• Chris Doggett (unregistered)

    Ah, hell, Alex. Don't feel bad. I built Too Many Secrets, and originally named it "Cooty's Rat Semen". Bought the domain, testers loved the site, but didn't use it after it went live because they didn't want that in their employers' log files.

    They could've told me that before I bought cootysratsemen.com. Now it'll just have to redirect to the real site for a year until the registration expires.

  • James Aguilar (unregistered)

    lgtm. Sending approval.

  • meren (unregistered)

    You shouldn't have changed the name in the first place. It was so obvious that it was a bad idea and when I saw the new name I was like "Oh WTF, what happened to WTF? So dumb!". Anyway I'm glad you changed it back.

    BTW my CAPTCHA question is "bene". Strange and sweet, rite?

  • Dr Who (unregistered)

    The post morten tries to blame the problem on the process. But I think a little slip sheds some light on the truth. A "poorly monitored" process it says. So the real, real culprits were those responsible for monitoring it. Who was that?! WWWWHHHHOOOOOoooooo?!? We deserve an answer.

  • DailyWTFer! (unregistered)

    i heard that the reason you changed the name was so that you wouldnt be embarrassed when your grandma visited the site. So when i heard the news the first thing i thought was... "uh-oh. i hope his grandma is ok!"

  • rs (unregistered) in reply to fizze

    100% correct. "Worse Than Failure" was not "enterprisey enough". There were no acronyms in it.

    To ease future name changes, I recommend that the new, new, new name be made extensible by adding an "X".

  • Saemundr (unregistered) in reply to fizze

    Despite anything else that may be said, i still love you alex -.-

    You can do no wrong in my books (this is still worsethanfailure in my mind, and iv been here from close to day one :)

  • vt_mruhlin (unregistered) in reply to pyro789x
    pyro789x:
    Seraph:
    quamaretto:
    Dave:
    Thought you could outsmart us, eh? It didn't work for KFC, and it won't work for you!

    KFC?

    For those who arn't aware: In the states there was a resturant chain called "Kentucky Fried Chicken" which served fried chicken (who'd have guessed!). When eating healthy started to become a big thing, someone decided that having the word "fried" in your name was probably a bad thing, so they changed their name to "KFC".

    Actually, no, they always used the acronym KFC, but they changed their name from "Kentucky Fried Chicken" to "Kitchen Fresh Chicken"

    Wasn't the change to KFC done for international branding? I remember going to Quebec as a freshman and seeing a "PFK". When I went back Junior year, it was a KFC.

  • (cs) in reply to Seraph
    Seraph:
    quamaretto:
    For those who arn't aware: In the states there was a resturant chain called "Kentucky Fried Chicken" which served fried chicken (who'd have guessed!). When eating healthy started to become a big thing, someone decided that having the word "fried" in your name was probably a bad thing, so they changed their name to "KFC".

    I always assumed it was because they don't actually serve real chickens, and "Kentucky Fried Processed Meat Products" just doesn't have quite the ring...

    Did both of you read and ignore the Snopes link earlier that debunked that theory, and explained the real reason for the change [Kentucky trademarked, um, "Kentucky" and KFC refused to pay], or are you just lazy?

    As for the name change, I never stopped calling it The Daily WTF. (I often also still refer to Pidgin as Gaim for those who are curious.) I also don't use bookmarks, just using the history feature, and I can type "th" and "thedailywtf.com" is the first thing that comes up. "th" I can type on one hand, while "wo" I cannot.

  • CynicalTyler (unregistered)

    If free stickers can't make a Name Change work, nothing can. That's it boys. Close down the factory. There's no point in working any more.

  • (cs) in reply to Grump

    Brillant!

  • Athloi (unregistered)

    Intelligent decision.

    Congratulations, you're now overqualified for management!

    Please apply at your local Barnes and Noble for an entry level book stocking position.

  • paul (unregistered)

    It would seem that the site name itself is becoming a WTF. Pretty soon the site will be self sustaining!

  • mudkip (unregistered) in reply to EvanED
    EvanED:
    Seraph:
    quamaretto:
    For those who arn't aware: In the states there was a resturant chain called "Kentucky Fried Chicken" which served fried chicken (who'd have guessed!). When eating healthy started to become a big thing, someone decided that having the word "fried" in your name was probably a bad thing, so they changed their name to "KFC".

    I always assumed it was because they don't actually serve real chickens, and "Kentucky Fried Processed Meat Products" just doesn't have quite the ring...

    Did both of you read and ignore the Snopes link earlier that debunked that theory, and explained the real reason for the change, or are you just lazy?

