The Modern Materialist : office

Scrapbooking Parties Are Positively Hopping!

Steph Auteri — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:55:00 GMT

I've always thought scrapbooking was cool, but I'm not exactly the artsy type. In fact, my nursery school report card stated that I was "bad with scissors."

But scrapbooking is where it's at, you guys! Maybe I just need the right pair of scissors?

[$9, Urban Outfitters]

Sidewired for Success

Laureen Mahler — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:55:00 GMT

There is nothing wrong with your monitor. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. This is actually a desk with electrical outlets wired into its side. And it really exists:

[Price upon request, TMRnyc]

This brilliant piece of office furniture comes from TMRnyc, a firm that specializes in practical design. What I love almost as much as the gorgeous simplicity of this desk is the designer's explanation: "The frustration of searching for a free power outlet to plug into nearby made me ask, 'Why can’t I just plug this into my desk? Why can’t I just plug my desk into the wall with one cord and neatly plug in all of my other gear into the desk.'" Why indeed.

The sidewired desk comes with more plugs than you could ever use up, plus it's equipped with a surge protector for safety. The folks at TMRnyc are just that good.

Only one question remains: why didn't anyone think of this sooner?

[via Core77]

When They Were Young

Steph Auteri — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:19:00 GMT

Forever ago, I found myself creeped about by this headless-dog speaker system.

But today, I was lucky enough to see a pic of them before they were all growed up (and decapitated):

[$40]

Find out more about these puppy speakers here.

[Via Gizmodo]

Cheap Trick: One Clean Sweep

Steph Auteri — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:33:00 GMT

[Photo via]

My desk is a mess. And it's not just because of the spray of manuscript documents and post-its across the surface, or the books piled on top of my scanner, or all the gadgets — audio recorder, DSLR, Flip Mino — sprawled everywhere.

I think it's mainly because I've been eating cupcakes all morning, in lieu of a real breakfast.

And man are those cupcakes messy.

[$7, MoMA]

This mini desktop cleaner "glides and sweeps" across your desk.

Now if only I could find something for my keyboard...

Fun With It: Tape Dispensers

Steph Auteri — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:04:00 GMT

[$12, See Jane Work]

We haven't done a roundup of ridiculous office supplies in awhile and, well, I could use a new ridiculous desk accessory. After the jump, we have fun with tape dispensers:

[$6.99, Perpetual Kid]

[$11.95, Vat19]

[$22, Cox & Cox]

[$33, Miss & Lady's Boutique]

Quick Tip of the Day: Tweet Off at Work

Steph Auteri — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:36:00 GMT

Reading the Modern Materialist at work is like a gateway drug to other things...like checking your Facebook page, playing Minesweeper, and tweeting at work.

I'm not good at subtlety (my boss used to catch me with the Spider Solitaire all the time), but if you'd like to go all stealth:

[Spreadtweet]

Now you can read the Modern Materialist through the site and the Twitter feed. Spreadtweet makes your Twitter feed look just like an Excel spreadsheet. Sneaky sneaky.

Related: Tool for the Cubicle Refugee

Quick Tip of the Day: Make a (Giant) Note of It

Laureen Mahler — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:37:00 GMT

[$10, Things You Never Knew]

Warning: this is not an optical illusion. What you're seeing here is actually a gigantic sticky note:

These jumbo stickies measure in at 12" by 12", and they work just like normal post-its... except they're GIANT! We're talking LP-sized, ginormous, so much yellow you couldn't fill it if you tried giant. You'll get 80 of these stickies in one notepad, which means you can write egregious amounts of plus-size notes and wallpaper your office/home/car/self with them. Conversely, if you happen to be a giant, I suppose you'd be writing normal-sized notes.

[via Random Good Stuff]

Making You Smarter One Click at a Time

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:31:00 GMT

Don't you just hate smart people? Okay, no, not really. Brainiacs are, after all, the fabric of our civilization. But I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we all wish we were smarter. In fact, I often use big words when I'm not entirely sure what they mean, just because they sound good. You follow my tintinnabulation, yes?

Well, being smart just got a whole lot easier:

[Yanko Design]

The dictionary pen is a far cry from your run-of-the-mill Bic; it has a voice recognition system so you can speak a word into the back, and it will magically produce a definition. Absolutely deleterious!

Overworked, But Never Under-Styled

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:26:00 GMT

There's nothing worse than being buried in paperwork (literally or figuratively). But with these emoting file totes, you can get organized and silently complain, all in the height of office supply style:

[$16, Knock Knock]

This last one is my personal favorite. It's just so steeped in meaning: I'm crying, the files are crying, we're all crying...

