What stories are on your desk?

My desk accumulates stuff over time. Some things are actively used, others are decorative, others still are projects in progress (or, at least, that I aspire to be in progress). I was looking at my desk and realised that many of the objects tell a story.

On my desk, I have a copy of the Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS). I purchased these two books after an engaging discussion about language and web publishing at Homebrew Website Club, an online event for people passionate about personal websites. When I first got the CMoS book, I was excited about all the knowledge within. I now had a physical reference to which I could go for some questions about publishing. I do not often refer to the book, but I love that it is there.

I have two coffee cups on my desk, both from Beyond Tellerand, a conference series held in Düsseldorf and Berlin every year. I have made wonderful memories there. Conversations about technology at Beyond Tellerand are unlike any other; everyone is kind. The spirit of inclusiveness fostered by the "Pacman rule", where you should always leave a space for someone else to join a conversation, made me feel welcome from the beginning.

I have a Badger 2040 e-ink display which I used to build a system that displays Taylor Swift lyrics from an IRC bot I made. The bot has received many positive comments in the community in which it runs.

I have a Klein bottle which I purchased from ACME Klein Bottles. The company is run by Clifford Stoll, whose website is delightful. Stoll's curiosity about the world is inspiring. The Numberphile video "The man with 1,000 Klein Bottles under his house" is worth a watch to learn about Stoll's adventures with Klein bottles.

There are so many stories within the objects on my desk.

What stories are on your desk?