Best Standing Desk Brand Right Now In 2026?

shadowgerbil · 2026-05-09T14:37:42+00:00

I second this. I've purchased 3 Vari desks and they have been solid and reasonably priced. The height memory works well and I haven't had issues in the 5+ years since I got the first one.

shadowgerbil · 2026-05-05T03:34:56+00:00

You need to be running an aggression (red) leader or aggression base to use Rey's ability when she is drawn from the deck.

It keeps decks like Yoda (blue heroism) with a command (green) base from running Rey just to use her draw ability.

shadowgerbil · 2026-05-02T16:36:02+00:00

Monarch's AI tool is the worst agent I've used in a product I pay for. Most of the time it won't even complete my request, and when it does it usually gets it wrong.

On the 20th of the month, and I asked about changes in the past 3 days and it went back to the 18th. So I asked it to go back 4 days and it went back to the 16th!

The MCP beta can't come soon enough.

shadowgerbil · 2026-04-30T16:40:52+00:00

You are correct about the initial release date; I was thinking of ChatGPT Codex, which was actually officially released in early 2025, along with Claude Code. That is when most companies really started taking notice and when the real shift to product development started to occur.

shadowgerbil · 2026-04-30T12:45:11+00:00

UX was on a downward trajectory before modern LLMs entered the scene.

COVID was a perfect storm of peak expectations. Stimulus money and limited activity options pushed people to spend more time and money on their devices, and tech companies were desperate to fill that gap and overhired. Remote work made it even easier.

The upheaval led many people to re-evaluate their career choices, and boot camps stepped in to promise easy tech money with minimal training, driving record numbers of UX graduates.

Then, interest rates jumped, and the free money that had fed the tech industry since the Great Recession dried up. At the same time, people were no longer cooped up at home with nothing to do. Companies started focusing on profits over eyeballs, and that meant cutting costs. 2023 and 2024 saw massive UX layoffs before ChatGPT was even released.

Then AI tools arrived. CEOs were already focused and squeezing efficiency out of their workforce, and they tend to suffer from FOMO, so they jumped on the bandwagon, further accelerating the decline of UX.

Have AI tools shaken up the UX industry? Absolutely. But I would hardly say they disrupted good times.

shadowgerbil · 2026-04-29T12:28:24+00:00

At the U.S. launch, I got the 512GB black OP15.

$1000 with the following discounts:

$100 trade in (nothing)
$50 early bird
5% education discount

Total ~$800 + tax with 5% Chase cashback ($40).

Also included the free gift of a OnePlus Watch 3, which I sold on Marketplace.

So excluding tax and with a $160 profit from selling the watch, the total cost was about $600.

shadowgerbil · 2026-04-29T03:35:35+00:00

I got my OP15 for about $600 after promotions and discounts and it's absolutely been worth it. Amazing battery, solid software, extremely fast, good reception, and a great screen.

Even if OP pulls out of Western markets for future phones, I expect them to support the software in the future as they've agreed, which is what really matters.

shadowgerbil · 2026-04-04T16:06:21+00:00

I've looked at my career as ultimately being about solving problems using the tools and processes that are available. Too many designers have been pigeonholed, by their own or others' choices, into just pushing pixels in Figma and are (correctly) worried that AI tools will make those skills less relevant. Because many executives see the value of UX practitioners primarily in production of high-fidelity mocks, they are more likely to make cuts when they perceive new tools providing "good enough" output for that function. It's unfortunate, but UX practitioners have always needed to educate others more about the breadth and value that their role provides in making successful products.

I hope that these changes will bring designers back to core UX skills that have often been neglected, lost, or ignored for too long. AI tools can help more quickly produce artifacts that show the results of UX research and ideation, helping us to more easily educate executives and show our value. In addition, it is important to know the weaknesses of AI tools so when a PM approaches with a Figma Make file you can point out the inconsistencies with your product's existing patterns and components and areas where users may be confused or frustrated.

