I’ve had to learn the hard way that machines can become unstable just as sure as a human being can become unstable! A computer’s CPU is essentially a brain after all, and like a human brain, if a computer is getting mixed or faulty signals, the rest of the body will become erratic.
We can apply this truth to a wide variety of people and things, but most recently, I encountered it when it comes to HVAC.
Suddenly, it seemed a lot colder in my office work space than it had been in the past. All the other co-workers were noticing It too. The women soon found that they would have to come in with extra layers. Soon, the guys were following suit. Nobody likes to speak up in my office, and they all just gossip about their complaints, so I decided to take the initiative to see what was going on. It seems that management was vaguely aware of the problem, as they have to pass through our work space on their way to their own private offices that have their own thermostats. When I confronted one of them, he said he wasn’t sure who had decided to lower the temperature. He said he would look into it, but it was a while before he got back to me. Basically, everyone in management had assumed that someone else decided the office space should be colder. Then, someone finally took a look at the thermostat. After some investigation, it was discovered that it was running constantly! It could not even be turned off. The thermostat was faulty. It was not getting the right signals about the coolness level of the room, so it was just running as if the room was never cooled off sufficiently. So, there you go: a disconnect in the thermostat’s “brain” and a disconnect in the brains of our esteemable upper management!