I work in a cube farm. And I like it.

Coming from a work environment where I shared what was supposed to be a large storage closet with three other people with barely enough desk space for my computer and keyboard I was happy to get my very own desk in my very own cube. I have a comfortable chair, an L shaped desk that gives me plenty of surface space, a lockable overhead cabinet, two attached and lockable drawers, two deep shelves, an attached coat closet and a mobile foot rest / guest seat with two more lockable drawers. My exposed cube wall behind me is covered halfway by a dry erase board and half with a Reel Big Fish Turn the Radio Off! poster. In front of me and behind me is a row of glass we often refer to as a “sneeze guard”.

These “sneeze guards” are very much like what covers the food at your favorite hog trough buffet only instead of seeing gooey mac & cheese or dried out chicken and greasy pizza you see weary-eyed worker ants staring at their monitors. Consequently you also see what’s on the monitors of these coffee-guzzling laborers. I personally try to avoid looking to see what someone else is doing but in such an environment it’s near-impossible to not notice things from time to time taking place on the monitor in front of you.

Earlier this week I noticed a coworker open a minimized window that was encouraging her to send in personal information for lower car insurance rates; a popular pop-up as old as time itself. Expecting to see the window closed any second, I was surprised to see the viewer continue to look at the pop-up. “Surely they’re not reading it…” I thought. I was wrong.

And then it happened.

The button got clicked and a variety of questions opened up in a new window asking for car make and model, accident history, median income. And while said person closed the window after answering a few other questions, not giving out any real information, I breathed a sigh of relief, though the fact remained…

I did nothing

I just watched it happen. Now, I submit myself before seasoned web users, hardcore anti-Internet Explorer browser enthusiasts, anti-malware / anti-spyware computer users and good friends around the world and ask – no, beg – for forgiveness. If you can find it in your heart to let me off with a slap on the wrist for this slip of work environment mind that could’ve easily caused (and my still cause) my friend electronic grief.

Whatever punishment you deem necessary is certainly appropriate but I implore you to take it easy on me.

Thanks, and it will never happen again.