together

Ancient knots bind Mars rover's equipment together

While the Mars Curiosity rover sports state-of-the-art equipment, much of that machinery is bound to its body by a simple network of knots.




together

Could smart glass replace curtains altogether?

Scientists have developed a glass that changes from opaque to transparent and can be adjusted for different wavelengths of light.



  • Remodeling & Design

together

Should we scrap cash altogether?

Economists might like the idea, but the public doesn't seem to yet.




together

Electric Forest: Where music brings nature, people together

The days' dappled sunlight complemented the nights' glowing trees at this music festival near Lake Michigan.



  • Arts & Culture

together

Work Together. Apart.

Find out how easy it is to collaborate while consuming less energy.




together

Working Together

Working Together



  • Organic Farming & Gardening

together

Renewable energy conference brings together incubators and ideas in Israel

Israel’s largest international green energy conference takes place this weekend in Eilat.




together

Senior dogs and veterans are better together

Under Vet Friends Foundation, military veterans adopt senior dogs looking for homes, creating beautiful new relationships.




together

Photo project captures togetherness, even as coronavirus keeps us apart

Photographers across the country are capturing images of families at home during the pandemic for the Front Steps Project.




together

Lloyd’s pulls together BI data for PRA – reports

The marketplace has been asked to collate insurer BI cover information for the regulator.




together

Find Native Americans: an Online Dating Community Bringing People Together

Up until now, there have not been many online dating platforms tailored for Native Americans only. That is exactly what brings this matchmaking club to the forefront.




together

Two Great Tactics That Work Great Together, B2B Social Selling and ABM: LinkedIn's Ty Heath on Marketing Smarts [Podcast]

Ty Heath, global lead of The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, gives a sneak preview of her B2B Marketing Forum session: "How to Combine Account-Based Marketing and Social Selling on LinkedIn."




together

National Body-Worn Camera Forum Brings Industry Leaders Together to Share Strategies to Improve BWC Programs

The fall forum will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn from other agencies that have implemented programs to find out what worked and what they'd do differently.




together

Get All Your Friends Together this Prom with an Atlanta Rental from Samson Trailways

Prom is an important and exciting event for many high school students. Travel safely and in style with an Atlanta rental from Samson Trailways. Their professional, experienced drivers will make sure your travel plans are a success.




together

NobleSpirit, Together with (SMI) Stamp Market Index, Discover New Generation Of Collectors on eBay

Stamp Market Index (SMI) a first-of-its-kind tool and resource, with data never before available, has uncovered a new early collector demographic




together

Rastaclat and NBALAB Band Together to Launch Charitable NBA Player Collection

Bracelets include favorites such as Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, and Kemba Walker.




together

Amidst COVID-19 Crisis, Companies Come Together to Save Working Dogs' Lives

ZippyPaws Raises $81,000 for Mission K9 Rescue




together

A Story with the Power to Bring People Together

Hank Olguin's memoir proposes that we all may be more alike than different as Americans.




together

Foundations Come Together With More Than $1.6 Million in Contributions to Launch the Collective Impact Opportunity Fund

Collaborating to close opportunity gaps among Connecticut's children, youth and families




together

Women in Media's CAMERAderie Initiative Brought Together Entertainment Industry Veterans, Vendors, and Showcased Three Up-And-Coming Female Filmmakers

Women In Media's CAMERAderie Initiative culminated with a screening of the three finalist's films on October 24th, 2019 at AFI's Mark Goodson Screening Room.




together

Clifford Beaumont: UK Calls for EU to Work Together on Brexit

Clifford Beaumont: David Davis tries to broker favorable trade deal with EU for Brexit.




together

Argentinian Tango And A Song To Get The World Together

Hundreds of tango dancers and musicians danced along and covered an Argentine classic, "Por una Cabeza" by Carlos Gardel.




together

Dr Norman Swan, the Art Gallery of New South Wales – and Australian kids – create Together In Art Kids

“The stories that children will tell through their art will be incredibly moving as well as funny and we at the ABC are proud to be partnering on this project.”




together

Institute of Cancer Research: Scientists bring together world’s coronavirus research in ‘intelligent’ online database

Institute of Cancer Research: Scientists bring together world’s coronavirus research in ‘intelligent’ online database. “Scientists have created a dynamic database driven by artificial intelligence which is collecting together the world’s research on coronavirus in a single online space. The new resource will make freely available vast amounts of data on the biology and treatment of … Continue reading Institute of Cancer Research: Scientists bring together world’s coronavirus research in ‘intelligent’ online database




together

Twin Cities employers rethink office design: 'We are too close together'

Companies are rushing to readjust their office designs as they prepare to reopen workplaces amid the pandemic. Strategists and designers are putting aside past concerns about branding and flashy office amenities to focus on employee safety.




together

Middle Schoolers Bust a Move From Home By Joining Together for Music Video Against COVID-19 Fears

Since these middle schoolers have been sent home during the coronavirus shutdowns, they decided to lift each other's spirits by having some virtual fun.

