Katie's Awesome Idea

I... had an awesome idea.

I sort of hate it when I have awesome ideas, because they're almost always for something that I simply don't want to do. I have little desire to run my own business. I have little desire to code a certain project. I don't really want to toil over game mechanics. So, usually, the ideas just sort of fester for a bit, then go away.

This time, I have decided to put it out there. Maybe someone, someday, will make this happen. I don't want a dime. I just want one opened by me.

So, the idea. I was down in the Ops center of NASA, bs'ing with our sys admin and the infamous Jim. It was near lunch, but it was the only time we really had to go and bug Jim, so we ended up delaying him eating. I felt bad, and found myself wondering if next time, I shouldn't just schedule the meeting for a nearby restaurant.

Then I realized the flaws with that idea. See, our group had tried it in the past, and there were some serious drawbacks. No place to plug in our laptops. No wifi. We couldn't always get a table that was big enough. No way to diagram ideas without squinting at one person's laptop.

Oh, yeah. And there were other people there, making noise and stuff. Stupid people.

There were benefits, though. The food, in general, was better than what we could have if we just nuked food in the kitchenette. Also, everyone was eating, rather than just a few of people who were prepared, being watched by those who were starving and needing to dash to the McD's down the street. People lingered, rather than bolting the second we had covered what we intended, leading to a wealth of interesting ideas and initiatives.

That's when it occurred to me: we need a restaurant with whiteboards. I voiced my thoughtgasm and was poo-poohed by our sysadmin. "Katie, we need to get you out more."

Undeterred, I thought of what else would make the restaurant awesome. Wifi. Like, good wifi! Not that crap you get at Panera or Cosi that cuts out half the time and can't always take VPN. I want pipes that won't clog when my group all decides to bang on Github.

And I want whiteboards and a wealth of markers. I can't even get markers where I work. The marker gnomes steal half and take them back to their lairs for sniffing and painting each other, and the others are selfishly locked in desk drawers by people who never do anything with the boards anyway.

You know what? I want walls, too. I'd even be willing to put on a surcharge for getting them. That way, we could close the door and go crazy. No worrying about if we're going to disturb the super-sensitive accountant who hasn't learned about the miracle of headphones.

Actually, walls made of whiteboard material would be pretty hot.

I want a hookup to a big display, and a wealth of connectors. Knowing that I don't have to find the weird connector for my new Macbook (Screw you, Apple) is well worth ordering an appetizer.

Give me a kiosk to buy things like pens and pencils and pads of paper, because if there's anything I always forget, it's stuff to write on. And sometimes, paper just works better.

The food doesn't even have to be foodie awesome. I'll accept food that's simply yummy and can keep everyone satisfied. Can you make the raw food vegan and the meatiarian happy? Good.

Also, beer wouldn't hurt. Because you know, there's some requirement meetings that you can't get through without some help.