It's an option virtually every small business and freelancing professional will eventually consider — do I need to rent office space? Whether it's the result of a growing staff, growing responsibilities, or simply maturing as a company, there's usually a moment for any professional organization when getting a centralized office starts to make a lot of sense.
Yet, despite the excitement of expansion, renting office space comes with some big headaches too, especially in the age of COVID. Where to locate your office is an even bigger question mark than ever before.
The costs of renting an entire office space
And then there's the biggest concern — the cost. The average cost for U.S. office space is between $8 and $23 per square foot. That cost starts to skyrocket in major urban centers like San Francisco and New York, where your average price per employee could work out to just under $15,000 per year. And that doesn't even account for the added expenditures like supplies, furniture, equipment, utilities, and more that can immediately become one of your company's biggest monthly expenses.
If you decide you need office space, but you still have questions about how much office you really need, you can start scaling up with Industrious. Industrious is an office solution provider that lets you build your office schedule on your own terms.
How to rent a workspace in your area
With more than 100 locations in over 50 cities across the U.S., an Oasis by Industrious plan entitles members to use their modern, professional, full-service office facilities for exactly the amount of time they need.
Users can pick from monthly membership plans which grant access to a private office or suite of offices for one, four, or up to eight days per month. Just schedule the days you want, even in an Industrious facility in another city, and your workspace will be ready on your scheduled day.
From a place to welcome clients to meeting rooms to just a space to work away from home or other distractions, the Oasis experience offers all the amenities of a top-notch fully-furnished office building without worrying about any of the downsides.
From a place to welcome clients to meeting rooms to just a space to work away from home or other distractions, the Oasis experience offers all the amenities of a top-notch fully-furnished office building without worrying about any of the downsides. From the conference rooms to the phones to the WiFi to the craft coffee served in the breakroom, it's all bundled in as part of the month-to-month membership. Industrious's staff of community managers and operations associates are also there to help so everything runs smoothly.
Are Industrious's workspaces safe?
Of course, everyone is concerned about health and safety more than ever these days — and Industrious is well aware. Industrious' office spaces receive a medical-grade cleaning, regular sanitization of high-traffic surface areas, and upgraded layouts designed to maintain a safe 6-feet apart throughout the day. There's also reduced capacity in Industrious locations, so all members get more personal space with lower occupancy in communal areas.
Right now, users can pick an Oasis by Industrious plan that works for their business needs by heading to the Industrious website and seeing what's available in their area. Until March 31, 2021, you can even get 20% off when you sign up using code STARTNOW.
Laura Preston was a painter who, in 2013, set off on what was supposed to be a one-year trip with her partner, in an Airstream. She discovered that painting on the road was too cumbersome, so she switched to making quilts.
Years later, she's still traveling around, and has an Etsy shop full of her work. It's fantastic — there's a sort of modernist/digital chunky vibe going on that I really dig, and which is of course cyclical and original to quilting: Digital and modernist technique borrowed from the centuries-old aesthetics of quilting and stitching.
In this Etsy podcast, Preston talks about how a lot of her visual ideas come from being so frequently outdoors, and building quilting patterns based on things like sea- and skyscapes.
The modern disposable hypodermic needle is a marvel: safe, clean, and almost painless compared to the reusable instruments many of us remember from years past. But how did this method of introducing drugs into our bodies start? Earlier physicians would wound the skin, as in variolation, but the first use of a needled instrument was in 1844, when Dr. Francis Rynd injected morphine acetate into the face of a woman who was most likely suffering from the painful nerve condition called trigeminal neuralgia.
The most interesting thing about this section of the report, however, is the 'instrument made for the purpose' of injecting the drug. Dr Rynd did not include a description or illustration of this instrument – probably a mistake, as it was his opportunity to publicise his invention. We do know what it looked like, however, from an article he subsequently published in 1861:
This is not a hypodermic syringe but a novel type of trochar: an instrument with a sharp tip and a cannula through which fluids can be introduced (or evacuated). It had a sharp needle to puncture the skin, but no plunger to propel fluids into the body; instead, the drug was dropped into the cannula, using 'an ordinary writing-pen', and then left to infiltrate the tissues by gravity alone.
