>>Tom,
>>
>>A gross case of age discrimination if I ever saw one. How did they get away with it?
>
>Jim;
>
>I think there is a great reluctance to sue for age discrimination as you might win but would be “black listed” by employers. Most employers prefer to not hire anyone who is over 40 in technical areas.

Are you not already 'blacklisted' by your very age? I commend you for your acceptance and restraint in the matter. I am afraid I would not have handled it so gracefully.

I too have been through those interviews by the ~20ish crowd. One that I remember the most started out with "Tell me what a decibel is." I sat in shock for maybe 15 seconds, then broke out laughing. This was for a DSP hardware/software development and test position. Guess they wanted to weed out the wanabees ;-) As this fellow was my potential manager, I cut things short and made my escape. Idiots with government funding...