Posted by TerryS (24.24.79.72) on October 03, 2000 at 20:09:30:
A man in a hot air balloon realizes he's lost.
He reduces height and spots a man down below.
He lowers the balloon further and shouts, "Excuse me! Can you help me?
"I'm due at a rally point, and my team's counting on me to make it there on time; but, actually, I don't know where I am."
The man below says, "Sure. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 degrees north latitude and between 58 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," says the balloonist.
"Yes, I am," replies the man. "But how did you know?"
"Well", says the balloonist, "everything you have told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost."
The man below says, "You must be a manager."
"Well, that's right," replies the balloonist; "but how did you know?"
"Think about it," says the man below. "You didn't know where you were, and you didn't have a clue as to where you're going. You have
made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and now you expect me to solve your problem.
"The fact is, you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now — somehow — it's become my fault."