I was just leaning back in my chair having a stretch after editing an article when my roving pastor dropped in to chat about my armpits.
What do you mean I can't be serious? Do I look like the sort of fellow who would joke about something like this?
Perhaps I should explain. The owner of the building in which I maintain my office has engaged a corporate pastor who comes to visit once a week. We will call this pastor Richard, because that is his name. Though I do not work for the company whose building houses my office, Richard pops in to see me anyway. I'm not sure if this is because I am his only source of jokes about bagpipes and such, or because he sees me as someone who needs a lot of spiritual guidance. (I tend toward the bagpipe-jokes theory myself, but I may be wrong.)
Anyway, it seems that Richard had run across one of my recent blogs on the EE Times Programmable Logic Designline Website, "Death by armpit!" Don't ask me why a member of the clergy who has no interest in electronics was hanging around a Website devoted to programmable technology. Some things should forever remain a mystery.
In the blog in question (and it is certainly a blog in questionable taste), I waffle on about my recent discovery that the ingredients in underarm antiperspirant/deodorants may be toxic. Some studies have linked these ingredients to things like Alzheimer's and cancer. Richard mentioned that a number of the people he has met in his travels use underarm deodorant to stop their feet from sweating and smelling. (And I thought my life was interesting.)
While he was imparting this tidbit of trivia, Richard was walking on the Treadmill Desk in the corner of my office. I proudly informed him that I didn't have a problem with sweaty feat, because I wasn't wearing any shoes or socks, and I proceeded to prove that by waving my feet in the air.
It was about this time that I started wondering about other All Programmable Planet community members and their work environments. I mean, anyone who happened to walk by my office door at that time would have seen a wall of computer screens and my bare feet waving in the air as I chatted with a pastor walking on a treadmill. If the truth be told, that's about par for the course around here, but what about everyone else?
This is why, ultimately, we find ourselves here, with me musing about your office. I'll tell you what -- I'll show you mine if you show me yours. Send one or more photos of your office to me at max.maxfield@ubm.com. Are your desks and chairs (and floor) stacked high with books and papers? Do you have to wend your way through complex assemblies of test equipment? Or is your desk so organized that even the pencils are arranged with mathematical precision?
Once I've received a sufficient number of responses, I will create a slideshow of the milieus in which we while away our days. If you ask me nicely in the comments associated with this article, I will even be moved to make a short video of my pleasure dome for your delight.
Max Maxfield 7/14/2012 10:40:15 AM User Rank Blogger
Re: Coolest Office?
@JezmoSSL: "Do I win?"
We will have to let the others decide... where's the photograph so I can add it to the slideshow I'm going to create -- like I said before "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" (grin)
My desk has a 64 channel mixing desk on one side, a 16 shark DSP engine on the other, several assorted scopes, a logic analyser, two open frame PCs, a windows PC, a mac book, three monitors, a digital signal generator/analyser ansd somewhere in there is the board I am currently working on.Do I win?
Oh and a d-scope audio datastream generator/analyser
Well, I decided to jump into the fray. I am not sure if I have one of the "Strangest Offices" but I think I have one of the coolest! :-) I have a home office - detached from the house.
The story goes that the original owners built this 1200 square foot metal building (30'x40') in 1999 to live in while they built the house themselves. They didn't compete the house until 2003, so they lived in the metal building for a few years. The benefit is that I now have an office with full bath, kitchen, living room area, HVAC system, etc. (Yes, if I am ever "in the dog house", it is a comfortable one :-) So, I have plenty of space for office, lab, storage, etc. The downside is that I also seem to accumulate the "family overflow" from the house as a storage area as well. But, it's a small price to pay - I close it all off in one of the rooms.
The office is absolutely not fancy. It is a metal sided/metal roof building with painted concrete floor, OSB walls and unfinished [truss-showing] ceiling. However, for a manly man-cave of an office that it is, I can't think of a better finish job! One could have all sorts of engineering experiments without damaging those walls and floors! :-)
And before you ask, the photos are on the way to your inbox.
Max Maxfield 7/13/2012 9:02:14 AM User Rank Blogger
Re: Office snaps
@Myplanet -- Re photos of us all when we were at University or in ouyr first jobs -- if you can get those to me over the course of thsi weekend (14/15 July) -- Monday at the latest, I'll put the slide show up next week.
The the photos of offices -- let's say add 1 week (7 days) to the first set of photos -- so by a week this coming weekend would be great (that is, if you can get them to me by 21/22 July)
Max, you have any deadlines for this. I mean any deadlines for photos & bio from members. (I know your answer is, at the earliest or ASAP). Any specifications for snaps like minimum pixel, size or format.
Max Maxfield 7/12/2012 3:01:23 PM User Rank Blogger
Re: Office snaps
@Myplanet: "...it seems that most of your blogs are quiet interesting with a good mix of jokes and realities."
Thank you for your kind words (although given a choice I would have preferred "asoundingly incredibly unbelievably interesting" to "quite interesting" [grin])
@"...plan for making movies or exhibitions..."
Don't give me ideas :-) Actually, as I mentioned in those blogs, I'm planning on posting blogs containing slide shows -- the first will show us all the way we used to be -- and later I'll do one showing our offices...
Max, it seems that most of your blogs are quiet interesting with a good mix of jokes and realities. Good, keep it up, by the way you have any plan for making movies or exhibitions. At different instance you had requested for couple of childhood and present photos, office snaps etc, a natural doubt (grin)
My office is now at home in the corner of a room surrounded by computers. It's a total mess. I need to buy a new desk, one that's at the right height so as not to strain my wrists while typing. I'm using a round table designed for a small dining room right now. Round tables definintely don't work as work spaces.
I have pictures and maybe I'll show before and fers, but it will be on my blog, now yours. Sorry, but I need the clicks too.
What does this have to do with programmable logic, anyway?
To save this item to your list of favorite All Programmable Planet content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
