Flexible Working
Georgina Blizzard and Nicky Imrie decided they needed to find a more flexible working pattern when they became mothers. Having had jobs in public relations, which involved long hours and a lot of pressure, they felt their old style of working would not suit their new responsibilities and decided to find a way to make the work they enjoyed fit in with their changed lives.
They launched the PR Network in 2005, when Blizzard’s eldest daughter, Isabella was just three months old. She now has another little girl, Olivia, who is three, and Imrie’s son, Sam, turns four in May. Both women work a three-day week, and built the running of the company around the sort of flexibility they needed. “This model is perfect for our families and that is our key motivation,” says Blizzard. “We love the fact that we are so flexible and that we have more input and involvement in both sides of our lives – family and work.”
Read more at the Guadian.
The home office is changing; it’s no longer one room but is
constantly evolving as people use their laptop computers all over the house. To
fit this trend, Microsoft Corp. announces a redesign of the keyboard as we know
it - the Arc Keyboard. Small enough to move easily around the home and so
attractive it fits seamlessly with chic home accessories, this product looks at
home wherever it’s used.
Microsoft’s best-selling Arc Mouse shares its design language with the Arc
Keyboard for a beautifully curved profile, clean lines, light weight and
portable shape. The Arc Keyboard is all about the home, and Microsoft Hardware’s
industrial design team drew its inspiration from modern home accessories such as
flatware, lighting fixtures and vases. The result is a keyboard that looks and
feels like it belongs with other objects in the home; it is as much a part of
the décor as the chandelier in the dining room and the vase in the kitchen.
"The design tenets that we looked to for the Arc Keyboard were simplicity and
crisp softness, creating an aesthetic for this product that is casual and
sophisticated at the same time," said Monique Chatterjee, industrial designer
for Microsoft Hardware. "We drew our design inspiration directly from the places
where we envision this product will be used so it perfectly blends with existing
home accessories."
Style That Works
Weighing in at less than a pound, the Arc Keyboard is easy to move from room to
room throughout the house, and its domed keyset comfortably rests on the lap so
people can kick back on the couch or type away on the kitchen counter. It
includes a snap-in Nano transceiver that is so small it can remain plugged in to
the computer at all times, or can be magnetically snapped in the bottom of the
keyboard for storage. With its unique, compact design, the Arc Keyboard becomes
a functional and stylish part of any living space.
More details from 
