The Boring Part of Bell Labs (2025) • Hacker News Board

Re: The Boring Part of Bell Labs (2025)

#21

Post by ameliaquining » Wed, May 13, 2026, 10:27 PM UTC

roc856a wrote: post #11

Nice article, bad title. I worked at Holmdel and other locations for 10 years in development, not research, and it was very far from boring.

Presumably it was less sexy than the stuff that's most associated with Bell Labs in the public understanding. That's what the title's getting at.

Re: The Boring Part of Bell Labs (2025)

#22

Post by rramadass » Thu, May 14, 2026, 4:20 AM UTC

I worked at the Holmdel Lucent building in the late 90s. It was huge and for me the library in the atrium on the ground floor was the best. Browsed so many books on varied subjects there during breaks.

The other highlight was the cafeteria ;-)

Good memories.

Re: The Boring Part of Bell Labs (2025)

#23

Post by doug_durham » Thu, May 14, 2026, 5:08 AM UTC

I went to Stanford for my Masters in CS in the late 80's. I encountered several folks who were there on a fellowship from Bell Labs. None of them had any intention on returning the New Jersey after they completed their degrees. I can only imagine that the program didn't last long after that.

Re: The Boring Part of Bell Labs (2025)

#24

Post by dave333 » Thu, May 14, 2026, 5:29 AM UTC

The access roads for Holmdel are interesting - two ovals running in opposite directions with U-turns at intervals.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Holmdel,+NJ/@40.3670801,-7...

Re: The Boring Part of Bell Labs (2025)

#25

Post by linschn » Thu, May 14, 2026, 6:28 AM UTC

rdbl27 wrote: post #20

yubblegum wrote: post #4

I was looking at that building interior and the (faux) leather seats built into the concrete that surrounds the sunken waiting area, and it got me thinking about perception and how much of our reality is a sort of mind game we engage in. Back in the day, that space must have felt like a sort of corporate power display with edgy futuristic vibes. The secretaries sat in the middle area and (mostly) men in dark suits an…

You used a lot of fancy words to say "fashions in interior design change over time," making much of little in the process.

What a needlessly mean comment. Maybe you should watch a few of the Tati movies ? Start with playtime, you'll see what gp meant, which is richer than just interior design fashion.

Re: The Boring Part of Bell Labs (2025)

#26

Post by lunaticlabs » Sat, May 16, 2026, 11:56 PM UTC

It’s a cool building. I got the privilege of being part of a hackathon that was run out of the building after it was no longer in use. I had a startup making a laser tag style game of assassin with cell phones, and I got to stay up all night with a bunch of college kids playing assassin in the building. Got to wander around to off limits areas and read white board graffiti from the last departing employees. It’s a the kind of office space I’ve only dreamed about working in.