Just two short ones...
While working a summer job in the defense satellite bidness, I was not
told which conflicting tolerances I could compromise on a design. The
explanation hinged on my lack of security clearance: "It's more
important to the country for you to not hear that information than for
you to complete the task." That's when I first discovered they joys of
alcohol.
The other was at a HUGE bank in the most psychologically toxic work
environment I have EVER seen. A consultant making more money than God
(apparently for his talent in destroying morale) emails me, "Who
authorized you to fix this bug?" My responsibility was to undo the fix
and apologize.
And it WASN'T Enron...
Eric
--
"The obvious mathematical breakthrough would be development of an easy
way to
factor large prime numbers."
Bill Gates, The Road Ahead, Viking Penguin (1995), page 265