There has been a lot of talk in the Atlanta community about co-working spaces and this has had me thinking of my ideal work space. I have had conversations with a bunch of people and everyone has shared their own opinions. Using these and my own experiences to get work/studying done while in college, I have designed this, the ideal co-working spot concept (for me).

Please do take this with a grain of salt and do contribute your thoughts on this. If you like the idea and want to turn it into reality, do come talk to me and I'll help anyway I can. It is after all 1% idea 99% execution.

The Ideal Co-working Space by Ajai Karthikeyan

Coffee Shop

Tables and ChairsThe Atlanta community knows that the Tech Square Starbucks and Octane are major hubs for startups and students. There is always a crowd there and over the last couple weeks, I have clocked more hours in there than their employees(I am not joking). Most entrepreneurs and students are not adverse to working out of coffee shops and many, including me Coffee :-)actually love to work in such a setting. It is a fun environment. The Coffee is flowing and it is also a great spot to meet with other people, both scheduled meetings and randomly bumping into people whom you know.

For most of us, all we need is a comfy. the design should also be so that no seat is over 5 feet from a power socket and ample number of power sockets should be made available to the customers.

Meeting/Breakout/Private Rooms

Private OfficeDespite everything, there are days when Starbucks is not my perfect working spot. Either, I am getting a little too distracted, or I need to make a conference call, or I need to have a closed room conversation with other people. I personally, walk across the street to the Entrepreneur Resource Center when I have this problem, but having this problem solved would be great. This is where Meeting/Breakout/Private rooms come in. I foresee Meeting Roomtwo types of room here, a private room with a single desk and a phone serving as a temporary office and conference rooms of varying sizes (from 2 to 12 ideally). Some of these rooms could have additional features such as projectors and screens and some with conference call functionality while other will be plain old meeting rooms without any additional features.

I won't go into the logistics of how many such rooms will be needed as that will be proportional to the scale of this project.

Lockers

Small SizeI'm not actually going for lockers like most of you had in high school. My idea for this is a place where you can store your files and other stuff so that you don't need The XXL for the Uber Startupto carry things home and back everyday. Portability is also of the essence as you will need to move these around to your Private rooms when you do use them. My concept here is more along the lines of a small file cabinet or chest of drawers on caster wheels. I would ideally have different sizes too cause not everyone will need the same amount of space space. These units should be stored in a side room when not needed.

Capsule Hotel

A CapsuleProbably the single reason why this idea is not like all the others. I propose we use the Japanese capsule hotel idea and set up rooms with sleeping capsules. So, the basic concept of sleeping capsules is a box about 1m x 1m x 2m stacked with one above the other. What do they provide? A place to take a nap or get a good nights rest cause a rested body works better any day.

The Sleep RoomI have had to sleep on couches and in chairs many times when I worked late into the night. What does the capsule hotel do to this startup environment? We have better rested startupers. You need a short nap? You managed to work till 3am and don't want to drive 1hr to go home at this ungodly hour? Well, here is the solution to your problems. A comfortable bed in a somewhat private area. 

The low footprint and the fact that the only feature of each of these "rooms" is a bed, the maintenance costs should be minimal.

Showers

A shower stallTwo words: Atlanta Summers! Got all sweaty in the Hotlanta heat? Go take a shower! The 'Clean' RoomTook a nap in an uber awesome capsule? Go take a shower! Need to clear your head? Go take a shower!

The whole idea behind the showers is to help the people using this space to be refreshed (and to also reduce the odors in the area). My idea is for basic shower stalls with maybe a changing area for each stall. Also included will be some lockers (on the line of gym lockers) for your towel, soap, toothbrush, a fresh set of clothes, etc.

Restaurant (optional)

Fine DiningDespite my desire for it to be, not all meeting (or meals) can consist of coffee and muffins :P. Sometimes, a meeting calls for a decent meal (and for some, a glass of wine to go with it). As many of the Tech Square croud frequents WaterHaven, we are all aware of the need for another watering hole for the community other than a coffee shop. This is, as I have mentioned, optional, but it will be a great addition to the community.

Laundry Service (optional)

Towels?What can I say? We are going to need something to handle all the linens that the capsule hotel will be generating. Might as well add a laundry service to wash, iron and dry clean our guests clothes, for a nominal fee of course (we do have to keep this thing running and maybe make some profit out of it too). It doesn't even need to be on site laundry; we could send it somewhere else but having a collection point on site would be beneficial. Once again, this too is optional. 

The Logistics - brief and concise version

• Uber fast free Wifi - #1 Priority
• Printer and copier.
• So, most of these will work on a membership system. The coffee shop is open to all, but everything else is accessible to only members.
• Memberships available at different levels based on amount of usage of additional features (rooms, sleeping and lockers).
• A reservation system for rooms and sleep capsules? 
• Private/meeting rooms and sleep capsules available to walk-in non members if they are available (for a fee of course)
• Located close to a stationary shop?
• Located in an urban area. Don't know why, just a personal preference.

