Cloud system eliminates the need to visit storage facility
If you’re tired of traipsing over to the self-storage facility to stow or retrieve belongings, there’s now an easily accessible, online solution – MakeSpace. Using a cloud-based system, you can order boxes, schedule a pickup, and even schedule delivery of specific items when you need them back. MakeSpace, a NYC-based company, has gone national, offering the convenient storage solution to consumers across the U.S. (currently excluding Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico). Storage prices start at $25 a month.
With MakeSpace, there’s no need to haul your own items off to storage. By scheduling everything online, you can control when your stuff is sent away, and even pick out individual items to have returned when you need them.
To get started, you can order boxes from MakeSpace and schedule a pick-up. Then the boxes are transported to the MakeSpace facility, located in the NYC metro area. The innovative storage solution company then creates a photo catalog of each box (if you choose this option) so you can have online access to all your items and pick out what you want delivered when you need it. MakeSpace takes high-quality, overhead shots of your boxes or bins and then uploads them to your account, where you can label items and add descriptions so you have an easily accessible catalog of your items.
Due to transit times, it may take a few days for the photos of your items to be uploaded. You can track the status of your boxes in transit by signing into your MakeSpace account.
MakeSpace offers a simple storage solution for anyone tired of lugging around belongings to storage facilities. According to the MakeSpace website, anything that can be carried by one person can be stored at their facilities. To get started, you can order boxes and bins and schedule a pickup on the MakeSpace website.
With MakeSpace, there is never a need to visit the facility, and in fact customers are not allowed in the storage site. The warehouse is under 24-hour surveillance and features cameras, alarms, and security personnel to ensure your items stay stowed safely. In addition, all boxes are secured with high-strength zip ties to ensure that they are tamper-proof and protected from elements like dust and water.
MakeSpace is currently only available online, but the site is mobile-friendly so you can access it from your phone. A MakeSpace app for iOS and Android devices is in the works.
MakeSpace plans start at $25 per month for four boxes. You can get more boxes for an additional $6.25 a month per box. There is a four box, 3-month storage minimum for all customers. Prices for retrieval of items from storage depend on your plan and how long your items have been in storage, with discounts given for the longer your items have been stored. The Terms of Service outline all pricing details.
Microscopic bacteria and oceanic organisms embellish water purifier
It’s difficult to imagine how you could embellish something as simple and pure as tap water, but Studio Formafantasma has given it a go anyway. Their latest collection is called “Still,” which pairs carefully engraved crystals with copper and activated charcoal to improve the taste of tap water. The Italian designers have been fascinated with water purification since their earlier experiments in 2012.
The crystals have been engraved with one of two different patterns: a contemporary microscopic view of bacteria found in rivers, or a 19th century representation of an organism that lives in the oceans and is characterized by having a skeleton made of silica, the main element of glass.
The craftsmanship expressed in the engravings, the aerial proportions of the copper filters and their subtle religious references invite the user to handle the pieces carefully, thereby transforming these gestures into a daily ritual of water purification.
Developed in collaboration with the renewed Viennese company J.& L. Lobmeyr, the designers also wanted to pay homage by including two customized versions of the Candy Dish designed by Oswald Haerdtl for the company in 1925. This time around, the dishes will be used as containers for activated charcoal.
Keen to outdo themselves, Formafantasma also designed a copper spoon inspired by the iconic piece and a series of copper cups as a reference to the Drinking service no.267 ‘Alpha’ designed by Hans Herald Rath. The Still collection is showing as part of an exhibition curated by Rossana Orlandi at Bagatti Valsecchi, Via Gesù 5, 20121 Milano.
Can an online sleep program help you get an A-plus on your Zs?
You’ve already heard of successful online programs to help improve your memory, boost your weight loss and teach you languages. Sleepio now promises to do the same for your sleep. Since insufficient or low-quality sleep impacts more than 80% of working Americans today, this service seems well-timed (if not overdue).
The Sleepio process happens in three steps.
Step One: Take Some Tests
New users answer a moderate sleep study, and — if they have it — upload metrics from a body tracker like UP, Fitbit or Bodymedia. This information gets compared to information from more than a decade’s worth of sleep studies to identify problem areas with the subject’s sleep patterns and behaviors that impact sleep.
Step Two: Visit with “The Prof”
“The Prof” is the face of Sleepio, a mostly automated online presence that collates the results of your sleep tests and hands out specific advice to maximize effective sleep. This advice runs from the simple (“Stop drinking double espressos five minutes before bed”) to esoteric behavioral therapy techniques that condition you to sleep better.
Step Three: Work the Program
The Prof arms you with assignments and techniques, but it’s up to you to practice and apply them to your sleep. Sleepio provides daily tools — like their “Thought Checker” and a daily scheduler — to help you turn new ideas into ingrained habits that improve your sleep.
Throughout the course, Sleepio provides personal guidance and progress review along with a battery of online tools to help clients reach their sleep goals:
- Online sleep diary and progress tracker
- Daily reminders
- Downloadable relaxation MP3s
- In-depth sleep tests
- A library of electronic articles on sleep habits and sleep discipline
- Access to a community of experts and clients.
At 8 to 15 pounds per week, Sleepio is a bit of an investment but experts agree that quality sleep equals improved productivity. Medical journal The Lancet approves of the science behind the technique and its application. For those who can’t afford it directly, Sleepio is also working with employers and health plans to make it a benefit offered by the organizations most likely to gain from better sleep in their workforce.
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