Where can you get a free haircut, a free meal, go swimming, use a readily available bike or umbrella for an hour or so, workout, get a cheap massage, see a doctor at no cost and, oh yes, think really, really hard.

This article about a walking tour of the so-called Googleplex, written by Dean Takahashi and appearing at InsideBayArea.com, has absolutely nothing to do with our main theme's and perspectives here. But I couldn't resist. It's Monday; it is dead-heat, airless summer time; and, there has been so little in the way of entertaining news for several weeks. I figured everyone's happy imagination could be sparked by this story… especially if you work on the east coast of the United States.

Why is it no corporate equivalent of this exists in, let's say, Massachusetts? Sure, maybe the Valley is more competitive. But, do biotech people in the Hub work any less hard or any fewer hours, for example? Does their hair grow more slowly? Is their daily Monday through Friday commute on 128 workout enough?

In my next life I'm coming back as a wicked geek… a word I use, by the way, with great admiration, not derision. Next time I'm nine years old and everyone is going out to play stupid baseball, I'm staying in to master the Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code.

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