The post Middle Schoolers Bust a Move From Home By Joining Together for Music Video Against COVID-19 Fears appeared first on Good News Network.




together

We're all in this together: decisionmaking to address climate change in a complex world

Forests significantly influence the global carbon budget: they store massive amounts of carbon in their wood and soil, they sequester atmospheric carbon as they grow, and they emit carbon as a greenhouse gas when harvested or converted to another use.




together

For King & Country To Premiere New Song 'Together' Today On GMA

CURB/WORD ENTERTAINMENT four-time GRAMMY award-winning AUSTRALIAN duo FOR KING & COUNTRY will make their debut appearance on ABC-TV's GOOD MORNING AMERICA TODAY (5/1) to premiere … more




together

For King & Country Roll Out New Socially-Distanced Video For 'Together' With Kirk Franklin And Tori Kelly

Following their groundbreaking debut on ABC-TV's  GOOD MORNING AMERICA, CURB/WORD ENTERTAINMENT four-time GRAMMY winning duo FOR KING & COUNTRY have unveiled the official video … more




together

Canadian Artists Come Together To Support COVID-19 Relief

On SUNDAY (4/26), the collective artist initiative ArtistsCAN released the CANADIAN virtual ensemble recording of the BILL WITHERS classic "Lean On Me," in support of the … more




together

Punk Rock Luminaries Join Together To 'Flatten The Curve'

Seminal and iconic rock, punk and alternative rock members from THE RUNAWAYS, SUPERSUCKERS, THE ADOLESCENTS, PANSY DIVISION, JOSIE COTTON, THE STREETWALKIN' CHEETAHS, THE MINUTEMEN, … more




together

Move through the tough times, together, with tWitch and Allison Boss, dancing duo and TV personalities

DALLAS, April 20, 2020 — With the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic changing the daily routines of many Americans, the American Heart Association, the leading voluntary health organization focused on heart and brain health for all, is committed to help...




together

Our New Normal, Together

As the world works to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our thoughts are foremost with those already ill from the virus and those on the frontlines, slowing its spread. The bravery and commitment of healthcare workers everywhere is an inspiration.

While Viget’s physical offices are effectively closed, we’re continuing to work with our clients on projects that evolve by the day. Viget has been working with distributed teams to varying degrees for most of our 20-year history, and while we’re comfortable with the tools and best practices that make doing so effective, we realize that some of our clients are learning as they go. We’re here to help.

These are unprecedented times, but our business playbook is clear: Take care of each other. We’re in this together.

Our People Team is meeting with everyone on our staff to confirm their work-from-home situation. Do they have family or roommates they can rely on in an emergency? How are they feeling physically and mentally? Do they have what they need to be productive? As a team, we’re working extra hard to communicate. Andy hosts and records video calls to answer questions anyone has about the crisis, and our weekly staff meeting schedule will continue. Recognizing that our daily informal group lunches are a vital social glue in our offices, Aubrey has organized a virtual lunch table Hangout, allowing our now fully-distributed team to catch up over video. It ensures we have some laughs and helps keep us feeling connected.

Our project teams are well-versed in remote collaboration, but we understand that not all client projects can proceed as planned. We’re doing our best to accommodate evolving schedules while keeping the momentum on as many projects as possible. For all of our clients, we’re making clear that we think long-term. We’re partners through this, and can adapt to help our clients not just weather the storm, but come through it stronger when possible. Some clients have been forced to pause work entirely, while others are busier than ever.

Viget has persevered through many downturns -- the dot com crash, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and a few self-inflicted close-calls. In retrospect, it’s easy to reflect on how these situations made us stronger, but mid-crisis it can be hard to stay positive. The consistent lesson has been that taking care of each other -- co-workers, clients, partners, community peers -- is what gets us through. It motivates our hard work, it focuses our priorities and collaboration, and inspires us to do what needs to be done.

I don’t know for certain how this crisis will play out, but I know that all of us at Viget will be doing everything we can to support each other as we go through it together.



  • News & Culture

together

Together We Flourish, Remotely

Like many other companies, Viget is working through the new challenge of suddenly being a fully-distributed company. We don’t know how long it will last or every challenge that will arise because of these unfortunate circumstances, but we know the health and well-being of our people is paramount. As Employee Engagement Manager, I feel inspired by these new challenges, eager to step up, and committed to seeing what good can come of this.

Now more than ever, we want to maintain the culture that has sustained us over the last 20 years – a culture that I think is best captured by our mantra, “do great work and be a great teammate.” As everyone is adjusting to new work environments, schedules, and distractions, I am adjusting my approach to employee engagement, and the People Team is looking for new ways to nurture and protect the culture we treasure.

The backbone of being a great teammate is knowing each other and caring about each other. For years the People Team has focused on making sure people who work at Viget are known, accepted, and cared about. From onboarding to events to weekly and monthly touchpoints, we invest in coworkers knowing each other. On top of that, we have well-appointed offices where people like to be, and friendships unfold over time. Abruptly becoming fully distributed makes it impossible for some of these connections to happen organically, like they would have around the coffee machine and the lunch tables. These microinteractions between colleagues in the same office, the hellos when you get off the elevator or the “what’d you get up to this weekend” chit chat near the seltzer refrigerator, all add up. We realize more than ever how valuable those moments are, and I know I will feel extra grateful for them when we are all back together.

Until that time, we are working to make sure everyone at Viget feels connected, safe, healthy, and most importantly, together, even when we are physically apart. We are keeping up our weekly staff meetings and monthly team lunches, and we just onboarded a new hire last week as thoroughly as ever. There are some other, new ways we’re sparking connections, too.

