Something Nice

Take a look you gonna like it!

Source: http://www.banterous.com/

A Cool Trick Elevator Passenger

When we press the floor number button on the elevator panel, it starts moving. But if someone on the next presses the button too, the lift will stop for them, this could be very irritating in rush hours !

Now, if you Press the Floor No. Button and the Close Door Button both at same time then the elevator will not stop for any one in the way and will stop directly on the destination floor !

Have a Cool Time…

Cool Characters

Alt Keyboard Sequences

Character Sequence backspace† Alt 8 tab† Alt 9 line break† Alt 10 ¤ Alt 15 ¶ Alt 20 § Alt 21 paste† Alt 22 space† Alt 32 ! Alt 33 " Alt 34 # Alt 35 $ Alt 36 % Alt 37 & Alt 38 ' Alt 39 ( Alt 40 ) Alt 41 * Alt 42 + Alt 43 , Alt 44 - Alt 45 . Alt 46 / Alt 47 0 Alt 48 1 Alt 49 2 Alt 50 3 Alt 51 4 Alt 52 5 Alt 53 6 Alt 54 7 Alt 55 8 Alt 56 9 Alt 57 : Alt 58 ; Alt 59 < Alt 60 = Alt 61 > Alt 62 ? Alt 63 @ Alt 64 A Alt 65 B Alt 66 C Alt 67 D Alt 68

Character Sequence E Alt 69 F Alt 70 G Alt 71 H Alt 72 I Alt 73 J Alt 74 K Alt 75 L Alt 76 M Alt 77 N Alt 78 O Alt 79 P Alt 80 Q Alt 81 R Alt 82 S Alt 83 T Alt 84 U Alt 85 V Alt 86 W Alt 87 X Alt 88 Y Alt 89 Z Alt 90 [ Alt 91 \ Alt 92 ] Alt 93 ^ Alt 94 _ Alt 95 ` Alt 96 a Alt 97 b Alt 98 c Alt 99 d Alt 100 e Alt 101 f Alt 102 g Alt 103 h Alt 104 i Alt 105 j Alt 106 k Alt 107 l Alt 108 m Alt 109 n Alt 110 o Alt 111 p Alt 112

Character Sequence q Alt 113 r Alt 114 s Alt 115 t Alt 116 u Alt 117 v Alt 118 w Alt 119 x Alt 120 y Alt 121 z Alt 122 { Alt 123 Alt 124 } Alt 125 ~ Alt 126  Alt 127 Ç Alt 128 ü Alt 129 é Alt 130 â Alt 131 ä Alt 132 à Alt 133 å Alt 134 ç Alt 135 ê Alt 136 ë Alt 137 è Alt 138 ï Alt 139 î Alt 140 ì Alt 141 æ Alt 145 Æ Alt 146 ô Alt 147 ö Alt 148 ò Alt 149 û Alt 150 ù Alt 151 ÿ Alt 152 ¢ Alt 155 £ Alt 156 ¥ Alt 157 P Alt 158 ƒ Alt 159 á Alt 160 í Alt 161

Character Sequence ó Alt 162 ú Alt 163 ñ Alt 164 Ñ Alt 165 Alt 166‡ Alt 167‡ ¿ Alt 168 ¬ Alt 170 ½ Alt 171 ¼ Alt 172 ¡ Alt 173 « Alt 174 » Alt 175 ¦ Alt 179 ß Alt 225 µ Alt 230 ± Alt 241 ° Alt 248 • Alt 249 · Alt 250 ² Alt 253 € Alt 0128 „ Alt 0132 … Alt 0133 † Alt 0134 ‡ Alt 0135 ˆ Alt 0136 ‰ Alt 0137 Š Alt 0138 ‹ Alt 0139 Œ Alt 0140 ‘ Alt 0145 ’ Alt 0146 “ Alt 0147 ” Alt 0148 – Alt 0150 — Alt 0151 ˜ Alt 0152 ™ Alt 0153 š Alt 0154 › Alt 0155 œ Alt 0156 Ÿ Alt 0159 ¨ Alt 0168

