Issue 27
  1. A frame for digital art
  2. An easy-to-follow iOS yoga trainer
  3. Play 'catch your alarm clock'
  4. Manage and automate contract paperwork
  5. The guide to good business
  6. International money transfers done right

Hey guys!

Smashing Magazine tweeted about The Modern Desk last week which led a few hundred of you to sign up. Welcome aboard!

Last night I skyped with my printer in Germany, and I now have a scary deadline to work towards. The files for the new issue of Offscreen have to be ready within 2.5 weeks. My to-do list is also telling me to start working on my talk for HybridConf later this month. All of that means that I'll keep my intros short until I'm can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope you have a great week!

Kai

 

This Weekʼs Line-Up

A frame for digital art
01

Until I came across Framed at the IAM conference in Barcelona earlier this year, the idea of digital art didn't really excite me all that much. But when I discovered that it's so much more than just a screen for your wall, but a platform for art lovers, makers and traders, it suddenly made a lot more sense. Since then I follow what Framed and Electric Objects are doing, in the hope that one day all of my favourite GIFs will find a home on my wall.

 
An easy-to-follow iOS yoga trainer
02

In the last couple of weeks my lower back has been painfully reminding me to get back into a more frequent stretching and strengthening routine. And so I've just reactivated the app Yoga Studio on my iPhone, probably the most beautiful and well-executed yoga app around. Instantly jump into one of the courses or create your own out of hundreds of available poses.

 
Play 'catch your alarm clock'
03

Having trouble getting out of bed in the morning? Clocky wakes you by ringing a typical alarm, but as soon as you snooze it, it'll start running away from you, forcing you to get out of bed to switch it off the second time around. A bit brutal, I know, but a pretty cute idea.

 
Manage and automate contract paperwork
04

If you run a client service business chances are that you deal with a lot of legal bla bla. Getting the necessary paperwork like quotes and contracts done – and done right – is important, as anyone who's learned a tough lesson from not doing so will be able to tell you. PandaDoc looks like a great tool to make this annoying process less painful.

 
The guide to good business
05

"Don’t expect management speak, nor miracles for untold riches. It’s not a book about staging a revolution. It’s a book about doing things well (from how you run the show to the pens you buy). And even taking your dog to work." – Like everything Monocle does, it's a bit expensive, a little pretentious, but oh so pretty and thoughtfully put together. If you have a coffee table at your office, this book should be on it (next to Offscreen, of course).

 
International money transfers done right
06

I send quite a bit of money overseas to pay for contractors in Europe and North America. Compared to PayPal, TransferWise is quite slow (as it's bank account to bank account), but it's cheaper and it actually cares about its customers. I now use TransferWise regularly for bigger payments and to send chunks of my own money to Germany to cover Offscreen's printing and shipping costs. (If you use this referral link to sign up, I get a small credit towards transfers. Thanks!)

 
The caterpillar does all the work, but the butterfly gets all the publicity.
— George Carlin