Today is my team’s first day in our new offices in Intel’s newly-remodeled Jones Farm 1 (JF1) offices (see this post for some background and pictures from the “open house” a couple of weeks ago). I was out of town last week at SXSW (and got sick while I was there, which is why I dropped off the face of the earth for a few days - more about that in another post). I have lots to say about the rest of SXSW, but first…
I’ve been at my new desk for a few hours, long enough to get settled in, get things set up the way I want them, and unpack my meager two boxes worth of belongings (the rest of my bulky audio/video gear was stored at home until I have a secure place for it here).
So far, here’s what it think: It’s awesome. Taking some getting used to. The increased light, color, and “cool” factor are much appreciated. I’ve already availed myself of the free soda fountain and donuts. 
Haven’t moved around to try to work in one of the “open” community spaces, mostly because I really like my new cube. I’m at the end of a row, facing a wall of windows that overlooks a really nice enclosed courtyard. It’s a north-facing window, so there’s shouldn’t be too much direct light/heat. We’ll see as summer rolls around. I requested and got a larger “tower” filing cabinet to store my A/V gear. They’ve got an onsite team of “red hats” to address any issues that pop up (no one expected this to go perfectly). It’s been really smooth, and I feel really lucky to be a part of this pilot program.
Because I’m on the end of a row, and “exposed”, a dozen or so people have come over and leaned in to my cube to say “Hi”. It’s nice to have people drop in and visit, but if that volume keeps up, it’s going to get annoying. I think it will drop off as the novelty of the whole area wears off. If not, I’ll have to put up a sign warning not to poke/feed/disturb the animals in the cages. 
Here are a few more pictures to give you an idea of what it’s like now that we’re actually living here. I’ve added them to my existing “Intel JF1 New Offices” photoset on Flickr, so you can browse there for some additional peeks at life here.
My new cube, mostly set up the way I want it:
They’ve already gotten rid of the supply of paper cups near the free soda/coffee machines. Apparently people from other areas of the campus were coming over and helping themselves. Or something. So now, we’ve all been “issued” an official mug/cup to be used. *sigh* Yeah, this is still Intel all right.
Here’s the neighborhood the Intel Software Network team lives in (named “Pinot Noir” - all the neighborhoods are named after varieties of Oregon “grapes” ):
And here’s Aaron taking advantage of the power height adjustable desks to work standing up. I’ve seen more than a few people trying this - interesting. I won’t be doing it - I’m too lazy, and I LIKE to sit down and work.
The “living room” area wasn’t as busy and crowded as I thought it would be on opening day.
And finally, here’s the little card-shaped USB flash drive (1GB) that was in everyone’s welcome bag, which has a bundle of “fun” software, including Google Earth, Picasa, some freeware games, and, notably, a copy of FeedDemon (which recently went freeware) and an OPML file of Intel feeds to subscribe to. Could it be that Intel is starting to “get it” regarding feeds? Oh, and in case you were wondering, like I was, if the whole flash drive is contained within the little flippy part, it’s not. I pulled the flippy part out, and along came some wires that were kind of important.
So that’s it - our new home! I’ll probably do a video tour soon, to give you an idea of how the whole place ties together. And I haven’t gone to the lobby for some Guitar Hero action yet, either, which is on my agenda. Ooh, that reminds me! I need to bring in Super Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii and get some people playing that. Good times!
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