Character Sequence © Alt 0169 ® Alt 0174 ¯ Alt 0175 ³ Alt 0179 ´ Alt 0180 ¸ Alt 0184 ¹ Alt 0185 ¾ Alt 0190 À Alt 0192 Á Alt 0193 Â Alt 0194 Ã Alt 0195 Ä Alt 0196 Å Alt 0197 È Alt 0200 É Alt 0201 Ê Alt 0202 Ë Alt 0203 Ì Alt 0204 Í Alt 0205 Î Alt 0206 Ï Alt 0207 Ð Alt 0208 Ò Alt 0210 Ó Alt 0211 Ô Alt 0212 Õ Alt 0213 Ö Alt 0214 × Alt 0215 Ø Alt 0216 Ù Alt 0217 Ú Alt 0218 Û Alt 0219 Ü Alt 0220 Ý Alt 0221 Þ Alt 0222 ã Alt 0227 ð Alt 0240 õ Alt 0245 ÷ Alt 0247 ø Alt 0248 ü Alt 0252 ý Alt 0253 þ Alt 0254

If you want to type a cool character, using an Alt keyboard sequence:

1. Ensure that the Num Lock key has been pressed, to activate the numeric key section of the keyboard.
   
2. Press the Alt key, and hold it down.
   
3. While the Alt key is pressed, type the sequence of numbers (on the numeric keypad) from the Alt code in the above table.
   
4. Release the Alt key, and the character will appear.
   

There are some gaps in the numerical sequence of Alt character codes, because either those elements do not exist, or they are duplicates of elements listed elsewhere.

* Some word processing programs will not recognize these Alt functions.

Health tips

Health - Important Tips

• Answer the phone by LEFT ear.
• Do not drink coffee TWICE a day.
• Do not take pills with COOL water.
• Do not have HUGE meals after 5pm.
• Reduce the amount of OILY food you consume.
• Drink more WATER in the morning, less at night.
• Keep your distance from hand phone CHARGERS.
• Do not use headphones/earphone for LONG period of time.
• Best sleeping time is from 10pm at night to 6am in the morning.
• Do not lie down immediately after taking medicine before sleeping.
• When battery is down to the LAST grid/bar, do not answer the phone as the radiation is 1000 times.

Skully Trays

Something special for smokers !!!

Making Sense of Protein

Making Sense of Protein
Are you confused about healthy vs. unhealthy sources of protein and how much you should be eating on a daily basis? Before we address these issues, let’s take a look at what protein is and what it does in your body.

Protein provides structure to all of your organs, nerves, hormones, muscles, antibodies, and enzymes. If vitamins and minerals are analogous to workers who help to construct and maintain a building, protein represents some of the concrete and steel that provide a building with its foundation and structure.

Protein is made up of smaller building blocks called amino acids. More specifically, 22 different amino acids combine in numerous ways to make up the tens of thousands of different proteins found in your body. Of these 22 amino acids, eight are considered to be essential, which means that they cannot be made by your body from other nutrients. These eight essential amino acids must be obtained from food.

Plant foods like vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, grains, and even fruit come with some amino acids. But there is no single plant food that comes with all eight essential amino acids. You can get all eight essential amino acids from a plant-based diet, but only if you eat a wide variety of plant foods.

All animal foods like eggs, fish, chicken, red meat, and dairy come with all eight essential amino acids. In other words, one serving of just one animal food will provide you with all eight essential amino acids.

Here are some recommendations on choosing healthy sources of protein and eating the right amount for your situation:

1. When you eat protein-dense foods like beans, nuts, seeds, and all animal foods, it is essential to chew them until liquid. Doing so will make it easier for the acid in your stomach to break protein down into amino acids and make them available to your blood stream via your small intestine. Chewing until liquid also decreases the potential for food-allergic reactions, as many of these reactions are a result of incompletely digested protein entering your blood stream.

