Boring day at work? here’s how to keep you busy and entertained until day ends. This trick also works to keep children quiet for a while. Continue Reading →
All posts in coffee break
Coffee break: a cookie friendly cup holder
One dilemma we sometimes face when we’re having one cup of our favourite coffee or tea (in one hand) while browsing the Internet at the same time (with the other hand) is how to also have a bite of this delicious cookie (or brownie, or whatever sweet cake or biscuit) or a smoke of your cigarette – which by the way is much less healthy than this 464kCal cookie. But unless a third arm grows overnight, you won’t be able to perform those three tasks at the same time…
… until today! Thanks to this Clean Cup holder by Dmitry Boyko, you’ll always be able to do some multi-tasking even during your coffee break!
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According to Long Tran of Yanko Design, the “Clean Cup holder slides onto most disposable cups instantly turning them into a proper mug. You can even write on the neck so people know what you’re drinking and who it belongs to.”
A cool design that somehow reminds me of Joe Colombo’s ‘smoke glass’ (1964). Only a strange coincidence, I guess.
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Every designers’ dirty little secret is that they copy other designers’ work. They see work they like, and they imitate it. Rather cheekily, they call this inspiration.
— Aaron Russell
5 rules of mobility learned in 2009
Any mobile worker would have to travel and work with its own environment but would also be able to adapt to any environment. Here are the 5 golden rules to keep in mind before going to a travel I learned in 2009. It’s probably a reminder to most of the reader of this blog … but also a good way to go back to the basic.
Size matters
Being mobile implies to deal with the size and the weight of objects the mobile worker would have to carry. And sometimes, being a mobile worker could be just really painful for your back (or your bag … or your pocket). For example, a cool and ultra new smartphone could be really a fantastic tool, yet not easy to fit in your pocket. Sometime, the latest gizmo isn’t the best solution.
Of course, laptops are probably the biggest concern regarding the size. Since the rise of netbooks, they now are a good answer with very compact size. If laptops and netbooks become really small these days, it’s not always the case for the charger, though … Something to keep in mind before packing your bag 
- The Ultimate Computer Case (made in Switzerland)
- Lifehacker laptop bags
- Travel light with one bag
- Your laptop on a USB key!
- The ultimate vertical bag
- The laptop bag group on Flickr
Energy management
Being mobile with all the gizmos modern worker have could be just a nightmare if you don’t have an energy source. We previously discussed the issue of the charger – a universal charger could be a good solution, avoiding dealing with plenty of them.
Once again, the latest gizmo could be really cool, but on the road, it’s important to go back to your basic needs. Sometimes, the previous gadget generation has the benefit of being optimized (latest firmware, etc – leading to better battery management). Or they simply consumes less energy (for example, smartphones are just burning battery so rapidly, while normal phones will be with you for the week.
Thin and light charger are definitely something to look for. Another solution that might be to consider at some point : solar charger.
Hopefully, the move of the European commission for universal charger will help at some point.
Useful reading :
Internet connection
We’re getting more and more used to unlimited and permanent internet connection – wifi access, 3G networks are getting always more popular and are weapons of choice for mobile workers. Learn to plan and map your trip with the closest wifi hotspots available (McDonalds, airports, cities, hotels, etc – for France, a Neuf, Fon or FreeWifi access is a big plus). A small wifi detector can also really help. But sometimes, there is just no internet, and you’ll have to deal with that.
Working offline can also be great opportunity to work differently, to focus on what matters and being more productive.
With a decent email client (ie. thunderbird), you can still read your email you’ve previously downloaded, answer to them offline (they’ll be sent next time you’ll connect). Also think to download your important documents (or the one you currently work on).
Offline period are also great moment for reading … tools such as readitlater allow you to mark internet page for later, and download them for an offline visualization.
Useful reading :
Adapt to your working environment
Finding a nice, quiet place to work is always the better option. And if the view or the place inspires you, you’re work will be more productive and creative. But sometimes, it’s just not possible to pick the perfect spot. Noise is often the no1 enemy – earplugs will be lifesaver in these situations. If you like working with music, a good headset will also be very helpful (Noise cancelling technology can be a plus).
Useful reading :
Working mindset
Working is all about routine. Working outside the office or on the road could be sometime disturbing or distracting. To be able to focus on what matters, it’s important to recreate a routine that will help you find your focus point. Drinks, lights, working space, specific music will help you to find standpoints and go back to work.
Useful reading
Bonus : the 6th rule – with you wherever you go/are
Inspired by Nicolas who thought it could be a good idea to make reminder about the remote access solutions. Technology indeed offers us plenty of options for accessing our work capacities remotely. Drop.box remains definitely a strong asset, but during this year, a few other tools also came to help us.
