A Hot-Air Balloon Ride ====================== A man in a hot-air balloon realized that he was lost. Upon reducing altitude he spotted a man below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me. Can you help me? I promised a friend that I would meet him an hour ago; but I don't know where I am." The man below replied, "You are in a hot-air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude." "You must be an engineer," said the balloonist. "I am," replied the man. "How did you know?" "Well," answered the balloonist, "everything that you told me is technically correct; but I have no idea of what to make of your information, and the fact is, I am still lost. Frankly, you've not been of much help so far." The man below responded, "You must be a manager." "I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?" "Well, said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. The fact is, you are in exactly the same position that you were in before we met; but now, somehow, it's my fault."