Web Log Entry #0033, Wednesday, January 15, 2003: Day 58

Anchorage Sunrise: 9:58am Sunset: 4:20pm High Temp: 22° Low Temp: 11° Today, we moved. "We" as in the 20+ people on the project team moved from the main building to leased office space about half a mile away. On the plus side, we're all in the same area, rather than spread out though a large building. It's a nicer place than where I was. The previous location had three of us in a 12x12 cubicle, with two collections people in the other half of the room. It wasn't quite as dismal as the beginning sequence of "Joe vs. the Volcano" (an underrated Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan film, check it out if you haven't seen it), but an aural background of phone conversations with people who aren't happy about receiving the call wasn't as conducive to careful concentration as you might think. I don't like to complain (well, actually I do, but for some reason people get tired of hearing it), but this did get me to thinking. Companies pay significant money for IT workers. The "product" we create derives solely from mental work. So to invest in expensive developers, but then put them into an environment that diminishes focus and attention seems counterproductive to me. I guess they think they're saving money by cramming us into little cubicles in an open room. Like hiring a electrician, then making him keep all his tools in his truck, so he has to walk out of the house each time he needs a pair of pliers. I do know that if I crank up the classical music on my portable CD player (with headphones, of course), I can't hear the woman right behind me who talks to herself while she works. Thank goodness for that.

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© 2003 Evan M. Nichols