men without worth

A snip from the life of non-traditional workforce. This has happened to me before. Yet everytime it amuzes and baffles me. I got a work order to go check some problems on a pair of chart recorders for some cold boxes. When I get to the cold boxes the technician from the calibration lab tells me he can't access the program for calibration. I tell him: I didn't set these peticular chart recorders up with their parameters, but since I've set up a few, I begin scrolling through the menus on the interface. I discover there is a password in the program, that is anyone's guess. He tells me the chart recorders were purchased from another company and some of his co-workers have come across them in another area of the facility. He said they ended up calling the other company and getting access that way. I said there is a global password, and did he try that? At that time, the director for the area walked up and wanted to know when the recorders would be ready for production, where we were with these, what was holding us up, etc... The cal lab guy says why don't we pull the power off the recorder and remove the battery. I figure it can't hurt it, knowing there's enough residual in the thing for me to dash over to my office and get the manual for the recorder. So as I leave, the cal lab guy removes the power and battery. When I get to my office I look over the manual, and it says in very vague lanuage, a mention of a password jumper. So I go back to the recorders and there is noone there. I jumper the password on the main board and viola! I put the device in calibration mode. Then I set the password protection to default and go to lunch break. I go on break and then back to my office where there is an email from the director saying the Cal lab guy saved the day by accessing the recorder and cracking the password code. Hmmm? Now the Cal lab guy knows full well he left the recorder off. When he came back it was on. He didn't talk to me to find out if that whole power off suggestion of his worked. So what did he say to the director? I never told either the Cal lab guy nor the director that the password was reset by my jumper which I removed before I powered the recorder back in calibration mode. Let them marinate in their divine glory. (I know this is harsh, but if you met Cal lab guy, you'd catch how much more important he is than you.) He has the same manual I have, he can read, I presume, and find the very same information I did concerning password bypass if he ever runs into the same problem, or (snicker) call the former owner of the recorder!