n. Name and title character of a comic strip
nationally syndicated in the U.S. and enormously popular among
hackers. Dilbert is an archetypical engineer-nerd who works at an
anonymous high-technology company; the strips present a lacerating
satire of insane working conditions and idiotic management
practices all too readily recognized by hackers. Adams, who spent
nine years in cube 4S700R at Pacific Bell (not DEC as often
reported), often remarks that he has never been able to come up
with a fictional management blunder that his correspondents didn't
quickly either report to have actually happened or top with a
similar but even more bizarre incident. In 1996 Adams distilled
his insights into the collective psychology of businesses into an
even funnier book, "The Dilbert Principle" (HarperCollins,
ISBN 0-887-30787-6). See also pointy-haired, rat dance
