marketing the balls as chairs, they are simply exercise balls that may be had at most sporting goods stores for around $15-20 for the standard soft rubber ones as it appears you're sitting on. I need to find a source for the tougher industrial balls that pros tend to use, they might stand up better than the ultra-soft rubber "consumer grade" ones that are so easily damaged.