The injection did deliver relief to the patient. Read about the case, and also the first injection using a syringe with a plunger a few years later, at Thomas Morris' blog.
In a week when insurgents tried to overthrow the government and the president was impeached for an unprecedented second time, the tabloids address the issues that really matter in America: Kim & Kanye's divorce, Jeffrey Epstein's murder, and the battle over Larry King's will.
The fact that there is no substantive evidence that Epstein was murdered, that Kim & Kanye have not separated or even filed for divorce, and that Larry King is still alive at the time of writing, is indicative of the lengths to which the tabloids will go to avoid confronting reality.
The cloud is definitely growing up. A decade ago, you'd have been hard-pressed to find many comfortable with saving all of their documents, media, and other important files with a cloud service provider. Today, everyone is on board the cloud storage train.
But, with growth comes maturity too. For many users, it's not enough to store all your files in the digital version of a dark, hastily assembled warehouse. They want their files showcased in a museum with easy access, foolproof organization, and iron-clad security.
Starchive has created a digital asset management model that helps users feel like their cloud is a curated experience and not just a random hodge-podge of stuff, all at a price considerably lower than similar cloud storage solutions.
There's a reason why Starchive is the trusted home of artists like Bob Dylan, Carly Simon, and Roseanne Cash, as well as brands like Volvo, Essence Magazine, and the New York Philharmonic. With a Starchive 1TB Individual Plan, content doesn't just get dropped into a black hole of space. It's saved with accessibility and searchability in mind.
Created with an eye toward individuals, influencers, and small businesses, Starchive is simple to launch. Once content is uploaded, Starchive picks up a lot of the heavy lifting from there, using file curation abilities powered by artificial intelligence to automatically organize and tag assets so they can easily be searched, found, and shared at any time.
In the Starchive universe, any tag you add to a file creates a link between similarly tagged files, all without upending organization. That allows users to organize and find files quickly based around the metadata, rather than worrying about which folder or folders house those given files.
With Starchive, you can group content into collections around a particular theme, preview, or play virtually any file type right in the web browser, or post content directly to social media platforms right from Starchive's mobile app.
Starchive also breaks down the walls in sharing content between users. Their system allows large files or collections to be shared instantly, so you don't have to worry about how long it'll take for 300GB of movies to be transferred and available to a friend or co-worker. There's no uploading or downloading needed to get files right into the hands of those you want to share with.
Meanwhile, Starchive is a lot cheaper than other big file storage alternatives. Right now, a lifetime subscription to a Starchive 1TB Individual Plan is over 90% off its regular price, just $96.99.
With January here, it's easy to think that the worst of winter is over. Unfortunately, as recent years (like last year) have shown us, it can remain pretty steadily chilly all the way into April and May. If you've got central heating, you're going to be getting pretty sick of those bills by then.
The work-around answer is a space heater – and right now, we've got five models on sale now at up to 62% off.
The Plug N' Heat has full 360-degree rotation and two different fan speeds, so you can set up exactly the heating you need. With built-in constant temperature control, you can set your preferred temp. between 60 and 90 degrees, then use the remote control to let it run for anywhere from 1 to 12 hours, and then shut off automatically. It's also got overheating protection to make sure the unit never gets too hot.
It looks like a portable mini-fireplace – and once this thing is pumping out heat, it feels like one too. With a wood-burning flame effect, this free-standing heater radiates heat that can be controlled through the control panel on top, or with the accompanying remote control. Just set the temperature you want, then let it run virtually silently as it fills up a room with heat in a matter of minutes.
Most portable heaters would scald your hand if you touched them during operation, but this digital heater is absolutely cool to the touch. With 350 watts of heating power, you can set the temperatures digitally on the easy-to-use display, and get the room to the toasty warmth you want, quickly. Then, you can unplug and move it to another room, if you like. And when you touch it…it's cool. Which is…very cool.
