Lost and found

Flashback to the 1980s, when alcohol hasn't yet been banned where this pilot fish works.

"One summer, we were working long hours and a lot of weekends on a major software application," says fish. "Being one of the key members of the development team, I was responsible for writing and testing a lot of our file conversion routines, which necessitated trial runs on the weekends so it would not impact production."

The company isn't willing to keep the office air conditioning on all weekend just for a few programmers, so fish's group sets up camp in the production control area of the data center -- which, naturally, is cooled 24/7.

The testing also means there have to be some computer operators working extra hours over the weekends. Being smart developers, fish and his small team quickly figure out that well-fed operators are happy and helpful operators, so they make it a point to buy the staff lunch or dinner.

"The meals usually consisted of pizza and beer, or wings and beer, or subs and beer -- you get the drift," fish says.

"The operators also showed us a neat trick. If you popped up the floor tile by the operator's main console by the A/C unit and placed your beverages there, they would stay cold a long time, saving trips upstairs to the break room."

The project goes on for several months, but in the end the upgrade is successful, everybody's happy, and fish and his cohorts move on to new projects.

Fast forward a few more months: Now operations is reconfiguring the data center to house some additional equipment.

And shortly after the reconfiguration project starts, fish gets a call from a data center operations manager who seems both slightly irritated and somewhat amused. The subject: a six-pack of beer found under the floor near the operator's main console.

"I asked how he knew it was mine," says fish. "He said, 'Because it has a yellow sticky on it that says Do Not Touch and your name.' OK, busted. The operations staff never touched it and eventually forgot it was there.

"In the end, the operations manager proudly displayed the six-pack on a shelf in his office with a sign that read Development -- Extra Beer Ration."

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