Here’s the idea: we create a mobile, outdoor co-working space. That’s pretty much it. When? Where? How? All pretty much flexible, though right now, we’re thinking Fridays in the spring and summer, in parks and beautiful spots between West Chester and Philly.
Why? That one’s easy. In movies about the Utopian Future, everyone is wearing loose, comfortable clothing, is calm and relaxed, and is working in idyllic outdoor environments. We want to find out: is it the future yet? If not, why not? What still needs to happen? What should we be working on? So, in February and March, we’ll be gathering the stuff we need, and thinking about what the challenges are:
- How long of an extension cord is long enough? How many power strips will we need?
- How many MacBook Pros can you power off a single, dedicated car battery? (Math says: probably five, for probably six hours. We’ll want to test.)
- Laptop sunshades and polarized sunglasses: good enough to be able to see your screen for six to eight hours without getting a splitting headache?
- Will state parks let those of us with motorcycles circle them up into a Nerd Corral?
- If there’s WiFi nearby, but not within range, can we use a cantenna to shoot it over to where we are?
- How many folks would need a ride from the closest Septa station? What would the best way to organize those?
- Food: delivery? Cookout? Brown bag?
- Lunchtime 5K run?
- Assuming you’re working RIGHT on the bank of the creek, is the 15-minute break between two conference calls long enough for a quick canoe trip?
Because I could NOT resist, I went ahead and used this excuse to order an MSR Outfitter Wing, the largest catenary tarp available. The tarp is eighteen by sixteen, and the poles are eight feet tall. I’m thinking that we can get a couple of field desks under it. If the motorcycle sidecar holds the power and the EvDO -> WiFi bridge router, we’ll be at least part of the way there!
