Disqus - Latest Comments for RobKelley

Re: Kit-A-Day Giveaway: MakerBot Thing-O-Matic (#2 of 5)

RobKelley — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:17:10 -0000

Want.

Re: Shutter Alley

RobKelley — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:40:29 -0000

Love this alley's texture and your photo captures it. One of my favorite aspects of the new space

Re: http://nwc2.tumblr.com/post/556552799

RobKelley — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:54:45 -0000

* Snacks that energize *
Tech work is often an engrossing task. People forget to eat. What they don't realize is that their productivity and thinking are impaired when they go without food.

So make it simple and non-distracting for coworkers to stay energized--place snacks and energizing foods on public tables. Better yet if they're healthy (bananas, gorp, etc), but the important thing is to get people to eat without breaking their flow.

Re: http://nwc2.tumblr.com/post/556552799

RobKelley — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:50:33 -0000

* View from desk *
Tech work is screen work, and prolonged viewing strains the eyes. A general rule of thumb is that the eyes can rest themselves by focussing on a point in the distance. Unfortunately, many office setups (cubicles) explicitly deny users that sight line.

So, provide coworkers sight-lines to rest their eyes. If it's an internal view, make the object something pleasant (flowers, a restful piece of art, etc.) Better yet, provide a view out on the neighborhood. Those that include greenery are more soothing. Study the view from different places in the space. Create at least one focal point for each vantage point This will help create the sense that "I'm in a good spot"

Re: http://nwc2.tumblr.com/post/556552799

RobKelley — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:42:19 -0000

* Quick Reference Board *
People entering a space need cues and details to take advantage of services. In a tech setting, many of these services remain hidden (wireless settings, printer settings, support help). This invariably makes new arrivals feel uneasy about the state of the place at any given moment.

So, a coworking space should try to share vital details quickly, almost unconsciously, via a visible Board. This cannot simply be online. It should be physical and prominent. At the very least it should show:
* wireless settings
* printer settings (or short link)
* who's acting mayor/den mother/lifeguard
* what event is going on that day and when (or shortlink)
* any warnings or announcement headline

Re: http://nwc2.tumblr.com/post/556552799

RobKelley — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:35:55 -0000

* Differing levels of privacy *
Coworkers privacy needs differ not only based on their temperament, but on the work they're doing at the moment. Inevitably, some people will be seeking out interaction at the same time their associates may want to avoid it. Many open offices do not give enough differing spaces to accommodate these different modes. This builds up tension, distraction, and hurts individual's productivity and the success of the group.

So, a coworking space should strive to provide a selection of varying open and closed spaces users can get to easily given their work needs and temperament. Some basic spaces:
* open kitchen
* back porch or balcony
* conference room
* shared table
* solo table/workstation
* closed carrel

Re: http://nwc2.tumblr.com/post/556552799

RobKelley — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:28:37 -0000

* Connection to the Street *
Office space is often defined by its removal from street level and the hustle and bustle of life. This is done either by isolating it in a sterile “office campus” or in dense cities by putting it on a high skyscraper floor. Both scenarios cut coworkers off from energy they need—the life of the street. This activity, when kept at the right distance, can energize a space’s inhabitants without distracting them. It also makes it easier to use the resources of the community (drug stores, bodegas, restaurants). Finally it makes it easier for new people to discover the space without getting too far out of their way.

So, a coworking space should be on a low floor (2nd or 3rd), preferably reachable without an elevator and without a complicated door system or guard. It should be easy to get up and take a walk around the neighborhood to clear one’s head or work out a mental problem.

Re: Google Picks Up BumpTop; 3D Chrome OS On The Way? - The Circuit - Your Essential Tech News Digest

RobKelley — Mon, 03 May 2010 19:07:52 -0000

Only just discovered this today. A little messy but with potential. Like a sensible Compiz Fusion. The drag and drop posting to facebook in this demo is very cool. would love to see it on a slate: http://www.huffingtonpost.c...

