[lfjokes] but now somehow it's my fault.

[Adam Shand]

I've heard the first part of this joke many times (though normally aimed 
at Microsoft technical support rather then engineers in general).  Being 
an engineer I like the rebuttal. :)

Adam.

From:http://diveintomark.org/archives/2003/05/02/but_now_it_is_somehow_my_fault.html

A man is flying in a hot air balloon and realizes he is lost. He reduces 
height and spots a man down below. He lowers the balloon further and 
shouts, "Excuse me. Can you help me? I promised my client that I would 
meet him half an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am."

The man below says, "Yes. You are in a hot air balloon, hovering 
approximately 30 feet above this field. You are between 40 and 42 
degrees N. latitude, and between 58 and 60 degrees W. longitude."

"You must be an engineer," says the balloonist.

"I am," replies the man. "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."

"I am," replies the balloonist, "but how did you know?"

"Well," says the man below, "you don’t know where you are, or where you 
are going. You have made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, 
and 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 it is somehow my 
fault."