風雨之夜
作者： 華西車城
昨晚， 漆黑的夜空， 被連續不停的雷雨狠狠地抽打， 閃電劃破夜空如同白晝。
這種天氣， 人們最擔心的事情， 莫過於停電。
我， 想到了女兒的小狗， 維爾伯。每次雷雨天氣， 它都驚魂失措， 四處躲藏。即使抱在懷裡， 仍然不得安寧。它總是膽怯地鑽到床底， 直到雷電結束。女兒去維加斯玩了， 我照看維爾伯的一個夜晚， 就是這麼過來的。
我曾經在維爾伯生日， 給它買的禮物， 就是一件雷電卡克（Thunder Jacket)。獨自與維爾伯相守一夜，是因為領導外出， 奮戰風雨。
我也像維爾伯那樣， 驚魂失措， 不得安寧。耽心的， 卻是風雨中， 領導的安全。
“你們的係統， 怎麼跟豆腐和屁做的似的。”
每次雷雨， 領導加班， 我總要抱怨領導的電力公司這麼一句。抱怨歸抱怨， 其實自己和領導都是電力專業出身的內行。對於輸電線路的知識是不缺乏的， 知道係統故障和牽連著千萬家人的安全與安寧。多少年來， 大部分同學都已經離開電力行業， 尤其在美國的同學， 除了領導， 幾乎沒有人還乾電力這一行。
電力公司是傳統的老行業， 公司在全球化進程中受到的衝擊不小， 但傳統的敬業精神和責任感永遠強過“埃踢”行業。
這不， 一遇風浪， 全公司傾巢而出。資深工程師與一線工人們一樣， 在風中雨中搶險救援。為了用戶盡快恢復供電， 為了公司榮譽， 他們置身的危險， 不是人人都知道和理解的。
工程師們現場察看險情， 佈置臨時警戒， 與警察和消防隊員們共同保護著事故現場的生命財產。之外， 還要以自己的專業知識分析險情， 填寫報告， 調度不同應急維修人員和工種盡快趕來現場。一切按計劃進入安全搶修之後， 他們又沖向另一處險境， 總是最先置身於危險境地的專業人士。也有警察先到等他們的時候， 但警察是非專業， 隻能閃著警燈， 一旁乾瞪眼的份。處理應急， 還得領導們。
這種工作是實打實的應急響應， 考驗技術和技能的最前線。與坐辦公室的工程師或者碼農們的日常， 相差甚遠。很多時候， 虛擬世界和程序堆裡的大拿， 要是遇到這樣的挑戰， 隻會手腳無措。
由此， 想到曾經的一段笑話。說的是通用汽車公司與微軟對話：
At a computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated: “If GM had kept up with the technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.”
In response to Bill’s comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics:
1. For no reason at all, your car would crash twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left-turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, and you would have to reinstall the engine.
4. When your car died on the freeway for no reason, you would just accept this, restart and drive on.
5. Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought “Car95” or “Car NT”, and then added more seats.
6. Apple would make a car powered by the sun, reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive, but would run on only five per cent of the roads.
7. Oil, water temperature and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single “general car default” warning light.
8. New seats would force every-one to have the same size butt.
9. The airbag would say “Are you sure?” before going off.
10. Occasionally, for no reason, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key, and grabbed the radio antenna.
11. GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of road maps from Rand-McNally (a subsidiary of GM), even though they neither need them nor want them. Trying to delete this option would immediately cause the car's performance to diminish by 50 per cent or more. Moreover, GM would become a target for investigation by the Justice Department.
12. Every time GM introduced a new model, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
13. You would press the “start” button to shut off the engine.
玩笑是玩笑， 我獨自躺在床上，午夜已過， 睜眼望著窗外。雨還在下， 雷聲仍然不斷。今晚沒有維爾伯， 心裡隻有領導的安危， 昏昏沉沉， 竟然睡著了……
