Odd Requests to Hiring Managers
In a recent CareerBuilder.com survey, nearly 3,000 hiring managers nationwide shared some of the more memorable requests or recommendations they have received in the office suggestion box.

Among the choice responses:

• Request to put beer in the vending machine;
• Request to add a tanning bed to the break room;
• Request that the HR person wear nicer shoes;
• Request that jail time be covered under family medical leave;
• Request to institute bikini Fridays;
• Request to work only during daylight hours because employee is scared of the dark;
• Request to replace a desk with a futon so an employee can work while lying down; and
• Request for more time off to pursue side business as a clown.

If bikini Friday is granted, somebody's gonna want Hawaiian shirt Wednesday.

Bizarre Office Space Requests
OfficeBroker.com, a U.K.-based online provider of commercial office space, released a list of some particularly unusual requests that have accompanied clients' office space needs.

Here are five:

• A company asked for an office with its own bomb shelter, which would withstand any terrorist attack including nuclear or germ warfare;
• A music industry mogul requested diamond-studded toilet seats for a certain demanding client;
• A company president asked for an office to be fitted with a personal spray tan booth;
• A rural office needed be at least a mile from the nearest farm so that staff would not be distracted by 'country smells'; and
• A medical professional with an interest in taxidermy wanted a gallery adjoining his office to display his collection of stuffed animals.

A diamond-studded toilet seat? Really? We're surprised former-Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain didn't think of that one for his office.

How Can I Fix My Computer?
In flowchart format:

Click image for larger view.
Source: xkcd / CC license

H1N1: Mall Santa Occupational Hazard
Another item to add to the list of things to avoid because they're probably going to give you swine flu: mall Santa Clauses. Many of the nation's Santas want to be given priority for the swine flu vaccine.

Ric Erwin, secretary of the Fraternal Order of Real-Bearded Santas, told the Boston Herald this week that those who don the red suit "probably should get it before the general public" because sick children and their parents are an "occupational hazard" that Santas face.

According to the Associated Press, Ernest Berger, president of another group called Santa America, asked an Alabama congressman last week to designate Santas as a priority group for the swine flu vaccine, like health care workers or infant caregivers.

In response, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) told the Herald, "We sympathize with Santas. However, they are in the same position as many teachers, day-care providers and parents."

Would a flu facemask even cover that big bushy beard?

Non-Existent Geek Laws That Should Exist
Over at Wired.com, the GeekDad blog offers up "10 geeky laws that should exist but don't."

Some favorites (including a callout to a character from "The Simpsons"):

5. Jobs's Law: No matter how well last year's cool tech gadget still works, it will seem utterly inadequate the moment the new version comes out.

9. Comic Book Guy's Law: There is no detail of a movie too brief or inconsequential to become the subject of an hours-long diatribe.

10. The Unified Geek Theory: At present, the President of the United States, the wealthiest person in the United States, and the most trusted newscaster in the United States are all geeks. At the same time, movies based on comic book characters are routinely taking in hundreds of millions of dollars. The only reasonable conclusion is: We've won!