Back in 2000 I was working at a startup in Washington, D.C. and we had been working 80-100 weeks for nearly 1.5 months before management finally brought in some

Back in 2000 I was working at a startup in Washington, D.C. and we had been working 80-100 weeks for nearly 1.5 months before management finally brought in some contractors as reinforcement. All of the developers were in a 20x20 or so room working at folding tables. One of the contractors that they brought in had a form of Tourette's that caused him to make this noise that I can only describe as a loud squawk at random intervals, about every 60-180 seconds. Combine that with the pressure, lack of sleep, and the effort to concentrate and it became my own personal version of Chinese water torture. I truly think I came close to having a nervous breakdown during those two weeks.