Michael Recently, I was walking through the cubicle rows at Netscape again to make myself a cappuccino in the kitchen. There's a professional espresso machine there that not only creates a top-notch "crema" but also has an endless steam wand for frothing milk, hiss, hiss. On one of my first days at work, I had to have a colleague explain how to use it, but by now I could easily serve at the counter in a cafe.

By the way, the drinks at Netscape are free and available in unlimited quantities, in line with an ancient hacker tradition, which, incidentally, the now infamous giant "Microsoft" started: In the kitchen, there's a huge refrigerator like in a supermarket, with hundreds of drink cans (Figure 1); maybe 15 types of "Coke," "Pepsi," all the associated diet, caffeine-free, and other combinations, as well as more exotic things like "Welch's Lemonade" and "Fruit Punch" -- there's something for every taste. The absolute in-drink in hacker circles at the moment is "Mountain Dew," a neon green shimmering caffeinated soda -- just an insider tip.

As I was once again strolling through the rows, I noticed that something had changed in one of the cubicles. There, a blue and white flag with the state coat of arms and the inscription "Free State of Bavaria" was prominently displayed (Figure 2). What on earth was going on there?! I looked into the cubicle and addressed the gentleman sitting there in English, asking if he knew that I also came from this region in Germany. Immediately, in a strong Bavarian dialect, he responded, asking if I spoke German. It turned out that "Dieter" was from Rosenheim near Munich, had been living in the USA for twenty years, and was married to an American. He spoke in the original dialect, and we chatted for half an hour until Chris (my boss) came by and reminded me that I was supposed to be in a meeting, haha!

In closing, here's an internal announcement of the newsletter editorial team: After the Süddeutsche Zeitung and the computer magazine iX, for which I occasionally write, have decided to switch to the new spelling rules, the newsletter is following suit -- even though at our age, we are not as flexible anymore. But if Günter Grass is against it, I must be for it. Make way for Angelika!

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