Thats about it folks. Did I miss anything?

As some of you might have noticed on twitter, I have been working on a design project most of last week. The goal was for me to do something other than coding or writing reports and use the creative side of my mind. I decided to make myself a visual resume and here is the end result.

Let me know what you think about it. Also, if you spot any errors/typos, do let me know (I am not the best at spelling when I was doing this at a rather ungodly hour)

Click on the image to view a larger image. I also have it available in pdf

I plan to print this on a 11 x 17 bi-fold sheet and have my "normal" resume on the back side with a simple cover on the front in time for the career fairs. Lets see if whether this gets me a job (or gets me kicked out of the room).

I was on scene pretty soon after I heard about it through Stephen Fleming on Twitter.

So far the facts are:

• Only a small segment of the 4th floor collapsed. It took down all the floors below it.
• Doing the Math: Max cars involved = 32
• No causalities reported so far. Announcements have been made in Centergy One and TSRB to account for all individuals
• Georgia Tech does not own this building.
• Centergy has announced that no cars will be leaving the lot for 2 days minimum.
• A large slab of cement fell off the 3rd floor and is visible on the grass below.
• Social Media was faster than traditional media once again.

Check out the second video below.

So, I have recently been accused of turning into an Apple Fanboy after my recent Macbook purchase and I am grossly offended by this. I couldn't actually sleep with this on my head, so I started writing. What I am going to do is put my definitions of the different types of people that are part of the Apple Fan Culture, and follow up with where I would say I fit into the grand scheme of things.

Apple Fans can broadly be classified into these categories, some people will fall under a couple:

Apple Heads: These are the people who own everything Apple. You can't see them without at least 2 Apple products on them at the same time. They talk only Apple. Steve Jobs is god! (He is not guys. That would be Larry Elison) Apple Heads tend to buy everything Apple and integrate it into their daily lives to an extant that I would classify them as the Borg. My personal thoughts on Apple Head: They are just those people doing what they like best which just happens to be Apple Products. Don't dislike them. Do get annoyed by them when they start talking about Apple this and Steve Jobs that and will not stop. - I have also been informed that Apple Heads are referred to with an 'i' in front of their name as they have turned into Apple products themselves.

Mactards: These guys use Macs or have an iPhone. They will defend Apple on anything and everything. I own this and it is awesome. My personal thoughts on Mactards: They are just Apple Head Lite (as Microsoft would call them

Macaholics: These are the people who have used Macs for a very long period and are happy where they are. They used it for at least 10 years and have not actively used an other OS in that time period. So, basically these have been living in the Mac bubble. They will usually compare their current mac to their old one. Nice people in general. My personal thoughts on Macaholics: You are in my ok book UNTIL you start comparing it with Windows or Linux - you have no idea what you are talking about as by this definition, you have not used them before.

iWannabe: Prepare for a rant, these people strike a nerve. The iWannabe does not own a Mac! The iWannabe does not own a iPhone! They just want one NOW! They have probably never used anything by Apple other than the iPod and even if they have, it is only for a couple hours at best. These people are the once that Apple's Marketing (AKA Propaganda) division makes their money off. These guys have been convince of the awesomeness of the Mac by the ads, the people talking about it and the every so awesome looks (and sometimes the exclusive price tag). Honestly, I don't like you cause you are so easy. I am a marketing guy to an extent and seriously the fun in the hunt is in the chase. Give me (and Apple) a challenge people. My personal thoughts on iWannabes: I don't like you. The Macaholics only fight against something they do not understand. You are fighting FOR something you do not know. Change!!! Try out a Mac from a friend for a while or go to the local library. Figure out why exactly you like it before you say you want one. I will be happy with you telling me its only for the looks if that is the reason you are getting it. ---- I just wonder if an violent iWannabe will mug an Apple Head. Now trying to stop thinking of an iWannabe and an Apple Head I know fighting over Apple goodies.

Those are the 4 main categories I would put people into. Some would fall into multiple of these. Some will fall into non. There is always the regular guy and then the super regular. So, the reason behind why I did this, where do I fit in to all this.

I have used Windows most of my life before college. Was not very happy with it at all times, but never had any major issues (except for the time when I went without a computer for 2 years due to an untimely death of an old computer). I will also say that I am not a big gamer, only play games occasionally when I am bored and am not in the state for activities that require 2 or more people. One of my biggest annoyances with Windows that within a year of purchase, your anti-virus hogs up half of your system resources. And before we even continue, all this si based on XP - I disqualify Vista as Windows on the basis that Vista was so bad, that I don't even want to bring it up - take that all you Vista lowers.

