Wouldn't it be nice...

I guess in Sweden, a little creativity goes a long way.  This is the Pionen Data Center in Stockholm, a data storage facility built in an old fallout shelter.  They decided to make it an enjoyable place to work, and it looks like they did a pretty good job.  I suppose they had to do something to mitigate the depressing aspects of an underground shelter with the occasional rock walls and no windows, and they really set an example the rest of the world would do well to follow. 

This round conference room has a view of their servers and the floor is painted like the moon.  I think "work" might be a lot less like "work" if we could enjoy a setting like this, or any number of different themes, but any change from they typical white walls and white flourescent lights would be something to be happy about. 

See more of the Pionen Data Center here

I suppose it wouldn't totally cure how much work can suck, for example I still can't seem to get a simple work order put through to me that I don't have to take back and ask for clarification, but constant chaos makes it even worse.  A nice relaxing work area would go quite a way in making the day more enjoyable and less stressful.  I'd love to see creativity and a little fantasy used more liberally in public places.  Would it be so bad if you could shop in a supermarket that looked like this?  I'd shop there.  I used to have colored landscape lights strung around my living room with the lights shining up on the walls much like this place, but they were old and after several years they went defunct and I haven't replaced them yet.  I still keep it dark though and indirectly lit with blacklights, candles, and a lava lamp of course.  When and if the economy recovers and I'm able to afford it, I plan to set up a new set of landscape lights and some more plastic trees and ferns.  I don't think I'll do the smoke machine though, I'd never see the cats.  Just a couple tails cruising around like submarine periscopes.  Ha!

Only two left...

The shuttle Discovery is being readied for its November 1 launch, the second to last mission of the space shuttle program.  It's going to be pretty boring until we start another program of space travel.  Until then I guess we'll be bumming rides from Russia and China.  Some way for the USA to travel, huh? 

I just finished Under The Dome, and it was really good.  I was expecting a book of over a thousand pages to get into too much detail, I thought I'd be reading the whole life story of every major character, but it wasn't like that.  Stephen King really put together a good story, populated it with interesting characters, and once again thought up a plot and an ending that was totally enjoyable and gripping.  He puts you in the town which was cut off from the outside by a transparent dome, and once you're in there as well, you have to dedicate yourself to reading and reading, to get to the end and hopefully relieve the claustrophobia that comes from the isolation.  Very good book, and I recommend as did everyone I know who's already read it. 

Well, I'm not sure I'm going to be updating here as much in the near future.  It took me about 40 minutes today from the time I turned on this old loaner comp till I could do anything... between the log on process and it locking up and refusing to shut down, having to unplug it to shut it off, then logging on another time.  Very frustrating, to wait that long just staring at a machine that might or might not be working.  I'll be around, but I don't think I'll be doing this every day.  I just lost all my calm getting it going tonight.  And I was happily calm.  At least it's almost the weekend!