Leon Pals

Whiteboard desk extraordinaire

Mon, 11 Aug 2014 23:57:00 +0200

Since starting our peer2peer incubator the Startup Port I’ve been looking for office (furniture) inspiration. We occasionally acquire furniture as our budget is dependent on our turnover (non-profit without subsidies).

I quickly found out about the genius Whiteboard desk created by Frank Denneman. It took me a while to pursue and I even forgot about it for a couple of months but I finally decided that this was going to be the centrepiece of my productivity. It needed to fit a couple of people though, so I took the dimensions and increased them just a bit.

I also wanted it to be able to be used creatively, and everywhere needed, so it had to be given wheels. Ideally it would even be adjustable in height, but I couldn’t come up with a simple, affordable solution for that.

As stated in Frank’s article I went to Ikea and ordered the maximum size Ikea offered and which would still fit into the cargo elevator. Sadly the delivery men were told that it wouldn’t fit, and the receptionist sent them up the stairs. This countertop weighs a tad over 83kg(!) Costs: 370,-

I didn’t go for the steel edges though, as Frank stated it would’ve nearly cost double, and that combined with the larger countertop would’ve made the desk’s total cost hit 1k.

Matthijs from Steigerbuisstunter.nl worked with me to realise my dream frame, he drew it up in Sketch and finally provided the frame’s parts and even put it all together, with a ‘little’ (and I mean that extremely literally) help from me. Having Matthijs at the Startup Port was essential in the realisation of this desk, even though he compares it all to Lego (for adults) so it must be doable. Costs: 290,-

The Whiteboard island is 122,5cm by 250cm and easily fits four, maybe even six if you put them on the ends. Total price cost was 660,- including taxes, excluding a trip to Ikea and some sweat.

How about some pictures? I didn’t take the time to shoot very nice pictures, but you get the idea from these shots:

See the supporting frame, also in the middle? They weren’t part of the original plan, but the Ikea kitchen man told me the top had to be supported every 80cm. I didn’t want to risk a bending top, so we went with these slant tubes to support the top in the centre.

Here you can easily spot the mirroring that occurs with a high gloss top/whiteboard desk. Keep this in mind and don’t place it right under fluorescent or very bright lights.

No shots of me being productive yet, others were way too busy having fun.

Like I just stated, others were having fun. I’m sparing you the genitals you’re guaranteed to see when you put this in a co-workingspace.

That’s it. I’m very happy with it. Very happy with the ability to have awesome brainstorms and the ability to write down anything, anytime I want, and secretly also with the looks on people faces when I do so in a meeting.

Cover Story: Daft Punk

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:03:39 +0200

Cover Story: Daft Punk:

After 20 years, the world has finally caught up with Daft Punk, so the helmet-clad retro-futurists are embarking on a new mission: to make music breathe again

My first ride with a stranger

Mon, 06 May 2013 10:34:00 +0200

Last week I found someone on Toogethr that has the same destination as I do. I connected with him and asked if I could join him next time. That wasn’t a problem, so this morning I hopped int the car of a ‘stranger’.

That might sound awkward but I actually enjoyed it. We had a chat about several topics and I had a comfortable seat. The sun was shining and the roads were clear since it is vacation time.

The driver, Bouke, doesn’t do it to share costs. For him its all about conversation and the fact that he drives a big car anyway. Every once in a while it feels good to fill an extra seat.

I’m surprised about how relaxed I arrived at work today. The Fyra train is a little bit quicker. But usually I experience a lot of stress when taking the Fyra. Probably due to not having to rely on the NS (dutch railway company). Also, having a relaxed conversation with one stranger and without a dozen of them around you saying nothing, equals relaxation.

In the end I saved ten euro by sharing Bouke’s ride. But that will not be my motivation for my next shared ride. It’ll be the ability to have a relaxed conversation and to get to work stress free and on time.

We just got notice that trains were hindered on my route this morning, due to a fire report in the tunnel.

laughingsquid: Mac Monocle, Conceptual Illustration of a ‘Less...

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:55:40 +0200

laughingsquid:

Mac Monocle, Conceptual Illustration of a ‘Less Stupid Looking’ Version of Google Glass

lilly: This dashboard/content creation is so, so good. Such a...

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 10:32:28 +0100

lilly:

This dashboard/content creation is so, so good. Such a great design & implementation team there. (via With Today’s Update, Tumblr Starts To Look More Like A Fully Featured Twitter Than Blogging Platform | TechCrunch)

Ja een beetje vreemd maar ik moet van een vriendinnetje vragen of je single bent? Ze durft het zelf niet

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 12:33:39 +0200

Wait, I have groupies now?

