Thursday, July 01, 2010

The Base White Mug of the Universe


(From BestSub Technologies Co., Ltd.)

And the big news is we have moved offices - rather a long way in fact - but to a place with a much nicer view. The entire contents of the previous place have been transported to here - sinks and everything. My entire working life is summed up in a couple of crates and a mobile cabinet. The main reception has New Scientist in the magazine racks and the view is of green - trees and grass which is a huge improvement on the brick wall that I looked out on from my first office at Plessey in 1986. Actually I lie about that because before that I did a placement year in the IT department of The Bristol and West Building Society which looked out over the very centre of Bristol - a spectacular view of theatres, docksides and art galleries - all within staggering distance of at least 100 bars/pubs/clubs/strip joints/kebab shops etc. However, at my age (noticing the first grey hairs) a nice bit of calm greenery is all I want. And so thoughts of the simple view out of a generic office window turn to meditation on getting old.

Until the free vending machines arrive we have liberated some catering-sized cans of coffee and a number of white mugs unusually not bearing the log of various suppliers/clients which, to extend the deep and pretentious theme of today, could almost be Plato's Universal Idea of a cup, though reading that Wiki article I got as far as "category error" before I realised I was out of my depth and gave up. Be thankful that the office is light and airy or I might have mentioned Plato's Cave and then where would we be?

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