One of the benefits of working next to an R&D laboratory at an electronics manufacturer is that the guys are always playing around with cold lasers and soldering irons and other manly tools of self-destruction. The lab is also the coolest place in the building as the stupid Cool Biz rules don't apply in there - the huge industrial coolers keep it nice and icy. We all make it a point to walk through there several times a day.
The mad scientists next door are currently developing next-gen hydroponics systems for some project or another. They are testing these systems next to our office windows and on the roof with tomato, eggplant, and cucumber plants, and they obviously are onto something because the yield of these plants is unbelievable. I've been supplementing my grocery store and produce stand purchases with what I score at work for the past month or so, and I'm very grateful what with large tomatoes going for a dollar at most Japanese supermarkets.
In work terms, I'm afraid this translates to me commenting that the hydro systems seem to need a bit more tweaking - maybe for, say, energy efficiency! - and that more "testing" is needed. I think I'm going to have to suggest new plants as well, because I'm all cucumbered out.