Tape Dispenser: Oh, I Get It

Alex Zalben — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:03:00 GMT

Get it? GET IT? Because it's a casette tape, that's dispensing the sticky kind of tape! See, it's what's called a visual pun, right, and... No? Don't get it? NO?

The funny part about my "hilarious" joke above is that, at a certain point, perhaps even now, younger segments of the population WON'T actually get the visual joke, because they've never seen or heard about audio tape. Eek.

[$25, Generate]

Related: A Duel

Cup Holder on the Information Superhighway

Steph Auteri — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:33:00 GMT

The item pictured above is not a cup holder.

[$25, MoMA]

The DrinKlip, however, designed by Been Kim, is. And it clips right onto the edge of your desk! But will it fit the typical mug-with-a-handle, or only my store-bought coffee?

[Via Holy Cool]

Design Synthesis: An Office in the Country

Steph Auteri — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:04:00 GMT

[Desk: $149.99, Target; Hutch: $99.99, Target]

Since I began freelancing full-time about two years ago, I've had continual trouble achieving optimal work/life balance. First, there was too much life (if you count watching full-day marathons of America's Next Top Model as "life"). Now, I just work all the time.

This past weekend, I was determined to stay strong, and not work.

So instead, I spent several hours putting together a Photoshop collage of my dream office, which I then wished I could start working in right away.

Then I somehow ended up at Target, where I saw a way cheap version of the $5,000 desk I had put in my collage. So I felt I had to share it with you.

After the jump, the rest of my dream office, including items previously featured on MM:

Snow Voile Scarf Valance, $19.99, JCPenney
Millie Chandelier, $728, Room Service Home
Boston Poster, $22, Ork Posters!
4 inspirational prints, $29, Etsy
Birdcage Office Caddy, $149, Room Service Home
Casablanca Lanterns, $78-$145, Room Service Home
Stanhope Desk, $5,950, Williams-Sonoma Home
Expedit Bookcase, $199, Ikea
Semikolon Print Magazine Box, $18, See Jane Work
Wooden Desk Caddy, $89, Room Service Home
Oriental Garden Rug, $219-$1,419, Neiman Marcus
Lamp, $35-$39, PBteen

Inventory Lust: Pinel & Pinel

Shaun Seneviratne — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:25:00 GMT

So my CD collection is buried in a box somewhere, but this music trunk would make me want to dust off my old jamz and put them to use. The Soprano Music Trunk has a Bang & Olufsen sound system and holds up to 480 CDs. Not that I even care how many CDs it holds; I just think it looks cool (you can even choose the colors out of 51 options!).

More awesome/beautiful/functional trunks from Pinel & Pinel after the jump:

The Movie Trunk is sweet too! This also comes with a Bang & Olufsen sound system and BeoVision TV and DVD player.

Though it wouldn't be able to fit my 24-inch iMac, the I-Trunk Office is still pretty baller.

Of course, if the picnic trunk that Alex blogged about is any indication, all of these trunks would be at least over $60,000.

[Pinel & Pinel]

[Via Selectism]

Related: Happy Hour: Krug Trunk

Start A Fire At Your Desk

Alex Zalben — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:31:00 GMT

Your workday is going pretty well and all, but wouldn't it be even better if it was... EN FUEGO???

The above comes from the appropriately named Studio on Fire. A promotional project for Swink, the card pops out and fits together to make an adorable little campfire for your desk. Probably a little safer than what I was suggesting, huh?

[Studio on Fire]

[Via Design Sponge]

Design Concept: Coffee Grounds Printer

Laureen Mahler — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:37:00 GMT

The 5 steps of empty ink cartridge acceptance:

Step 1: Denial. Surely, I can print just one more document.
Step 2: Anger. But I just bought a new ink cartridge!
Step 3: Regret. I knew I shouldn't have printed out the entire script of Wet Hot American Summer.
Step 4: The Frantic Search. I'm sure I bought an extra cartridge last time; it's got to be here somewhere!
Step 5: Bank Account Apraisal. Damn if I don't spend more money on these cartridges than I do on groceries.

Now imagine if you could power your print cartridges with leftover coffee grounds:

The coffee grounds printer is one of fifty eco-friendly tech devices selected for the annual Greener Gadgets competition. Be afraid, my little HP All-in-One Device. Be very afraid.

