Issue 23
  1. An ergonomic stool for standing desks
  2. Use abbreviations to type faster
  3. A voice-activated smart clock
  4. A tool for lively team collaboration
  5. Woodify your peripherals
  6. Know your emojis

Howdy everyone!

It's a pretty cold winter here in Melbourne (while my friends in Europe are melting) and so I mostly stay at home and focus on making progress with the next issue of Offscreen.

I did an "Ask Me Anything" session on Designer News last week, which was fun! And I also opened up patron bookings for the next issue. If you'd like to support Offscreen, becoming a patron is a great way to do just that and get your name printed in the magazine along the way. :)

Here are some things I read over the weekend: The inspiring story behind Headspace, a mediation app I previously featured on TMD, and these (fairly dispiriting) two articles on sustainability and food wastage.

— Kai

 

This Weekʼs Line-Up

An ergonomic stool for standing desks
01

A standing desk won't entirely replace a chair. I personally use a simple, height-adjustable bar stool to rest my feet every hour or so. The Locus Seat is a more ergonomic, 'half standing, half sitting' solution that works well in combination with standing desks. While its looks (and its price) may be a deterrent, I'd love to try one of these for a while.

 
Use abbreviations to type faster
02

aText is a lightweight little tool that lets you create word shortcuts that work in all apps. For instance: type KR to instantly get Kind regards in your email client. It's fast and it comes with various other automisation features.

 
A voice-activated smart clock
03

If you're trying to keep your bedroom smartphone-free but don't want to relinquish all benefits of technology, the ivee clock might be for you: control your alarm, thermostat, music, light or any other connected device through simply voice input.

 
A tool for lively team collaboration
04

There's no shortage of collaborative tools for remote teams, with Slack and Basecamp leading the way. Sqwiggle is yet another contender with a fun, more visual approach that encourages more interaction through videos and regular image sharing.

 
Woodify your peripherals
05

It won't get more 'artisanal' than this: French accessory maker Oreé uses wood to build keyboards, touch pads, iPhone cases and other Mac paraphernalia. Some of you may argue that it's taking our obsession with wood a bit far, but you can't not admire the craftsmanship that goes into making these objects.

TMD readers can enter the discount code 'moderndesk' to get $30 off on orders of keyboards with custom, handwritten text engraved on the back.

 
Know your emojis
06

Emojis are taking over the world, and I love the internet for making an emoji dictionary. 

"Birthday Cake 🎂: A cake with lit candles in the middle, created for someone’s birthday. The Apple version features strawberries for decoration and flavour. Google has chosen what appears to be a sponge cake, and Microsoft has created a strawberry cake for this emoji."