Next time you move, don't forget to take the weight of electricity into account. At least, that's the conclusion a certain manager drew when moving to a new location a few years ago.
Chris was an engineer working for a major defense contractor back in 1996. They were moving to a new location over the weekend, so the team had been frantically preparing everything for the move. Things were so hectic, even the Network Manager, who bore an eerie resemblance to the Pointy Haired Boss in the Dilbert comic, had to roll up his sleeves and pitch in.
Friday came, and at 5 PM the team powered down all the servers. The move was officially on and everybody started lugging heavy equipment around. That's when the boss got a brilliant idea. He stood up, called everyone's attention and announced his clever plan for making things a whole lot easier.
"These UPS's are really heavy," he said. "Mark and Fred, start draining all the batteries."
Chris and his coworkers looked at each other. More than a few eyebrows were raised in puzzlement. The boss, uncomfortable about the absence of cheers and applause for his great idea, cleared his throat and clarified: "Well... You know, so they weigh less."
It was a true Dilbert moment. After a few seconds of shocked silence, the entire room exploded with laughter. And in true pointy hair style, the boss never did seem to fully comprehend the reason for the hilarity, making it all the funnier.