[via Inhabitat]

It's Half Past Three Factorial

Laureen Mahler — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:19:00 GMT

Am I the only one who felt a little disappointed in myself after watching Good Will Hunting? I mean, if Matt Damon can do conceptual math on his ten-minute break, shouldn't I be able to balance my checkbook without a calculator?

Finally, it's sweet, sweet revenge time: with this math clock, I can look smart and make everyone else feel dumb.

[$20, Etsy]

How do you like them apples, Matt Damon?

Um. Can anyone tell me what time it is?

[via Boing Boing]

When Your Computer Starts Speaking to You...

Steph Auteri — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:01:00 GMT

...it's not always good.

(Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?)

Though sometimes...

[$120, thinkofthe]

...it's just crazy-cool. I'm thinking this falls into the latter category.

[Via The Awesomer]

Quick Tip of the Day: For When Work Makes You Homicidal

Steph Auteri — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:37:00 GMT

Ever have one of those days where your interviewee flaked out, and your cats peed on the toaster oven and then, purely by accident, you scratched a deep gash into the coffee table? And then, you were...really angry?

It's too early to start drinking wine, but it's not too early to beat the shit outta this:

[$24.95, Karate Depot]

Your Coffee Mug Is a Lethal Weapon

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:43:00 GMT

Your coffee mug. It looks so innocent, sitting there on your desk. You think it's your friend, and you are pretty inseparable. After all, it is the vehicle for the one thing that gets you through the day.

But then someone has to go and invent a device that turns that mug into a veritable killing machine...

[£6, Spinning Hat]

... or at least a painful physical comedy catalyst.

Yes, the mug caddy also looks innocent, perhaps even convenient. But there's a whole host of life-threatening injuries just one absent-minded sip away: eye-poking, paperclip spillage, severe burns, eraser mouth, lead poisoning. Who exactly thought that this would be a good idea?

Inventory I Lust After: Knock Knock

Steph Auteri — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:01:00 GMT

[$9, Knock Knock]

I am such a sucker for office supplies of all sorts. I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I used to bring my own three-hole puncher in for use in all past office jobs. I mean, the one I owned was just better. Now that I work from home, I still like to snazz things up, with colorful magazine files, a shelf of alphabetized, career-related books, blindingly bright post-its, and more. Which is why online shops like See Jane Work and, now, Knock Knock get me all sorts of excited.

Knock Knock. What's there? Check it out after the jump:

[$16, Knock Knock]

[$7, Knock Knock]

[$4.50, Knock Knock]

[$3.25, Knock Knock]

Look Ma, No Wires

Steph Auteri — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:04:00 GMT

[$91.99, Buy.com]

My printer saga continues. I'm remotely connected to my husband's printer, but that connection always seems to be on the fritz. Now, hubby's on his way to Staples to pick up a new ethernet cable. Will this work??? Lord knows. Which is why a wireless printer seems to me to be the best idea in the world.

The Lexmark X6675 is an all-in-one wireless (!) printer/copier/scanner/fax machine with a ton of high-quality features. The product page lists them all.

Double Nerd Score

Laureen Mahler — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:32:00 GMT

I looove Scrabble. It is, in my opinion, right up there with buttered toast and the internet. So imagine my joy when I came across a product that merges Scrabble with computer accessories:

[Datamancer]

Made from actual Scrabble tiles, this keyboard is (sadly) still in the R&D phase. I'm guessing that might have something to with copyright laws. Come on Hasbro, let us technophile word nerds have our heyday!

[Via SlipperyBrick]

Right Click to the Danger Zone

Laureen Mahler — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:59:00 GMT

I'm going to venture an opinion here: Top Gun just never gets old. And I'm pretty sure that this is the only computer accessory approved by Maverick Mitchell...

[$17, Brando]

The Aircraft Mouse also comes in a variety of colors, for your Xtreme* Pointing Pleasure:

Welcome to the Danger Zone, mouse afficionados!

*Did you notice how I didn't use an "E" at the beginning there? It's totally more extreme that way.

[via Gizmodo]

I Want: Charging Bulletin Board

Steph Auteri — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:32:00 GMT

I hate my home office.

My desk (circa college) is shoved between two litter boxes and the paper shredder, in the area that would be the dining room if we had more space. It's only separated from the living room by a divider, which sometimes doubles as a drying rack. The walls: Bare. Except for the NYC Sex Bloggers 2009 calendar I tacked up the other week, strategically placed to cover scrape marks from when the cats (repeatedly) knocked over the room divider. Today, I also purchased a cheapo frame from Kohls, into which I shoved a print-out of one of the "Friends with E.T." pictures by Scott Campbell.