Re: http://nwc2.tumblr.com/post/534113861

RobKelley — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:34:27 -0000

Is it possible to get floorplan diagrams for the spaces. It'd really help make sense of the layout.

Looks very much like current New Work City. Here are some qualities I'd love to see, some taken from Christopher Alexander. They're not requirements, just things to note as pluses when you do see them

* quiet spaces off of a larger main space
* light on two sides
* long sight lines to rest the eyes
* giving floors (not concrete, wood or carpet)
* windows overlooking activity and greenery
* connection to the street, like a visible entrance to and from the sidewalk (stair entry not elevator)
* Different ceiling heights for intimacy levels (public vs semi-private space)
* work all on one floor (an egalitarian MIT pattern)
* windows that open
* generous kitchen and bar where people can gather

Hmm, maybe I should expand on these ideas somewhere.

Re: The Circuit - E022, 04/15/10 - Watch The Circuit - Your Essential Tech News Digest

RobKelley — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:43:17 -0000

Mark, thanks for the show. Commentary:

PALM at $16? I will be happy to sell you my PALM stock and options for $16 each. Today only, bring cash. :)

CS4. I spoke with a Flash Developer friend last night. Apple is generating a lot of hate on the Flash side. This no-outside-compiling stuff is just another affront. What do you think about the Adobe Tech Evangelist's mini-dust-up "Go Screw yourself Apple" http://news.cnet.com/8301-2...

Speaking about developer unrest, how about the reaction from the developer community about Twitter buying Tweetie?
http://gigaom.com/2010/04/0...

Kin: Should we care about this phone in the ecosystem of phones? Physically it's very cute. What really interested me was the Windows 7 stuff, which actually looked cool. Can we get some expert opinion on that?

Thanks again for all you do!

Re: The Circuit: Spark, With Jeff Cannata - E002, 3/19/10 - Watch The Circuit - Your Essential Tech News Digest

RobKelley — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:55:58 -0000

Mark, great show. Irreverent feedback:

1. Revised Geek Rating 1-10:
Taking apart and reassembling
* your computer? 3
* your Macbook Pro? 6
* your iPhone? 10 (never doing that again!)
---
Little girls everywhere want to punch you in the stomach to make you "cry like Mark Burstiner." Just saying...
--
I wish I'd invented...the auto gasket. I hear I coulda made a lot of money off that. Or WordPerfect. Wow, imagine how rich I'd be...
--
What do I wish never existed? Internet Explorer, hands down. So much pain for so many people. Web designers, in particular. Let's light a candle for all the web designers who pulled their hair out fixing this or that IE rendering bug. Bad bad times.

Good show!

Re: Guest Login - Your Essential Tech News Digest

RobKelley — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 13:50:50 -0000

"Most notably, the device comes built in with the ability to serve up to 8 users with a 4G mobile hotspot. "

Wait, they actually want people to share the bandwidth? That's awesome. Is there any other phone right now that acts like a hotspot out of the box?

Rob

Re: The Circuit - E017, 03/04/10 - Watch The Circuit - Your Essential Tech News Digest

RobKelley — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:34:20 -0000

Good show. Irreverent Commentary!

1. PALM PRE UPDATE.
Go Palm Go Palm! You're unstoppable! Like Firefly! Like Eliot Spitzer! Like Party of Five and Square Pegs! Oh, I'm getting misty...

'Verizon blamed for Wonderphone's flop':
http://www.theregister.co.u...

2. GOOGLE PATENT: Weird. Do you think there's going to be some serious BS-calling on all these ridiculous patents? The patent office is "a broken agency".

'How Obama's team is going to fix the Patent Office' (why doesn't that inspire me?)
http://www.mercurynews.com/...

3. APPLE LIKES 'EM YOUNG. Bad news: Apple was found to employ minors. Good news: it didn't let any of them access explicit material in the App Store.

