My first job after college was in the R&D department of a
California electric and gas utility. This was the early 1970s,
my office was about 35 miles from the fledgling Silicon Valley,
and I was raring to change the power industry through advanced
technology. I also had a certain amount of the self-
righteousness and arrogance that goes with being somewhat of a
technical weeny, and I relied on a git 'er done, goal-charging,
process-avoiding attitude to move things along.  So you can
imagine my bouts of frustration in trying to get the more
conservative operational folks to adopt, or at least try, some
new whiz-bang technology that my group was enamored with.  But
I've mellowed (composted?) with age and experience. I've learned
to appreciate the value of process and the necessity of a
certain amount of (gasp) layered decision making and stubborn
bureaucracy. I've told the story of my musician friend who had
advanced degrees in government affairs from a prestigious
university only to finally realize that the pur