New ways we're sparking connections:

Connecting IntentionallyWe are making the most of the tools that we’ve been using for years. New Slack channels have spun up, including #exercise, where folks are sharing how they are making do without a gym, and #igotyou, a place where folks can post where they’ve found supplies in stock as grocery stores are being emptied at an alarming pace.
Remote Lunch TablesWe have teammates in three different time zones, on different project teams, and at different stages of life. We’ve created two virtual lunch tables, one at 12PM EST and one at 12PM MST, where folks can join with or without their lunches and with or without their kids, partners, or pets. There are no rules or structure, just an opportunity to chat and see a friendly face as a touchpoint to your day.
Last Weekend This MorningCatching up Monday morning is a great way to kick off your week. Historically, I’ve done this from my desk over coffee as I greet folks coming off the elevator (I usually have the privilege of sitting at our front desk). I now do this from my desk, at home, over coffee as folks pop in or out of our Zoom call. One upshot of the new normal is I can “greet” anyone who shows up, not just people who work from my same office. Again, no structure, just a way to start our week, together.
Munch MadnessYes, you read that right. Most of the sports world is enjoying an intermission. Since our CEO can’t cheer on his beloved Cavaliers and our VP of Design can’t cheer on his Gators, we’ve created something potentially much better. A definitive snack bracket. There is a minimal time commitment and folks with no sports knowledge can participate. The rules are simple: create and submit your bracket, ranking who you believe will win each snack faceoff. Then as we move through the rounds, vote on your favorite snacks. The competition has already sparked tons of conversation and plenty of snack hot takes. Want to start a munch-off of your own? Check out our bracket as a starting point.
Virtual Happy HoursSigning off for the day and shutting down your machine is incredibly important for maintaining a work-life balance. Casually checking in, unwinding, and being able to chat about your day is also important. We have big, beautiful kitchens in each of our offices, along with casual spaces where at the end of any given day you can find a few Vigets catching up before heading home. This is something we don’t want to miss! So we’re setting up weekly happy hours where folks can hop in and say hi to each other face-to-face. We’ve found Zoom to be a great platform so we can see the maximum number of our teammates possible. Like all of our other events, it’s optional. There is also an understanding that your roommate, kid, significant other, or pet might show up on screen (and are welcome!). No one is shamed for multitasking and we encourage our teammates to join as they can. So far we’ve toasted new teammates, played a song or two, and up next we’ll play trivia.

At the end of the day, we are all here for one reason: to do great work. Our award-winning work is made possible by the trust we’ve built within our teams. Staying focused and accountable to ourselves and our clients is what drives our motivation to continue to show up and do our best. In our new working environment, it is crucial that we can both stay connected and productive; a lot of teammates are stepping up to support one another. Here are a few ways we are continuing to foster our “do great work” mantra.

New ways we're fostering great work:

Staying in TouchThe People Team is actively touching base with every employee. Our focus is on their health, productivity, and connection. These 1:1s have given us a baseline for how we can provide the best support for our team, from making sure they're aware of flexible work options to setting them up with the tools they need to be successful. We’ve delivered chairs, monitors, and helped troubleshoot in-home wifi issues. We are committed to making sure every Viget is set up for success.
Sharing is CaringWe’re no stranger to remote teams. We have four offices across the U.S. and a handful of full-time remote folks, and we’ve leaned on our inside experts to share their expertise on remote work. Most recently, ourData & Analytics Director, who has been working remotely full time for five years, gave a presentation on best practices for working from home. His top tips for working from home include:
  • Minimize other windows in remote meetings.
  • Set a schedule and avoid midday chores.
  • Take breaks away from the screen.
  • Plan your workday on your shared calendar.
  • Be mindful of Slack and social media as a distraction.
  • Use timers.
  • Keep your work area separate from where you relax.
  • Pretend that you’re still working from work.
  • Experiment and figure out what works for you.

Our UX Research Director also stepped up to share her expertise to aid in adjusting to our new working conditions. She led a microclass on remote facilitation where she shared best practices and went over tools that support remote collaboration. Some of the tools she highlighted included Miro, Mural, Whimsical, and Jamboard. During the microclass she demonstrated use of Whimsical’s voting feature, which makes it easy for distributed groups to establish discussion topic priorities.

Always PreparedHaving all of our project materials stored in the Cloud in a consistent, predictable way is a cornerstone of our business continuity plan. It is more important than ever for our team to follow the established best practices and ensure that project files are accessible to the full Viget team in the event of unplanned time off. Our VP of Client Services is leading efforts to ensure everyone is aware of and following our established guidelines with tools like Drive, Slack, Github, and Figma. Our priorities are that clients’ needs are met, quality is high, and timelines are honored.

As the pandemic unfolds, our approach to employee engagement will evolve. We have more things in the works to build and maintain connections while distributed, including trivia and game nights, book clubs, virtual movie nights, and community service opportunities, just to name a few. No matter what we’re doing or what tool we’re using to connect, we’ll be in it together: doing great work, being great teammates, and looking forward.



  • News & Culture

together

Our New Normal, Together

As the world works to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our thoughts are foremost with those already ill from the virus and those on the frontlines, slowing its spread. The bravery and commitment of healthcare workers everywhere is an inspiration.

While Viget’s physical offices are effectively closed, we’re continuing to work with our clients on projects that evolve by the day. Viget has been working with distributed teams to varying degrees for most of our 20-year history, and while we’re comfortable with the tools and best practices that make doing so effective, we realize that some of our clients are learning as they go. We’re here to help.

These are unprecedented times, but our business playbook is clear: Take care of each other. We’re in this together.

Our People Team is meeting with everyone on our staff to confirm their work-from-home situation. Do they have family or roommates they can rely on in an emergency? How are they feeling physically and mentally? Do they have what they need to be productive? As a team, we’re working extra hard to communicate. Andy hosts and records video calls to answer questions anyone has about the crisis, and our weekly staff meeting schedule will continue. Recognizing that our daily informal group lunches are a vital social glue in our offices, Aubrey has organized a virtual lunch table Hangout, allowing our now fully-distributed team to catch up over video. It ensures we have some laughs and helps keep us feeling connected.

Our project teams are well-versed in remote collaboration, but we understand that not all client projects can proceed as planned. We’re doing our best to accommodate evolving schedules while keeping the momentum on as many projects as possible. For all of our clients, we’re making clear that we think long-term. We’re partners through this, and can adapt to help our clients not just weather the storm, but come through it stronger when possible. Some clients have been forced to pause work entirely, while others are busier than ever.

