Actually, no, government offices in California are no trendier than in DC. Here's the thing about government, which television producers just can't seem to accept: they don't spend money on the things you'd think they would. The gods only know where all that federal money goes, but it sure doesn't go into making the workplace pretty or comfortable. And even if it did, the rule about efficient functioning still applies. They might shell out for good carpet and nice pictures, but the offices are still going to be well-lit and logically laid out. None of these half-lit labyrinths with the cutesy little lamps hanging from the ceiling three feet above your desk.

But real offices just aren't very interesting to look at onscreen, and TV producers prefer to make things look "attractive" (to who, I don't know) than to be realistic, despite what they might say about their shows being truthful. I sure as hell wouldn't want to work at that place - it would be very difficult for me to see what I'm doing, for one thing.

Remember Wargames? The NORAD set? Around the time the film came out, a guy who worked there was interviewed about the film, and one comment he made was that the command room at NORAD was about 1/3 the size, was not split level, had no big screens on the walls (certainly not the flashy high-tech stuff you see in the film), and was really pretty boring to look at. That was the first time I noticed this phenomenon, and I've been seeing it ever since. Life is just too dull for television, and reality isn't worth banking on.

I shall check out that link. Thanks!