We built this city on lock and roll. The Aeron chair debuted in 1994; it is a symbol of ingenious engineering, the triumph of the new aesthetic, the ergonomic revolution, and dot-com excess. It is as integral to Silicon Valley as the blue button-down or the Dilbert doll. Its co-inventor, Bill Stumpf, passed away this weekend at the age of 70.

So remember when you're fiddling with the height on your painstakingly designed machine — Stumpf took an extra year to make sure a 4'11" test subject could adjust it without standing — raise a Vitamin Water in toast to the man who put your comfort in control.

Bill Stumpf, 70, a Designer of the Aeron Ergonomic Office Chair, Dies [NY Times]
Photo by JDRF Capitol [Flickr]

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