Hasta La Ideas

It’s common to have a disappointing workday or even week. But just a bump in the road is different from being a part of a toxic work environment when your day-to-day not only possibly stunts your career but also your personal life.

Now that mental health is more of a topic of conversation in the workplace, the discourse around the “toxic workplace,” is more prominent among employees. Due to the Great Resignation, companies are rolling out shorter work weeks, letting their employees work from home, and creating more flexibility for them overall. While all of this is shifting within the work world, toxic workplaces unfortunately still exist. And according to Forbes, these environments are the #1 reason for people to resign.

If your gut is telling you something is off about your company’s atmosphere, odds are it’s right. Here are eight signs you’re in a toxic work environment.

1. There’s poor communication

Have you sent an email or instant message and not gotten a response? Have you tried nudging your boss multiple times without a clear answer? A lack of communication can leave you feeling tired and confused, putting energy into filling in the missing pieces when you could be using that energy for work-related tasks. A manager or co-worker’s poor communication is one of the first red flags to look for within your work environment.

2. There’s little to no emphasis on work/life balance

Your work life and your personal life are separate things. If your employer or manager doesn’t respect your life outside of the office enough to see it as separate from your work life, odds are that you’re a part of a toxic work environment.

3. The job is different from what it seemed during the interview process

Career catfishing is an unfortunate situation that candidates deal with. If the job you got seemed way different from how it was originally pitched to you during your interview process, you may want to reconsider working there. It’s normal to get used to the rhythm of a job once it becomes a part of your normal routine, but if your expectations greatly mismatch the reality of it, then there’s a bigger issue on your hands.

4. There’s little to no upwards movement

Have you been at a company for a long time without a promotion or raise? As passionate as one can be about their job, the lack of reward in return for hard work can be discouraging and can often lead to burnout.

5. There’s more talk than action

“You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?” is an overused statement, but one that holds an ample amount of truth—especially when it comes to your work life. If your manager or employer has promised you something—a raise, a promotion, a project to work on—without fulfilling their promise, it could mean you are a part of a toxic work environment.

6. You’re frequently burnt out

Burnout is real and nothing to be ashamed of. If your burnout doesn’t seem to improve, especially without the help of your employer, you may need to take a step back from your situation and evaluate if your work environment is healthy for you.

7. You’re micromanaged

Micromanaging is when a manager or leader controls almost every aspect of their employee’s duties—so much so, that it creates mistrust and burnout. If you’re dealing with micromanagement at work, you are most likely part of a toxic environment.  

8. You’re surrounded by gossipy behavior

No one wants their workplace to feel like middle school all over again with cliques, gossip, and exclusion. If you constantly fear being talked about, feel like an outsider, or must work to win the attention of certain co-workers, you probably also waste the energy that could be put into your work. Cliques and gossipy behavior are counterproductive for workplace cultures, and they’re a sign of a toxic one.

Here’s a dozen-and-a-half sounds you’ll recognize if you were alive in the 1970s, ’80s or ’90s. All of the sounds are created by interacting with these then-everyday objects:

It’s incredible to think that of the 18 objects depicted, 17 of them are now all in our phone. Have we lost anything, now that we can activate all of these functions in complete silence?

The 18th object shown in the video, the video cassette rewinder, is of course obsolete. What a hilarious device, in retrospect; imagine if Netflix charged you 99 cents at the end of a movie, unless you clicked on the slider and pulled it back to the beginning.

In development by Canadian mobility startup TransPod to carry passengers and cargo, the FluxJet ultra-high-speed ground transportation system employs contactless power transmission, enabling it to reach speeds of 1000km/h. The FluxJet will travel along the TransPod Line, which is already under construction. Once it is in operation, “it will cost passengers approximately 44% less than a plane ticket to travel the corridor and help reduce CO2 emissions by 636,000 tonnes per year,” according to designboom. Read more about the groundbreaking system (which is similar to an airplane-train hybrid) and the emerging science of “veillance flux” that makes it possible at designboom.

Image courtesy of TransPod

Bikes get the heart of almost every Automotive lover thumping! Make them electric – and you have the best of both worlds! They’re powerful, super-fast, menacing to look at, and not to mention a boon to the environment. And we’ve been seeing a torrential and exciting downpour of e-bike designs at Yanko Design. Each bike was innovative, bringing to us something we had never seen or experienced before. From killer speed to dashing good looks to impenetrable safety standards, every electric bike we featured at YD broke some design barrier for us, and hopefully, they did the same for you as well. Hence, we’ve curated a collection of e-bikes that we feel were the best of the lot! From an electric motorbike that doubles as a reliable exercise machine to a futuristic Tesla Cyberbike – these electric bikes will surely satisfy your need for speed and sustainability!

1. The WAYRA EV-03

The WAYRA EV-03 electric cruiser motorcycle is a 100 percent no gimmick concept that’ll please every kind of rider – be it a cruiser enthusiast, performance lover, or off-roading fanatic. WAYRA EV-03 is a bike high on personality, created keeping in mind the heritage of fat-bikes and cruiser-length bikes, while also having those minimal eye-catchy modern touches to create visual appeal. The presence of café racer aesthetics can also not be denied owing to the low-slung rider positioning. The element of drag racing is evident courtesy of the stretched rear, but the high ride height gives off that dirt bike racer vibe too.

2. Model M

Model M is designed keeping in mind the tight urban spaces, hence, the detachable handlebars make complete sense. The electronic kickstand makes the ride easy to park without any hassles. When it comes to adventure escapades, Tesla Model M has your needs covered. Right where the fuel tank of traditional bikes is, there is a detachable bag with its own battery that powers the lights and the multimedia system. The bag comes with its own start/stop system that acts as an anti-theft mechanism.