Viget has persevered through many downturns -- the dot com crash, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and a few self-inflicted close-calls. In retrospect, it’s easy to reflect on how these situations made us stronger, but mid-crisis it can be hard to stay positive. The consistent lesson has been that taking care of each other -- co-workers, clients, partners, community peers -- is what gets us through. It motivates our hard work, it focuses our priorities and collaboration, and inspires us to do what needs to be done.

I don’t know for certain how this crisis will play out, but I know that all of us at Viget will be doing everything we can to support each other as we go through it together.



  • News & Culture

together

Together We Flourish, Remotely

Like many other companies, Viget is working through the new challenge of suddenly being a fully-distributed company. We don’t know how long it will last or every challenge that will arise because of these unfortunate circumstances, but we know the health and well-being of our people is paramount. As Employee Engagement Manager, I feel inspired by these new challenges, eager to step up, and committed to seeing what good can come of this.

Now more than ever, we want to maintain the culture that has sustained us over the last 20 years – a culture that I think is best captured by our mantra, “do great work and be a great teammate.” As everyone is adjusting to new work environments, schedules, and distractions, I am adjusting my approach to employee engagement, and the People Team is looking for new ways to nurture and protect the culture we treasure.

The backbone of being a great teammate is knowing each other and caring about each other. For years the People Team has focused on making sure people who work at Viget are known, accepted, and cared about. From onboarding to events to weekly and monthly touchpoints, we invest in coworkers knowing each other. On top of that, we have well-appointed offices where people like to be, and friendships unfold over time. Abruptly becoming fully distributed makes it impossible for some of these connections to happen organically, like they would have around the coffee machine and the lunch tables. These microinteractions between colleagues in the same office, the hellos when you get off the elevator or the “what’d you get up to this weekend” chit chat near the seltzer refrigerator, all add up. We realize more than ever how valuable those moments are, and I know I will feel extra grateful for them when we are all back together.

Until that time, we are working to make sure everyone at Viget feels connected, safe, healthy, and most importantly, together, even when we are physically apart. We are keeping up our weekly staff meetings and monthly team lunches, and we just onboarded a new hire last week as thoroughly as ever. There are some other, new ways we’re sparking connections, too.

New ways we're sparking connections:

Connecting IntentionallyWe are making the most of the tools that we’ve been using for years. New Slack channels have spun up, including #exercise, where folks are sharing how they are making do without a gym, and #igotyou, a place where folks can post where they’ve found supplies in stock as grocery stores are being emptied at an alarming pace.
Remote Lunch TablesWe have teammates in three different time zones, on different project teams, and at different stages of life. We’ve created two virtual lunch tables, one at 12PM EST and one at 12PM MST, where folks can join with or without their lunches and with or without their kids, partners, or pets. There are no rules or structure, just an opportunity to chat and see a friendly face as a touchpoint to your day.
Last Weekend This MorningCatching up Monday morning is a great way to kick off your week. Historically, I’ve done this from my desk over coffee as I greet folks coming off the elevator (I usually have the privilege of sitting at our front desk). I now do this from my desk, at home, over coffee as folks pop in or out of our Zoom call. One upshot of the new normal is I can “greet” anyone who shows up, not just people who work from my same office. Again, no structure, just a way to start our week, together.
Munch MadnessYes, you read that right. Most of the sports world is enjoying an intermission. Since our CEO can’t cheer on his beloved Cavaliers and our VP of Design can’t cheer on his Gators, we’ve created something potentially much better. A definitive snack bracket. There is a minimal time commitment and folks with no sports knowledge can participate. The rules are simple: create and submit your bracket, ranking who you believe will win each snack faceoff. Then as we move through the rounds, vote on your favorite snacks. The competition has already sparked tons of conversation and plenty of snack hot takes. Want to start a munch-off of your own? Check out our bracket as a starting point.
Virtual Happy HoursSigning off for the day and shutting down your machine is incredibly important for maintaining a work-life balance. Casually checking in, unwinding, and being able to chat about your day is also important. We have big, beautiful kitchens in each of our offices, along with casual spaces where at the end of any given day you can find a few Vigets catching up before heading home. This is something we don’t want to miss! So we’re setting up weekly happy hours where folks can hop in and say hi to each other face-to-face. We’ve found Zoom to be a great platform so we can see the maximum number of our teammates possible. Like all of our other events, it’s optional. There is also an understanding that your roommate, kid, significant other, or pet might show up on screen (and are welcome!). No one is shamed for multitasking and we encourage our teammates to join as they can. So far we’ve toasted new teammates, played a song or two, and up next we’ll play trivia.

At the end of the day, we are all here for one reason: to do great work. Our award-winning work is made possible by the trust we’ve built within our teams. Staying focused and accountable to ourselves and our clients is what drives our motivation to continue to show up and do our best. In our new working environment, it is crucial that we can both stay connected and productive; a lot of teammates are stepping up to support one another. Here are a few ways we are continuing to foster our “do great work” mantra.

New ways we're fostering great work:

Staying in TouchThe People Team is actively touching base with every employee. Our focus is on their health, productivity, and connection. These 1:1s have given us a baseline for how we can provide the best support for our team, from making sure they're aware of flexible work options to setting them up with the tools they need to be successful. We’ve delivered chairs, monitors, and helped troubleshoot in-home wifi issues. We are committed to making sure every Viget is set up for success.
Sharing is CaringWe’re no stranger to remote teams. We have four offices across the U.S. and a handful of full-time remote folks, and we’ve leaned on our inside experts to share their expertise on remote work. Most recently, ourData & Analytics Director, who has been working remotely full time for five years, gave a presentation on best practices for working from home. His top tips for working from home include:
  • Minimize other windows in remote meetings.
  • Set a schedule and avoid midday chores.
  • Take breaks away from the screen.
  • Plan your workday on your shared calendar.
  • Be mindful of Slack and social media as a distraction.
  • Use timers.
  • Keep your work area separate from where you relax.
  • Pretend that you’re still working from work.
  • Experiment and figure out what works for you.

