Those who face away from their cubicle or office entrance are at a distinct disadvantage because they don’t know when someone is behind them. Unexpected intrusions can be both startling and annoying, or even fatal. A disgruntled coworker could whack you with a lead pipe and you wouldn’t even know it was coming. To prevent such unpleasantries, read on.
The first solution is the I-Mate ($22.95). Claimed benefits include aesthetics, ergonomics, safety and improved Feng shui, all from this miraculous mirror. I wouldn’t be surprised if they claimed it could cook a meal and iron my shirts. To their marketing hype, I say horsefeathers. Scott Yang felt similarly.
The second solution was proposed by Scott as an alternative to the I-Mate and is known as the C.H.I.M.P. ($9.99). It’s sold by ThinkGeek and is quite similar to the I-Mate, without all the hype. The CHIMP fits on the corner of your monitor, but I have an anti-glare screen that covers both corners so it wasn’t a good fit for me.
The third option is the wide view mirror ($1.99) that people often affix to side view mirrors. Not only did I buy one of these for my desktop, I bought two more for my car’s side view mirrors.
Now I may work in peace, knowing that if I get whacked with a lead pipe, at least I’ll see it coming.
On an unrelated note, did you know there are Special Love Rituals for Singletons according to Feng Shui? I was unable to read it without laughing, especially when it recommended wearing a necklace of 49 rose quartz beads to attract romance. Fat chance.
I was surprised to hear that about the rose quartz necklaces. I have been wearing a beaded rose quartz necklace off and on for over a year and I am still a singleton.
I’m not sure how many beads my necklace has. Maybe that’s why it hasn’t worked: It might not have 49.
It’s probably because you didn’t write your wish and sign it 49 times for 49 days in a row, burning the paper each day. I have a feeling no one in their right mind would do such a thing, but I could be wrong.
I love this blog! I can totally relate to this. I am the proud owner of the public access, or aka non-solitaire playing or non-web surfing cublicle. The opening of my cublicle faces the main walkway, and I am faced the opposite direction. I have no idea who is behind me. Ironically enough, my cublicle actually came with a mirror because people find a lot of humor in sneaking up on whoever is lucky enough to sit here.
Dan snuck up on me just yesterday. And I forgot to bring my new mirror into the office again today. Grr. Mornings are not good for me.
To sneak is to go stealthily or furtively. I simply walked to the entrance of your cube and asked where your mirror was. I could have whacked you over the head with a lead pipe if I had been disgruntled, but I was gruntled so I didn’t.
I used to have the mirror mounted on the monitor corner. It was a freebie from a client and had their logo on the edge of the mirror. It, however, did not have staying power. The adhesive wasn’t strong and it fell off anything someone bumped the cube wall (I’m on main thoroughfare) and I got tired of crawling under the cube to find where it rolled to. Do you know what kind of stuff is under cubes? It’s not pretty. They do vacuum on occaison here but they can’t get behind the ergo-stuff that raises and lowers the various sections.
I’ve been experimenting with where to put my mirror. I had it on the top for a while, but now I’m trying it out with it on the bottom, and I just saw Jason in it and he had a lead pipe! (I kid about the pipe, but I really did see him in the mirror).
I too work in a cube, but at least I get to face the opening. After all the stories you guys have been telling about getting snuck up on, I’m feelin kinda smug about moving my computer so that my back is to the wall. I don’t have to worry about getting whacked on the head with a lead pipe or monkey wrench.
I must admit you are in an enviable position.
I’d need a large mirror, since my boss comes over and stands in the aisle, with his head just tall enough to look over the cube wall. He usually stands there without saying anything until I notice him. At first I’d start closing the web browser I was in, afraid that he wouldn’t approve, but then I realized that was a useless effort.
My boss sits right across from me, everything on my computer is visible. Mirrors in this case are useless. Although I do own two, as I do not care for being hit over the head with a lead pipe.
I don’t have a cubicle. I work at Petco. While working, I frequently wish someone WOULD hit me over the head with a lead pipe.
Let’s see how much of a warning your little mirror gives you when you get picked off by Charlie and his sniper rifle. I can’t even count how many people have been wacked by cube snipers. Lead pipes, ha! Charlie don’t need no stinking lead pipe.
Alicia: You may wish that now, but after someone hit you with a lead pipe you might have a different opinion.
Jason: That’s what the bulletproof vest is for.
Dan, the danger of snipers in the workplace is a reasonable concern. After all, a good sniper can get around kevlar. A bulletproof vest doesn’t cover your head…
Is there a company that makes bulletproof glass for cubes? You know, something like the glass they use at gas stations late at night maybe? It’s something to check out.
Aaagh! I forgot my mirror again!
Jan, you’re right. No time for work today, I have to build a fortress.
People at my office have a favorite prank on birthdays or for no particular reason. They cover the front of cubes with plastic (the kind you wrap around big stuff being shipped) and fill them with reams and reams and reams of crumpled greenbar reports. It’s quite a mess.
Personally, all I want is a door of sorts. Maybe I should string some beads.
I’m thinking I want a mirror. Where did you pick your up Dan?
I think I bought mine at AutoZone but it could have been Checker Auto Parts, I don’t remember which place. It cost about $2.95.
So far I have not been hit with a lead pipe, nor shot by a cubicle sniper.
I have noticed you are a quick checker. I could have whacked Levi many times over.
I think I’ve learned to expand my peripheral vision to include the mirror because I almost never look at it intentionally, I just notice someone moving in it.
I wonder if there’s a way you can make a PC desktop item (such as a blank document with a dark background) into a mirror. I got the idea from my Palm Pilot, which has an application called “mirror” that simply fills the screen with a black background, allowing you to see your reflection. Perhaps something similar can be done with a regular computer screen?
I have a solution for the seeing the entrance to your cubicle for people that cannot move their desks. It is an adjustable rear view mirror that attaches to your computer monitor. Puts eyes in the back of your head and let’s u surf the net and check e-mail without worrying about the boss. Comes with a copy clip too that holds notes or documents for copying. Here is the link… http://icucopyclip.com/blog/?p=42 You can also just go to ICUcopyclip.com, but that mirror is convex and cannot be moved as easily… I hope this helps!!