2. Beans, nuts, seeds, and grains should be soaked in water for at least a few hours, preferably overnight, before eating or preparing to eat. Soaking these foods in water helps to deactivate compounds in these foods that can cause mineral deficiencies and digestive disturbances.

3. Organic animal foods are best eaten raw, lightly cooked, or braised in broth or water. High cooking temperatures increase the likelihood of making the protein and fat in animal foods harmful to your body.

4. It is best to avoid luncheon meats and bacon that have been preserved with nitrites or nitrates. These preservatives have been closely linked to many different types of cancer, particularly throughout the digestive tract, bladder, and lungs.

5. It is best to avoid charcoal grilled meats, as these meats come with chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which are used by scientists to induce cancer in animals.

6. It is best to avoid isolated protein products, usually made from soy, egg whites, whey, and casein. These isolated protein products are typically made with high-temperature processes that can make protein unusable and even harmful to your body. I highly recommend that you avoid all products – even those that are marketed as health food products – that contain any protein isolates. Many health food bars, energy bars, muscle-building supplements, and dietary shakes fall into this category.

7. When you eat animal foods, it is important to eat them with a large serving of vegetables. The fibre from the vegetables will help to prevent constipation and endogenous toxaemia. The large numbers of natural antioxidants found in all vegetables will help to protect your body against some of the free radicals and other harmful substances that come with cooked animal foods.

8. In general, the more you exercise, the more protein you need to help replenish and maintain your cells. But no matter how much you exercise, your health is best served by eating no more than half of your body weight (in pounds) in grams per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you can safely eat up to 75 grams of protein from whole foods per day.

9. If your current health status is such that you need an objective way to monitor how well your body is responding to the amount of protein that you are eating, ask your doctor about monitoring your blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Whenever you eat protein, your body breaks it down into amino acids that contain nitrogen. Nitrogen separates from amino acids and combines with other molecules to form urea. Ultimately, urea is eliminated from your body when your kidneys filter it out of your blood and into your urine. A healthy range for BUN is between 4 to 17 mg/dL. Anywhere between 18 to 21 mg/dL is a sign that you may be eating too much protein, and possibly that your kidneys are under excessive strain. More than 21 mg/dL is a strong sign that you need to significantly reduce your protein intake.

Funny tweasted stuff

I don’t believe it’s possible, do you?

Cool Wallpaper for your Summer

Lamp (funny Pics)

I wonder if that lamp really works ?

Top 10 Geek Watches

Considering the wealth of geek chic wristwear out there at the moment, we started thinking about the point where nerd-tech meets personal style. As far as we’re concerned, no one embodies the aesthetic better than James Bond, a character who has effortlessly turned dorky into dapper at the flick of a wrist. While much of the tech that Bond has had access to was fictional in scope, there is a variety of watches available now that carry on the tradition of tech incorporated into effortless cool. In honor of Bond, we’ve compiled a list of our current nerd-style wristwatch favorites, which we hope will help you channel your inner geek-gent.

Watch Top 10 Geek Watches

How to Decide What Music to Listen to at a Exact Moment

Throwing a party? Going for a drive? Anything that requires some
music? Well keep reading to decide what kind of music!

Steps

1. Know where you will be playing the music, what kind of mood
   will everyone be in? Sad, angry, happy, etc.


2. Find some music that enjoys you, and make a list. It should be
   fairly long like 10-30. That shouldn't be hard if you look up "top
   100 songs of (year) on Google or something like that.


3. Get your list in your hand or purse and drive to the nearest
   store that stores music CDs, downloads, or anything like that.


4. Get some of your songs that fits you or your guests mood, like
   "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie would fit the mood of a dance
   party. ( That song was the Number One song of 2007, said by wild
   1.4.

Tips

• If you have music on your list that you have already bought,
  don't but it again!!!


• You don't have to buy all the music on your list- it could
  become expensive!