Our UX Research Director also stepped up to share her expertise to aid in adjusting to our new working conditions. She led a microclass on remote facilitation where she shared best practices and went over tools that support remote collaboration. Some of the tools she highlighted included Miro, Mural, Whimsical, and Jamboard. During the microclass she demonstrated use of Whimsical’s voting feature, which makes it easy for distributed groups to establish discussion topic priorities.

Always PreparedHaving all of our project materials stored in the Cloud in a consistent, predictable way is a cornerstone of our business continuity plan. It is more important than ever for our team to follow the established best practices and ensure that project files are accessible to the full Viget team in the event of unplanned time off. Our VP of Client Services is leading efforts to ensure everyone is aware of and following our established guidelines with tools like Drive, Slack, Github, and Figma. Our priorities are that clients’ needs are met, quality is high, and timelines are honored.

As the pandemic unfolds, our approach to employee engagement will evolve. We have more things in the works to build and maintain connections while distributed, including trivia and game nights, book clubs, virtual movie nights, and community service opportunities, just to name a few. No matter what we’re doing or what tool we’re using to connect, we’ll be in it together: doing great work, being great teammates, and looking forward.



  • News & Culture

together

Our New Normal, Together

As the world works to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our thoughts are foremost with those already ill from the virus and those on the frontlines, slowing its spread. The bravery and commitment of healthcare workers everywhere is an inspiration.

While Viget’s physical offices are effectively closed, we’re continuing to work with our clients on projects that evolve by the day. Viget has been working with distributed teams to varying degrees for most of our 20-year history, and while we’re comfortable with the tools and best practices that make doing so effective, we realize that some of our clients are learning as they go. We’re here to help.

These are unprecedented times, but our business playbook is clear: Take care of each other. We’re in this together.

Our People Team is meeting with everyone on our staff to confirm their work-from-home situation. Do they have family or roommates they can rely on in an emergency? How are they feeling physically and mentally? Do they have what they need to be productive? As a team, we’re working extra hard to communicate. Andy hosts and records video calls to answer questions anyone has about the crisis, and our weekly staff meeting schedule will continue. Recognizing that our daily informal group lunches are a vital social glue in our offices, Aubrey has organized a virtual lunch table Hangout, allowing our now fully-distributed team to catch up over video. It ensures we have some laughs and helps keep us feeling connected.

Our project teams are well-versed in remote collaboration, but we understand that not all client projects can proceed as planned. We’re doing our best to accommodate evolving schedules while keeping the momentum on as many projects as possible. For all of our clients, we’re making clear that we think long-term. We’re partners through this, and can adapt to help our clients not just weather the storm, but come through it stronger when possible. Some clients have been forced to pause work entirely, while others are busier than ever.

Viget has persevered through many downturns -- the dot com crash, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and a few self-inflicted close-calls. In retrospect, it’s easy to reflect on how these situations made us stronger, but mid-crisis it can be hard to stay positive. The consistent lesson has been that taking care of each other -- co-workers, clients, partners, community peers -- is what gets us through. It motivates our hard work, it focuses our priorities and collaboration, and inspires us to do what needs to be done.

I don’t know for certain how this crisis will play out, but I know that all of us at Viget will be doing everything we can to support each other as we go through it together.



  • News & Culture

together

Together We Flourish, Remotely

Like many other companies, Viget is working through the new challenge of suddenly being a fully-distributed company. We don’t know how long it will last or every challenge that will arise because of these unfortunate circumstances, but we know the health and well-being of our people is paramount. As Employee Engagement Manager, I feel inspired by these new challenges, eager to step up, and committed to seeing what good can come of this.

Now more than ever, we want to maintain the culture that has sustained us over the last 20 years – a culture that I think is best captured by our mantra, “do great work and be a great teammate.” As everyone is adjusting to new work environments, schedules, and distractions, I am adjusting my approach to employee engagement, and the People Team is looking for new ways to nurture and protect the culture we treasure.

The backbone of being a great teammate is knowing each other and caring about each other. For years the People Team has focused on making sure people who work at Viget are known, accepted, and cared about. From onboarding to events to weekly and monthly touchpoints, we invest in coworkers knowing each other. On top of that, we have well-appointed offices where people like to be, and friendships unfold over time. Abruptly becoming fully distributed makes it impossible for some of these connections to happen organically, like they would have around the coffee machine and the lunch tables. These microinteractions between colleagues in the same office, the hellos when you get off the elevator or the “what’d you get up to this weekend” chit chat near the seltzer refrigerator, all add up. We realize more than ever how valuable those moments are, and I know I will feel extra grateful for them when we are all back together.

Until that time, we are working to make sure everyone at Viget feels connected, safe, healthy, and most importantly, together, even when we are physically apart. We are keeping up our weekly staff meetings and monthly team lunches, and we just onboarded a new hire last week as thoroughly as ever. There are some other, new ways we’re sparking connections, too.

