Who are you, and what do you do? What do you like to do outside of work?

My name is Carmen Owens, and I’m an environmental engineer. I spend most of my time cleaning up contaminated sites. Think of a gas station with underground storage tanks that leak. After contractors have stopped the leak and fixed the tank, I come in and coordinate the longer-term cleanup of deeper soil and groundwater. I grew up playing in the woods, watching Captain Planet, and wanting to save the Earth. So being able to say that I contribute to “taking pollution down to zero” in my real-life adult job is pretty awesome. Someday I’d like to work for a public agency and be the one who “puts asunder bad guys who like to loot and plunder” (if you did not grow up in the United States in the 1980s, see link for Captain Planet references).

My favorite thing to do outside of work is hang out with my family, which includes my wife, my ten-year-old twins, and our two dogs. I also like to do projects to fix up my 130-year-old house, volunteer at our local queer advocacy center, and talk to anyone and everyone. I do as many social and networking activities as possible, so my wife doesn’t have to hear me talk all the time.

As a family, we love to travel. We lived in an RV for two years and traveled the United States from 2020-2022. My wife and I hope to get back to full-time traveling someday but have noticed our preteens are not as excited to spend time with us as they used to be. We may wait until they like us again or until they move out, whichever comes first.

What hardware do you use?

I work remotely, and so does my wife. Because of my love of talking, no one can get work done when we’re both at home, so I work out of the house. I also have a hard time sitting still, so I bike everywhere. Biking makes it possible for me to sit down and work, so it’s one of my most important pieces of hardware. I get restless working at the same place every day, so my desk is whatever table I’m in front of.

I’m pretty creative at finding places to work. I am a regular at many coffee shops, but I also use campus buildings at the local university, the grocery store, the bank, and the recreation center. I use libraries if I need a quiet, professional-looking space for a client meeting, but otherwise they are too quiet for me and my mechanical keyboard.

I had to look up what kind of computer I have. It’s the one I was issued last time I was eligible for a computer upgrade at work – it’s a Dell Latitude 5420. It works fine for how I use it.

I have a Mobile Pixels Duex Plus monitor attached to my laptop. It’s my favorite hardware addition to my setup (no offense, ZSA!). I don’t remember how I used to work with just one screen. I use a Posturite Penguin Mouse. This mouse gets horrendous reviews online, but I love it and haven’t been able to find another vertical ergonomic mouse that’s ambidextrous. I just got a pair of Epos Impact 1060T headphones, and they work exceptionally well. The microphone does not pick up any background noise, even my two very large dogs barking right next to me.

I have the ZSA Voyager keyboard. I originally bought a Moonlander because I wanted the built-in wrist rests and extra keys, but it was just too bulky for some of the small tables I was working at, and I didn’t use it. The switch to the Voyager was the right move

And what software?

I use the Microsoft Office suite since it’s already loaded on my work computer. I’m not able to download most types of software without preapproval from IT. I had to go through a lengthy approval process for a special exception to use Keymapp. I don’t love the Office suite, but I am a big fan of a free computer loaded with software and built-in IT support, so I’ll stick with this for now.

What’s your keyboard setup like? Do you use a custom layout or custom keycaps?

I have the standard QWERTY layout and have added custom keys for some of the key combinations I use the most. I spend lots of time on spreadsheets and PDFs, so I have lots of page navigation buttons built in. I’ve got multiple functions on most of my keys and have almost everything I use regularly on one layer. I’m still building up to harnessing the power of layers.

The main reason I wanted a programmable keyboard was because I have rheumatoid arthritis. An ergonomic setup will most certainly help prevent soreness, but the most useful thing I can do with this keyboard is to move keys around as needed. Rheumatoid arthritis pain comes and goes, it’s different every day. My pinkies and thumbs are the fingers that are sore the most often. On these days, I can move the Enter key from the thumb cluster to an external row or vice versa. Or if both are sore, I can only use my three internal fingers and move all the keys I need to the center using multiple layers. This is the power of the programmable keyboard for me. It makes typing more accessible to people with disabilities.

What would be your dream setup?

I’m pretty happy with my current setup. My next addition will be some type of laptop stand. Right now, I put my computer on a small book to make room for my keyboard and its cords. I really don’t want another separate piece of equipment I have to set up every time I move work locations. What I really want is legs attached to my laptop that fold down when I’m not using them. They need to be light, sturdy enough to hold my second screen, fold down relatively flat, and have space underneath for the keyboard and cords. This doesn’t seem to exist, so I’m trying to build it for myself. Maybe starting with a plastic hinge with a 90 degree stop? Miniature folding table legs? I haven’t figured it out yet, so if anyone has any ideas, please send them my way!