How do you stay connected to the outdoors at work?

thegreatsunra · Since 14 Jun 2008 10 Posts New Member

Howdy all, Dane Petersen here. Just over a year ago, I left my position as web dude for Big Winds to attend graduate school in interaction design. While living in Hood River, I attained fleeting nwkite.com fame for my pictures of Hurricane Mike during a dawn patrol session in 2008. http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t-8935.html I also helped that insane man kite the Event Site in January.

I'm currently working on a project where I'm attempting to design a system, interface or device that helps outdoor enthusiasts maintain a connection to the outdoors when they work inside for a living. Does this sound familiar? Then I need your help! I'm curious to know what sort of environment you work in, and what aspects of if you find inspiring (or draining!) in regards to your passion for being outside.

I really appreciate any insight you can offer! I have a few questions to consider, but by no means should you feel obligated to respond to each one. Really, I'd just like to get a conversation going. If you'd prefer to DM me, that's cool too. Your input is incredibly valuable, and will help me design a better solution. This project is a year-long independent undertaking, so your responses may help guide my efforts for the next six months!

Without further ado, questions!

What kind of work do you do?

What is your office and workspace setup? Do you have an open floor plan? Are you in a cubicle? Do you have a chain around your leg attached to the desk that they only unlock at the end of the day? Are there windows? Is there music? Do the lights buzz and it drives you crazy?

Where do you spend the bulk of your workday? Are you at your desk all day? Are you typically stuck in meetings? Do you move from place to place? Do you spend most of your time at the coffee shop because that's the only place you can be productive?

Can you see the outdoors from where you spend most of your day? Can you see it if you get up and walk around? Are you in an underground bunker? Are you in a completely glass enclosure somewhere in the Cascades, surrounded on all sides by forest?

What do you do right now to stay connected to the outdoors during your workday? Do you have photographs around your workspace? Photo calendars? Are there websites you visit? What about this one?

Do you have any sort of creative arrangements that you use to stay connected to the outdoors? An elaborate system of mirrors so you can see out your boss' window? An indoor/outdoor thermometer on your desk? A nicotine addiction?

What is important to you, in regards to the outdoors? Do you care about the activities you do out there? Do you care about the weather? The changing of the seasons? The way it smells? The way the spray of the water feels as you slash the early-season swell off the White Salmon Bridge?

Thank you for any thoughts and ideas you can provide! As a passionate kiteboarder who is currently land-locked in Indiana (and stuck inside studying all day), I truly want to improve the quality of life for people who love the outdoors, but ultimately work inside. With your help, I hope I can design an authentic solution that addresses this problem in an authentic, compassionate manner!

Thanks again!

thegreatsunra · Since 14 Jun 2008 10 Posts New Member

Okay, I've clearly been outwitted by the message form.

Ahh, yes. Open [url] tag. Fixed now. Apologies for being such a n00b.

At least I'm not this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqKWay-_3bk

sleestack · Since 07 Dec 2006 184 Posts Land of the Lost Stoked

I use the honey bucket out in the back parking lot. Single stall, fresh air walking to and from the inside cave. . . Laughing

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Nov 09, 09 4:20 pm

I think my biggest issue is being able to stay connected to porn at work.

Any products to help somebody out in that position?

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4911 Posts Portland Unstrapped

no so much for hiding the porn as eliminating evidence of the big box o porn:

http://www.webpctools.com/html/hide_porn_on_computer_.html

think clorox also works

thegreatsunra · Since 14 Jun 2008 10 Posts New Member

Excellent. Portable toilets and pornography.

This speaks droves about how poorly I understand the unmet needs of my target user group.

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4911 Posts Portland Unstrapped

Bro I'm sorry, didn't read your whole post - didn't see that part about Indiana.

thats rough - had to spend a few weeks - can't imagine serving a life sentence...

so what would I need to survive - are we talking computer based or something else?

I'm a fan of the earth (go earth!) - maybe some gizmo to connect me to the earth - I like the smell of burning leaves - that might be cool at work Thumb's Up

thegreatsunra · Since 14 Jun 2008 10 Posts New Member

Heh, no worries. Thanks for the condolences. Fortunately we're in the bluff country of southern Indiana, so there are a few hills and parks down here for stretching our legs. Fall is beautiful, winter is cold, summer is humid as hell. We're gettin' by, but we're gonna high-tail it outta here once school is finished.

