Author Archive for Dave H

Who is Nexus Publishing? Originally from a small town called Darlaston – about ten miles north of Birmingham – I moved to West Sussex about ten years ago to help develop one of the first online retailers. Having recently moved to Shropshire I am now enjoying the working from home life in a semi rural location. I have been a freelance writer and journalist for about fifteen years. Eight of them were spent doing various other jobs such as bookshop assistant, print finisher and returns clerk for a large library supplier, with the writing taking up evenings and any of my spare time. As you can see, much of my life so far has been spent working with books and publishing of one kind or another. My time as an employee came to a conclusion some six years ago with redundancy, so I took the opportunity – and the money – to see if I could survive as a full-time freelance writer. That was five years ago. There have been some lean times – just ask my wife, Joanne. But after tasting the freelance life, there’s no going back.

DeskLitter No: 115

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Escape to your allotment without ever leaving your desk and harvest your own crop in a matter of weeks (no wellies required!). Gardening is great for the soul and tending your own tiny patch will be rewarding and therapeutic. Our allotment Carden will brighten any desktop, windowsill or sideboard. It is enjoyable for all ages all year round – why not delight a friends day and pop one in the post. Once opened and unfolded into its garden plot, simply sow the enclosed seeds and add water. In a few days your Carden will start to grow and will keep for 2 – 3 weeks.

Postcarden is designed and produced by A Studio for Design. We are an independent company based in London enthusiastic about designing thoughtful gifts that appeal to all ages. Our aim is to create charming products that respond to you and your environment.

For our first product we looked at the most universal gift – the greeting card. We felt that this conventional card lacked surprise, bringing only a momentary enjoyment. The arrival of a greeting card or letter in the post can always brighten up your normal mail and bring pleasure but once opened its role becomes commonplace and static.

Our response was Postcarden. It can be sent easily in the post with room to write a personal greeting. Postcarden was created to be more playful, curious and interactive. It encourages you to bond, live and grow the greeting on day by day basis. Over time to card reacts to you and your environment evolving in beauty and charm.

Postcarden is British made. It is printed in Wales by the friendly and dedicated team at Ethical Packaging and the seeds and inner tray are
also sourced nationally. We commission and work closely with a variety of talented artists to illustrate the front of each PostCarden, all depicting the inner scene in their own style.

Sony Coffee Table Desk

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In this fast moving society, multi-tasking is a valuable trait, which applies to both people and objects. Fusing technology and furniture into a single object, Singapore-based designer Zyane Tan has come up with a multifunctional unit called “Sony Fusion” that apart from being used as a regular coffee table becomes a high performance desktop for the geeks. The Sony Fusion is a simple coffee table with clean structured lines, made of matte black aluminum with a sleek chrome lining, supported by arched chrome legs. At the push of the power button, the table top splits in half and elegantly slides apart to reveal a trendy touch-sensitive keyboard outlined by LED lights. The adjustable screen can be angled in different directions to allow an ideal work position to the users, while the slot-loaded DVD drive and headphone jack can be found on the sides of the table. Available in blue, white and red, the Sony Fusion when it comes into production would cost about $3000.

Source: The Design Blog.

Mar 10, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

New Easy Guide to Tax Planning

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While the effects of the recession on cash flow and business profitability are on the minds of most at present, the pending year end of April 5th 2010 provides an opportunity to ensure that your liability for the 2009/10 tax year is no greater than necessary.

With further tax increases (particularly in regards to National Insurance in April 2011) on the horizon, there really is no time like the present to take a step back and look at how you are managing your personal finances and your business and consider how you might reduce your taxes and/or improve your financial and business strategies.

In this year end tax guide, Paul Cleworth of Wealth Matters considers some of the ways you might act now to help you achieve a more tax efficient and secure future for you, your family and you business.

Download the guide here.

