Big Trouble in Little China

You have to listen for the last bang and the alarm it starts, like everything else doesn't matter. So the reason for the noise was Pawel, Yannis, Nigel and myself going into San Francisco for Chinese New Year. We ate at the Empress of China, which was really good and well priced. After that we walked through China Town to see events like the one above, some with fireworks as well as firecrackers to boot. We also checked Vesuvio which was alright, watching Tom and Jerry and drinking Sierra Nevada.

Let's talk about: working environments

Working out in California this week, I've had the chance to think about the difference in working environments of my workplace and whats on offer here at the Microsoft Research Campus. It's not all one way traffic either, just my thoughts on where I work and where I'd like to work.

A few weeks ago I twittered that I hated the uninspiring building I work in. Now hate is a strong word, but I'm not changing it for now. What I like about the offices out here is the effort taken to make it easy for people to work. There is wireless everywhere, and it's reliable. Wireless is both public (with username/password) and private for employees. Our office is covered with wires, and I've noticed how nice it is to move my laptop (for portable working) from one side of the room to the other, or even to another room entirely and not have to worry about what I'm downloading/uploading or any remote connections I've got open, or authenticating against the network.

There are loads of informal meeting areas scattered around in these offices too. It's great, in any sizable space you'll find a few sofas, maybe some comfy chairs and a coffee table. You may find some white boards and even TVs in these areas. Now I think these areas are nessasary in this office as the day to day working is done in cubicles as opposed to our office in London which is a massive open space with social inward facing desks. I prefer our open space (although I do wish it was physically seperated from different teams - open team space perhaps) to cubicles, but the informal meeting area's are great. We do have one such area which is proving popular, and I'd love to see more.

I can't even begin to compare the dining facilities though. With several kitchen area per floor here at Microsoft, some small, some with dining tables - all with free tea, coffee and soft drinks compared to our crook with an old kettle and boiler. Add to that a wide ranging cafeteria with fresh foods at decent prices, compared to our limited £3/$6 cheese sandwich range.

I'm still undecided about the city vs country thing though. London offers so much on it's doorstep, and while the country-side is peaceful and spacious, I'd still miss the choice of the city.

It's the little things which count right? And none of this is going to make me work harder or enjoy my job more right? Maybe, maybe not. But it'd sure make me feel happier about the working conditions and environment.