3. The GYMO-FIT

Meet the GYMO-FIT concept motorbike that has the typical urban commuter vibes, and a sturdy exercise bike to keep fit. The uncertain times in the last couple of years have prompted people to go for home fitness setups – that’s why exercise bikes have grown in popularity in recent times. But as I said, the excitement to use this fitness equipment quickly fades away. So, isn’t that a waste of money?

4. The NUPO e-sports bike

Equal parts edgy, cyberpunkish, cold, and dominating, the NUPO e-sports bike is clearly the two-wheeled spiritual successor to the Cybertruck. The conceptual two-wheeler is remarkably lithe yet not traditionally aerodynamic. It plays with volumes rather wonderfully, just the way the Cybertruck did, and always opts for simpler surfaces rather than complicated ones. Couple this with that rather cold and calculating light-strip headlight, and the silver paint job and the NUPO look like the electric motorcycle we wish Tesla would make already.

5. The Railway Motorcycle

The Railway Motorcycle is never-before-seen ideation to make the life of railways personnel easier, and more importantly, the safety of railway tracks 100 percent foolproof to avert any major incidents. After all, lives of hundreds of people boarding trains each day depends on these checks. The idea is to have a dual utility two-wheeler that hops on the railway tracks for easy inspection of any fault lines, as well as a stylish bike for when you are not working. Yes, the suspension of this motorbike is done in a way to adjust to the two very different surfaces and modes of riding.

6. The DATbike

Created by Vietnam-based Carota Design, the DATbike is a conceptual dirt bike that explores a dynamic new aesthetic that challenges the status quo. It starts with an incredibly lean frame that’s bare-basics for the most part, barring the heavy battery at the base, and finally, adds a flourish with that beautiful hollow ‘fuel tank’ that makes for an INCREDIBLY interesting silhouette!

7. The EQUULEUS electric mountain patrol bike

Rethinking how a mountain patrol motorbike ought to be, the EQUULEUS electric mountain patrol bike beckons to the future of crime-fighting. This two-wheeler concept is built keeping in mind the riding safety and ample space to keep all the essential tools and equipment. In turn, the forest rangers can patrol inhospitable regions with utmost confidence and freedom to take all the essentials along. Even better, the storage modules loaded in the different sections of the bike are completely detachable, so the rider can tag along tools in the most organized manner possible.

8. Reverso

Meet Reverso, an e-bike that reverses every single automotive design instinct ever. I guess we could attribute its design direction to the Cybertruck, which sort to challenge the norms too with a design that was strikingly different from anything that came before it. The Reverso sits firmly in that class, too, with an aesthetic that I’m struggling to put together in words, only because I can’t really find a frame of reference. None of Reverso’s details or parts look ‘standard,’ and that’s what makes the e-bike look so alluring.

9. The Concept CE 02

Being more than just a mere cool toy, this electric two-wheeler is a futuristic yet simple solution for urban mobility, focusing on city tours to be precise. According to the head of vehicle design, BMW Motorrad, the bike is a skateboard on wheels, developed for anyone who likes to be mobile and independent. The Concept CE 02 has a very minimalist footprint and a low center of gravity – in line with the company’s aspiration to bring a level of design innovation honed by the emotional element, and most of all, the riding fun.

10. The Ronin Bike

The unique sense of flowing aesthetics is something that keeps my fire burning whenever I see a fresh automotive design. The Ronin bike is right up there for its blend of cyberpunk-influenced shapes and metallic inserts. It has a rear left attached long swingarm, which looks a bit odd when viewed from the 6 o’clock position. It almost looks like it’s crippled on one side. However, the front gives the rider a sense of balance and confidence in pushing the throttle, too, with its front leaning position. The headlights and the taillights have a very contrasting yet peculiar design that seems to be inspired by modern appliances. Especially that industrial design dominated headlight residing inside the round metal housing.

The post Top 10 electric bikes that’ll get every automotive lover’s heart thumping first appeared on Yanko Design.

When I hear rice straw, I immediately think of those pasta-looking alternatives to plastic straws that some eco-conscious restaurants are now using. But the natural and original rice straw is the byproduct of rice production that are mostly just discarded and burned after the harvest. There’s only a small percentage of it that is used for the production of things like paper, fertilizers, animal feed, etc. So we need more products that will be able to reuse this material.

Designer: Ze-Qi Wang, Qing-Yun Qian, Fang-Yuan Wan & Dan-Dan Zhu

The Third Size is a product concept that utilizes rice straw to create not just the tissue but the boxes they come in as well. As anyone who has lived without a bidet or who suffers from various allergies and sicknesses, tissue paper is among the most used materials. In reality, just a small part of it is used and the rest is discarded. Re-using it comes with so many hygiene and medical issues. Some of them come in disposable boxes so the container is also part of waste.

Using biodegradable and recyclable materials like rice straw can help in limiting wastage. Third Size is a multi-size carton that can hold replaceable tissue packs. The different-sized holes lets you choose which size tissue you’ll be needing, whether to blow your nose, to wipe off a table, or to do your business in the bathroom. The box is sturdy enough to be re-used several times over and can even be used as a container for other stuff if you have no need for tissue paper.

With the rate of utilization of rice straw being quite low, products like this should help lessen the wasteful and sometimes hazardous disposal of this rice by-product. Tissue paper made from recyclable is not always the most comfortable especially for bathroom business but I’d take sustainability over comfort any day. Well, most of the time.

The post Sustainable tissue and box utilizes rice straw material first appeared on Yanko Design.