4. SPONSORS. Hey, Asa Aarons works at New Work City? Wow.

5. APPLE PATENTS. IMHO, this one should have been lead story. Apple sues HTC for patent infringement? I forgot who was saying it, but wasn't the conventional wisdom "Well, Apple probably won't exercise these so-called patents, because it's just gonna put a chill on the whole industry." Well who's ever claimed Apple was chock full of Geniuses? Oh right...

"Apple could have gone after Google." Which is like a poodle going after an elephant. Going after Palm on the other hand...ooo, does this put a chill on somebody acquiring Palm?

Good show. Are these getting shorter?

Nice shirt.

Rob

Re: The Circuit - E016, 02/25/10 - Watch The Circuit - Your Essential Tech News Digest

RobKelley — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:10:36 -0000

Mark, great show. My comments in time sequence

1. Intro: mmmm, not liking white shirt instead of black shirt. Logo is distracting in a bad way where logo on black shirts are more mysterious. Like the dark shirts better.

2. Apple hates pr0n: "Show Nip?" My God, man! You can't say that on
the air. Wait, where did you say you can find that?

3. Yahoo/Twitter form partnership. I like this news. I keeping
feeling the biz press is just down on Yahoo and the group will outlast
it. Then again, I thought that about Palm (ouch). What did you
think about CEO Carol Bartz's commment likening a Yahoo turnaround to
Apple's turnaround schedule as in years (http://bit.ly/aPgTRN)? Yahoo does some
pretty good curating and community management. Unlike Google, they're
just more down home social rather than algorithmic. Yahoo would never
make the Buzz blunder Google did. Then again, they wouldn't develop
that bomb in the first place.

4. IE6 going away: God, what will all the public servants do? Is
this just a subtle way of blocking web 2.0 from those most in need of
some fun?

5. Google Gears going away: I don't understand the impact of this. What happens
to all the apps that use this tool (RemembertheMilk.com)?

6. BloomBox: I originally assumed it was also a storehouse for solar
or other energy. If it could accept energy, great, if it could feed
it back to the grid, awesome. Otherwise, it seems like an
off-the-grid solution much like propane. Why should grid-bound folks
buy electricity this way rather than through their public utility? Do
they imagine people giving up the public utility the way they give up
landlines?

Re: Guest Login - Your Essential Tech News Digest

RobKelley — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:24:12 -0000

@markb "Microsoft: functional without fun since 1981"--I'll be amazed if Windows 7 Mobile changes things.

Re: The Circuit - E013, 02/04/09 - Watch The Circuit - Your Essential Tech News Digest

RobKelley — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:04:50 -0000

What I think: Great show, I didn't know about ANY of these stories beforehand. Excited about Firefox on Mobile. Opera Mobile deserved a shoutout. They've done some good stuff and I'd be interested in a comparison.
Did you miss a story: No Social Media Week commentary?
How my day was: F-i-i-i-ne.
What I had for breakfast : chocolate croissant and some coffee. Fierce street coffee.

Seriously, great show. You got a rhythm going

Re: foursquair

RobKelley — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:41:34 -0000

Sent some simple morning screenshots your way. Snagit's a great tool for taking shots of windows or the full screen, and it's got a 30-day free trial.

http://www.techsmith.com/do...

Re: Delicious.com is for normal people

RobKelley — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:06:59 -0000

Interesting article. I remember in 2003 thinking del.icio.us was a byzantine site. Utterly confusing. I thought the same thing about RSS. With RSS, it was just a matter of time before web-based tools became available and so darn easy that people couldn't help but use the feeds.

Del.icio.us has a different problem. It's not the basic concept that's getting in the way--people understand bookmarks. OK, the greater concepts -- Folksonomy and community-based ranking --are hard to use on a daily basis without good tools. The big problem is that del.icio.us is a difficult tool. Digg and Reddit were direct competitors. Right now I like GetGlue.com. But I still love del.icio.us.

By the way, the links in the article are going to delicio.us.com which I don't think is the bookmarking service.

Re: NYC FF3 Launch Party: Bring Your Fun.

RobKelley — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:45:02 -0000

Trying to make it.