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One of the greatest indignities of the modern workplace is the ubiquitous "cube farm." Perhaps the most annoying thing about cubicles is that they offer absolutely no privacy for their occupants. Because most cubes are configured so that the dweller sits with his or her back to the entrance, with the monitor facing outward, anyone who cares to can stop by, check out what you're doing (or not doing), and then saunter off unnoticed. Even worse, it's not uncommon for people to sneak up behind you and watch for a few moments before spitting out whatever it is they had to say, causing you to whip around in your chair to see who's violating the sanctity of your 8 x 8. Fortunately, for about a buck fifty, you can get a leg up on your fellow cube mates, and shore up your sanity a bit at the same time. The solution is one of the small round wide angle mirrors sold in auto parts stores and in the automotive departments of retailers like Wal-Mart and K-Mart. These mirrors come in several sizes (one about 1.5" in diameter, the other, 3" in diameter), have adhesive backing, and are designed to be placed in the corner of a car's side mirror. So affixed, they do a good job of minimizing a driver's blind spot, allowing one to see what's going on in the adjacent lane without craning around too much. By placing one of these mirrors on the upper corner of your monitor (assuming your cube entrance is to behind you), you can see what's going on behind your back. At first, coworkers will probably look at you a bit oddly when they see you've decorated your monitor with an auto accessory, but I assure you, they'll quickly come to appreciate the advantages of spotting unannounced vistors, and scanning general office traffic, at a glance. Of course, the number one advantage of purchasing one of these mirrors is that they are almost the equivalent of physical Caller ID. Instead of always turning around and committing to a conversation, you can check out the person behind you and determine whether it's worth swivelling around to interact. If it's a buddy, you can turn around and chat, whereas if it's that annoying guy who's always asking you stupid questions, you can rattle off a quick answer ("Get a life, spud boy!") and go about your business. The rear view mirror is also a cheap ticket to good cubicle cred. If for some reason you haven't already recommended to your office mates that they regularly check out Street Tech, you'll get to wallow in the knowledge that you brought an extra bit of empowerment to the otherwise dehumanizing world of the modern office. Even as all of the people in your office stick mirrors on their monitors, you'll be revered as the alpha geek who read it here first and started an office-wide trend. - Rafe Colburn [2/23/98] |
