« June 2008 | Main | August 2008 »
I read Lifehacker, a very useful blog for those of us who stare at screens all day, work remotely, or otherwise are dependent on computers to get things done.
Now New York Times reporter Marci Alboher has written a great interview with Lifehacker's Gina Trapani , Clearing Up a Blurry Work Life, that contains even more juicy productivity and life/work balance tidbits.
| |
|
I've melted crayons to good effect before, but Pete Goldlust takes Crayon Art to a new level.
I can't help imagining a collaboration between him and Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit) or another claymation pro.
Or doing food garnishes for a chef. The art has a very fresh feel, doesn't it? He kicked total butt with Play-Doh in kindergarten.
Thanks to "GeekGal" Shannon and Shannon's mom for this find.
| |
|
Our usual open coworking session is coming up next Friday, August 1, 9am - 6 pm, open house style.
Coworking FAQs
What exactly is coworking?
It's people gathering to do their usual work, just in a new location.
Do I need to be a web geek to participate?
No, all kinds of folks participate in coworking -- accountants, lawyers, artists, architects, journalists, printers, farmers, designers, massage health workers, historians. It helps if you can get stuff accomplished with cell phone and computer, but most people find a day spent networking and thinking with a pen and paper can be quite productive.
Is it a big networking fest?
It's pretty relaxed, and if you want to meet others, you can -- but it's not required ;) We maintain a "no pitch zone" but we have seen people find talent, projects, jobs, vendors, and a few enterpreneurs have found investors.
Why do people cowork?
A change of scenery stimulates new ideas and ways of thinking, so coworking tends to breathe life into the way you think and feel about your work. Independents, entrepreneurs and telecommuters enjoy a break from the home office. We almost always learn something new at coworking, through what has been called "accelerated serendipity."
Is there a cost?
Not at these sessions at Firecat. We sponsor coworking sessions on the first Friday of each month for the benefits mentioned above. Our team offices at home except for meetings, so we need the contact. Some spaces are "collectives" with a subscription or rental model. This one's free.
Is there coworking at other places?
There sure is, coworking is an emerging trend all over the world. See the coworking wiki for locations and specifics. There are other coworking sessions in San Antonio, dedicated coworking spaces have sprung up in Texas in Austin, Bryan/College Station, and Houston, and more are coming. San Francisco, New York City, Philadelphia, London, Paris, Milan, even Beirut have coworking spaces.
Come check it out!
Lunch: Feel free to bring your own, have lunch out, but we provide light sandwich fare. We have a lunch topic/discussion, this month we'll celebrate Summer again and explore computer games. As designers, we have a vested interest in how the interfaces are evolving and the game stories becoming more immersive. Really, we do, seriously. Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Wii Fit -- anybody have an advance copy of Spore? We'll have a Wii and a Playstation 3, so feel free to bring what you are playing.
| |
|
Nice to see the Web Accessibility issue and Knowbility's AIR Program getting some nationwide ink/pixels. Network World's Linda Musthaler wrote a nice analysis of the issue and the program's benefits. Good for the differently-abled people, good for coders/developers, good for designers and publishers, good for business. She hit all the highlights of accessible coding including:
* Do the right thing for the blind, deaf, mobility-impaired
* Serve and enjoy the large market those people represent; it's much larger than you think
* Avoid lawsuits like the one Target is embroiled in
* Make your webapps and sites cleaner and more cross-platform compatible
* Google and the other search indexers /crawlers are "vision and hearing impaired"
We're making good progress getting the San Antonio AIR program off the ground, too. We recently secured an enthusiastic new chairperson and major sponsor for the AIR-SA rally in October, set our rally date for October 4, 2008. Check Knowbility.org for more info.
| |
|
Austin American Statesman reporter Omar Gallaga ran an in-depth article about coworking yesterday. It features fellow coworking sponsors LaunchPad Coworking, Houston's Caroline Collective and Austin Jelly startup Conjunctured -- all of whom you may remember from the Coworking MeetUp during South by Southwest Interactive.
Don't miss the companion video and photo features of the article.
A few of the comments on the article are surprisingly vitriolic; I would have thought Austin a natural fit for this type of ad hoc community-plus-business outgrowth, but some seem to feel threatened by the movement. To me, coworking is a natural evolution from telecommuting from home or coffeeshops, with a nod to the technology incubators that rose up in the 1990s.
Coworking allows creatives and independents to mix as often as they like, in an environment selected for collaboration potential. We've become aware of the vast creative resources that quietly live and work in San Antonio this way. Small business owners and startups, as well as corporate workers looking to make the break find a lot of advice and support -- as well as investors, clients and vendors -- through coworking.
If you haven't made time to try out coworking in San Antonio, come by La Taza Coffeehouse any Tuesday from 9-5, or Firecat Studio on the first Friday of each month.
Or take a look at the Coworking Google Group and the Coworking Wiki.
| |
|