The trippy minimalist Scandanavian design might earn this unit a spot in your room regardless, but once you know it's also an innovative portable space heater too, the deal is done. With a speedy 3-second heat-up time, the Värme also has a detachable hand warmer that pops right out of the heater, with a phase-changing wax inside that holds temperature to keep it warm for up to an hour.
If you glance at it, you might think it's a solar panel. But, this sleek piece of smart tech is actually the savviest radiator that's ever been built for home use. Using infrared heat and graphene-based heating technology, it heats the lower half of your room and not the ceiling, saving you more than 30% off the cost of regular heaters. There's remote access with a wealth of smart features, smart zoning to adjust your comfort by area, and a way to monitor exactly how much money this heater is saving you.
The National Rifle Association has filed for bankruptcy, and the organization will legally move from New York to Texas, with plans to operate as a non-profit.
The NRA lists assets and liabilities between $100 million and $500 million each, and its bankruptcy petition is signed by Wayne LaPierre.
Filing with the Texas Secretary of State shows the NRA formed Sea Girt LLC subsidiary on November 24. h/t Georgetown Law professor Adam Levitin for locating it first: pic.twitter.com/yMFO5tPa3x
The NRA filed the Chapter 11 petitions in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas, it said in a news release.
The NRA said it would restructure as a Texas nonprofit to exit what it said was a "a corrupt political and regulatory environment in New York" state, where it is currently registered.
The influential group said in a statement there would be no immediate changes to its operations or workforce, and that it "will continue with the forward advancement of the enterprise – confronting anti-Second Amendment activities, promoting firearm safety and training, and advancing public programs across the United States."
BREAKING: Leading gun rights lobbying group National Rifle Association is restructure as a Texas nonprofit to exit a "corrupt political and regulatory environment in New York."
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is the surviving of the two Boston Marathon Bombers. Tsarnaev's older brother, Tamerlan, who was verypossibly an FBI informant, was believed to be the mastermind behind the attacks; however, he was killed during their escape from Cambridge, leaving Dzhokar to the standoff in Watertown and all subsequent legal matters.
Tsarnaev was initially given a death sentence for his role in the bombings, although that was overturned in August of 2020. He is currently serving a life sentence at the supermax Federal Correctional Complex Florence in Colorado.
But Associated Press now reports that he has sued the federal government for $250,000 over his treatment there, calling it "unlawful, unreasonable and discriminatory" in a handwritten suit filed Monday, January 11. He claims that he has been limited to only three showers per week, and that the prison guards confiscated a white baseball cap and bandana he had purchased at the prison commissary, all of which has contributed to his "mental and physical decline."
When the FBI first released photos of the Tsarnaev brothers, Dzhokhar was wearing a white hat, while his brother wore a black one. So it's not unreasonable that someone—like a prison guard—might interpret this as a bit of trolling on Tsarnaev's part. While prison showers are notoriously awful, 3 times a week is fairly common, for better or for worse. But the incarcerated people at ADX Florence are also typically confined to their concrete rooms for 23 hours a day—the kind of solitary confinement that can, indeed, contribute to mental and physical decline. As Bob Hood, a former warden at ADX Florence, told The Boston Herald, "I get it. He wants more than three showers a week. But he's twentysomething living in a 7-foot box where life is worse than if he did get the death penalty."
But incarcerated people still have rights, no matter how reprehensible they are. I live in Boston; I know people who were hurt or died that day. I think Tsarnaev deserved a life sentence (though I agree that he probably didn't get a fair trial with an impartial jury). At the same time, I don't think anyone deserves death, or cruel and unusual treatment while incarcerated.
It's likely that there's never been a New Year's resolution focused on vacuuming more. However, plenty of people want to clean up the clutter and tidy up their lives to start a new year. The investment in a quality vacuum and other cleaners can be a good way of ensuring that much-needed cleaning work gets done.
