Back in the old analog days, the recording studio I managed kept around a toaster oven, because old tapes can get sticky because the binder has gotten soft and that's how you harden it again.

Please use a cheap toaster oven or a griddle that you dedicate for soldering, you don't want any of that crap near your food.

We evolved in caves, so our eyes aren't meant for bright light.

Only minor /s, I am sensitive to light and wish more people would be ok with darkness, especially at night. You don't need flood lights constantly on blinding every square millimeter of your yard. Night vision is a thing and it doesn't require goggles.

Modern bright lighting is great for daytime but one of the worst things we can do to ourselves in the evening or night. We absolutely did not evolve to be exposed to bright (particularly blue/white) light after the sun starts setting.

The best thing I did for my circadian rhythm was eliminate light in the bedroom and set up my lights to slowly shift to soft amber and dim in the evening. The trick is having it transition slowly so your eyes adjust and you don't notice it.

2nded. The lighting should be comparable to daylight, it helps your eyes focus better.

You can even get lux meter apps for your phone.

Same! My 15k lumen, 6500 Kelvin lamp is honestly one of my favorite things. My office is brightly lit regardless of the world outside. My wife hates it and demands I use soft white, 75w equivalent lights everywhere else.

I can live with the lights that imitiate candles, but I go to MY space if I need to see something clearly.

But the stove hood also has an exhaust fan built in, and a range for a nice hot toxic solder pot to keep boiling

It's almost like the kitchen was built for electronics

Explain HOW!

But that sweet, sweet flavor...

In that case, you have a few options:

• The home office/battle station where you can pipe the output from one bash command into another bash command, or set up your media server or just play video games.
• The kitchen where you can knead and bake sourdough, roll your own pasta, braise a hearty stew, or roast a leg of lamb.
• The backyard where you can smoke a brisket, bake a pizza, host a wine tasting.
• The garden or lawn where you can cultivate plants, grow something to eat, design a beautiful landscape, or restore a native sanctuary for migratory insects like the monarch butterfly or birds like a hummingbird or songbirds.
• The gym where you can get ripped, build up your personal stats, and let off some steam through physical activity.
• The closet or bedroom where you can plan out your fashion choices and wardrobe, iron your clothes, shine your shoes, and otherwise make stylish choices.
• Some sort of room or garage where you can jam out with musical instruments.

Dungeons and dragons was developed in a man cave.

Also, 1 of the guys' wives thought he was cheating on her. She followed him to a house and thought to catch him in the act, when he went into the basement. Instead, she burst in on him and his friends playtesting D&D in their basement mancave.

Also basement.

Online

The "Den" has been rebranded as the 'Office". Same room, just under different management.

as marketed by Spike TV

Right. It's just a place to stick your cheap plastic collectibles, as romanticized by the man-equivalent of the home shopping channel. You see it on home improvement shows all the time, as well, typically themed to some hobby or consumer franchise. And back in the '00s, sitcoms got in on the racket, with every Family Dad having an episode or three that involved renovating a basement or spare bedroom.

Side note, remember when houses had a room called the “den”?

I've also heard it called the TV Room, the playroom, and the family room. Most houses still have it, typically adjoining the kitchen/dining room. My house has a second-story flat that's kitchen, dining room, and den laid out in a single open rectangle. We have the TV on the back wall and you can see it from the other side of the house. But all the entertainment - the record player, the video games, the little rolling dry bar I have in the corner - is on the "den" side of the house.