Once in college I started experimenting with Linux. Spent a year and a half with Ubuntu and it was quite simply love at first sight. Great platform. No useless .exe files running. Simple. Low on system requirements. And just about great for anything I needed to do except for design work. And that was something I was wiling to accept and walk to the CoC/Library to get on a machine with Adobe (usually on a Mac).

During the time I was tweaking with Linux, I was also dabbling with Macs mainly for design work and video editing. Me being the person who answers the interview question "Do you know so and so programing language?" with "I will when I come to work on Monday", I got my act together and my fiddling with Mac impressed me. Everything except for the price tag was at my sweetspot. Note: I do have issues with Mac, which I can ignore they same way I used to ignore the lack of Adobe for Linux. On top of this, some problems that most Windows users have with Macs are not issues for me at all, such as the low game count - not a big gamer here.

Anyways, as I started with my summer jobs, and the money was going to start rolling in, I got myself a Macbook - which is going to become a Macbook Pro in a couple hours. Right now, I am in the position to say that I like OS X. Over a years experience and now even after 2 weeks of running my life from one, it is great. Had a couple minor issues that I don't care about cause nothing is going to be perfect. (Had myself a fit when I realized that sudo apt-get won't work anymore)

I have had experiences with all 3 major OSes and I will say - Don't Like Windows but will use it if I have to - Love Linux and will use it any day unless I want to do design work - OS X Happy with it for now and it seems to have the best functionality of Linux with a beautiful GUI and front-end application collection. And my love for OS X stops at the computers. I don't like the iPhone!

At the end of it all, what impresses me the most? The hardware! I love the trackpad on the Macbook. Illuminated Keyboard is just WoW (and before you WinHeads get started, I know Dell also offers that). I typed most of this in the dark about to fall asleep without annoying typos. And the main thing keeping me away from getting an iPhone is the lack of a physical keyboard.

So, what am I? I am ambiOSdextrous with a love for Linux, uses a Mac willingly and enjoys the experience and does not want to see a Windows computer in front of him with a passion.

What do you think?

Greeting to all you wonderful people who find the time to read my haphazardly updated blog - As usual I promise to improve this but with a brain like mine that keeps me thinking of all sorts of new projects, it is difficult to put a pace to literary creativity. And then there is the writer's block - Case in point, I have been writing a book for the past 3 or so years and am no where near finishing it. It is 30% longer than the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy COMBINED!

Anyways, on to the reason for this post. As many of you know, I recently purchased a Macbook and from recent tweets, that I will be getting it replaced with the newer and better Pro. Here is the story behind it. I bought myself a Macbook with the student discount a day before they started giving a free iPod Touch with all macs for students. I tried to get the freebie but the GT bookstore was not working with me and I let it slide. The real deal for me came on Monday while I was keeping an I on #WWDC. Not a Mac Fanboi - Long rant on why I am not will be my next post - but I will say that 4gigs of RAM and the built in battery is what I need being a crazy multitasker who never shuts down the laptop. I will probably use up the 5 year no deaths battery in 2.

Well, this was how my adventure began with customer service sometime late Monday (I had gotten off a little early from work that due to brain not being in optimal coding mode (caffeine) - Blame Kate and the weekend fun for that - Karaoke and 3 movies might have been too much). After preparing my repertoire of curse words to use at customer support ( I have found that incompetent buffoons seems to be the best fixer at Dell) and past Customer Dis-service fiascos. I would say that my first shock was the rep providing me with his phone number and extension in case we get disconnected or I have further issues after the call. A great first impression and the part of my mind that told me to social engineer my way through this convinced me to switch tactics here (I couldn't play an angry card with such a nice guy).

The second prop to Apple will be that they only transfered me to someone else after finding out that what the problem was and the right person to handle it. This was great cause Dell usually ends up transferring me to approximately 17 people on average (I start swearing at the 5th or 6th). They guy heard me out and gave a deal I could not refuse.

They have already shipped a brand new, top of the line MacBook Pro 13" with super-nuclear insides (should be hire tomorrow by 3:00). To make up for the whole iPod Touch fiasco, they are giving me a my AppleCare for free. Which is great cause I don't need a Touch (would have probably given it to Mansi since she wants one and I don't). And I need to ship the laptop I have back within a month, so it gives me time to copy all the files onto the new one.

So, over all, I am a happy trooper. Apple has been great so far. Only issue I had was the 1-800-MY-APPLE automatic transfer thingy kept transferring me and then disconnecting me. Bug in system probably but the Human Beings were great. Now I can do all my design work and multimedia stuff without going to a lab since I got hold of CS4 Master Collection.

So long folks. Be back very soon. Sometime tomorrow - I have the post half done, feeling the yawns hit me so I am off.