But while Starbucks' staff are busy evicting computer users in Asia, the company is installing wireless local area networks in its 2000 branches in the United States to allow people to surf the Net. Many branches have larger tables that you can book for meetings and don't chase out those who turn up to work there everyday. They are places where ideas are brewed up alongside the coffee and where fortuitous encounters have led to new businesses being born. They are also vital for people who work at home. Working from home seems a great idea until you encounter the isolation and the dismal blurring of all boundaries between work and the rest of your life.
Distractions are incessant.
You soon discover that a deftly employed vacuum cleaner can do more damage to your thought processes than a lobotomy. Most home workers find they need to get out, and laptops and mobile phones leave you free to wander. In Singapore, Starbucks has no plans to install power sockets, never mind wireless access to the Net. Michael de Jong, general manager of The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf chain, says his branches were aiming for a more relaxed ambiance with sofas and comfy chairs, but would consider installing wireless technology if there was demand. He did tell me, however, that his company has no rules against using computers or power sockets and that he would instruct his branch managers not to evict computer users in future.