I'd like to formally ask Rich and/or John (I hope I've got the right
mailing list (;-)) to set a date for the first Atari Engineering BBL.
My nomination for a first topic would be:

"Management's Role in Fostering Creativity"

but I'd sure like to here what other people would like to discuss

There will be a brown bag lunch this Thursday, 12:00 noon sharp, The topic
will be  "Brown Bag I" subtitled "Ways to foster Creativity". It will be 
held in the engineering conference room with Rich Moore.
The purpose of this "meeting" will be for US to talk and management to listen
to concrete ideas on how we (meaning management and peons) can create a 
creative environment at Atari. I will be the moderater; we will, hopefully,
deal in realistic and specific plans which will be implemented, kvetching
(e.g. I can't get anything done because everybody hates me etc.) and
schmickeling (e.g. I just think management is doing a wonderful job and this
is the best of all possible managers etc.) will be promptly censured. Please
RSVP me as soon as possible so that I can get an idea of wiether we can
all fit into the room. 

P.S. yes I know, I can't spell

P.P.S. least the question arise, yes I can be bought (;-)

I'm sorry, I seem to have given the impression that only people with
specific ideas may attend the lunch. My apologizes, I was try to impress
upon people that this was not to be hand waving, great thory but no action
kind of meeting. Of course all are welcome, in fact the more the merrier...

s/thory/theory/

There will be another brown bag lunch this thursday, same time (noon),
same place (eng conf room). Last meeting we discussed those factors which
foster and inhibit creativity. We came to the following conclusions:

FOSTER:

        1. Communication
                both within the company and with the outside world

        2. Solutions, not Problems
                think of reasons why it will work, not why it won't

        3. Positive Feedback
                atta-boys (sexist), management involvement

INHIBIT:

        1. Inbreeding, NIH
                the assumption that we know it all and best

        2. Problems, not Solutions

        3. Monkey See/Monkey Do, Knee Jerk management
                reacting to the current marketplace instead of innovating
                for the future, short range planning

        4. Cubicals
                FEH!

        5. Feudal Society
                operating as a loose confederation as opposed to a single
                company


We also felt that the fault was not in our not being creative enough or
not working hard enough, but rather the system in which we toil. To that
end each person attending this weeks meeting is ask to bring at least
one suggestion as to how they would change the current system to make it
more responsive to our needs

My car died yesterday (actually the muffler fell off) and I have to spend
lunch today running around getting it fixed. Soo... Today's Brown Bag
Lunch is cancelled. See you next Thursday.

There will be a Brwon Bag lunch tomorrow in the Eng Conference room, I would
like to discuss ways that we can specifically improve communications and
what other companies that we have worked for have done to improve morale
creativity, and communications

see you dere