One of the hardest things about returning to a cube farm is that of noise. Ambient noises, I mean. The benchmark I use for it is what my reaction to it is. If I notice it, it’s a distraction. If it bothers me enough to put on headphones, it’s annoying but it’s something that I can live with. If it comes through my headphones, it’s too loud and is a problem. Keyboard noise is a subjecting thing on this scale. Some people type louder than others and some people have loud keyboards – either way I tend to not notice it above my own typing, so it’s typically OK.

However, when I hear it coming from a bathroom stall it’s repulsive in more ways than one.

Uh-huh. I went to take a leak the other day at work… I hear *bri-bri-bring*. The Outlook “Hello, I’m a reminder!” sound – since this can also come from a cell phone I didn’t think anything of it. Then I heard the sounds of a notebook keyboard. You can tell it’s a notebook because it’s not as loud and the key presses sound flimsy.

And it was definitely coming from a stall (and not the hallway) and it was definitely someone sitting on a bowl.

Nice.

<sarcasm> so busy at work that they can’t bother to be unplugged for five minutes.</sarcasm>

Ugh. Thankfully it’s no one from my team, since I was in another part of campus. As it is, I don’t want anyone to touch my notebook now… or drive someone else’s for a demo.

What’s even funnier to me is that Steve prophesied this very thing months ago.