[15" 2.0ghz 2011] display adapter, laptop stand, and battery. suggestions please

[slieu92]

i moved from a 2007 alu imac to a 2011 mpb 15". there's quite a lot to get used to. but the mobility/power is much needed.

i'm in need of a display port to dvi-d adapter that will not make it a tight squeeze for my firewire port or my usb port. i've looked at the ones on amazon, but can't find one due to either it being fat or that the dvi connector was different than the advertised picture.
for the laptop stand i am looking for maximum heat dispersion for my mbp. i was looking at the griffin elevator, but the reviews about slipping notebooks threw me off. so now i'm set on the rain stand, unless there's something else better that i'm not aware of.
this battery health/charge/capacity thing is somewhat new to me coming from an imac. when i use my ipod, the best thing for the battery i've heard of, is to use it until it's 20% or lower then let it recharge fully. so is that pretty much the same thing for my mbp's battery?

essentially, i'm seeking advice from the wise mbp users. any information will be appreciated. thanks.

 

[Heavertron]

i moved from a 2007 alu imac to a 2011 mpb 15". there's quite a lot to get used to. but the mobility/power is much needed.

i'm in need of a display port to dvi-d adapter that will not make it a tight squeeze for my firewire port or my usb port. i've looked at the ones on amazon, but can't find one due to either it being fat or that the dvi connector was different than the advertised picture.
for the laptop stand i am looking for maximum heat dispersion for my mbp. i was looking at the griffin elevator, but the reviews about slipping notebooks threw me off. so now i'm set on the rain stand, unless there's something else better that i'm not aware of.
this battery health/charge/capacity thing is somewhat new to me coming from an imac. when i use my ipod, the best thing for the battery i've heard of, is to use it until it's 20% or lower then let it recharge fully. so is that pretty much the same thing for my mbp's battery?

essentially, i'm seeking advice from the wise mbp users. any information will be appreciated. thanks.

I can answer the battery part. Iithium Ion batteries (MPB uses a newer variation of this tech) have no memory effect, so there is no need to totally discharge the cell before recharging. In fact, it is safer not to let the cell get totally discharged. If you ever plan to store the battery, a 60%-70% ish charge is best for the health of the cells for long term storage. The only reason you may wish to totally discharge the cells is to allow Apple's firmware to calibrate it's battery health readings. I would not do this very frequently.

Short answer: Use it as you need it. Try not to leave it totally and utterly discharged for any length of time at all. Top up or trickle charging is absolutely fine and will not harm capacity.