Things You'll Need

• radio ipod, or any other thing that can play music
  OUTLOUD.

Source: WikiHow

How to build the best paper airplane in the world

Note: to see a complete video of the folding instructions, go to Paper Airplane Google Video. You can start and stop the video as needed to help while folding. The link will open a separate window.

1. Start with an ordinary
sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" - 21.6 x 28 cm (U.S.standard writing paper
size). The exact size is not important, it should be rectangular and not
square. The paper should be at least 20 Lb. bond or copy paper.

2. Fold over the left hand
corner as shown.

3. Crease

4. Result

5. Fold over the right
hand corner.

6. Crease

7. Result

8. Carefully close in the
sides as shown.

9. Fold down the center
line from front to back.

10. Fold the resulting left
hand tip up as shown.

11. Crease along the bottom
edge.

12. Repeat the same procedure
on the right section.

NOW GO TO STEPS 13 to 24


Model airplane instructions steps: 1 to 12

How to Become a Millionaire!

Regardless of where you go in the world, money is the basic
universal measurement for being "rich", or becoming a millionaire.
And it seems like everyone wants to be a millionaire these
days.

Steps

1. Open a savings account: Having a savings account is one
   of the many ways where you can set your money up to work for you.
   Your initial deposit of money grows whether or not you make
   additional deposits by interest. Learn the different types of
   accounts, including accounts like IRAs.


2. Buy stocks: If you are gung-ho for individual stocks,
   you should buy stocks of the companies whose products and services
   you use or purchase. One of the best ways to invest in individual
   stocks is through an investment club; you may want to consider
   forming one with your friends.


3. Buy mutual funds: Mutual funds are really an investment
   of other investments. When you own a mutual fund, you actually own
   the securities (stocks, bonds, cash) within the mutual. With mutual
   funds, you are pooling your money with other investors and
   diversifying your investment.


4. Audition for game shows: Game shows earn their money by
   the audience, not the contestants.


5. Find a "system" that has been proven to make people become
   millionaires. The top five producers of millionaires today are:
   technology - internet marketing, direct sales, home-based business,
   product distribution, and investments (stocks, bonds, real estate
   investment / development).


6. Find a mentor who has walked the walk and seek advice. Surround
   yourself with already-made millionaires.


7. Joining the Military is a great way to make money if your
   willing to spend the time and effort. Four years of enlisted duty,
   then four years of going to a Military Academy (College
   (High-Quality (Free))), and then ten years of officer duty will get
   you about $720,000. Every year you work for the military after that
   will get you around $55,000 a year with great benefits. If you are
   afraid of battle, join the Navy or the Airforce, as you are
   exremely unlikely to be involved in a major battle.

Tips

• Don't use a credit card much, all of the excessive spending
  will come back to haunt you, and you may end up in debt. Try
  getting a debit card for daily purchases, they're a lot easier to
  deal with. Use your credit card only for emergencies, and to
  establish your good credit.


• Try not to take any big loans, because that's "big" money that
  you'll just have to pay back, and you could end up in debt for that
  also.



• Control your expenses. You get rich on the difference between
  that and what you make


• Make it a game. Looking for opportunities to make money is
  supposed to be fun. Never sweat it.


• Read. The more you know the more you will perceive to be
  possible, the more you can make.


• Make it about something else than money. It has to be fun. Fair
  enough you are doing it to become financially well off but few
  wealthy get off on that alone.


• Make friends with people who share the same goals and values.
  It will reduce your downtime, and give you pleasure when you are
  down.


• Make friends with people who are different than you. They can
  be the greatest source of inspiration and guidance if you are open
  to their different perspective.


• Help others. Learn to be a caring individual that makes the
  world better for people around yourself. It will lead to more
  positivity coming your way. Also, donating to charities can come
  back to you in the form of tax deductions.


• Plan. Define what you want, Act on it, and Evaluate often to
  see how you are going.


• It is OK to be cheap, but never be cheap on things that give
  you value.



