As part of being an engineering student at UNC Charlotte, I receive access to these specialty computer labs, called Mosaic Labs, that have computers with engineering software installed on them. It's an excellent service, giving us the tools we require to advance our education. What's more is that it has a whole set of wonderful rules because what lab would not be complete with rules? The number one rule of the Mosaic labs is that no food or drink is allowed. On one hand, I understand this rule. There is a fear of germs being spread, the potential of dirtying the keyboards and mice and the risk of spilling a drink onto the keyboard or computer and thus ruining the machine. Regardless, it's a harsh rule if I cannot even have water in the lab, where I may be stuck working for many hours of the day.
Well, earlier today I had a run-in with rule number one in the Mosaic lab. My Nalgeen water bottle was propped onto the table that I was working at and I was intensely working on a report due at the end of the week when suddenly my screen began to flicker. A moment later a window popped up from the Mosaic service. The message read, "Please remember that no food or drink is allowed within the Mosaic facilities. Please remove the bottle from your desk. Thank you." I had the dreaded sense of being an inmate of a panoptic facility as described by Jeremy Bentham. A supervisor from a remote room has the ability to look through all the camera feeds throughout each Mosaic facility on campus. Not only that, they have the ability to locate the computer that the perpetrator is on and access the computer remotely to give them their warning. If the infractions continue, Mosaic can suspend the perpetrator's account for some amount of time.
Following the incident, I kept my bottle on the floor and behaved. I did have a twinge of anger built up, in which I wanted to pour my water over the keyboard in rebellion, but I knew better. It's interesting that I even had this irrational thought to begin with. Certainly I wouldn't even consider committing such an act if this rule were not in place, controlling where I can and cannot consume food and drink. Due to the existence of these rules, I wanted to feel like a rebellious child just as seen in many rebellious children that have strict parents.
