Telecube

[rcjordan]

A Rentable Office inside a Convenience Store
https://www.neatorama.com/2021/02/09/A-Rentable-Office-inside-a-Convenience-Store/

[Drastic]

Office? lol That's a phone booth.

[rcjordan]

>phone booth

Yeah, but they have whole apartments that size in Japan.

The concept is good, though. ...Just needs to be 'Muricanized. 

About 20 years ago, the coastal town of New Bern, NC rebuilt their chamber of commerce building. In the back, they built 3 or 4 small offices/conference single rooms that they rented out by the hour. I heard they did well renting it to real estate agents who didn't want to take their clients back to a distant office to sign contracts.

[ergophobe]

Seems about right for my office space. I have a little corner office space about 4 feet by 4.5 feet (120cm * 140cm). My wife always wants me to "upgrade" (she has a roughly 10x12 room), but I really don't need more.

[Travoli]

Can't wait for the self-driving version.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-22/toyota-s-driverless-shuttles-could-double-as-office-on-the-go

[littleman]

I've thought many times about getting a used step-van, adding some solar panels and  making it into a mobile office. 

[Brad]

> 'Muricanized

Needs a green screen right behind the user so you can select different important looking backgrounds behind you. (ie. bookcase, airport concourse, flags, high rise office window view, inside temple of Zuul, interior of Tardis.)

[ergophobe]

I've thought many times about getting a used step-van, adding some solar panels and  making it into a mobile office.

What's your vision for that? My wife goes through periods where she moons over vans and dreams of going on the road and working from the van for months, but she finally realized that she sometimes finds her 10x12 office small and working from a van that also serves as bedroom and kitchen and traveling around each day trying to find a good cell signal or wifi signal complicates getting work done a lot.

[littleman]

I live in a relatively small place for the amount of people in it and right now my 'office' a desk and some shelves a couple of feet away from my bed.  Also, with the kids home all the time there is a fair amount of disruption.  I'm not willing to spend Bay Area rates to get an office right now.

Used stepvans are actually relatively inexpensive, I've seen them go for a few thousand.  They are quite large inside, plenty of room for a good work station and are big enough to stand up in.  The roaming wifi signals are very strong in this area.  I don't really see traveling around a lot, maybe just park near a public restroom along the water and get some work done.  There are dozens of spots like this within 15 minutes of my house.   My vision wouldn't at all be a living space, just a mobile workstation with a solid desk, computer, printer, some shelving, solar charging system and a heater.  The weather is mild here, so I would probably be ok most of the year without AC. 

[ergophobe]

>>with the kids home all the time

I was guessing that was no small part of it. Having spent a lot of my life working from relatively small home office spaces, even *without* kids, I think the change of scenery can really help mental health too. In the city, before Covid there were lots of options. Now, it's a double whammy - kids home, cafes closed

[DrCool]

>kids home, cafes closed

Pre-pandemic there were a couple days where I just grabbed my laptop and went somewhere to work for a couple hours. I didn't do it often but even those couple times were very refreshing and I was able to get more done in those two hours than I did in full days at my desk at home. It is amazing how even a little change of pace like that can make a big difference.

[ergophobe]

I haven't done it lately, but sometimes I do hop in the car, go to a place with a nice view, push the passenger seat back and pull out my laptop. But it's not comfortable and it's not convenient for many kinds of work.

It's a really nice break though and if LM can find a cheap way to get a somewhat better office space, it is a viable way to work.