New ways we're sparking connections:

Connecting IntentionallyWe are making the most of the tools that we’ve been using for years. New Slack channels have spun up, including #exercise, where folks are sharing how they are making do without a gym, and #igotyou, a place where folks can post where they’ve found supplies in stock as grocery stores are being emptied at an alarming pace.
Remote Lunch TablesWe have teammates in three different time zones, on different project teams, and at different stages of life. We’ve created two virtual lunch tables, one at 12PM EST and one at 12PM MST, where folks can join with or without their lunches and with or without their kids, partners, or pets. There are no rules or structure, just an opportunity to chat and see a friendly face as a touchpoint to your day.
Last Weekend This MorningCatching up Monday morning is a great way to kick off your week. Historically, I’ve done this from my desk over coffee as I greet folks coming off the elevator (I usually have the privilege of sitting at our front desk). I now do this from my desk, at home, over coffee as folks pop in or out of our Zoom call. One upshot of the new normal is I can “greet” anyone who shows up, not just people who work from my same office. Again, no structure, just a way to start our week, together.
Munch MadnessYes, you read that right. Most of the sports world is enjoying an intermission. Since our CEO can’t cheer on his beloved Cavaliers and our VP of Design can’t cheer on his Gators, we’ve created something potentially much better. A definitive snack bracket. There is a minimal time commitment and folks with no sports knowledge can participate. The rules are simple: create and submit your bracket, ranking who you believe will win each snack faceoff. Then as we move through the rounds, vote on your favorite snacks. The competition has already sparked tons of conversation and plenty of snack hot takes. Want to start a munch-off of your own? Check out our bracket as a starting point.
Virtual Happy HoursSigning off for the day and shutting down your machine is incredibly important for maintaining a work-life balance. Casually checking in, unwinding, and being able to chat about your day is also important. We have big, beautiful kitchens in each of our offices, along with casual spaces where at the end of any given day you can find a few Vigets catching up before heading home. This is something we don’t want to miss! So we’re setting up weekly happy hours where folks can hop in and say hi to each other face-to-face. We’ve found Zoom to be a great platform so we can see the maximum number of our teammates possible. Like all of our other events, it’s optional. There is also an understanding that your roommate, kid, significant other, or pet might show up on screen (and are welcome!). No one is shamed for multitasking and we encourage our teammates to join as they can. So far we’ve toasted new teammates, played a song or two, and up next we’ll play trivia.

At the end of the day, we are all here for one reason: to do great work. Our award-winning work is made possible by the trust we’ve built within our teams. Staying focused and accountable to ourselves and our clients is what drives our motivation to continue to show up and do our best. In our new working environment, it is crucial that we can both stay connected and productive; a lot of teammates are stepping up to support one another. Here are a few ways we are continuing to foster our “do great work” mantra.

New ways we're fostering great work:

Staying in TouchThe People Team is actively touching base with every employee. Our focus is on their health, productivity, and connection. These 1:1s have given us a baseline for how we can provide the best support for our team, from making sure they're aware of flexible work options to setting them up with the tools they need to be successful. We’ve delivered chairs, monitors, and helped troubleshoot in-home wifi issues. We are committed to making sure every Viget is set up for success.
Sharing is CaringWe’re no stranger to remote teams. We have four offices across the U.S. and a handful of full-time remote folks, and we’ve leaned on our inside experts to share their expertise on remote work. Most recently, ourData & Analytics Director, who has been working remotely full time for five years, gave a presentation on best practices for working from home. His top tips for working from home include:
  • Minimize other windows in remote meetings.
  • Set a schedule and avoid midday chores.
  • Take breaks away from the screen.
  • Plan your workday on your shared calendar.
  • Be mindful of Slack and social media as a distraction.
  • Use timers.
  • Keep your work area separate from where you relax.
  • Pretend that you’re still working from work.
  • Experiment and figure out what works for you.

Our UX Research Director also stepped up to share her expertise to aid in adjusting to our new working conditions. She led a microclass on remote facilitation where she shared best practices and went over tools that support remote collaboration. Some of the tools she highlighted included Miro, Mural, Whimsical, and Jamboard. During the microclass she demonstrated use of Whimsical’s voting feature, which makes it easy for distributed groups to establish discussion topic priorities.

Always PreparedHaving all of our project materials stored in the Cloud in a consistent, predictable way is a cornerstone of our business continuity plan. It is more important than ever for our team to follow the established best practices and ensure that project files are accessible to the full Viget team in the event of unplanned time off. Our VP of Client Services is leading efforts to ensure everyone is aware of and following our established guidelines with tools like Drive, Slack, Github, and Figma. Our priorities are that clients’ needs are met, quality is high, and timelines are honored.

As the pandemic unfolds, our approach to employee engagement will evolve. We have more things in the works to build and maintain connections while distributed, including trivia and game nights, book clubs, virtual movie nights, and community service opportunities, just to name a few. No matter what we’re doing or what tool we’re using to connect, we’ll be in it together: doing great work, being great teammates, and looking forward.



  • News & Culture

together

Our New Normal, Together

As the world works to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our thoughts are foremost with those already ill from the virus and those on the frontlines, slowing its spread. The bravery and commitment of healthcare workers everywhere is an inspiration.

While Viget’s physical offices are effectively closed, we’re continuing to work with our clients on projects that evolve by the day. Viget has been working with distributed teams to varying degrees for most of our 20-year history, and while we’re comfortable with the tools and best practices that make doing so effective, we realize that some of our clients are learning as they go. We’re here to help.

These are unprecedented times, but our business playbook is clear: Take care of each other. We’re in this together.

Our People Team is meeting with everyone on our staff to confirm their work-from-home situation. Do they have family or roommates they can rely on in an emergency? How are they feeling physically and mentally? Do they have what they need to be productive? As a team, we’re working extra hard to communicate. Andy hosts and records video calls to answer questions anyone has about the crisis, and our weekly staff meeting schedule will continue. Recognizing that our daily informal group lunches are a vital social glue in our offices, Aubrey has organized a virtual lunch table Hangout, allowing our now fully-distributed team to catch up over video. It ensures we have some laughs and helps keep us feeling connected.

