Old Economy/New Economy: Boeing Announces Production Delays, Google Announces Colorful Bouncy Balls

787 Dreamliner, courtesy of Boeing

Boeing's announced yet another delay in production of its Dreamliner jet. It's the third such delay, almost sure to push back completion and require late delivery penalty payments to customers.

The problem, of course, is that building something like a jet requires hundreds of thousands of parts from dozens of different suppliers--some factory tech in China flips the wrong switch and you end up with 13,000,000 wire casings that are half-an-inch too narrow.

Or, as Boeing Commercial Airplane CEO Scott Carson put it, "We continue to be challenged by start-up issues in our factory and in our extended global supply-chain."

Meanwhile, life at Google is a little more relaxed.

Your products come out of your brain, so the supply-chain is your neurons. To keep them firing, Google's new Fremont office has a bunch of mental health perks that sound totally awesome. (But which our great uncle, a former Boeing employee, would almost assuredly deem "folderol.")

Among these, named by the P-I's John Cook, are: three catered meals daily, on-site massage therapist, air hockey table, dart board, foosball table, free gym membership, kayaks, "quiet room" with lava lamps and massage table, giant white boards, colorful bouncy balls, free snacks, a pet center with treats and toys (dogs welcome). The offices are decorated with artwork by employees.

So, basically, everyday at work at Google is like we'd imagine a trip on the Dreamliner will be. Assuming it ever gets off the ground.