One of the first one that will probably be pretty huge in the coming month : Mozilla Weave (disclaimer – I do work with Mozilla) will allow any firefox user to synchronize its data (bookmarks, navigation history, tabs opened, password, login, etc) between 2 firefox (for example, “home computer”, “work computer”, “laptop”) with the required level of security. Go and adopt it !
If you need to remotely (and simply) access to your computer, logmein also improved its offer during the year with a mobile edition. Yummy.
Useful reading
Coffee break: Come on and stir it up
One of the big dilemma I often face when I drink a cup of coffee is to know what to do with the spoon I use to stir it (I like it with milk and sugar). This wouldn’t be an issue if I drank my coffee in a regular coffee-cup and its saucer where I could drop my spoon once I used it. But I am more of a mug-man than a granny-like-styled coffee drinker. Damn! Why can’t I do things like normal people do?!
Until today I then just had the choice between spoiling my desk with a dirty and sticky spoon or stick it in my eye every time I had a sip of my coffee.
Fortunately for me (and my ophthalmologist) there’s now a solution. Two young French designers created quite a clever “self-stirring cup” than can be used either for tea or coffee (I say). It’s a glass, actually, and it has a ceramic ball at the bottom that moves around and mixes the tea (or coffee!) as you lift the cup or swirl it gently. For those of you, who like me, hate or can’t afford losing time stirring their coffee with their two hands, this cup is revolutionary.
Last but not least, the base of the glass protrudes enough so that when you lift the glass to drink, the ball never falls out and hits you in the teeth or end up in your stomach. Clever.
Who said that drinking coffee was a safe activity? Even George seems to have issues when it comes to resupplying in his nearest Nespresso shop.
My advice: You should try and order online next time.
Coffee break
I just realized that in one of my last posts featuring the necessary tools a digital nomad per se should always carry with him (10 useful tools and tips to help you (better) work remotely!), I irresponsibly forgot one essential element we NEED wherever we work from. It is not exactly what I’d call a tool, nor a gear, or a working strategy. It is more than that. It is a habit for some people, and a deeply rooted daily ceremony for others. It is part of our (working) lives, just as much as the action of breathing.
I guess I could survive a day or two without it, but my productivity and mood would probably be affected by the lack of it. Just the idea of having one now, seems to have released some sparks in my brain. But I guess this is just a psychological Pavlovian side-effect.
There’s not a single blog which talks about digital nomads, mobile workers or telecommuters that hasn’t at least dedicated a post to that thing or made a reference to it.
That’s right! Coffee is THE thing of mobile workers. THE thing that makes us enjoy working from home or a coffee shop, because we know that whatever we get, it will always be better than this dark, tepid and bitter “juice” we get at the office.
Hey, what do you expect from an engine which runs with cheap fuel? For sure, it won’t be NASCAR in your office (anyway, I’m not sure that even with a heavy dose of magic, the girls from HR or Finance will ever turn into into this)
Anyway. Just to say that coffee rules the days of million of mobile workers, coffee lovers or addicts. So why wouldn’t there be something about coffee on 52nd & West? Something that would feature the best news around coffee, coffee recipies & tips, the best coffee shops where to actually have a good coffee while surfing the web. Just the best tips from the best coffee lovers. FOR YOU!
And maybe George will be happy to share his own experience here some day…
But the best of all: it’s now time for a well deserved (coffee)break!!
esPRESSivo. What else?
What I often miss, when I’m travelling the world Europe, is the taste of a Nespresso-like coffee wherever I have one (I mean a coffee). Every time I’m sitting in a restaurant, the decision to try or not to try their “local” coffee turns into a real dilemma. So I often end-up drinking a coke or something I know that will always more or less have the same taste should I be in in Beijing, Vienna, Paris or a small village in Himancham Pradesh. Continue Reading →
Design, wifi and café latte…
If you’re planning to spend some days in Vienna and if you’re tired of reading your emails or working out your next powerpoint presentation from an impersonal hotel lobby, the cafe Moebel is just the perfect place for you: this cute little café is central, quiet, the food is good (they make a delicious café latte!), they have a free broadband Internet wifi access, waiters and waitress are nice and last but not least, its interior is 100% design! All the furniture, seats, tables, lamps, etc. come directly from the famous design shop Das Moebel located a few blocks from the café itself. The shop showcases design creations by WerK, franz maurer, moor&moor, moca, mm interier, ellips and more others!
So if you fall in love with anything here in particular, you can just satisfy your need for design and good taste a few hundred meters down the street…
Personally I could not afford one single piece of furniture which is displayed here in this living showroom; but I can at least spend the day sitting on one of those €800 seats and spoil this beautiful €1,500 table I’m working on…
Get there: http://www.dasmoebel.at/kontakt