OT Friday post

[Jim Barrow]

>Gene Kim-Eng wrote:

>This was sent to me in another (not techwriting related) forum.  >Because of the recent "ask me about the monkey" posts, it seemed >timely.

Very dangerous.  I think that cross-posting OT Friday Funnies causes a rip in the space-time continuum.

>The Five Monkeys, or How Company Policies Evolve
>
>Start with a cage containing five monkeys.  Inside the cage, hang >a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it.

You're obviously familiar with the company that I work for.

>Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb >towards the banana.

Executive monkeys take the elevator.

>As soon as it touches the stair, spray all of the other monkeys >with cold water.

That's not very nice.

>After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same >result all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water.  Pretty >soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other >monkeys will try to prevent it.

I wasn't aware that monkeys were unionized.

>Now, put away the cold water, remove one monkey from the cage and >replace it with a new one.  The new monkey sees the banana and >wants to climb the stairs.  To its surprise, all of the other >monkeys attack it.

Now this is getting good!  Are there semi-automatic weapons and big explosions involved?

>After another attempt and attack, it knows that if it tries to >climb the stairs, it will be assaulted.

This is what I said every time I watched a "Die Hard" sequel.

>Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it >with a new one.  The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked.  >The previous newcomer joins the other monkeys in the attack.

Oooooh...you're talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp.

>Replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, >then the fifth.  Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, >it is attacked.

>After all the original monkeys have been replaced, no monkey in >the cage has ever been sprayed with cold water.  Nevertheless, no >monkey is ever again allowed to approach the stairs to try for the >banana.
>
>Why not?

Banana shortage?

>Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been done >around here.
>
>Sound familiar?

I like bananas.