Art in the work place
Gretchen wrote about art in the workplace. I agree with her about taking that particular painting out of the recruiter's building. I want to be one of the people interviewing at Microsoft, and I'm sure I'll already be intimidated enough by it's reputation of the rigorous interview process, and the great deal of respect I have for the company in general. That painting would only add to my my intimidation.
By way of comparison, here are some works that I do and would find inspiring:
http://www.cordair.com/denys/atlas.aspx
http://www.cordair.com/larsen/howfar.aspx
http://www.cordair.com/larsen/heroes.aspx
http://www.cordair.com/shen/dream.aspx
http://www.artpassions.net/cgi-bin/show_image.pl?../galleries/parrish/ecstasy2.jpg
http://www.artpassions.net/cgi-bin/show_image.pl?../galleries/parrish/daybreak.jpg
http://www.mytravelguide.com/guides-and-advice/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6987
I agree with one of gretchen's commenters that meaningless blobs of color do not create a pleasant work environment. The thing I love about programming is that every day when I sit down at the computer, I feel like I can do anything at all. The world is open to me. My work is as much an artistic creation as it is a solution to a list of requirements. I am not afraid of things I don't know how to do: I greet these things with the easy confidence of someone that has no doubt about his ability to find and implement a simple and elegant solution. I chose the above images because each of them expresses that same feeling, in whole or in part.
Thanks Gretchen for the great post!
Chris