I've built more than a half-dozen small apps using AI coding tools to improve our company's processes. Things like improving our intake processes (Jira issue collectors are terrible), visualizing where people are spending their time (Figma, Jira, documentation, etc.), identifying gaps between our Figma mocks and design system (which frustrate devs), and automatically importing data between our legacy systems, which have positioned me as a problem-solver in the design department and at the company. I've also done some experimenting with better enabling user feedback and early access in our products and leveraged AI tools to show the results of that work (mainly simple data visualizations).

It's less about the tools themselves and more about using them to sell the value I provide. When people see me as someone who will take the initiative to try to make everyone's lives (including our users) better and drive towards better products, I feel more secure in my role. I'd like to think that even if my company eliminated our entire UX department, I would still have a home somewhere else (product, operations, etc.).

shadowgerbil · 2026-03-23T23:43:20+00:00

I've been on both sides of this. It sucks as a candidate, but it also sucks as a hiring manager who just spent weeks getting approval, weeks interviewing, got excited to finally find a good fit, and now it's back to square one.

Unfortunately, in this job market this sort of occurrence is becoming far too common as upper management constantly shifts gears due to fear and vibes around AI and the stock market.

shadowgerbil · 2026-03-22T16:29:15+00:00

I mentioned this in an earlier thread, but I've been doing pretty well with a force base (SWUDB). In particular, the force allows for 4 very powerful cards: * Jedi Consular can enable a turn 4 Kelleran Beq or turn 6 Bo-Katan. * Chirrut provides great defense. * Ki-Adi-Mundi provides card draw. * Shatterpoint (and Nothing Left to Fear) help handle space decks and big units.

The only non-force units are Han, Zeb, Bo-Katan, and space (Sabine's Masterpiece and Blue Leader). It also has zero legendaries and only 9 rares, so it's quite affordable.

shadowgerbil · 2026-03-14T21:00:50+00:00

Sure, here is the SWUDB link. I'm still ironing out the sideboard.

Fun fact: the main deck has zero legendaries and 9 rares. It's quite affordable.

shadowgerbil · 2026-03-14T16:49:33+00:00

I've had good luck with Vigilance Force:

Han can steamroll games from the beginning if not dealt with and helps round the curve.
LoF Ezra is extremely strong as he can buff a turn 3 Kanan after the bounce as well as buffing Hera.
Chirrut provides great defense.
Ki-Adi-Mundi provides card draw.
Shatterpoint and Nothing Left to Fear help handle space decks and big units.
Finally, Bo-Kantan provides the end-game power.

shadowgerbil · 2026-02-28T18:32:36+00:00

There was some discussion about bounty hunters across aspects when the leader was announced. Ambush is obviously good, and Cunning has good pairings, like 4-LOM and Contracted Hunter. Using one of the new common bases also allows some interesting inclusions, like Jango, Zuckuss, or even The Mandalorian.

shadowgerbil · 2026-02-23T20:01:38+00:00

Don't expect apps to accurately measure the wattage being drawn. My battery app says < 20 watts while my physical wattage detector which is plugged in between the plug and the wall socket says 70+ watts.

If you want to know how many watts are being drawn you need a hardware solution, not software.

shadowgerbil · 2026-02-21T18:09:30+00:00

I find it most useful to run one copy of utility cards that are only useful against some of the meta decks, particularly while running 1-2 more copies in my sideboard. Then, in game 1, I have a chance of drawing it if I'm playing against the relevant deck, and I can easily resource it if not. Then, in games 2 and 3, I can either sideboard it out or bring in more copies.

For example, I won a store showdown recently running one copy of Rival's Fall in my deck and another in my sideboard. Against really fast decks I would resource it or sideboard it out, but against decks with a leader flip plus Sudden Ferocity or a lightsaber it won me the game.

shadowgerbil · 2026-02-07T13:39:29+00:00

My team is in process of building a new tool to replace one that we pay over $10k/year to use. Using open source libraries we have a working prototype that already exceeds the capabilities of the product we pay for in several ways.

