Arney , we have a steve-jobs type of jerk , and I have not complained about him. He is very very practical , and no problem is too hard for him. He managed to fix instruments that qualified ( manufacturer -trained) engineers said cannot be fixed.

In a graduation ceremony at stanford university , the late Steve Jobs said to graduating students ( stay hungry, stay foolish). I guess what he meant is to do what it takes to reachg your goals. If "rules" are going to stop you or distract you from reaching your goals, do the foolish thing of ignoring the rules !

That is how I understood Steve's speech. And that is what I like about our "foolish" friendly jerk who never took NO for an answer. The main difference between him and other jerks that others spend their lives making YOUR working time a mess while he spends his time opening gadgets and cluttering our place trying to fix something. I can live with that kind of mess and indeed I have cooperated with him and decided to designate an isolated area for his clutter.

Problem with the squeaky wheel is that I want to live peacefully doing my things and not spend my time complaining or fighting. I will be retiring in 2-3 years and do not want to compete with anyone or bother anyone or be bothered by anyone.