Our project teams are well-versed in remote collaboration, but we understand that not all client projects can proceed as planned. We’re doing our best to accommodate evolving schedules while keeping the momentum on as many projects as possible. For all of our clients, we’re making clear that we think long-term. We’re partners through this, and can adapt to help our clients not just weather the storm, but come through it stronger when possible. Some clients have been forced to pause work entirely, while others are busier than ever.

Viget has persevered through many downturns -- the dot com crash, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and a few self-inflicted close-calls. In retrospect, it’s easy to reflect on how these situations made us stronger, but mid-crisis it can be hard to stay positive. The consistent lesson has been that taking care of each other -- co-workers, clients, partners, community peers -- is what gets us through. It motivates our hard work, it focuses our priorities and collaboration, and inspires us to do what needs to be done.

I don’t know for certain how this crisis will play out, but I know that all of us at Viget will be doing everything we can to support each other as we go through it together.



  • News & Culture

together

Together We Flourish, Remotely

Like many other companies, Viget is working through the new challenge of suddenly being a fully-distributed company. We don’t know how long it will last or every challenge that will arise because of these unfortunate circumstances, but we know the health and well-being of our people is paramount. As Employee Engagement Manager, I feel inspired by these new challenges, eager to step up, and committed to seeing what good can come of this.

Now more than ever, we want to maintain the culture that has sustained us over the last 20 years – a culture that I think is best captured by our mantra, “do great work and be a great teammate.” As everyone is adjusting to new work environments, schedules, and distractions, I am adjusting my approach to employee engagement, and the People Team is looking for new ways to nurture and protect the culture we treasure.

The backbone of being a great teammate is knowing each other and caring about each other. For years the People Team has focused on making sure people who work at Viget are known, accepted, and cared about. From onboarding to events to weekly and monthly touchpoints, we invest in coworkers knowing each other. On top of that, we have well-appointed offices where people like to be, and friendships unfold over time. Abruptly becoming fully distributed makes it impossible for some of these connections to happen organically, like they would have around the coffee machine and the lunch tables. These microinteractions between colleagues in the same office, the hellos when you get off the elevator or the “what’d you get up to this weekend” chit chat near the seltzer refrigerator, all add up. We realize more than ever how valuable those moments are, and I know I will feel extra grateful for them when we are all back together.

Until that time, we are working to make sure everyone at Viget feels connected, safe, healthy, and most importantly, together, even when we are physically apart. We are keeping up our weekly staff meetings and monthly team lunches, and we just onboarded a new hire last week as thoroughly as ever. There are some other, new ways we’re sparking connections, too.

New ways we're sparking connections:

Connecting IntentionallyWe are making the most of the tools that we’ve been using for years. New Slack channels have spun up, including #exercise, where folks are sharing how they are making do without a gym, and #igotyou, a place where folks can post where they’ve found supplies in stock as grocery stores are being emptied at an alarming pace.
Remote Lunch TablesWe have teammates in three different time zones, on different project teams, and at different stages of life. We’ve created two virtual lunch tables, one at 12PM EST and one at 12PM MST, where folks can join with or without their lunches and with or without their kids, partners, or pets. There are no rules or structure, just an opportunity to chat and see a friendly face as a touchpoint to your day.
Last Weekend This MorningCatching up Monday morning is a great way to kick off your week. Historically, I’ve done this from my desk over coffee as I greet folks coming off the elevator (I usually have the privilege of sitting at our front desk). I now do this from my desk, at home, over coffee as folks pop in or out of our Zoom call. One upshot of the new normal is I can “greet” anyone who shows up, not just people who work from my same office. Again, no structure, just a way to start our week, together.
Munch MadnessYes, you read that right. Most of the sports world is enjoying an intermission. Since our CEO can’t cheer on his beloved Cavaliers and our VP of Design can’t cheer on his Gators, we’ve created something potentially much better. A definitive snack bracket. There is a minimal time commitment and folks with no sports knowledge can participate. The rules are simple: create and submit your bracket, ranking who you believe will win each snack faceoff. Then as we move through the rounds, vote on your favorite snacks. The competition has already sparked tons of conversation and plenty of snack hot takes. Want to start a munch-off of your own? Check out our bracket as a starting point.
Virtual Happy HoursSigning off for the day and shutting down your machine is incredibly important for maintaining a work-life balance. Casually checking in, unwinding, and being able to chat about your day is also important. We have big, beautiful kitchens in each of our offices, along with casual spaces where at the end of any given day you can find a few Vigets catching up before heading home. This is something we don’t want to miss! So we’re setting up weekly happy hours where folks can hop in and say hi to each other face-to-face. We’ve found Zoom to be a great platform so we can see the maximum number of our teammates possible. Like all of our other events, it’s optional. There is also an understanding that your roommate, kid, significant other, or pet might show up on screen (and are welcome!). No one is shamed for multitasking and we encourage our teammates to join as they can. So far we’ve toasted new teammates, played a song or two, and up next we’ll play trivia.

At the end of the day, we are all here for one reason: to do great work. Our award-winning work is made possible by the trust we’ve built within our teams. Staying focused and accountable to ourselves and our clients is what drives our motivation to continue to show up and do our best. In our new working environment, it is crucial that we can both stay connected and productive; a lot of teammates are stepping up to support one another. Here are a few ways we are continuing to foster our “do great work” mantra.

