I worked on a job to put a stock control system into the organisation that installed and repaired emergency service radio systems in the UK - from transmitter masts to handheld police radios and everything in between. As part of the job a large team was brought in one weekend to blitz the stores, doing a stocktake, so accurate figures could be entered for the go live date. As they were offering large amounts of overtime I was happy to join the team.
While working our way through the stores, myself and my partner were working through the manual stock catalogue, identifying and counting items. One of the items listed was 1/2 inch tape, so we were looking for rolls of insulating or gaffer tape, but what we found were rolls of coper strip, 1/2 inch thick, 1 inch wide and approximately 30 feet long, rolled up into something that was about 3 feet in diameter. It was in fact the conductors used for earth straps for lightning conductors on radio masts and antennae. Each roll required two of us to carry them, and we found them stashed in dark corners near the exits, presumably ready for sneaking off to the local scrap metal dealer.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
