Back when I was chained to a desk and confined to a cube, I perfected a nifty technique for eluding supervisory detection during frequent absences from my work space. I’d get a hot cup of coffee from the company canteen, place it next to an open folder on my desk, drape a sports coat over the back of my chair and slip away. People would walk by, see the steaming coffee, the active folder, the jacket and assume I was elsewhere in the building, soon to return from a vital work-related mission. Meanwhile, I’d be walking around the building, seeing what was in bloom, catching some fresh air. read more