The Verge's Favorite Home Office Memories

Back in the mad Men Nowadays, the only thing that could break up the corporate monotony of a workspace was a photo of your family or maybe a coffee mug with a funny saying on it. But nowadays, especially if we work from home, we can have some pretty interesting, weird or just plain cute items on our desks.

We asked people here at The edge What they have on their desks or in their offices and that they keep just for the fun of it, because they like it, because it means something special or just because. These are some of the answers we got.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto, business writer/dealer

A year ago, my wife and I were forced to say goodbye to one of our two beloved cats, Pouncey. She was a loving companion for over 11 years who 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 goodbye, due to her declining health, was more sudden than expected. But in addition to all the photos and videos we have to remind us of our best girl (apologies to our eight-month-old daughter), I am given a poignant reminder of Pouncey every time I sit down at my desk.

When I got my Meletrix Zoom75 Last year, when I bought a long-awaited group-bought mechanical keyboard, I opted for the built-in LCD add-on because, well, why not? And, perhaps not surprisingly, once I built my keyboard with that little screen inside, I found myself wondering, “Okay, what do I do with this thing?” So I left it displaying something boring like the battery level.

After Pouncey passed away, I reconsidered the looping GIF feature and decided to put a cute clip of our girl in there. The GIF was just a burst of images from a random day, and if you look closely, you can see her eyes widen adorably when she notices me taking a photo of her. We now call it Pouncey's Keyboard, and while it's bittersweet to see her snuggle up at my desk but not be able to feel her soft fur or hear her gentle purrs, I love seeing “our girl Pouncey” every day.

Sean Hollister, Senior Editor

Whenever I feel a little run down, I have an extra life on my desk. My family bought me this. Legend of Zelda A year ago, I bought a heart-shaped container, so it encapsulates your love too! (It's less meaningful if you buy it for yourself, so I recommend giving it as a gift.) It glows when you press the front button and that's it. Two AA batteries won't power it for months, so turn it off when you're feeling cheerful again! You can also import to Tears of the Kingdom version based on the newest game.

Allison Johnson, Reviewer

I dread putting nails on the wall in my office (which, by the way, is also my bedroom). So I end up with a pile of little things I want to put on the wall but can't commit to doing, like something my kid drew or the mess of tech event badges in my desk drawer. But recently, I've gotten into sticky strips, putting little hooks and clips all over the house, and I've started using them to decorate the wall behind my desk.

He amazon.com/dp/B00KIO7HG8?tag=theverge02-20″>clothes pin type clips They're perfect; I can swap them out for a new piece of kids art whenever I want and I don't have to compromise on where they're placed. That'll come in handy if I want to reorganize my office (aka my bedroom) and I've never had any issues getting them off the wall without damaging them.

Adi Robertson, Senior technology and Policy Editor

I keep a paper planner and notepad to keep track of stories and meetings, and the TWSBI Eco (in cream rose gold with burgundy Noodler's Ink) is my favorite writing tool of all time. It is a reasonably priced, attractive, easy to fill, and pleasant to use fountain pen.

I'm not really one for desk knickknacks, but I love this. amiibo link for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomI'm inspired by the way Link seems to use his Ultrahand powers to create a better world around him. If he can do it, maybe I can too, though I might have to make things happen without a magic arm.

Kylie Robison, Senior ai Reporter

My little one amazon.com/Moleskine-Classic-Cover-Notebook-Pocket/dp/8883701003/ref=sr_1_2?th=1&tag=theverge02-20″>Moleskine notebook It keeps track of my entire life (I check about twice a year). I keep my weekly and monthly calendars there, along with all the sources and general meeting notes. I use amazon.com/Sakura-Pigma-30062-Micron-Blister/dp/B0008G8G8Y/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?th=1&tag=theverge02-20″>Micron pens Because they are simply the best and I keep them in a amazon.com/Ohjijinn-Pencil-Acrylic-Japanese-Stationery/dp/B0B39S9FTX/ref=asc_df_B0B39S9FTX/?th=1&tag=theverge02-20″>Kirby pencil case that I have instagram.com/p/C-tJ4SPP1VS/”>It was even shown in Edge videos (see above) I recently completely renovated my home office and part of that was a lot of decor, my favorite being a amazon.com/Ethereal-Lomoer-Majoras-Gaming-Powered/dp/B0CR7PQ24J/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?th=1&tag=theverge02-20″>Majora's Mask LED.

Barbara Krasnoff, Reviews Editor

I love Dorothy Parker, both for her writing and her biting personality. I even bought a book once A bottle of gin because it had her name on it (and to be honest, it wasn't half bad). So when I saw it amongst a plethora of Finger puppets of famous people At a book fair a few years ago, I simply had to buy it. Parker's Puppet It has a small magnet on the back of its head, so it can be easily hung on any metal surface. In fact, I brought it with me when I started working on The edgeAnd when I accidentally left it at the office during lockdown in 2020, I was heartbroken. Thankfully, Dorothy held on through the pandemic and is now back in my home office, smirking at me.

Victoria Song, Senior Reviewer

A while back, a friend gave me this adorable cat-shaped desktop memo pad as a souvenir from Beijing. At first, I didn't know what to do with it. Then, I started putting motivational notes in it, and surprisingly, that worked. After a while, I started printing or writing the occasional meme. (Yes, I did that too.) did (Write the entirety of Vice President Kamala Harris’s coconut palm speech on a Post-It note one week.) When I really need strength, I stick up a photo card of my favorite K-pop singer.

This holder actually only holds one note at a time, which helps me stay creative week to week. Most importantly, it reminds me to take breaks and laugh at myself when I take things too seriously. I don’t know where exactly to get this desktop memo holder, but you can find plenty of fun ones on amazon and Etsy.