I don't have a hook with which to hang it up.

Other than that? Nada. And frankly, it's depressing. Which is why I'm eyeballing this:

[$199, JCPenney]

Not only would this get my desk cleared off somewhat, but I'd also have a spot to tack up my post-its, photo booth shots, snarky buttons, etc. That and it includes an iPod dock for charging, 4 USB connectors, and...I think those are speakers!

Okay, I may hate myself forever if I don't order this immediately. It's discounted from its original $299 price.

Test Drive + Contest: Blondes Have More Hot Keys

Steph Auteri — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:54:00 GMT

I was going to make this a video post, but the product I'm reviewing is for blondes and while, on occasion, I get blonde highlights, I'm actually a brunette.

It just didn't seem right. I mean, such a video could serve to completely compromise your ability to imagine said product in action.

That and I'm totally having one of those deer-in-the-headlights/bad hair days.

Anyways. After the jump, the top 10 things I love and hate about the Keyboard for Blondes:

Top 10 Things I Love About the Keyboard for Blondes:

It's pink! I mean, purple is my true favorite color, but pink is pretty close.
It plugs right into my USB hub and, aside from a quick download and installation for full sound effect enjoyment, is ready to go!
The sound effects for the "$$$$" key and the "Eraser" key make me smile.
The F keys are labeled as "useless keys," which I find incredibly amusing.
You can make internet-speak even easier with keyboard shortcuts for such phrases as IDK, OMG, SOS ("Shoes on Sale"), and LOL.
When bored, you can follow one of the three "pink keys" to a random website (sort of like StumbleUpon...yet on a much smaller scale).
You can play music with the number keys.
No one else I know has this keyboard. Which makes me feel somewhat special.
You can turn off the sound if you'd like...but why would you want to?
It functions just like any other keyboard...yet has way more to offer in terms of entertainment value.

Top 10 Things I Hate About the Keyboard for Blondes:

It's pink! It's making my eyeballs hurt!
The concept itself is inherently offensive.
I am so sick of hearing "uh oh" or "oops" every time I delete something. God, I make a lot of typos! Hearing "Yes!" every time I press the "enter" — or "Yes! I want it!" — key also makes me want to tear my hair out.
I keep mixing up the "Tab" and "~" keys, because they are now labeled as "Useless Key" and "Any Key." The same thing happens when I try to figure out "control" and "alt," which are now known as "Useless Key" and "Somewhat Useless Key," and are separated on the keyboard by another key, labeled only with the image of what appears to be a flower pot.
I find some of the internet-speak dubious. Is ROI really shorthand for "Relaxing On Island"?
The websites you can visit via your pink keys are way lame! Pink Key 1 brought me to a YouTube video of synchronized sky divers. Pink Key 2 brought me to a YouTube video of a kite surfer. Pink Key 3 brought me to a slideshow of inspirational photographs. (The sites programmed to pop up with the use of these keys are changed periodically.)
The "up," "down," "left," and "right" buttons make a sustained chime that penetrates your ear drum and kills you instantly.
My husband now hates me, because my keyboard keeps making noises.
You can turn the sound off if you'd like...which you'll probably want to do before the end of the first day. Making it almost pointless to own.
I am hearing my keyboard's voice in my sleep.

Feel free to visit the website, where you can see the keyboard's keys in greater detail as you listen to an odd song in French (?). Order it for $49.95 here.

Or:

Leave a comment with the blondest thing you've ever done, and get the chance to win one!

Cute as a Button

Diana Vilibert — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:02:00 GMT

We're big fans of cute office supplies here at MM, and I just found something that's now on the top of my wish list---these button pushpins. I'm a little appalled that I'm actually considering spending $25 on pushpins, though.

[$24.50, Delight]

Recap: Gift Guides for Working Girls and Guys

Diana Vilibert — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:31:00 GMT

You work hard for the money...so spread the wealth with one of these gifts from our gift guides for working girls and guys:

Gifts Under $25 for the Working Girl & Guy

Gifts Under $100 for the Working Girl & Guy

Test Drive: Have the Neatest Desk Around

Steph Auteri — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Desk detritus itemization of the day:

My grocery list
a Regina Spektor album
scattered post-its and business cards
headphones
a review copy of Show Me How
a bacon lip balm sample
O, The Oprah Magazine
tax return documents
etc.

While the NeatDesk package I received for review purposes couldn't help with all of this, I was surprised by how clean my desk could potentially be if only I had this helpful item.

When I first opened my NeatDesk package, with software and ADF scanner, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the necessity of setting up a new piece of hardware, yet still excited to play with a new toy.

