The Original Zoom Machine offers the talented cloud consulting team a fully interactive Steampunk experience, adding a little whimsical fun to the workplace
In 1879, a cartoonist named George du Maurier cleverly imagined what the great inventor Thomas Edison would come up with next.
Printed in the Punch Almanac, he titled his illustration “Edison’s Telephonoscope” and noted this wonderous device would transmit light as well as sound.
This imagined machine was drawn with a “faceplate” that becomes “luminous” with another person’s appearance for audio visual communication – A vision that was remarkably close to the “FaceTime”, Skype, and Zoom capabilities of today’s technology!
Forefront’s Original Zoom Machine is a creative tribute to overcoming this longstanding challenge of successfully combining telephony, radio transmission, video capture, and display.
The 19th-century industrial Victorian-era is rich in concepts and creative ideas of futuristic technologies and steam-powered science fiction.
The Original Zoom Machine incorporates these period-inspired Steampunk design aesthetics. It was created by Bruce Rosenbaum, founder of ModVic, LLC. Forefront’s goal for the interactive artwork was to repurpose antiques and salvage historic objects, while integrating 21st-century cloud-based Zoom video conferencing capability.
Vintage items from the early 1900s used in the final design include: An antique studio portrait camera, opera glasses, additional camera lenses, and flight/pressure gauges.
“Our company has a history with our clients of being at the ‘forefront’ of new technologies and digital transformation market momentum,” said Forefront President Michel Berger. “In fact, we were one of the very early adopters of the Zoom application.”
“At the time, our need was driven by the desire to offer our Team ‘work-from-home’ flexibility. When COVID hit, our company was ready, secured, and our operations were never disrupted,” Berger said. “As a memento of appreciation, the decision was made to create the fully functional Original Zoom Machine!”
In addition to being an award-winning cloud solutions provider, Forefront is also consistently recognized for being one of New Jersey’s top 10 places to work. The company prides itself on creating a positive workplace culture where everyone on the team can thrive and achieve work / life balance.
“Employers today are competing heavily to retain and nurture talented staff, attract new customers, and create a company culture that leaves an impression,” said Bruce Rosenbaum. “Studies show that combining the familiar with the novel helps inspire and leaves a lasting impression at a subconscious level.”
Steampunk art naturally lends itself to creating this human experience and positive reaction.
“Our team is very good, but the work we do can be stressful,” said Berger. “Wherever possible, we like to add positive and fun elements to the office environment, which helps to relieve stress and make work more enjoyable.”
The Steampunk Zoom “station” has been a big hit, especially with many of our millennial staff who like to show it to family, friends, and clients who visit the office, he added.
The Original Zoom Machine also features a fighter jet seat of the cold war era with original parachute included.
“While the latter may not be a golden parachute, it could come in handy for quickly exiting a bad meeting,” Berger mused. “We will talk to the Zoom company about adding this feature to their software.”
