The truth is, I am somewhat of a sucker for non-standard-issue lamps. The Old Faithful shop is full of such lamps, and this glass cylinder pendant lamp is no exception. On the end of a 15-foot cord is a bronzed metal frame that holds the glass cylinder which measures 5.5 inches in diameter and 7.7 inches tall.
The 2012 Neu Year productivity calendar shows you the whole year at once as one large poster. It's broken up by week (rather than month) because most people plan and organize their live in week increments. It's two-sided so you can hang it vertically or horizontally based on where you want to place it.
The Doxie Go is a battery-powered, lightweight, paper and photo scanner. It scans up to 100 pages on a charge and has enough internal storage for roughly six times that amount. It makes a great companion for those who travel and need to get top-notch scans of photos and documents while away from their desk. But it also makes a great tool…
The lamp and the computer monitor are two of the most important pieces on my desk. I like lamps that can be adjusted and which have a lot of personality. This work lamp from the Old Faithful Shop has both. It's rustic, vintage, and industrial — all words which can do wonders to inspire creative work and productivity.
This leather utility notebook cover from Doane Paper is both fantastic and extravagant. In some ways you've got to ask yourself if you really need a $70 leather cover for your $3 utility notebook. But on the other hand you've got to ask yourself why not? If you burn through utility notebooks like it's your job, perhaps you need or want something…
For years I have used my laptops in clamshell mode, and for years I have been using the BookArc. When your laptop is in clamshell mode it doesn't vent and stay cool as well as when the lid is open. However, with the BookArc, the underside of your laptop is exposed to the air and so it helps keep the machine cool…
In this writer's opinion, LaCie makes the finest and most reliable external hard drives you can buy. I have 2 of the 1TB LaCie Hard Disks that I use for my media storage and external backup redundancy, and I have a LaCie Quadra that I use for my nightly SuperDuper clones. When on the road for extended trips I always take a…
If you find yourself often listening to music or watching movies through the built-in speakers on your MacBook or iMac when at your desk, then a compact, well-built, subwoofer may be just the perfect companion. The Twelve South BassJump is a USB-powered audio peripheral that will provide that much needed, much appreciated, low-end thump that your internal speakers don't have. Giving a…
For a long time the well-known Pilot G2 0.38mm was my favorite daily driver pen. I love the ultra-fine tip because it's fine but not over-the-edge fine like a 0.28mm. I love that the tip is just a little bit scratchy because I find that it makes it easier to write with. I love that it's gel ink. And I especially love…
If you're a paper nerd you owe it to yourself to check out the Levenger Circa notebook lineup. They have full-sized notebooks, smaller sizes, leather notebooks, plastic covers, desk punches, action planners, all sorts of paper refills and more. It's an entire lineup of the finest quality of papered goodness that all works within Levenger's Circa system.
Speaking of iPads and meetings, Pear Note is a brand-new iPad app that was made for exactly that. This note-taking, audio-recording, Dropbox-syncing, iPad app is built with one thing in mind: taking notes while at meetings and events. It records audio as you type your notes and comments, and then it maps the audio time stamps to the notes you typed. Clever…
Raise your hand if you've ever been to a meeting. One-on-ones, think tanks, standing meetings, reporting meetings, conference sessions, and so on and so on. There are times when a laptop is the ideal companion to a meeting, but often times a pad of paper is more appropriate or better suited. But a pad of paper with an iPad make a very…
On a recent episode of The B&B Podcast, Ben Brooks and I got into a discussion about pens. All you need to know is that the Pilot G2 0.38mm gel pen is just about the best pen money can buy. If I have to use any other pen I almost prefer not to write at all.
When I began writing shawnblanc.net full-time in the spring of 2011, I also launched a subscription membership that gave members access to a daily podcast called Shawn Today. I knew I would need a quality USB microphone for my daily recordings, and so I bought this Blue Yeti. The price is very affordable ($100) and the quality of this microphone is fantastic.…
Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit? Are you constantly thinking about how to create things, build new businesses, or how to improve or transform your organization? Are you trying to find innovative ways of doing business to replace old, outdated ones? If so, then this book is for you. This is one book that is best served on the paper it's printed…
Scott Belsky’s book, Making Ideas Happen, is centered around Thomas Edison’s famous quote that Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. Scott writes with a fondness towards the creative professional, and this book is a tool to help take the constant ideas we have from inception to reality. For many of us there seems to be no shortage of ideas,…
In some offices you simply cannot get by without a stapler, pencil sharpener, or tape dispenser nearby. And if these are the tools that you need, why use something ugly? Good design inspires. But never should style get in the way of usability. These desk accessories from Restoration Hardware have both.
Let's be honest. There's something irresistible about the juxtaposing intersection of vintage and modern.
I carry my 13-inch MacBook Air in an old Timbuk 2 bag. The kind of bag that came around before dedicated laptop messenger bags were popular. And so I needed a good sleeve to keep the Air protected. There are many sleeves out there, but I like this Acme Made one because it's padded and reinforced. And the top of the sleeve…
That super-long cable is ideal for certain times, and then this super-short cable is ideal for other times. Such as traveling. Also, this little guy wins the award for cutest white cable ever.