Installation:

I pulled the scanner out of the box, and placed it on top of the paper tray. After plugging in the USB cable and power cord (the only difficulty lying in the fact that I didn't have enough outlets, which was annoying, and which I could only find out by crawling around under my desk amongst the dust bunnies and scattered litter), things were basically good to go, aside from the installation of the software.

Which was easy. Once popping in your installation CD, the installation wizard prompts you to either check for an updated version online, which you can then download and install, or to go ahead and install what you have. While some steps can take awhile (I made tea while I waited), it's all very straightforward.

After that, all that's left to be done is the calibration of your scanner (I swear, this is the last step). Your package should come with a sheet of calibration paper, which you put into the paper input tray before pressing the "calibrate" button on your NeatDesk dashboard. If it runs all the way through, your scanner is calibrated.

Mine did it on the second try.

NeatDesk In Action:

Okay. Here comes the way exciting part (and by "way exciting," I mean that it was way exciting for me because I am a huge dork when it comes to office supplies and organizational tools).

The NeatDesk dashboard consists of five tabs: Inbox, Receipts, Business Cards, Documents, and Tax Reports. I dutifully grabbed a business card off the pile sprayed across my desk. It was my shrink's, and contained her name, phone number, and mailing address. The scanner has three input slots for different-sized documents (see photo above), and I placed the card — face up — into the business card slot. It fed through quickly and, within moments, the file appeared in my Inbox tab.

I was then able to open up the file, and edit the information it had pulled from the image. The scanner had already successfully pulled my shrink's name, address, and phone number, so all I had to do was type in her e-mail address, which did not appear on her card. I then filed it away, sending it to the Business Cards tab.

This caused me no end of delight. I clapped my hands like a 3-year-old, and looked around my desk for additional items to scan in. I immediately happened upon the pile of receipts I was saving from all of my Christmas-related purchases. I scanned each one of them in using the receipt-sized slot, laughing giddily each time it flew through, and then checked each file. The software had pulled the store name, method of payment, and total cost from each receipt. I was then able to create a folder for these receipts (Christmas Purchases, of course) and file them away in the Receipts tab.

Finally, I scanned in my mother's recipe for Tassies, the Christmas cookie that we can never get enough of. Of course, we momentarily lose the recipe every year, resulting in a frantic top-to-bottom search of my condo, my parents' house, etc. If Iscanned it in for safekeeping, we would never have this problem again.

If you have good eyes, you can now enjoy this recipe as well.

The Wrap-Up:

Aside from the glee I apparently derive from scanning things at high speeds, I should probably tell you about some of the other features.

The scanner itself allows you to scan things in batches. You can fit in 10 receipts, 10 business cards, and 10 documents at a time, or you can remove the inner tray and put in 50 document pages at a time.

Once you've scanned in your receipts and filed them away in the appropriate tab, you can use them to track business expenses and generate expense reports, or you can export the information to other programs, such as Excel, QuickBooks, etc. Because the information in your images is now digitized, you can also easily search these files.

As far as your business cards go, you can export the information contained within these files to other applications, such as Microsoft Outlook.

When it comes to your documents, you can create .pdfs from your files. You can find out more here.

The only think that keeps me from picking up this particular scanner for myself is the price: $449.95. Then again, my at-home business is incredibly small-potatoes. You tell me: Would you consider the price tag worth it?

Gifts Under $100 for the Working Girl & Guy

Diana Vilibert — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:07:00 GMT

[$96.95, Office Depot]

The Rolodex gets futuristic with this business card reader-- it accurately scans business cards via USB to your PC, Palm or WinCE device and turns contacts into exportable data. After the jump, more gifts under $100 for the office slave.

[$99, Frontgate]

Organize and charge all your gadgets with this mahogany charging station.

[$95, Amazing Clubs]

Keep him looking spiffy and sign him up for a necktie-of-the-month club.

[$89.99, CompUSA]

Trade in your stack of Post-Its for this digital notepad--use it just like pen and paper, and then upload your to-do lists and the doodles you draw during meetings straight onto your computer.

[$49.95, Red Envelope]

Money does grow on trees. Legend has it, good luck follows with each unfurling leaf of this Asian money tree.

This Product is the Bee's Knees

Diana Vilibert — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:22:00 GMT

These sweet pushpins packaged in a little honeycomb are really cute--I just wish they came in a pack of more than six. Who can make do with just six pushpins?!

[$6.99, Mookie Gifts]

Related: Pushpins on Steroids