    As for the name change, I never stopped calling it The Daily WTF. (I often also still refer to Pidgin as Gaim for those who are curious.) I also don't use bookmarks, just using the history feature, and I can type "th" and "thedailywtf.com" is the first thing that comes up. "th" I can type on one hand, while "wo" I cannot.

    I strongly doubt Snopes knows the "real" reason for the change. They are definitely not an authoritative source on any topic except Snopes.com. Half the articles are the barest of opinion, occasionally punctuated with references contradicting their writeup.

    Case in point: their "debunking" of the mutant chicken claim was a mere statement that it was absurd. I can appreciate that mutant chickens don't deserve much more attention, but they did nothing to disprove it.

  • vt_mruhlin (unregistered) in reply to EvanED
    EvanED:
    Did both of you read and ignore the Snopes link

    OK, that's an even more WTF reason. How do you copyright Kentucky?

  • Jon (unregistered) in reply to anitra
    anitra:
    I liked "Worse Than Failure" better. I didn't blush when telling people the name of the site. There are still some people who don't know what "WTF" means, and I hate to be the one to explain it to them.
    You're afraid to say 'Fuck'? What the failure is wrong with you?
  • Andy (unregistered)

    So, if I have done my math correctly, we see that: 2 wrongs do not make a right but 3 news do make an old

    Very entertaining!

  • canuckotter (unregistered) in reply to fizze

    Actually, the real problem is that he failed to proactively engage shareholder synergies of the SOA-based change management process.

    (I feel so dirty now.)

  • David (unregistered)

    Wow, I am so keeping a copy of that analysis for future projects. With a simple s/Site Rename/<whatever>/g it will fit any bill perfectly. If only I could write like that ...

  • na (unregistered) in reply to Mithras

    No. This analysis was superfluous. What's more, it was not funny.

  • GrandmasterB (unregistered)

    I'm glad I never bothered to update my bookmarks.

    Again the lazy approach proves successfull! Huzzah!

  • canuckotter (unregistered)

    Oh, and as for the snopes link... Guys, take a closer look at that page. Specifically, the "More information about this article" link, which points to http://www.snopes.com/lost/false.htm ...

  • jon (unregistered)

    bravo

  • (cs) in reply to mudkip
    mudkip:
    Case in point: their "debunking" of the mutant chicken claim was a mere statement that it was absurd. I can appreciate that mutant chickens don't deserve much more attention, but they did nothing to disprove it.

    KFC gets their chicken from the likes of Steggles and Inghams so I don't think those companies are breeding mutant chickens!

    Besides, years ago the rumour was that they used rabbit instead of chicken for their "peices". I guess GM food is more of a scare tactic these days.

    Addendum (2007-12-12 17:38): PS if you want a "serious" snopes link regarding the "muant chicken": [url]http://www.snopes.com/horrors/food/kfc.asp[/url[

    Addendum (2007-12-12 17:39): Blah I'm not having a good morning. It's not coffee time yet...

  • Torajirou (unregistered)

    As a side note, I was also a bit skeptical about this new "comment rating" feature. Some comments were completely stupid and hideable, that's true, but now, this whole "I decide, you shut up" feature looks even more dubious.

    I think that what the DailyWTF is missing is a real, serious and stable community base to replace the constant swarm of wannabe-jokers (FIST!!!!). It won't prevent trolls, but it will definitely make them easier to spot.

    Just a mandatory form, were we must enter a lot of stupid information (among which a valid email address) that you won't even store will discourage the people I'm talking about.

    Just a suggestion...

    An unregistered user :p

  • Fish Basket Gordo (unregistered)

    It's almost as if this whole exercise in name changing was, in and of itself, designed to be fodder for the site's content: a meta-WTF.

  • Tom Woolf (unregistered)

    Alex - although I may not have likee the change itself, I admired your dedication and reasoning behind the change from TheDailyWTF to WorstThanFailure (who cannot appreciate not wanting to drop the F-bomb on Grandma)

    You've gained further admiration with your ability to laugh at yourself. Of course, you could have added geek-appreciation had you insisted it the the Evil Kirk, errrrr, Alex that made the change in early 2007.

  • olie (unregistered) in reply to anonymoose

    Ooo, good point! Can we send SASE to get new-new-new stickers?

  • (cs)

    W T F

  • Wtf ? its a name change.... (unregistered)

    I thought the original specification was for a name that wouldn't cause you so much embarassment when trying to explain to your mother what WTF stood for......

  • Bat (unregistered)

    Much better. I don't hate you any more. Because, like, I attached an incredibly strong emotional component to the name I never actually noticed of the site that served my RSS feed.

    Anyhow, we all know the real WTF is the forum software, right?

    It'd be better if they rewrote it in $TRENDY_LANGUAGE_OF_THE_WEEK, of course.