We're all for making 2021 a cleaner, tidier year. So, to make that happen, you can enjoy savings of up to 66% on more than two dozen vacuums and other accessories that'll keep your home, vehicle, and entire environment cleaned up.
For all that junk that slips between your car seats, this cordless from Kittylulu has you covered. Equipped with interchangeable heads and removable filters, this vac has the juice to suck up all the dirt and scraps of trash that get into the cracks and crevasses of your vehicle.
Pop this unit in the center console of your car or truck, and you've got a comrade in the war on filth. The 2,500mAh capacity battery provides tons of suction, while the multiple filtering systems separate the dust and other particles from cycling back and clogging the vacuum. The vortex speed cycle enhances the suction power, and the filter is even washable so it's reusable, session after session.
With a booming 5,000Pa of suctioning oomph, you won't have to wait for the car wash vacuum to get the job done. Packed with an extra flat brush that can suck up liquid, and a brush nozzle to get all that pet hair out of the vehicle carpet, this vacuum is crafted to hit all those hard-to-reach places.
Who says a device only has to vacuum your vehicle? With the Jumpi, you not only get a powerful mini-vac, but there are also built-in jumper cables and a power bank, serving up to 700 amps to bring a dying battery back from the dead. The power reserve can also be used to charge up all your smartphones, tablets, and other devices too.
Have you looked at your keyboard lately? It's likely filthy. This desktop vac has a built-in rechargeable battery for over 2.5 hours of continuous cleaning power as you clear dust, crumbs, and more off your computer, desktop, craft table, countertop, and more. It's cordless, so you can go anywhere with it, then plug it back in for whenever you need some spot cleanup coverage.
With a powerful 80-watt motor, this handheld can attack both dry and wet cleanups with equal force. It all gets drawn into the ZeroDark's bagless holding chamber, which makes for easy cleanup and disposal. It also comes with three attachments for clearing crevices, gathering up dust, and combing out hair and other obstructions. It's even got a handy LED light on the front, so you can see what you're doing.
This mini vac uses HEPA filters to block everything down to the finest dirt particles. With 6,000pa suction power, you can get an area absolutely squeaky clean, while the 2,500mAh built-in battery makes sure you've always got the juice to do it. And, it's portable enough to go anywhere, so it fits in your car, travel bag, or right by your desk or table for those sudden messes.
The Tidy Sweep employs powerful cyclonic suction with a stable 5,000pa that can clear an area of dust, dirt, and other debris quickly. It weighs less than a pound and includes a flat nozzle attachment and a brush adapter that can find its way into both corners and across softer surfaces. Just choose your suction level, hit start, and you've got 30 minutes of charging power to finish the job.
Since your pet contributes so much to all these vacuum situations, this handheld groomer is here to help. Sporting strong suction and a soft rubber nozzle, this vac gently sucks up coarse or slick pet fur before it ends up all over your floor, furniture, and everything else. And, it all ends up down in the attached large-capacity hair collection canister for safe and clean disposal.
This multi-purpose sweeper utilizes a groundbreaking six-blade design that attacks dust and dirt from all sides. Using everything from a squeegee to a comb method, these blades roll debris into a ball, dig it out of carpet, and clean every surface smooth. Right now, if you use the coupon code ELICTO20P at checkout, the Elicto SS-130 is available for 20% off, just $19.99.
Or, you can throw some power at the job with the Telescopic Power Scrubber. With five different rotating heads with a 90-degree angle spring, this 2,000mAh powered brush extends over 4 feet for heavy-duty cleaning in your home, bathroom, garage, vehicle…even your swimming pool. It's always great for washing your windows, both inside and out.
Your hardwood and tiled floors need some love too, so whether you go plugged in or acoustic, these powered mop and polishers from Elicto can dig in and manhandle that grime. Both models let you mop, scrub and polish floors with the 250RPM spin mop without needing to bring in any other tools. Both models are on sale at an extra 20% off right now when you use the promo code ELICTO20P during checkout.
