This is turning into an interesting week. On Wednesday I attended the first day of a three-day event hosted by GCUC (Global Coworking Unconference Conference) Canada as media and I am looking forward creating a blog about it for next week. One of the things that made Wednesday interesting was meeting Tim Chung, the engineer who invented the “Lift Top: The Portable Sit-Stand Solution” that he hopes will revolutionize how we work.
While attending the GCUC Unconference, Tim was looking forward to 1 PM when his Kickstarter campaign was scheduled to launch. While I had a little giggle as he told me about his Kickstarter lunching, I explained to him the coincidence of me just writing a blog article about crowdfunding and another article some time ago about standing and working.
When we did our series on “Is Sitting the New Smoking?” and “Stay Active Even When Sitting“, one of the things we talked about was standing desks as a great way to work. Meeting engineer Tim Chung on Wednesday was fate. His new invention of a portable sit-stand solution for people who want to be able to work sitting or standing is amazing.
Lift Top (sit-stand solution) Quick Facts: Length: 28 in. (711 mm) | Width: 19 in. (483 mm) | Height Range: 1-17 in. (25-431 mm); Weight: 8lbs; Premium materials such as Baltic Birch plywood and 6061-T6 Aluminium; Engineered for stability, portability, and durability; Adaptable for numerous applications; Clean, stylish and ergonomic design. And the best part is that it is 100% Canadian made – designed, manufactured + assembled.
Tim’s Lift Top brochure says that it is perfect for Consultants: IT professionals; Accountants; Entrepreneurs; Freelancers; and Telecommuters. But I see more uses for it. Whether you are working from your home office or an office space for rent in a business centre, this is an ideal tool to help you work standing up. Another great use for the Lift Top is as a portable tabletop lecture dais, perfect for meetings and speeches where your have limited space for your speech notes without having to look down at the boardroom table.
When I wrote about the effects of sitting all day in a previous blog series, one of my suggestions was to have a standing meeting. For many people, a standing meeting presented problems, especially if they needed to pull up files or take notes on their laptops. The inexpensive Lift Top is portable and can be used on any work surface or boardroom table.
In order to start manufacturing the Lift Top, Tim needs to raise $200,000 through his kickstarter campaign. For a pledge of $175, you get a Lift Top and a carrying case that together have a retail price of $239. There are various pledge levels that have various rewards, including one that offers 8 Lift Tops and cases. Check out Tim’s Kickster campaign.