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From: carlton@masscomp.UUCP (Carlton Hommel)
Newsgroups: net.rumor
Subject: Re: Computer Horror Stories
Message-ID: <881@masscomp.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 26-Feb-86 11:05:08 EST
Article-I.D.: masscomp.881
Posted: Wed Feb 26 11:05:08 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 28-Feb-86 21:46:07 EST
Reply-To: carlton@masscomp.UUCP (Carlton Hommel)
Organization: Masscomp - Westford, Ma
Lines: 21

Here is a story that had a sad ending for someone other than a hapless
operator or programmer.  My friend was working on the problem hotline for a
service hotline.  An night-shift operator called him with the following story.

   Fred the operator started a several-hour batch job, and went out to see
   a movie.  He got some popcorn.  Hot, buttered, popcorn.  During
   intermission, he went back to the machine room to change disk packs. 
   Oops!  The popcorn got knocked over.  What a mess.  Unpopped kernels
   (corn, that is - not unix) all over the place.  Hot butter all over the
   heads.  Well, the thing to do is to scoop out as many of the kernels as
   possible, and wipe off the heads with a paper towel.  Plop in the new disk
   pack, and no one will know.  Cycle the drive up, and...  Oh Oh.  Terrible
   grinding noises.  Push the off switch!  Oops, the grinding got worse.
   Power it up again?  No, now the whole unit is washboarding towards the
   CPU.  I know!  I'll pull the plug!  *Crackle Sizzle*

After my friend John stopped laughing, he told Fred, "I'm sorry, stupidity
isn't covered by your service contract," and hung up.  John's boss failed to
see the humor, and fired him the next day.

Carl Hommel