If they can eliminate the cord, Elicto can also eliminate the need for you as a mop driver. That's why the Everybot RS500 has one-touch operation, which sets off the 5,700RPM-motor robot to seek and destroy all dirt, even under beds and in the hardest-to-reach corners of your home. With optimized cleaning modes, a remote control, and no cords, this is how to take the work out of housework.
With the Jashen line, it all comes down to the big question – exactly how much cleaning power do you need? While being a starter model, the V12S is definitely no slouch, featuring a high-efficiency filter system with a recyclable HEPA filter and a dust cup that traps all dust and other particles as it creates a fresh air exhaust.
Meanwhile, the V16 has about twice as powerful, creating cyclonic suction that gets to each and every particle of dust in virtual silence.
Then there's the V18, which tops all other Jashen models by adding a built-in dust sensor that automatically detects exactly how much suction it'll take to suck up the dirt it spots, then adjusts itself accordingly to make it happen.
As for completely autonomous robo-vacuuming, these two models from Cybovac employ the Gyroptic smart navigation system. The E30 effectively maps your home, then uses a smart zig-zag path to hit every corner, offering a 30% increase in efficiency over other robo-vacs.
Meanwhile, the E31 takes that self-driving mission of cleansing to another frontier: hard surface mopping. With magnetic boundary strips to restrict cleaning areas, anti-drip technology thanks to high-precision sensors, and 2.5 hours of runtime, it's no wonder the E31 is a perfect 5 out of 5 stars among Amazon shoppers.
With a 2-gallon capacity, this wet-dry shop vac from DeWalt is what all your garage projects have needed for years. With a HEPA-rated filter that traps dust with 99.97% efficiency, this heavy-duty unit with a crush-resistant hose has the durability and versatility to handle almost any job you throw at it.
Sync up the Neabot NoMo to the Neabot app and you can fully customize your entire cleaning experience. Program this robo-vac with multiple cleaning settings, set up the perfect strategy and schedule, and monitor the cleaning process, all from the app, anywhere you are. The Automatic dust bag collection transfers dirt right into a bag lined dustbin all by itself, so you can basically forget about vacuuming for a month.
If you've never considered a water filtration vacuum, it's a revelation. Rather than spinning dirt, debris, and germs through an air filter, this Quantum X vac pushes it through water, ensuring nothing ever escapes in the exhaust. It's even got microsilver inside to instantly kill any bacteria or viruses. Make sure to use the CLEAN49 coupon code when you make your purchase to save an extra $49 off the already discounted price.
Meanwhile, the Sirena doesn't just use water filtration to clean your floors. It also washes down your furniture, walls, ceiling, and even the air around you. The power 1,000-watt motor drives a high-speed mode for general cleaning, while a low-speed mode actually deodorizes and aromatizes the air while you clean. And, by using the coupon code VACUUM134 during checkout, you can knock the final price of this elite-level vacuum down to just $755.
If you get Amazon Fresh or similar food deliveries, you are likely familiar with the silver-foil insulated freezer bags that frozen foods come in. These quickly multiply in Tribbles-like numbers.
I'm always looking for ways to reuse these bags. I regularly use the material to create silvery envelopes for sending out eBay sales and as packing inside of shipping boxes.
In this video, artist and educator, Audrey Lee Love (aka audreyObscura) shows how she created two resin curing ovens utilizing similar foil insulating material. She made a flexible UV curing oven inside of a re-purposed shopping tote and one sort of quonset hut-style oven using 3D printed end caps.
I just got a small-volume resin printer for Christmas and have been thinking about quick, easy (and cheap) ideas for building a UV resin curing station. I like the idea of using one of my Amazon Fresh bags. I could easily make the back and front/door to the oven out of card or chipboard.
"It was a minute": @CarolLeonnig on @washingtonpost exclusive that U.S. Capitol building rioters came dangerously close to VP Pence, missing him by one minute after being rushed off Senate floor. pic.twitter.com/m9Yqs5GFzS
— MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson (@HallieOnMSNBC) January 15, 2021
Last week Trump insurrectionists set up a gallows with Pence's name on it and broke into the Capitol to find him and hang him.