• Never invest more than you are willing to lose. This is
  particularly important when you start. The older and more
  experienced you get the less risk you are likely to take, or the
  better you are capable of taking it.


• Think a lot on why you want to become rich, what exactly you
  want to buy, what lifestyle you want. Make it specific, and date
  your time for having it and why it matters to you


• Money represents value. You might come to the understanding
  that you make money on giving something that other value more than
  what they pay. You spend the money to get something that is more
  valuable.


• If possible, make the maximum out your retirement fund provided
  either by your government or your work. Then proceed to put as much
  money in to an account like a Roth IRA.

Warnings

• Unless you are the wealthiest person in the world, there will
  always be someone with more money than you; there will always be
  someone with less money than you.


• Be prepared to make choices that are different than most people
  around you.


• Keep riches and wealth in perspective i.e. don't kill the goose
  that lays the golden egg. In other words, avoid neglecting the
  source of the wealth e.g. decent health.


• Money doesn't always buy happiness (but it can take care of
  almost everything else).


• Never steal money. So don't get any ideas about robbing the
  bank.


• Do not brag about how much money you have. Thieves will be more
  likely to target you. Consider investing in a means of personal
  defense such as a martial art or a firearm.

Cool Tank Game!!

Super Cool Buildings in Malaysia

– from Metaefficient, March 26th, 2008 –

The great thing about these buildings is that they are totally open to the elements, while also being awesome. They will be/are (can’t tell if it’s a finished project) in Malyasia on the Putrajaya waterfront (close to Kuala Lumpur). The new build out is called Precinct 4. The design is by Studio Nicoletti Associati, who took part of their inspiration from traditional Islamic architecture.

From the pictures, this looks to be kind of a fancy place with spa-like amenities. This will definitely be on my list of places to go.

10 cool cell phone tricks

By Rick Broida

What has your cell phone done for you lately? Mine just updated my blog. Then it told me my friend Craig was just a few blocks up the street. Then it showed me my Google Reader feeds. Then it told me what song was playing on the radio. Then it got me out of a really boring meeting.

No, no, I didn't just get back from the future with an iPhone 2; this is all stuff accomplished with an average, ordinary handset. It's just a matter of knowing which buttons to push, so to speak. With the right software and services, your phone can perform a startling array of fun and practical functions.

Build a blog

In Blog From Your Cell Phone, MacLife's Susie Ochs describes how to, well, blog from your cell phone. What's interesting about it is that you can actually create a new blog from your phone, just by sending a text or photo SMS to go@blogger.com.

In short order, you'll receive a reply listing your new blog's URL and a "claim code" to enter at go.blogger.com. From there you have the option of routing mobile posts to the new blog or an existing one. Choose a template (if necessary) and you're done. You'll see your initial SMS; any additional posts sent to that same e-mail address will instantly appear on your blog. Pretty nifty way to insta-blog your vacation, night on the town or random thoughts.

Share photos and videos

Blogger is all well and good for posting text and the occasional snapshot, but it's not exactly a multimedia powerhouse. If you want to insta-share photos or even videos of, say, Britney Spears' latest wardrobe malfunction or your boss dancing on a table, look to services like JuiceCaster and Pickle. After setting up an account (both sites are free), you simply shoot your snaps and clips to a special e-mail address. This creates personalized content channels you can view/share/edit online or add to other sites (like Blogger, eBay and MySpace). I have to give Pickle the nod in the ease-of-use department, but I like JuiceCaster's embeddable MediaBox. Guess you'll have to try them both.

Find nearby friends

Want to hook up with a bunch of friends? Instead of calling them all individually, try Dodgeball. This recently acquired Google service lets you broadcast your whereabouts to your circle, send messages to multiple friends, find the address/cross streets of a venue and even stalk "crush on" someone you've checked out online. (The Dodgeball site includes a social-networking component, with profiles, photos, and all that.) It's an interesting service, especially if you live in a big city and enjoy the nightlife. Just make sure your phone's service plan includes unlimited texting, otherwise you could rack up some substantial SMS charges in a hurry.