  • name (unregistered)

    It's really this simple: make a poll. Then, just make the site available under the top 10 - 20 names. Dynamically change the logo and the name references when displaying the pages, and you're done (that is, for some time, at least :D :D).

  • sam (unregistered)

    It makes my day happy!

  • anonymous (unregistered)

    Great!

  • anonymous (unregistered)

    I'll re-add it to my RSS :)

  • (cs)

    I'm going to break the habit of a lifetime, or at least a TDWTF-time, and totally ignore other posts.

    This is an excellent idea.

    And I know what you mean about "deficient tools." God knows, most of us out here have to work with them every day.

    Now I'll go back and read the comments.

  • poulet hater (unregistered) in reply to vt_mruhlin
    vt_mruhlin:
    Wasn't the change to KFC done for international branding? I remember going to Quebec as a freshman and seeing a "PFK". When I went back Junior year, it was a KFC.
    FYI, it's still PFK (Poulet Frit du Kentucky). The francophones still wield enough power to prevent more anglicization.
  • Izzy (unregistered)

    Finally, a decent name. Now could we discuss the proper font?

  • Drift (unregistered)

    THE REAL WTF IS: fifteen-question reader survey, purely to work out that noone liked the name change.

  • Lars Vargas (unregistered)

    This site renaming issue is turning into a recursive WTF all on its own.

    CAPTCHA - facilisis - WTF is that?

  • (cs) in reply to Seraph
    Seraph:
    quamaretto:
    Dave:
    Thought you could outsmart us, eh? It didn't work for KFC, and it won't work for you!

    KFC?

    For those who arn't aware: In the states there was a resturant chain called "Kentucky Fried Chicken" which served fried chicken (who'd have guessed!). When eating healthy started to become a big thing, someone decided that having the word "fried" in your name was probably a bad thing, so they changed their name to "KFC".
    Not relevant to the point at hand, but this sounds like a cross between urban legend and utter bollocks to me.

    Back in pre-healthy days in Birmingham (UK), round about 1978, I remember a German-Costa-Rican-American friend who was absolutely apeshit about KFC; and Pepsi (sugar is good). No-one in Birmingham ever mentioned "entucky" to him, let alone "ried" or "hicken."

    We all kind of assumed that the sort of guy who would gulp down three litres of Pepsi and then vomit the resultant stomach contents into his fat, pimply girlfriend's lap just wasn't too picky about what he ate.

    Mind you, I'm hoping that Alex can get VC backing to buy the chain out and re-brand it as "Kentucky Fucked Chicken, Daily." Far preferable to Kentucky cousins and/or sisters.

    But, as I say, a pointless digression.

  • (cs) in reply to canuckotter
    canuckotter:
    Oh, and as for the snopes link... Guys, take a closer look at that page. Specifically, the "More information about this article" link, which points to http://www.snopes.com/lost/false.htm ...
    Yep, I guess I have a few eggs on my face.
  • glud (unregistered) in reply to fizze

    Shouldn't you call it thedailywtfclassic, instead?

  • (cs) in reply to Lars Vargas
    Lars Vargas:
    This site renaming issue is turning into a recursive WTF all on its own.

    CAPTCHA - facilisis - WTF is that?

    Well, it wouldn't be a WTF without a grammar nazi (or in this case a foreign vocabulary nazi) pushing his nose in, now, would it?

    "easy, agreeable, affable, pleasant."

    Think sideways from "facile." It's Latin.

    You may have noticed that Alex has re-vamped his captchas to feature foreign vocabulary that no ordinary web-bot with a degree in English Literature from Oxford University would have a chance of deciphering.

    Me, I'm not so sure. There's a Russian translation of the site already. Make all the captchas Cyrillic -- let's see 'bots solve that one.

    It might even increase the level of registration ...

  • herro (unregistered)

    Call the site "The Fecal Shitterson Digest" and I'd still read it.

  • Paul (unregistered)

    "it’s virtually to implement such an undertaking in today’s competitive market"

    Ouch.

  • thank god (unregistered) in reply to fizze

    I will now resume reading this site - "Worse Than Failure" is meaningless. "WTF" - now that is something we all relate to.

  • (cs)

    WorseThanFailure: The New Coke of the New Millenium

  • StickyWidget (unregistered)

    So.... Did Grandma Papadimoulis die or something? If she hasn't, I'll happily let her know what "WTF" means. If she's dead, I'm sorry for your loss and happy for my gain.

    ~Sticky /Checks Karma Balance //Still good!

  • James (unregistered)

    HOORAY! Down with Euphemisms!

Leave a comment on “Announcement: A New, New, New Name!”

Log In or post as a guest

Replying to comment #:

Log Out

« Return to Article