New Headquarters
This is my new office on Orcas Island. The rest of the house is piled high with boxes, but at least this part is functional. The body of water outside is East Sound, which is about a mile wide. The west side of the island rises up on the other side.
It’s peaceful here, except for the seaplanes that take off under my window, four times a day, and the occasional speedboat. A raccoon just walked across my deck, a minute ago. A pack of ten mule deer hover like paparazzi outside our front gate because the previous owner fed them honey oats.
We have DSL now, and it looks likely that I will be able to get 2.5 megabit symmetrical wifi beamed from an access point across the East Sound. If that comes through, I will be able to conduct some great online training, next year.
My plan (starting January) is to travel a lot less, and do a lot more writing and online training.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:16 am
Wow, James nice view, congratulations on your new place, your giving us all something to shoot for. Maybe in a few years I’ll be able to ….
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:04 am
What a spectacular view! Yours makes most corner offices look shabby.
[James' Reply: When you and Cem visit, this room will be part of your private suite.]Â
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:48 am
This is awesome James …
I am sure the outside water front and nature beauty would stimulate your ever curious/hyper active mind to create sensational stuff for testing community …
I would have loved to see you in the office …You are the inspiration for testers all over the world …
Congrats on your new office …
Shrini
August 2nd, 2007 at 3:53 am
The island and the seaplanes are a good start. Now you need to work on the hidden volcano base with the retractable-extensible missile launchpad. I can grind you a monocle, but you’re on your own if you want a white cat to pet.
Oh wait, were we not supposed to talk about that? Sorry.
Seriously, best wishes on your new lair. What’s the SCUBA like around there? is the water too hectic?
[James' Reply: The water is famously dangerous, but there is diving. I would guess they use dry suits. I passed a dive shop other day. By the way, instead of sharks, I want orca whales in the big tank underneath the trap doors.]
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:38 am
Very nice! I’m jealous
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:01 am
Hey James!
Glad to hear that your road trip across U.S went well and that you settle down alright.
Your office looks great and I can imagine that this environment will be good for your writing.
I´m looking forward to read your new book!
Cheers
Henrik
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Congratulation James, It’s a lovley looking place you have there.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:53 am
That’s nice James! Time for you to help Satisfice India get such an office
I am eagerly waiting for my visit to our Headquarters next year.
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:53 am
Everything looks OK except the shirt. I wonder why you wanted that in the view? Was it naturally there or did you place it there to create a scenario of a working office.
If i were there, i would do anything but work. Love it
[James' Reply: Not only is that my actual shirt, I have six more just like it. I wear them all the time. I love my comfy shirts. This island is cold enough so that I can wear them every day.]Â
August 3rd, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Dreaming James, congrats!
August 6th, 2007 at 6:39 am
great looking office, just like the great book “Lessons Learned in Software Testing” which is quite interesting and excellently written and one of my favourites.
[James' Reply: Thanks!]
August 6th, 2007 at 11:15 pm
Great spot, James. As soon as you see the Toughbook and the shirt, we know it is your territory. Looks like it was the magical hour too, just at sunset. Will you be doing some flying? And just, think, you are so much closer to the Canadian border [grin]….. I was hoping to cross paths again at STARwest, but you are working, good for you…
I’ll just have to impress other people with my amazing exploratory testing demo…..
cheers,
Erik
[James' Reply: Flying! Yeah!]
August 7th, 2007 at 2:59 am
I was lucky enough to visit Orcas after CAST - definitely my favourite of all the places I visited in Washington, although I hope that the weather is a bit better than when I was there… Best wishes on the new place and I look forward to all the writings.
August 7th, 2007 at 7:47 am
Great view James - work is fun if you love what you are doing - and is more fun if done from a place like this. Excellent! Specially loved that mild sunlight on the glass panels. Awesome view too!
August 8th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Simply wonderful! Well, I was not talking about the office room; rather the backdrop, where it is setup!
On a serious note, congratulations on your new headquarter. I was wondering if it could have been any better! I am a nature lover and looks like you have got your office at a place where nature and wild/marine life are at their best! Would have loved to have my own office in such a location.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Welcome to the Northwest, James. Great time to be in the San Juans, my wife and I took a sailing cruise there last August.
Enjoy your new home.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Are you sure you are going to be able to get any work done? Heh. Well, now that you are in the northwest, I hope you can make it to PNSQC in Portland more often. If not as a speaker, then as an attendee.
-Mark in Beaverton, OR
[James' Reply: Yeah, I'll probably be focusing more on doing work and attending conferences in the Northwest, from now on.]
August 8th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
“I want orca whales in the big tank underneath the trap doors”
With frikkin laser beams?
Fantastic view. I’m wondering if we can get the standards nazis to advocate views like this as standard. That might get my vote.
August 9th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Beautiful place! Welcome to the Evergreen State. Glad to have you here keeping thoughtful human testing alive.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:11 am
“and demand $1 MILLION or else you’ll launch that earth-destroying missile from your hidden launchpad…oh wait! its 2007, demand $1 TRILLION”
wonderfully scenic picturesque…can imagine how stimulating this view would be to you and your thought process. of course, the more stimulated you are, the better it is for testers like us out there, hoping that this makes you write a sequel to my bed-time read “lessons learnt in software testing”.
don’t you want a herman miller (Aeron) chair to go along this wonderful setup!
[James' Reply: I don't want to spend money on a chair. I have to save for a pickup truck and a generator.]Â
August 21st, 2007 at 9:57 am
James, I have recently found you via your book “Lessons Learned in Software Testing”. Thanks for inspiring me to be a tester who’s a cut above. Pushing free thought in a huge corporation who’s life (until recently) has been hardware is not an easy task. Your status as an expert will help me convince others that testing is not a trivial unimportant part of our development process. Anyway, I’m quite sure you deserve such a wonderful office and I hope to be a neighbor some day. My wife and I are vacationing there in a week. Wahoo!
[James' Reply: Thanks, Stu. I can't wait to get back home. I have sailing lessons set up next week.]Â
August 29th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
Happy for you James!
What a beautiful, peaceful setting in which to think, teach and write!
We look forward to future classes - the learning to date has proven incredibly valuable (boy I do have a gift for stating the obvious sometimes!)
All the Best!!!
-john
September 3rd, 2007 at 2:23 pm
That is a seriously awesome view. I remember you talking about the possibility of the move a few years ago, and am glad it came together. I look forward to visiting.
[James' Reply: I wish you would visit, Dave. I miss you terribly. We could hold our own SEM meeting up here.]