From uhog.mit.edu!news.mtholyoke.edu!nntp.et.byu.edu!netline-fddi.jpl.nasa.gov!hudson.lm.com!godot.cc.duq.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!gatech!swrinde!pipex!uunet!looking!funny-request Fri Dec 9 13:03:32 EST 1994 Article: 5531 of rec.humor.funny Newsgroups: rec.humor.funny From: mbk@lyapunov.ucsd.edu (Matt Kennel) Subject: Of Microsoft and Manholes Keywords: chuckle, original, computers Approved: funny@clarinet.com Path: uhog.mit.edu!news.mtholyoke.edu!nntp.et.byu.edu!netline-fddi.jpl.nasa.gov!hudson.lm.com!godot.cc.duq.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!gatech!swrinde!pipex!uunet!looking!funny-request Message-ID: Date: Wed, 7 Dec 94 19:30:04 EST Lines: 62 Legends have sprung up about the unusual questions that Microsoft's recruiters sometimes seem ask during a job interview. One of them, in particular, is ``Why are manhole covers round?'' People have chimed in with quite a variety of logical reasons, such as the fact that round ones can't fall in the hole or perhaps that round ones may be rolled so construction crews may schlep them from place to place---certainly a good reason considering their weight. Perhaps one of the best answers, considering Microsoft's line of business, is of course, "because manholes are round." Now given this I was surprised to hear on the net from a now unidentifiable source that near Microsoft headquarters, the actual manhole covers in their streets are square! This rather baffled me, until I saw the light. For the net's humble amusement may I present.... Top 10 Reasons Why Microsoft's Manhole Covers are Square: 10) Shortened beta test cycle. 9) City got a special deal for bundling square manhole covers with their manholes despite the presence of superior alternatives. 8) Microsoft Street For Windows crashes on circles. Tech support says Chicago has them working, denies copying Apple/Cupertino's round covers. 7) Construction company had to sign non-competition agreement barring street developers from any contact with Euclid. 6) DR-DOS found compatible with round ones. 5) They make $49 dollars on each upgrade: Manhole Cover 1.0: the original. Manhole Cover 1.1: turned 90 degrees. Manhole 1.2: turned 180 degrees. Manhole 2.0 New Technology: flipped upside down. 4) Perfect game piece for acting out those wacky Human Minesweeper tournaments. 3) Ziff-Davis publishing pushing new mag ``Square Manhole World''. 2) To prepare for Windows Everywhere: Windows For Manhole Covers. 1) Every single circle reminds The Bill of "O"-S-2. cheers matt (joke is original) -- -Matt Kennel mbk@inls1.ucsd.edu -Institute for Nonlinear Science, University of California, San Diego -- Selected by Maddi Hausmann Sojourner with Brad Templeton. MAIL your joke (jokes ONLY) to funny@clarinet.com. If you see a problem with an RHF posting, reply to the poster please, not to us. Ask the poster to forward comments back to us if this is necessary.