Comment On The Long Walk

The walking route one is not a WTF. The route includes ferries that take walk on passengers, and as a result is the quickest route.

I can only guess that the walking route calculation has classified ferries as not counting. (In which case, it's being quite effective at finding the shortest possible route.)

The walking directions aren't a WTF. That really is the quickest route assuming you're willing to take ferries. What's wrong with crossing into France and Belgium, or better yet, taking the train?

Careful, if we get too many comments on the first item being a non-WTF we'll end up with another tedious meme like the "embedded system" one.

Actually the first one IS a WTF even if taking the ferries is a good idea.
It ignores the fact that the Forth Road Bridge is open to pedestrians and instead sends the traveller on a long circuit via Kincardine Bridge.
BONKERS.

you don't understand, you have to stop in France because you just swam across the English Channel and you have to be prepared to go from Belgium to Scotland in the North Sea.

fuzzix:

java.lang.Chris;:

The walking route one is not a WTF. The route includes ferries that take walk on passengers, and as a result is the quickest route

Taking a walk on ferry as opposed to a walk-on train?

How about if I just walk to my car?

Try opening two files with the same filename (but different folders) in the same window in Excel 2007. Fun.

I also found this little gem this morning:
http://x.mzzt.net/2010.06.04.07.43.46.jpg

fuzzix:

Taking a walk on ferry as opposed to a walk-on train?

I like my walk-in car, myself. Well ok it's a sit-in I suppose but that's even better, yes?

I don't think the Word one is really that bad. When Word starts up, if the user running it has never run it before, it will do some quick setup tasks like setting up its data directories in the user's profile. If it finds out part of its required setup is missing at certain points, it "self-heals" and recreates the missing parts from scratch. In this case maybe the initial setup or self-heal failed, so it's telling the user (in a sort of oblique fashion), "hey, I can't do this on the fly for some reason, run the Setup application."

The Visual Studio error is not necessarily spurious. In Java, at least, it is possible to have two objects of one class not be compatible if they point to separate instances of the Class object loaded on different class loaders. Had me scratching my head for hours back in the day.

I haven't tried it on an embedded system, but it would probably report a FERRY_NOT_FOUND exception there.

Captcha: mara - Latin name for the things that Ferries float on.

Nah... the long-walk-WTF is really a user error. Albert just forgot to deselect "I am Jesus" in the search options.

java.lang.Chris;:

Careful, if we get too many comments on the first item being a non-WTF we'll end up with another tedious meme like the "embedded system" one.

I was hoping for one that mentioned this as a change to help reduce the number of people hit by cars as a result of following Google Maps for walks.

Bob:

The Visual Studio error is not necessarily spurious. In Java, at least, it is possible to have two objects of one class not be compatible if they point to separate instances of the Class object loaded on different class loaders. Had me scratching my head for hours back in the day.

I haven't tried it on an embedded system, but it would probably report a FERRY_NOT_FOUND exception there.

Same thing in .Net: It's possible that different assemblies expose two types with the same name (and probably identical to each other); as it's not the same assembly, it's not the same type.

"I gave Google Maps a ridiculous request and it gave me a ridiculous response! LOLWOT!!!"

Note that the Google one is not that bad - you can drag the line around and get a straight route

wlao:

Nah... the long-walk-WTF is really a user error. Albert just forgot to deselect "I am Jesus" in the search options.

Don't you know that this time of year, the North Sea is made of custard?

the real wtf is going to scotland

TRWTF is that Albert actually wanted to walk from Southampton to Edinburgh.

When you install some programs on Windows -- Microsoft Office included -- it has you specify whether it's being installed for *everyone* or just the current user.

This is, apparently, what happens if you install it for just the current user, switch users, and then try to run it. Why someone would do this and then go "Ha-ha! It's accurately informing me of my problem and what I need to do to fix it! WTF?!" is beyond me.

Google Maps has several of the available public transit services for my area in system, but not, for some reason, the subway; the result is that in traveling a short distance, its recommended route is to take a train to the next town over, and then take a slightly different train back on a different route, rather than riding the subway for four stops.

But at least it doesn't try to send me to France.

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That walking path makes perfect sense when planned out on a wooden table, taking a snapshot, printing it, scanning it in, and posting it to TDWTF using an embedded system.

The first one isn't a WTF on an embedded device without a ferry system.

Has anyone pointed out that the first one isn't a WTF yet?

Mr R:

wlao:

Nah... the long-walk-WTF is really a user error. Albert just forgot to deselect "I am Jesus" in the search options.

Don't you know that this time of year, the North Sea is made of custard?

I say sue.. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37453662/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

John Rasch probably just has four domains hosted at Blue Host.

For a walking route that's 100% walking you could try the OpenStreetMap-derived directions at:

http://maps.cloudmade.com/?lat=54.072283&lng=-2.680664&zoom=6&directions=50.90281,-1.404040000000009,55.94837,-3.1932700000000125&travel=foot&styleId=1&opened_tab=1

Trevel:

When you install some programs on Windows -- Microsoft Office included -- it has you specify whether it's being installed for *everyone* or just the current user.

This is, apparently, what happens if you install it for just the current user, switch users, and then try to run it. Why someone would do this and then go "Ha-ha! It's accurately informing me of my problem and what I need to do to fix it! WTF?!" is beyond me.