Leave yourself a message

The age-old trick of leaving yourself a voice-mail reminder gets a Web 2.0 twist with services like BrainCast and Jott, which work like this: Dial a special number, then leave yourself a message. The service then forwards the recording to you via e-mail, which not only makes for faster, easier retrieval of your messages, but also keeps your regular voice-mail box from getting overly cluttered.

Better still, BrainCast and Jott let you store, manage and even share these messages. Jott, however, has the edge with its glitzier web interface and message-transcription feature: Your recordings are automatically turned into text. (Humans perform this function, but Jott promises strict security and confidentiality.) Whichever service you go with, you'll quickly come to find it indispensable.

Schedule an interruption

Excise yourself from a bad date or boring meeting with Popularity Dialer, which calls you at a scheduled time and plays one of several prerecorded messages. These "half conversations" (which include calls from "the boss" and a "cousin in need") save you from having to fake your end of the conversation, which always looks, well, fake. You can preview the recordings on the Popularity Dialer so you know what to expect.

Name that tune

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, for my next magical illusion, I will use this ordinary cell phone to identify the song now playing on this ordinary radio. Watch closely as I dial these 10 magic numbers—866-411-SONG—and hold the phone near the speaker for the next 15 seconds.

Nothing up my sleeve, mind you.

Abracadabra! My phone has revealed the mystery song. Thank you, you're marvelous.

411-SONG requires no special equipment, just a phone capable of receiving SMS messages. All you do is dial the number and follow the instructions. After the service identifies the tune, you'll receive a text message containing the relevant info—and a 99-cent charge on your monthly bill. If you frequently find yourself trying to "name that tune," 411-SONG also offers a $3.99/month plan for unlimited song IDs.

Google Reader on the run

The only thing worse than being away from your e-mail is being away from your news feeds. If you're a Google Reader user, your feeds can go where you go. Just point your browser to the mobile version of the Google Reader site: www.google.com/reader/m. This small-screen version of the site lets you view your feeds, your subscriptions and even your tags. Plus, it's a Google-run product, meaning you're not handing your user ID and password to a third-party developer (as with Reader Mini, which doesn't seem to work on many devices anyway).

Find missing children

Statistics show that the first three hours after a child is abducted are the most critical in recovery efforts. The Wireless Foundation, in conjunction with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and virtually all wireless carriers, offers AMBER Alerts via SMS.

Simply enter your phone number and up to five ZIP codes (so the service knows which alerts to send your way). When an AMBER Alert gets issued for your area, you'll immediately receive a text message including the child's description, where he/she was last seen, and any pertinent vehicle data. The participating carriers deliver these messages free of charge, so there's absolutely no cost to you. Do your part and sign up now.

Win your auctions

eBay pros know that the service offers SMS alerts that will notify you when you've been outbid. Of course, that doesn't help you if you're away from your PC and want to place a higher bid. That's where UnWired Buyer comes in. This free service syncs with your eBay Watch List several times per day, then calls you three minutes before an auction is scheduled to end. You then use keypad commands to get real-time updates, up your bid and track the auction right up until it's over. UnWired Buyer is free for registered eBay users in the U.S. and Canada.

Turn MP3s into ringtones

Paying for ringtones is like paying for sex: It should be done only as a last resort. If you own a phone that plays MP3s and supports custom ringtones (as most models do these days), it's a fairly simple matter to turn any MP3 into your very own 'tone. Lifehacker uber-editor Gina shows you how in Geek to Live: Make a ringtone from any MP3. Don't forget to peruse the reader comments at the end of the tutorial, where you'll learn about phone-specific ringtone options, how to create MIDI ringtones and much more.