I'm in the early stages of this project, so the ideas I'm entertaining are incredibly varied. Most are computer-related in some form, but not necessarily so. I'm definitely interested in helping people feel more connected to the earth, and the challenge is figuring out what that actually means. Burning leaves is great! Anything that engages the often-neglected senses.

Here are a few of the ideas I've considered so far:

A sundial or clock that doesn't display the time, but rather the amount of daylight/night left in the day. At higher latitudes, it would change shape as the days got longer or shorter: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegreatsunra/4042410811/in/set-72157622558573568/

Some sort of "networked" snow globe, that connects to the internet and displays the current conditions (weather, time of day, season, etc.) for a favorite locale: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegreatsunra/4042411777/in/set-72157622558573568/

The "Jealousy Engine", which would notify you every time someone tripped a remote sensor at, say, your favorite launch spot, ski run or mountain bike trail (file this one under cruel and unusual): http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegreatsunra/4042412637/in/set-72157622558573568/

The "Salmon Detector", which would ping every time a remote sensor in a river detected a salmon swimming upstream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegreatsunra/4042413765/in/set-72157622558573568/

Inspired by our Swedish friends, "Friggebods" are tiny indoor sheds that would replace cubicles. Pixar does something similar to this for their workspaces: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegreatsunra/4043158440/in/set-72157622558573568/

Clearly, at this point, I'm not too concerned with feasibility.

pdxmonkeyboy · Mon Nov 09, 09 7:48 pm

ok, besides porn what I would love to see is some kind of nature almanac plug in. There are certain calenders that tell you what is going on in the natural world around your area. Like the chinook salmon start returning to the columbia, beavers start breeding, elk are in rut, birds start returning, emphibian egss start hatching, etc, etc, etc. That would be kind of cool to have some kind of daily reminder of what is going on around me (besides phone calls, e-mails, and teenage anal).

As far as wind and water, I decided long ago to delete most of that shit cause it just made me want to be somewhere i couldn't be.

thegreatsunra · Since 14 Jun 2008 10 Posts New Member

The "nature almanac" is a great idea. I grew up in Minnesota and spent a lot of time roaming the northern pine forests there, hiking, camping, backpacking and canoeing. I have this awesome hardcover almanac that's broken down by week, and tells you what's going on outside.

This week, according to the North Woods Journal, ponds are freezing over, flocks of geese are working hard to maintain spots of open water, hawks have moved south to hunt in snow-free fields, and yes, the white-tailed deer rut is on.

But yeah. Something that let's you know what's going on, without making you feel awful for being inside. That's a tough balance to strike.

Chooch · Mon Nov 09, 09 8:06 pm

Bettyboarder · Mon Nov 09, 09 8:15 pm

Wrong

I pm'd you answers

thegreatsunra · Since 14 Jun 2008 10 Posts New Member

typhoon · Since 02 Sep 2009 26 Posts Portland

I find that growing a small amount of cannabis on my desk to be both soothing and a conversation starter.

bwd · Since 04 Aug 2007 385 Posts Obsessed

basically the technology you need is called a W I N D O W ,
preferably facing roughly southeast or southwest (in the N hemisphere).
Really helps.
If there is going to be a sunrise/set while you are at work, you are much better off physiologically /mentally if you can glimpse it.
Some science in this but mainly personal opinion....
Also,
Working in a big building I will take my lunch outside until it gets below 40F.
Even 10 minutes gnawing a sandwich outdoors helps.

Everything else seems to be one or another form of screen gazing,
but as to that, build a page or shortcuts including local weather, astrological,
cams of where you might go after work or on weekend, tides, etc.
Just don't get busted looking at it too often Wink

Personally don't think any gimmicks or gewgaws are gonna help -to me that is the antithesis of nature/outdoors... though I would guess that might be where you're headed, so good luck.
Enjoying indoors is possible, but I find there is no good substitute for outdoors...

thegreatsunra · Since 14 Jun 2008 10 Posts New Member

forrest · Tue Nov 10, 09 9:30 am

NICE!