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By Luís Ribeiro*
This chronicle starts with a “thank you” for this
opportunity because I believe BIP is one of the finest
creations of INESC Porto. I’m glad I can give my
contribution.
I will now share with you some issues that are going
around in my head.
Is this room temperature really necessary?
Yes, it is actually kind of funny to come from the street
early in the morning wearing an overcoat, a jacket, a scarf
and all the necessary clothes for winter…and when we enter
the building we immediately remove the scarf, the overcoat,
etc…So we strip our way to the work position. This wouldn’t
be problematic if, by leaving INESC in a careless manner, we
didn’t face the real ambient temperature and we suddenly
felt we were in the Ice Age, instantly fearing a cold or
something. Some could remember to switch the air
conditioning on, and that would actually be a good idea if
it didn’t sound like the coffee mill from the bar was right
by our side.
Are my window blinds the only ones that are not opaque at
all?
My window blinds protect me from the light as much as a
sieve protects my hair from getting wet under heavy rain! I
have tried several solutions: sun glasses, caps, an
umbrella…even changing the orientation of the screen along
the day, which, in fact, pleased several people given that
they stopped wearing a watch (one of them, I think, actually
got some nice money for it on e-bay), because they could
guess the time from the relative position of my screen.
What the hell is going on with the coffee machines?
I think there is a curse in this building when it comes to
coffee machines. The old ones, we all know how it went, some
days they worked, others they went on holidays. The new ones
give me the impression that I’m in a casino when I see
“saving energy mode”. I press it praying that the result is
not “no water”, which is brilliant when they are actually
full of water. And if one is really empty, then I realize
that it is safely locked and I cannot fill it up. But, apart
from that, they confer a very modern look to the kitchens.
If anyone has the answer to my questions please send me
an e-mail…preferably on a Monday so that I can see it before
the weekend.
* Collaborator in the Power Systems
Unit
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