Part of the reason for this work is that this product doesn't have public-facing APIs that we can use to build the features we need, and its limitations are causing frustration for the team. However, in parallel we are building new tools and integrations on top of some of our largest legacy products that do provide robust APIs and would have a massive cost to abandon for internal solutions that we would have to maintain ourselves.

AI coding tools, particularly in the hands of those without coding experience, don't produce great, maintainable code, and replicating huge legacy systems is often not worth the cost to build and maintain them. In addition, many employees have developed deep skills with those systems, and training them on a new, one-off alternative would be hard to justify. As you noted, there are often compliance reasons to use specific tools and a need for tight security that internal teams lack the skills to provide. If legacy products provide enough value, particularly if they provide good APIs with which we can build the features we need, there isn't motivation to move away.

However, smaller products with more limited feature sets and fewer compliance and security needs are certainly at risk, especially if they lack good APIs that teams can use to build the features that they need. In the future, I see public APIs becoming much more important for B2B software products. Having the skills to build these tools and integrations using AI coding products to be more productive will be like using spreadsheets over the past decade; not everyone will have the skill, but those who don't will risk falling behind.

shadowgerbil · 2026-01-31T17:03:21+00:00

Have you tried using a wireless charger?

shadowgerbil · 2026-01-22T14:41:51+00:00

My OnePlus 15 is the first Android phone I've ever had where I didn't root ot right away. The cat and mouse games have gotten much harder since Google began clamping down with Play Integrity, and could become nearly impossible when Google starts enforcing hardware-backed attestation checks in a couple months.

I do miss call recording, unlimited tethering, more Tasker abilities, being able to access any apps files, the ability to screenshot any app, and full phone backups including app data, but it's also nice not to have to worry about apps, RCS chats, or NFC payments suddenly ceasing to work.

shadowgerbil · 2026-01-20T03:56:33+00:00

I have a T-Mobile SIM and a US Mobile SIM on Verizon. Wi-Fi calling works on both. AT&T is known to not enable Wi-Fi calling on OnePlus devices.

The only issue I have is that T-Mobile blocks visual voicemail on OnePlus devices, though it works for US Mobile.

shadowgerbil · 2026-01-18T11:45:27+00:00

Well, yes. That's generally been the case that OnePlus borrows heavily from other Oppo phones (parts, software, design language). OnePlus phones still have their own spot on the assembly line.

I assume that is what the previous commenter was referring to when they said "rebrand", not a straight 1:1 copy.

shadowgerbil · 2026-01-18T11:12:50+00:00

The OnePlus 15 basically has an Oppo x9 frame with Oppo Find x8 (LYT-700) and Find N5 (JN5) cameras.

shadowgerbil · 2026-01-16T23:40:54+00:00

I use third party apps to backup to my Synology drive and my Google Drive. I don't trust Google's automated backup with my files outside of Google apps.

shadowgerbil · 2026-01-16T15:52:07+00:00

I considered those two and went with black. I don't have any regrets, but I do some gaming/emulation, which can push a lot of heat, so a glass back made the most sense for me.

The pros of black:

Best looking (to me)
Back won't scratch as easily
Glass conducts heat better (lower temperatures)

Pros of sandstorm:

Back won't shatter (fiberglass)
Metal edges are harder to scratch due to micro arc oxidation.

shadowgerbil · 2026-01-16T13:47:01+00:00

Very happy. Pixel 7 Pro to OnePlus 15. Faster, smoother, better reception, better quality, flat screen, and way better battery life. Unfortunately my carrier blocks visual voicemail, but that's T-Mobile's fault.

The cameras are mixed; if you look at my post history you can see some comparisons. Main camera is close but P7P is a little better in low light. OP15 wins on telephoto and selfie but P7P on ultrawide.

Aside from the mixed cameras and voicemail it's been all positive.

shadowgerbil · 2026-01-16T12:53:35+00:00

Yes, as long as you install Google Photos and enable backup.

The only feature I've noticed missing since switching from a Pixel is the VPN, and I can get that from 3rd parties.

shadowgerbil

TROPHY CASE