In this interview with Washington Post reporter Carol Leonnig, we learn that just one minute before the insurrectionists got to the Senate floor, Secret Service had taken Pence to a nearby safe room.
Many of those in the mob had their sights on Pence — enraged that he had refused President Trump's demand that he head off the electoral college count that formalized President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
According to the FBI, one man who was charged this week with trespassing and disorderly conduct after making his way into the Senate chamber said in a YouTube video: "Once we found out Pence turned on us and that they had stolen the election, like, officially, the crowd went crazy. I mean, it became a mob."
At one point, a group of rioters began chanting, "Hang Mike Pence!" as they streamed into the main door on the east side of the Capitol.
I have been the victim of a very serious phishing attack. I'm putting this statement out to set the record straight about what I've been through. I will not be addressing this issue any further on social media. pic.twitter.com/bttnnlLjuh
This is a weird story. Nidhi Razdan is a famous television news anchor in India. She says she quit her job after being offered a position as associate professor of journalism at Harvard University.
But today Razdan tweeted, "After hearing from the University, I have now [learned] that I have been the victim of a sophisticated and coordinated phishing attack. I did not, in fact, receive an offer by Harvard University to join their faculty as an associate professor of journalism."
Her statement reads:
"In June 2020 and after 21 years with NDTV, I decided to move on and said that I would be joining Harvard University as an Associate Professor of Journalism.
I had been given to believe that I would be joining the University in September 2020. While I was making preparations to take up my new assignment, I was later told that due to the ongoing pandemic, my classes would commence in January 2021. Along with these delays, I began noticing a number of administrative anomalies in the process being described to me. At first, I had dismissed these anomalies as being reflective of the new normal being dictated by the pandemic, but recently the representations being made to me were of an even more disquieting nature. As a result, I reached out to senior authorities at Harvard University for clarity. Upon their request, I shared some of the correspondence that I believed I had received from the University.
After hearing from the University, I have now learnt that I have been the victim of a sophisticated and coordinated phishing attack. I did not, in fact, receive an offer by Harvard University to join their faculty as an Associate Professor of Journalism. The perpetrators of this attack used clever forgeries and misrepresentations to obtain access to my personal data and communications and may have also gained access to my devices and my email/social media accounts. Alarmed at the scale of this attack, I have filed a complaint with the police and provided them with all the relevant documentary evidence. I have requested them to take immediate steps to identify, apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of this abominable attack. Separately I have written to the Harvard University authorities and urged them to take the matter seriously.
In the past few days, I have written to individuals and organizations with whom I have been in touch with over the past few months to keep them informed of this shocking development. I hope that the police are able to get to the bottom of this attack on me at the earliest and help me bring this unsavoury incident to a swift end."
She added, "I will not be addressing this issue any further on social media."
Just one setback. Harvard doesn't have a journalism program.
After months of delays that she attributed to the pandemic, Razdan had a jarring realization: the faculty position, it turns out, doesn't exist. The offer she thought she had accepted was nothing more than an elaborate ploy to access her personal information, she said.
"Don't fall for her spin as the victim here," one person wrote. "All after having been called out for masquerading as an Associate Professor at Harvard, to build clout through speaking engagements."
Smooth and slow with a giant truck spacious enough for three bodies! I still love those flip-up headlights, but I lack the imagination to own this 1977 Lincoln.
This 1977 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe was originally delivered to Dave Pyles Lincoln of Alexandria, Virginia and was acquired around 2001 by the current owner's late husband. The car is finished in Medium Ember over tan leather, and power is provided by a 460ci V8 paired with a three-speed automatic transmission. Equipment includes a vinyl roof, automatic climate control, power-adjustable front seats, and a factory AM/FM radio. An oil change was performed and the fuel filter was replaced in October 2020. This Continental Town Coupe is now offered at no reserve by the seller on behalf of its current owner with a window sticker, a warranty identification card, and a clean Georgia title.
That trunk competes with todays fairly common 5.5' truck beds!
