Maintaining Layer 8

@petersouter #HumanOps
Maintaining
Layer
8
@petersouter - Peter Souter

Who am I?
● Peter Souter
● Puppet Inc.
● Senior Pro Services
Engineer
#HumanOps

So, why are we
?https://flic.kr/p/6asZj #HumanOps

What is Layer 8?
● People often joke it’s
either “Politics” or
“People” in the OSI
Model
● So we need to maintain it
just as importantly as the
other 7 layers!
#HumanOps

Put your hand up if you’ve
experienced:
Wrist, elbow, shoulder, forearm or neck pain whilst working
https://flic.kr/p/9msRdy #HumanOps

Why should you care?
● What’s your most important piece
of equipment?
● Yourself!
● We only have 1 body... for now
● If you had one server, you’d
probably want to take good care
of it right?
#HumanOpshttps://flic.kr/p/9msRdy

Why do I care?
● I travel for work…
● Customers don’t always
have the greatest desk
setup
● Easy to end up with aches
and pains
#HumanOps

Standard Caveat:
I’m not a doctor, personal
trainer or qualified physio
YMMV

Works on my machine™
Every body is unique
Every body is different
Just because it works for me,
might not mean it works for you!

Focusing on physical health
Not because I don’t believe
mental health is important…
But I’m going to focus on
something I’ve got experience in!

Ergonomics
https://flic.kr/p/7bqouk #HumanOps

Ergonomic High Risks
1. High Task Repetition
2. Forceful Exertions
3. Repetitive/Sustained
Awkward Postures
https://flic.kr/p/4gk2j4
#HumanOps

Most desk ergonomics
you’ve heard before:
● “Hands, wrists, and forearms are
straight, in line and roughly parallel to
the floor”
● “Head is level, or bent slightly forward,
forward facing, and in line with the
torso”
● “Elbows stay in close to the body and
are bent between 90 – 120degree”
● “Back is fully supported with
appropriate lumbar (lower back)
support when sitting upright or leaning
back slightly”
- https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkst
ations/positions.html
#HumanOps

Let’s get to the awesome
geeky bit....
KEYBOARDS!
https://flic.kr/p/dXoSh5 #HumanOps

Confession time: I am a keyboard
geek
So I have thought way too
much about this stuff!
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/47yi0t/san_fran_meet_up_in_progress_so_many_mechanical/

Microsoft 4000
● Relatively Cheap
● Easy to find
● Standard Keyboard
layout: no big learning
curve
#HumanOps

The 4000 is the cheapest and
easiest shift for keyboards to help
with typing ergonomics
Look at these ringing
endorsements:

If you’ve got the cash to burn and
want to try something a little
different...
There are other options

Kinesis Advantage2
● Porsche of ergonomic
keyboards
● Expensive
● Harder to find
● Moved backspace and
space buttons
#HumanOps

SafeType
● Pretty Expensive
● Super obscure
● Super hard to get used to!
#HumanOps

Truly Ergonomic
keyboard
● Pretty Expensive
● Fairly obscure
● Haven’t had a chance to
try, have heard good
things
#HumanOps

Try asking your IT department
about getting an ergonomic
keyboard, they probably already
have some somewhere
If you don’t change keyboards: remember
basic hand placement...

http://www.versatables.com/discover/ergonomics/the-equation/ergonomic-equation-part-one-neutral-position
/

Keyboard layouts and
Editors
It’s difficult to find hard data
about a lot of this stuff so take
with a pinch of salt

QWERTY is anti-ergonomic by
design
Switching to an alternative layout such as
DVORAK has been anecdotally shown to
decrease wrist pain by reducing some typing
movements associated with RSI

Some people find switching up
editors improves things
Or simply rebinding buttons so less
movement of hands, frequently things like
CAPS rebound for combinations or
right-side control keys

The easiest technique that
doesn’t require any
equipment or money
STRETCHING AND BREAKS
https://flic.kr/p/4P8doB

Stretch breaks aka.
active breaks,
microbreaks
● Reduce muscle tension
● Increase circulation
● Relieve discomfort due to
repetitive movements
https://flic.kr/p/ikoRG #HumanOps

So how important are
breaks?
Turns out super, super
important!#HumanOps

"...workstation redesign does not appear to
be sufficient for completely eliminating work
induced discomfort… in some cases,
discomfort has been virtually unaffected
by ergonomics interventions”
Taft Laboratories of the National Institute for Occupational
Safety & Health (NIOSH), USA Oxenburgh 1984, Winkel and
Oxenburgh 1990, Sauter et al 1991

"…After adjusting for age and gender, the
most significant factor associated with
symptoms of ULDs was the length of time
the subjects spent at the keyboard during
the week (highly correlated with the length
of time spent keying without a break)…"
UK Institute of Occupational Medicine: Hanson, Graveling,
and Donnan 1996

So stretching and breaks are not
only free and easy to start at
work
They are probably a bigger factor than
keyboard or posture for RSI
tl;dr Breaks are good!