Mar 03, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

New Desk Perfect for Home Workers

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Now available from the DeskLitter store is this new desk from Blue Lounge. This desk offers a clutter free working environment while still connected to all your peripherals. All peripherals and excess cables are hidden just under the sliding desktop surface. The storage compartment is therefore conveniently accessed from above. An elongated slot across the width of the desktop allows the necessary peripheral & power cables to enter/exit at any point, thereby keeping the desktop clear of clutter. A removable faux leather mat covering the sliding portion of the desktop is included.

Dimensions

A convenient compact desk for the home or office.

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Knocked Down Convenience

StudioDesk ships flat in one box, only the legs need to be attached.

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Storage Compartment

Everything goes in the storage compartment: Power strips, AC adapters, USB hubs, external hard drives, routers, chargers, and even a MacMini server along with the many accompanying cables.

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No more messy cables!

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“Just unpacked my StudioDesk and I’m already in love with the design and functions of it!”
-Jens, Denmark.

Free postage on this item! [UK shipping only]

Mar 02, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Apple iPad Pricing for UK

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Geeky Gadgets has received a tip on how much the Apple iPad will retail for when it goes on sale in the UK. The base 16GB WiFi iPad will be available for £389, the 32GB WiFi model will be available for £439 and the 64GB WiFi model will be available for £489.

If you compare these prices to that of the US at todays exchange rates then they are more expensive than the US models, which has been the trend in the past with the iPhone and Macbooks and other Apple hardware.

New Samsung eReaders Announced

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We were fortunate enough to get a quick moment with Samsung’s new assortment of e-readers back at CES, but the cool kids over at Notebook Italia were able to get the E6, E101 and E61 on video. There’s little doubt that these look awfully different than all of the other me-too options on the market, and the touch input seems to be extraordinarily responsive based on the demonstration. Speaking of which… hop on past the break to have a look yourself, cool?

Watch the video at Engadget.

Feb 23, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

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Electronic bookstore, Kobo (previously known as Shortcovers) launches in the UK this week, billing itself as an all-in-one electronic reading service for PCs, laptops, netbooks, tablets and smartphones.

Kobo uses the e-publishing industry’s open standards such as EPUB and offers a unique cloud-based service to let book buyers read their purchases on any device they like.

DeskLitter No: 114

Notepod

Analogue Apple iPad!

From the makers of the original Notepod comes Notepad+ that measures the same as the Apple iPad and comes in 100 sheet packs. Just like the iPhone version, if you are planning an app for the iPad, this is the perfect way to layout your design. Or if you just want to get in the mood for when the iPad actually becomes available to buy, this is a cost effective desk accessory.

Buy now from Notepod.

Feb 17, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

Chair Workstation

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The Danish furniture manufacturer Four Design has put a functional and expressive workstation in production. It’s called Four Works and is designed by Patricia Terrazas and Michael Swan (swanique design).

Perfect for the open office landscape, or as a convenient home office. It has space for binders, coffee cup and Four Works is also lit by it’s own lamp and has build in power connection.

Watch a video of the chair/desk in action on the Four Design website.

Feb 16, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

DeskLitter No: 113

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Love Toast!

Spotted this one too late for Valentines Day, but could get you out of the dog house if you forgot the event over the weekend. Perhaps breakfast in bed this weekend?

In today’s rushed existence, it’s difficult enough to find time to speak to your other half in the mornings, let alone sit and have breakfast with them. Sometimes platitudes have to be reduced to a rushed ‘bye then!’ text message from the bus rather than an actual conversation, so why not bring back some much-needed love to the breakfast table with Love Toast?

All you have to do is get to your loved one’s slice of seeded granary before they do and stamp your message of love in the middle and you’re golden. A simple, fun way to tell the one you love that, well, you love them more than toast (which is probably quite a lot for most people). We all know that all food tastes better with love, so if you can actually put love on the food then it’s bound to taste amazing. Just make sure you don’t stick in the toaster.

Available now from I Want One of Those.

Feb 15, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post

	Publish Now! is a new magazine aimed at anyone that wants to move into self-publishing. With over 140 pages, if you have ambitions to write and publish your work, Publish Now! is your perfect guide. [Read More...]

UK: £9.99

Europe: £12.99

USA: £17.99