Rick Broida, Lifehacker associate editor, uses his Verizon LG enV for everything but actually talking to people. (Verbal communication—how 20th-century!) His special feature, Alpha Geek, appears every Monday. Subscribe to the Alpha Geek feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

http://positivesharing.com

Physical space matters. It’s easier to be productive, creative and happy at work in a colourful, organic, playful environment than in a grey, linear, boring one.

And I’m not talking about the outside of the building. Many companies have buildings that are sleek, modern, architectural glass-steel-and-cement sculptures on the outside - and cubicle wastelands on the inside. These companies need to remember that most employees tend to work inside the building.

With that in mind, here’s some eye candy from 10 different innovative, well-designed workplaces.

Pixar

Could you sit in grey cubicles and come up with stuff like The Incredibles and Finding Nemo? Naaaaah… And that’s why Pixar’s offices look more like this:

The last picture shows a row of little huts, each of which is an office. The pictures are from this cool photo tour of the Pixar HQ.

Kathy Sierra’s trailer

Kathy Sierra, who writes one of the best blogs in existence, created her home office in a vintage trailer.

What a great way to create a fun, different home office. Kathy talks about it here.

Red Bull London

Here are some pictures from Red Bull’s London office. Shiny!

The last picture shows a slide that people can use to go between floors. Yee-hah! There are many more pictures here.

Mindlab

Who says government offices must be boring. Mindlab at the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs in Copenhagen, Denmark is a meeting facility available to all employees.

The heart of it is an egg-shaped meeting room inside which all the walls are whiteboards - you can write on any surface in there. This was designed by Bosch & Fjord.

The Happy At Work Project

We (=The Happy At Work Project) wanted something simple, fun, flexible and practical for our office. The central piece is a high desk where three people can comfortably work side by side. You can stand or sit on high office chairs. Up to 8 people can meet around it. Everything you see there is from IKEA, and setting up the whole office with workspaces for 3 people cost us about 1000 euros.

While it’s not as fancy as some of the other offices shown here, it works great and it shows how much you can do for almost no money - In just one room we have workplaces, meeting space and plenty of floor space for workshop exercises or plain old fun.

Conference bike

This has got to be the coolest idea in a long time. 7 people pedal along, one steers. It’s the conference bike and I want one!! While it’s not a workplace, it would make a great meeting room!!

Menlo Innovations

Menlo Innovations is a software development company in Ann Arbor Michigan. They do all their programming work using eXtreme Programming, and while their offices aren’t particularly fancy to look at, they are ideally suited to the work they do.

Being situated in a nice area of town, they can even take meetings outside on the sidewalk. Again, this shows that creating a fun, innovaticve office environment doesn’t require a huge budget - just a little common sense, creativity and a willingness to risk doing something different.

What If? Innovation

What If? Innovation were celebrated as the UK’s happiest workplace in both 2004 and 2005. I visited their London HQ last week for a grand tour, and here are some of the highlights:

Looking in the window on the combined reception and meeting space. A great idea that creates a hub for everyone in the company.

Praise for employees is written across the walls and ceiling in the hub area.

Spider cow and a meeting room.

VW Phaeton plant

But what about industry? You could never create, say, a really cool car assembly plant could you?

Sure you could. Check out the Volkswagen Phaeton plant in Dresden, Germany:

Who says a factory has to be ugly and dirty? That plant is simply beautiful! The photos were taken from this photo tour where you can see many more cool pictures. There’s also more at the plant’s website.

Google

Yes, yes, I know - using Google here is almost too predictable. But they get it, dammit! Their HQ, the Googleplex is seriously cool and creative.

The upshot

The physical workspace is one of the most ignored, yet most important factors in creating good workplaces. None of the ideas shown here will apply to every company, but most companies could stand to improve a little. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money but it does take a little creativity and courage.

What could your workplace learn from some of the designs shown here?

UPDATE: Having this post on reddit, digg and lifehacker at the same time was too much for my server and mysql crashed - I apologize. I’ll look into fixing this, so it won’t be a problem in the future.

Source: http://positivesharing.com