Remembering to stretch is
the first battle
Fortunately, there’s some
software for this
#HumanOps

Rest
● Configurable interval for stretches and rest
periods
● Simple suggestions for stretches to do at your
desk
● OSX and Windows
● https://resttimer.com

time-to-stretch
● An OSS Stretching app written in Electron
● Opens an alert with suggested stretches!
● ... but I haven't added the stretches yet
● https://github.com/petems/time-to-stretch/
● PR’s welcome! (me bad @ js)
#HumanOps

@petersouter #HumanOps#HumanOps
eyeCare
● Chrome app that focuses on eye strain
● Helps with the 20-20-20 rule:
● Use the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes,
take a 20-second break and focus your eyes
on something at least 20 feet away.
● https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/
eyecare-protect-your-visi/eeeningnfkaonkon
alpcicgemnnijjhn?hl=en

Exercise and Diet
https://flic.kr/p/5T2BbK
#HumanOps

We often speak about the
resilience of systems
The ability to make systems
anti-fragile and deal with problems
and change

So if we are maintaining Layer 8,
we need to make sure we are
resilient
The easiest way is making sure our
body is stronger, flexible and fueled
with the right things

The nature of IT jobs
generally trends to being
unfit:
● Late nights/On-call
schedules
● Sitting at desks for hours
at a time
● Fuelled by donuts, pizza,
beer and coffee
https://flic.kr/p/8iyDAd
#HumanOps

Junk food is like technical debt
Fine in small amounts to get that last
minute feature you need (eg. birthday,
wedding, celebration) but when it
becomes a habit, you spend all your
“development” time paying it off

“Diet” as a term is overloaded
Diet doesn't have to be a scary word, it
literally means "the food you eat". When
I’m talking about diet, I’m talking about the
literal term diet...

“The word diet first appeared in English in the 13th century. Its original
meaning was the same as in modern English, “habitually taken food
and drink.” But diet was used in another sense too in the Middle and
early modern English periods to mean “way of living.” This is, in fact,
the original meaning of diet’s Greek ancestor diaita, which is derived
from the verb diaitasthan, meaning “to lead one’s life.” In Greek, diaita,
had already come to be used more specifically for a way of living
prescribed by a physician, a diet, or other regimen.”
Diet definition - Did you know?
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diet

Changing your diet is
fairly easy to plan,
harder to do:
● Calories In < Calories Out
(CICO)
● Almost impossible to out
exercise a bad diet
● Various diets help people
(paleo, Intermittent Fasting,
raw etc.)
● Things like MyFitnessPal and
TrendWeight can help
https://flic.kr/p/7QiaYa #HumanOps

Confession time: I am also a fitness geek!
#HumanOps

Resistance Training is
my resiliency plan
● The Big Three
○ Back Squats
○ Deadlifts
○ Bench Press
● Running
● Crossfit, Yoga and other
things occasionally
#HumanOps

The Fitness industry
does not gel well with
the stereotypical tech
person
● Very Bro-ey
● Sports focused
● Exclusionary or
patronising advice
● Lots of junk/pseudo
science
#HumanOps

Ultimately, what exercise you
want to do is unimportant, just
that you do something
30 minutes of something that increases
your heart rate is enough:
Walking, gardening, housework can all
count

“Initially, developing an exercise habit is more
important than the specific exercise you do.
Do push-ups, weights, sit-ups, jogging, cycling,
pull-ups or whatever.
At first, it doesn't matter.
You need the habit so that when injury strikes or travel
interrupts, you know you'll go back to your routine.”
Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance
http://matt.might.net/articles/hacking-strength/

Supplements
● 90% are snake oil
● Don’t get me started on
Soylent!
● Only ones you should
really care about:
○ Whey Protein
○ BCAA’s
○ Fish Oil
○ Caffeine
https://flic.kr/p/7Hg5U
M
#HumanOps

Physio
● GP’s generally will say
“Leave it for a month,
come back if it still hurts”
● Physios are more likely to
specialise, offer
pre-hab/rehab exercises
to do
● Can be expensive but
worth it for long term
issues
https://flic.kr/p/eae6PB #HumanOps

So, what have we learnt?

Follow desk
ergonomic basics
Read the NHS or OSHA guides,
read the material, get an
evaluation done

Try a new keyboard
Microsoft 4000 is the easiest,
there are more expensive for more
extreme cases of RSI

Take frequent breaks
Studies have shown that breaks
are the most important factor in
preventing RSI

Try an exercise regime
or try to “move more”
Make your body more resilient
with exercise or activities

Be conscious of how you're
fueling your body
Try and fuel your body appropriately
for the level of activity you’re doing.
Think of junk food as technical debt!

Seek out the experts
when things are bad
Physiotherapists are great for
diagnosing and fixing long term
issues

Books
● Becoming a Supple Leopard: The Ultimate Guide to Resolving Pain, Preventing Injury, and
Optimizing Athletic Performance Hardcover
Kelly Starrett & Glen Cordoza
● Pain Free at Your PC: Using a Computer Doesn't Have to Hurt
Pete Egoscue
● Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World
Kelly Starrett
● Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training
Mark Rippetoe & Jason Kelly
● Repetitive Strain Injury: A Computer User's Guide
Emil Pascarelli M.D. & Deborah Quilter
● Scared Sitless: The Office Fitness Book
Larry Swanson
● Building the Gymnastic Body: The Science of Gymnastics Strength Training
Christopher Sommer

Websites
● Hacking strength: Gaining muscle with least resistance
http://matt.might.net/articles/hacking-strength/
● Fit for Real Life - Kate Galliett
http://fitforreallife.com/
● How The Heck Do I Get Started!? - Nerd Fitness
https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/how-the-heck-do-i-get-started/
● Snake Oil Supplements - Information Is Beautiful
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/snake-oil-supplemen
ts/
● /r/Fitness quickstart Guide
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/getting_started

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