New ways we're fostering great work:

Staying in TouchThe People Team is actively touching base with every employee. Our focus is on their health, productivity, and connection. These 1:1s have given us a baseline for how we can provide the best support for our team, from making sure they're aware of flexible work options to setting them up with the tools they need to be successful. We’ve delivered chairs, monitors, and helped troubleshoot in-home wifi issues. We are committed to making sure every Viget is set up for success.
Sharing is CaringWe’re no stranger to remote teams. We have four offices across the U.S. and a handful of full-time remote folks, and we’ve leaned on our inside experts to share their expertise on remote work. Most recently, ourData & Analytics Director, who has been working remotely full time for five years, gave a presentation on best practices for working from home. His top tips for working from home include:
  • Minimize other windows in remote meetings.
  • Set a schedule and avoid midday chores.
  • Take breaks away from the screen.
  • Plan your workday on your shared calendar.
  • Be mindful of Slack and social media as a distraction.
  • Use timers.
  • Keep your work area separate from where you relax.
  • Pretend that you’re still working from work.
  • Experiment and figure out what works for you.

Our UX Research Director also stepped up to share her expertise to aid in adjusting to our new working conditions. She led a microclass on remote facilitation where she shared best practices and went over tools that support remote collaboration. Some of the tools she highlighted included Miro, Mural, Whimsical, and Jamboard. During the microclass she demonstrated use of Whimsical’s voting feature, which makes it easy for distributed groups to establish discussion topic priorities.

Always PreparedHaving all of our project materials stored in the Cloud in a consistent, predictable way is a cornerstone of our business continuity plan. It is more important than ever for our team to follow the established best practices and ensure that project files are accessible to the full Viget team in the event of unplanned time off. Our VP of Client Services is leading efforts to ensure everyone is aware of and following our established guidelines with tools like Drive, Slack, Github, and Figma. Our priorities are that clients’ needs are met, quality is high, and timelines are honored.

As the pandemic unfolds, our approach to employee engagement will evolve. We have more things in the works to build and maintain connections while distributed, including trivia and game nights, book clubs, virtual movie nights, and community service opportunities, just to name a few. No matter what we’re doing or what tool we’re using to connect, we’ll be in it together: doing great work, being great teammates, and looking forward.



  • News & Culture

together

Solid fuel unit which burns solid fuels together with their volatile gases

The invention relates to solid fuel units having a fuel supply chamber wherein the fuel to be sent for combustion to the combustion region found in the body is placed and the feed mechanism carrying the solid fuel found in the chamber forward. It is characterized in that it includes a main burning block having a fuel and air cell connected to the solid fuel supply chamber and air outlet vents formed on the external wall surface. A preventive surface is positioned on the main burning block external wall surface in a way that it would form a closed volume in a certain distance.




together

Tool for removing from or joining together a bearing and a hub

A tool for removing a spindle and/or elastomeric bearing from a hub generally includes a coupler, an arm, and a weight slidably engaged with the arm. The weight is slidable with respect to the arm along a predetermined stroke that limits the travel of the weight. The coupler may be secured to a spindle, which spindle is in turn secured to a bearing, or the coupler may be secured directly to the bearing. An operator may slide the weight between a first position adjacent the coupler and a second position opposite the coupler to impart kinetic energy to the spindle and/or bearing, thereby removing the bearing from or the bearing installing into a hub, depending on whether the kinetic energy is in an inboard or outboard direction.




together

Device for connecting two prefabricated construction elements together

The invention relates to a prefabricated construction element (1) having a permanent form, such as a longitudinal beam or a panel, consisting of two parallel plates that are formed, through molding and spaced apart from each other, from a hydraulic mixture such as concrete and from a built-in metal reinforcement, said plates being separated by an insulating block and connected together by transverse spacers (not shown), characterized in that said construction element (1) comprises consecutive prepositioning and bottom (6, 7) and/or top (8, 9) linking means, said bottom means (6, 7) consisting of a metal male connector (6) secured to the metal reinforcement of a first element (1) and arranged at the end of the bottom portion of said first element, and a metal female connector (7) secured to said metal reinforcement of a consecutive second element and arranged at the end of the bottom portion of said second element, the relative positioning of the male connector (6) and female connector (7) being such that said connectors can be connected together when the two consecutive elements (1) are assembled.




together

Katy Perry to Join Rita Ora and Lil Nas X in SHEIN Together Live

Laura Benanti, Harvey Fierstein, Vanessa Williams, Beanie Feldstein and many others, in the meantime, will celebrate Mother's Day with a Broadway Does Mother's Day show.




together

Brad Pitt and Rumored GF Alia Shawkat Frequently Hang Out Together Amid Lockdown

The 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' actor and the 'Arrested Development' alum reportedly live only about 10 minutes away from each other, so she will bike or walk to Brad's place 'whenever they have time to chill.'




together

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton Spend Over $13 Millions on First House Together

A few months after the No Doubt frontwoman sold her former marital home, she and her country singer boyfriend purchase a hilltop home in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles.




together

Beyonce to Celebrate Mother's Day With Get-Together After Family Tested Negative for COVID-19

Tina Knowles-Lawson, the mother of the 'Formation' singer, looks forward to seeing her grandchildren in person again after being kept away because of the coronavirus pandemic.




together

Katy Perry to Join Rita Ora and Lil Nas X in SHEIN Together Live

Laura Benanti, Harvey Fierstein, Vanessa Williams, Beanie Feldstein and many others, in the meantime, will celebrate Mother's Day with a Broadway Does Mother's Day show.





together

Glasgow artists join together for lockdown phone film project

MISSING beloved grandparents is something we can all relate to during coronavirus lockdown – now a Glasgow poet has made a 60-second film about it.