The basics

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:07:09 +0200

The basics

parislemon: gerundme: Best one I’ve seen yet. This. …

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 23:42:11 +0200

parislemon:

gerundme:

Best one I’ve seen yet.

This.

…

What the heck?! escapekit: Machine Prints Food Smells On...

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 08:33:38 +0200

What the heck?!

escapekit:

Machine Prints Food Smells On Postcards

O.k this is pretty crazy, The “Food printer” has a camera, a smell extractor and a printer. When you’re ready to go the camera snaps a shot of the food while the smell extractor gathers the smells and the printer than prints the postcard with aroma ink.

It’s that time of the month again (Taken with Instagram)

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 13:42:08 +0200

It’s that time of the month again (Taken with Instagram)

I always wanted to make another man dance by shooting on his...

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:10:43 +0200

I always wanted to make another man dance by shooting on his feet, I realize this is the closest I’m ever going to get. You can and probably should send Justus at least 10$ to let him continue his work on Times square to Artsquare.

lilgo:

“Sometimes you just need 20 seconds of embarrasing bravery.” here’s mine: my laptop has crashed and I’m in the midst of finishing two major projects for clients. Those projects pay my journey to realize my dreams: http://artsquare.co
Support me with 199 other backers to get in one day 2000usd together so I can buy a laptop to get things back on track!!

Here’s the embarrasing bravery you’ll get to see:
10usd a JUST-US SHUFFLE in the midst of Times Square
20usd a Shuffle AND your name engraved on my new laptop

All shuffles will be edited in one viral video with your name in it!

Payment methods:
Paypal: justusbruns (at) gmail (dot) com
Dutch Bank Account: P2483056 JJH Bruns Amsterdam

Please share! And leave in the comments your name if you supported!! I thank you!!

Alles wat jij doet heeft simpel gezegd te maken met het web toch? Je doet verder niks met fotografie of dingen buiten het web?

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 19:56:57 +0200

Voornamelijk Internet, overige nieuwe media en communicatie. Ik houd wel van fotografie, schetsen en ik doe ook een stukje business development, waarbij het wel vaak om online business draait. Any other questions?

Gymkhana FIVE by Ken Block

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 18:45:06 +0200

Gymkhana FIVE by Ken Block

Vaaaaaalencia! (Taken with Instagram)

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:51:58 +0200

Vaaaaaalencia! (Taken with Instagram)

envicta: the best coffee machine

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 17:07:34 +0200

envicta:

the best coffee machine

See that top floor? See you there? #LSMR (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 17:21:08 +0200

See that top floor? See you there? #LSMR (Taken with instagram)

Erasmus bridge gap 12.1 (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 17:06:15 +0200

Erasmus bridge gap 12.1 (Taken with instagram)

dutchlaunch: Tumblr Official Dutch Launch Party / Meetup All...

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:04:05 +0200

dutchlaunch:

Tumblr Official Dutch Launch Party / Meetup

All awesome Dutch Tumblr users are invited to celebrate the Dutch Launch of Tumblr! Join us in the magnificent Jimmy Woo for a great party.
Among the attendees: Tumblr founder David Karp. And of course: you!

RSVP at the Meetup Page right here on Tumblr and see you, drink with you, dance with you, and sing with you on May 31st from 21:30 onwards.

(Doors at Jimmy Woo are open for Tumblr users until 22:30, so be on time!)

Concept for Hofplein (Taken with instagram)

Sat, 12 May 2012 16:19:47 +0200

Concept for Hofplein (Taken with instagram)

Last week I attended The Next Web Conference 2012 in the...

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:23:18 +0200

Last week I attended The Next Web Conference 2012 in the Gashouder in Amsterdam with a special mission.. To spend the night on stage.

AirBnB and TNW teamed up and threw this listing into the ether, which I happily booked. I didn’t know if it was a joke or not, but then again, I knew it wasn’t. So I booked it and went to Amsterdam for a night which turned out to be filled with great fun with AirBnB co-founder Joe, it’s first employee Christopher, Andre, Simon and of course Simone.

The next morning, Joe gave a talk about how we got to this point, which we even helped him practice with the night before. The result is what you’re probably watching right now.

Yes Joe, we had a great night. No Joe, nothing funky happened apart from the pizza’s we ordered.

On a side-note, we’re planning a road trip through spain for this summer, and we’ll be checking into at least 5 beds/rooms/villas/boats/caves listed on AirBnB. We’ll keep you updated as well!

For an impression of the conference:

The Next Web Conference 2012 from marjolijn on Vimeo.