The Airportline: Observations

Back in Amsterdam. Summer outside, summer in the computer lab. I write about communication and read a bit about Apple, and it's lack of communication in New York Times. I never liked Apple, and when I finally invested in an Ipod one and a half years ago, it was a decision against my ideology. And even though I admit that the Ipod is the best portable music player I've had by far, I'm happy I'm not working for them:

Secrecy at Apple is not just the prevailing communications strategy; it is baked into the corporate culture. Employees working on top-secret projects must pass through a maze of security doors, swiping their badges again and again and finally entering a numeric code to reach their offices, according to one former employee who worked in such areas.

Work spaces are typically monitored by security cameras, this employee said. Some Apple workers in the most critical product-testing rooms must cover up devices with black cloaks when they are working on them, and turn on a red warning light when devices are unmasked so that everyone knows to be extra-careful, he said.

Apple employees are often just as surprised about new products as everyone else.