The Verge’s favorite home office keepsakes
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Back in the Mad Men days, the only thing that might interrupt the corporate blandness of a workspace might be a photo of your family or maybe a coffee cup with a funny saying. But nowadays, especially if we’re working at home, we can have some pretty interesting, weird, or just plain nice-looking items on our desks.
We asked the folks here at The Verge what they have on their desks or in their offices that they keep just for the hell of it — because they like it, because it means something special, or just because. Here are some of the answers we got.
Antonio G. Di Benedetto, commerce / deals writer
One year ago, my wife and I were forced to say goodbye to one of our two beloved cats, Pouncey. She was a caring companion of over 11 years that my wife adopted as a kitten shortly before we started dating, making her a fixture in our relationship. That made it all the more traumatic when our farewell, due to her deteriorating health, was more sudden than expected. But in addition to all the photos and videos we have to remind us of our bestest girl (apologies to our eight-month-old daughter), I’m given a heart-warming reminder of Pouncey every time I sit down at my desk.
When I got my Meletrix Zoom75 mechanical keyboard from a long-awaited group buy preorder last year, I opted for the built-in LCD add-on because — well, why not? And, maybe unsurprisingly, once I built my board with that little screen inside it, I wondered, “Okay, what do I do with this thing?” So, I left it displaying something boring like battery level.
After Pouncey’s passing, I reconsidered the looping GIF feature and decided to put a cute clip of our girl on there. The GIF was just a burst of images from a random day, and if you look closely, you can see her eyes adorably widen once she notices me taking her picture. We now refer to it as The Pouncey Keyboard, and while it’s bittersweet to see her nuzzling on my desk but unable to feel her soft fur or hear her gentle purrs, I love seeing “our Pouncey-girl” every day.
$209
A gasket-mount 75 percent keyboard with many user-swappable options like a rotary knob, LCD, and decorative external weights / back plates.
Sean Hollister, senior editor
Whenever I’m feeling a little worn out, I’ve got an extra life sitting on my desk. My family bought me this Legend of Zelda heart container one year ago, so it encapsulates their love, too! (Less significant if you buy it for yourself, so I’d recommend gifting it instead.) It glows when you press the front button, and that’s it. Two AA batteries won’t power it for months on end, so turn it off when you’re feeling cheerful again! You can also import a Tears of the Kingdom version based on the newer game.
$40
The iconic heart symbol from the Legend of Zelda — it glows with a soft red light.
Allison Johnson, reviewer