Exactly what I wanted to say

Whether or not it is a WTF (it is), warning users that there may not be sidewalks or pedestrian paths while they're galavanting around the North Sea is priceless.

At least you know that if you blindly follow those Google Maps directions and end up drowning you can blame Google, just like this silly b*tch.

Anonymous:

At least you know that if you blindly follow those Google Maps directions and end up drowning you can blame Google, just like this silly b*tch.

That's probably why Google sends you over water. They try everything now to avoid busy and dangerous roads.

moglee:

Note that the Google one is not that bad - you can drag the line around and get a straight route

True, but it seemed desperate for me to take a ferry. Having dragged the line from Dieppe to Oxford, and from Oostende to Leicestershire it then sent me via Northern Ireland. On dragging that point back to the UK mainland it wanted me to go via the Isle of Man.

Has no one notice that the random spam one says SQUIRTING inbetween its calls to $file3.GetRandom() ?!

You want to convert a Microsoft.Tools.WindowsInstallerXml.VisualStudio.WixProjectNode to a Microsoft.Tools.WindowsInstallerXml.VisualStudio.WixProjectNode? Why, that would require some sort of RE-biggulator. The very concept is preposterous.

The MAZZTer:

fuzzix:

Taking a walk on ferry as opposed to a walk-on train?

I like my walk-in car, myself. Well ok it's a sit-in I suppose but that's even better, yes?

Something like this:

wlao:

Nah... the long-walk-WTF is really a user error. Albert just forgot to deselect "I am Jesus" in the search options.

Either that, or he had the "Avoid Ghettos" routing option selected, resulting in Google Maps avoiding the entire north of England.

BramSmulders:

Anonymous:

At least you know that if you blindly follow those Google Maps directions and end up drowning you can blame Google, just like this silly b*tch.

That's probably why Google sends you over water. They try everything now to avoid busy and dangerous roads.

That's why Google now has to be "warning users that there may not be sidewalks or pedestrian paths while they're galavanting around the North Sea". Because of that silly b*tch, who didn't even have the common sense to look both ways before crossing the road. I mean, she's even suing the driver that hit her.

Captcha: That's the consequat when you don't use your brain.

The Google Maps one is a WTF because it assumes it's okay for you to take ferries. There should be an easy and obvious way to restrict options like that (as in any satnav).

If you force it to use a land route by dragging the path, though, it becomes obvious why it recommends the route: it is 2 days (almost three, even) shorter than the fastest land route.

At least they have you take the ferry. If you want to get from California to Japan, however, you are instructed to kayak across the Pacific Ocean. (Not to mention you apparently can't leave the US from anywhere but the extreme NW corner of Washington, and you also have to tour one of the islands of Hawaii before continuing your trip)

"Walking directions are in beta" - which means the feature is not even partially complete. so you get the next best result...

BramSmulders:

TRWTF is that Albert actually wanted to walk from Southampton to Edinburgh.

Yeah, really. WTF.

One (of several) real WTFs is that Google Maps uses one arbitrary address as the starting point when given a city.

CAPTCHA: conventio - a gathering of procrastinators?

Not too long ago, I had my Hotmail account decide to start filtering out their own e-mails into the junk mail folder. It seemed oddly appropriate for some reason...

Hasn't anyone else here walked for 8+ hours, without more than a 1/2 hour break overall.

/serious

When the oil runs out I will both out walk the perusing armies and create an empire out of your home town! muhahaha!

/sarcasm

I forgot the ? and I'm an "anonymous coward" if you delete this post please suffix a "?" to my question......

(username *)me:

Hasn't anyone else here walked for 8+ hours, without more than a 1/2 hour break overall?

When I was in the Marine Corps, I did. With a backpack and weapon. Easily.

frits:

(username *)me:

Hasn't anyone else here walked for 8+ hours, without more than a 1/2 hour break overall?

When I was in the Marine Corps, I did. With a backpack and weapon. Easily.

I read somewhere that Chuck Norris does that every morning before breakfast, but he can do an 8-hour walk in only 20 minutes while carrying a ferry, so it's not really a fair comparison.

Matt:

One (of several) real WTFs is that Google Maps uses one arbitrary address as the starting point when given a city.

CAPTCHA: conventio - a gathering of procrastinators?

It seems to pick some kind of geographical center. The point it picks for the United States is at the shore of a small pond near a farm house north of Dearing, Kanas. Perfect spot for an extraterrestrial landing.

No way a ferry can cover 400 miles.

Bing maps complains "We can't get direction because the route exceeded the maximum limit" when getting walking directions. This seems more reasonable.

Trevel:

When you install some programs on Windows -- Microsoft Office included -- it has you specify whether it's being installed for *everyone* or just the current user.

This is, apparently, what happens if you install it for just the current user, switch users, and then try to run it. Why someone would do this and then go "Ha-ha! It's accurately informing me of my problem and what I need to do to fix it! WTF?!" is beyond me.

Actually, I occasionally get this error on my work PC even when Office is installed for all users. Office would be working fine, and then suddenly it thinks the software is not installed properly.

In order to fix it, I have to create a new user, login as that new user, launch all of my Office Applications, export the user registry keys for Office (HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Common\Licensing), and them import them back into my normal profile. Still clueless how this happens, but occurs every couple of months.