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This is all about selling people on a dream, in my opinion. A lot of tech people work in drab settings (at least I do), so images of colorful, social environmen

This is all about selling people on a dream, in my opinion. A lot of tech people work in drab settings (at least I do), so images of colorful, social environments awake a yearning for something better, for something more enjoyable. Isn't it a dream that many of us share, to earn a high income doing the things we love, all from inside a neighborhood coffee shop surrounded by smiling faces and cute baristas instead of some sterile office building?

skyraider 13y ago
Poetic. And a good point. The social vibe of a coffee shop gives me energy, and going to the same environment with the same people every day just drains that away.
- mmatants 13y ago
  I found I could never concentrate in a coffee shop. It depends on the task, ultimately. But the dream is of the metaphorical coffee shop, of course. You could work in a colourful bean-bag-chair-filled brick-and-beam, but still be miserable in your current role. Or you could come into a suburban corporate park and burst at the seams with energy.
- SkyMarshal 13y ago
  I like to think that, in tech centers at least, coffee shops are like the Parisian cafe scene of the Enlightenment - a hotbed of ideas and innovative thinking. Though these days it's maybe more of a supplement to the Internet.
  - cglace 13y ago
    They are also places where college kids setup for hours and never leave.
unoti 13y ago
There is some truth embedded in the dream, also. One study showed a link between creative breakthroughs and feeling happy: "Researchers have found that people are more likely to have a creative breakthrough if they were happy the day before."[1] If you work in a drab setting and hate it, get out more! [1] http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/creativity/creativity http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/creativity/creati...
JonnieCache 13y ago
>This is all about selling people on a dream, in my opinion You have just described literally all marketing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Engineering_of_Consent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Engineering_of_Consent It is no coincidence that the inventor of public relations was the nephew of Sigmund Freud. He wanted to call it simply "propaganda" but he decided that term's nazi connotations rendered it unsuitable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays
- zenbowman 13y ago
  Great post, I highly recommend the documentary "The Century of the Self" which covers this in frightening detail. I'm not a religious person, but in my view religious communities are some of the few that have been able to see and understand the deleterious effects of this "field of study".
  - Wicher 13y ago
    That is a good documentary indeed (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432232/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432232/). For me, it offered a better understanding of modern western civilization — of the interplay between politics, consumerism and spiritualism (without there being need for any conspiracies). Since watching it I regularly, on occasion, ask myself: Are my desires being channeled right now?
- 1qaz2wsx3edc 13y ago
  All marketing, at it's root, is about satisfying the two human motivators: sex & death.
  - JonnieCache 13y ago
    Don't forget fear of choking on your mother's penis or whatever it is. To really understand Freud I think you probably need a comparably boundless supply of 19th century viennese cocaine.
  - normloman 13y ago
betterunix 13y ago
I have tried working from a coffee shop several times. I found that my office is just a better place to get things done. Coffee shops are great if I want to write some quick emails or play Go with a friend, but when I need to sit down for a few hours and code or work on a paper I need a place without distractions. Drab offices are depressing, sure, but they are better for actually getting work done, at least for me.
- bluedino 13y ago
  >> I need a place without distractions. Drab offices are depressing, sure, but they are better for actually getting work done, at least for me. The thing about a coffee shop is that it provides just enough noise to not be distracting. Plus it's much easier to tune out the sound of an espresso machine, people coming in and out, and the clatter of dishes than it is a co-worker on speaker phone two cubes over or someone standing behind you talking. Sure, some people need complete silence and tranquility and work best in a closed door office, but many people can tune out and work well in a busy, noisy coffee shop.
jld 13y ago
Coffee is also connected with taking a break, and the image of a coffee cup conveys the idea that by using the product, your life would allow you to spend a lot of your time being leisurely.
deleted 13y ago
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skyraider 13y ago

Poetic. And a good point. The social vibe of a coffee shop gives me energy, and going to the same environment with the same people every day just drains that away.

mmatants 13y ago
I found I could never concentrate in a coffee shop. It depends on the task, ultimately. But the dream is of the metaphorical coffee shop, of course. You could work in a colourful bean-bag-chair-filled brick-and-beam, but still be miserable in your current role. Or you could come into a suburban corporate park and burst at the seams with energy.
SkyMarshal 13y ago
I like to think that, in tech centers at least, coffee shops are like the Parisian cafe scene of the Enlightenment - a hotbed of ideas and innovative thinking. Though these days it's maybe more of a supplement to the Internet.
- cglace 13y ago
  They are also places where college kids setup for hours and never leave.

unoti 13y ago

There is some truth embedded in the dream, also. One study showed a link between creative breakthroughs and feeling happy: "Researchers have found that people are more likely to have a creative breakthrough if they were happy the day before."[1] If you work in a drab setting and hate it, get out more! [1] http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/creativity/creativity http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/creativity/creati...

JonnieCache 13y ago

>This is all about selling people on a dream, in my opinion You have just described literally all marketing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Engineering_of_Consent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Engineering_of_Consent It is no coincidence that the inventor of public relations was the nephew of Sigmund Freud. He wanted to call it simply "propaganda" but he decided that term's nazi connotations rendered it unsuitable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays

zenbowman 13y ago
Great post, I highly recommend the documentary "The Century of the Self" which covers this in frightening detail. I'm not a religious person, but in my view religious communities are some of the few that have been able to see and understand the deleterious effects of this "field of study".
- Wicher 13y ago
  That is a good documentary indeed (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432232/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0432232/). For me, it offered a better understanding of modern western civilization — of the interplay between politics, consumerism and spiritualism (without there being need for any conspiracies). Since watching it I regularly, on occasion, ask myself: Are my desires being channeled right now?
1qaz2wsx3edc 13y ago
All marketing, at it's root, is about satisfying the two human motivators: sex & death.
- JonnieCache 13y ago
  Don't forget fear of choking on your mother's penis or whatever it is. To really understand Freud I think you probably need a comparably boundless supply of 19th century viennese cocaine.
- normloman 13y ago

betterunix 13y ago

I have tried working from a coffee shop several times. I found that my office is just a better place to get things done. Coffee shops are great if I want to write some quick emails or play Go with a friend, but when I need to sit down for a few hours and code or work on a paper I need a place without distractions. Drab offices are depressing, sure, but they are better for actually getting work done, at least for me.

bluedino 13y ago
>> I need a place without distractions. Drab offices are depressing, sure, but they are better for actually getting work done, at least for me. The thing about a coffee shop is that it provides just enough noise to not be distracting. Plus it's much easier to tune out the sound of an espresso machine, people coming in and out, and the clatter of dishes than it is a co-worker on speaker phone two cubes over or someone standing behind you talking. Sure, some people need complete silence and tranquility and work best in a closed door office, but many people can tune out and work well in a busy, noisy coffee shop.

jld 13y ago

Coffee is also connected with taking a break, and the image of a coffee cup conveys the idea that by using the product, your life would allow you to spend a lot of your time being leisurely.

deleted 13y ago

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