I set up the orange juice and arrange the vegies so that they look attractive, the shines of the red radishes and the sharp flecks of orange color in their skins reflecting on the streaks of yellow and orange in the carrots. If Ken can't eat donuts, then we need to make the alternatives appealing.

Jim is setting up the beat transponders, that new network-driven device that augments heartbeats so everyone in the room can sense everyone else. It's the latest development in public approaches to consensus decisionmaking. Supposed to help ensure that everyone is genuinely sensed and reassure everyone that their feelings count.

I hate the transponder's artificial intensity. When we first got it a few weeks ago, I asked Bob, our building programmer, if we could tone it down a bit. He looked horrified, his heartbeat went KAtumpaKAtumpaKA and said of course not, that would lead to secret agendas and hidden motives. We can't have that--security concerns. Security is far too often used as an excuse around here now, if you ask me.

All the equipment works just fine. I test it on my forced-calm heart.