• Izzy (unregistered) in reply to Brompot
    Brompot:
    akatherder:
    Colin Gormley:
    How about 42!

    That's your answer to everything.

    Of course. It's the answer to life, the universe and everything.

    Damn. Now I have to change all my passwords.

  • (cs) in reply to Code Dependent
    Code Dependent:
    On second thought, I should have said, "What a rucid erucidation!"

    Do they have federal erections in Japan?

  • Otto (unregistered)

    Seriously? Standard Engrish is considered a WTF now?

    http://engrish.com

  • (cs)

    "Okay, if you guys are really us, then what number are we thinking?"

  • Enrique (unregistered)

    Is it a Gödel box? A Schrödinger box? Or just a plain old böx?

  • Irishlyrucked (unregistered)

    I know what place Justin works for. I was in one of their establisments last week, and one of the staff was having a hell of a time with their dell printer.

  • Jay (unregistered) in reply to Sam B

    The domain of mainstream auto makers is smaller than numbers 1 to 100. Unless your first car was a De Dion, Bouton & Trépardoux.

  • Tim (unregistered)

    I know pi to 53 decimal places without even trying. I think a two digit number should be easy enough to remember, even for you plebs.

  • Jay (unregistered)

    Asking for a number between 1 and 100 is better than asking for your city of birth. After all, a sufficiently diligent hacker could do some research and find your city of birth. Or guess a few big-city names and see if they can get lucky. But how could they guess a number you selected between 1 and 100? There are an infinite number of possibilities. No one said it had to be an integer, right?

    I'd choose "sqrt(6)*pi".

  • RH (unregistered) in reply to Tim
    Tim:
    I know pi to 53 decimal places without even trying. I think a two digit number should be easy enough to remember, even for you plebs.

    Good for you, troll.

    By the way, what happened to the first image?

  • Lufo (unregistered) in reply to Sam B

    TRWTF: 0. Make sure you know what the page is. (Are you telling me there is a Chinese version of the site?)

  • Silverhalide (unregistered)

    I don't understand what the problem with the "pick a number between 1 and 100 is".

    The answer space is several times larger than "pick your favourite colour", and no one is complaining about that one.

    (Assume people are going to answer "red", "blue", etc., not "salmonberry sunset", and that people will pick an integer number rather than a real one.)

  • (cs) in reply to Jay
    Jay:
    Asking for a number between 1 and 100 is better than asking for your city of birth. After all, a sufficiently diligent hacker could do some research and find your city of birth. Or guess a few big-city names and see if they can get lucky. But how could they guess a number you selected between 1 and 100? There are an infinite number of possibilities. No one said it had to be an integer, right?

    I'd choose "sqrt(6)*pi".

    Or even simpler: spell the number out: "one" - most folks would just try the actual numbers, fail 100 times and give up.

  • Lufo (unregistered) in reply to TopCod3r
    TopCod3r:
    You really probably should [...]
    Wow, that's brave!
  • (cs) in reply to Lufo
    Lufo:
    TopCod3r:
    You really probably should [...]
    Wow, that's brave!

    No, what's brave is to get on here and write C++ code in a comment window... using malloc().

  • (cs) in reply to tgape
    tgape:
    I'm not sure Theo Kincaid Onion's expectations are reasonable. I mean, any program which refuses to contemplate potentially untrustworthy data has got to be quite robust. I mean, how could it possibly crash?

    That having been said, a video player which does not play videos does appear to have a lower utility rating than some might want.

    You are confusing "robust" with "secure".

    Robustness is the quality of being able to withstand stresses, pressures, or changes in procedure or circumstance.... An algorithm in computer science is robust if it continues to operate despite abnormalities in input, calculations, etc.
    The objective of computer security varies and can include protection of information from theft or corruption, or the preservation of availability....
    Generally, software that is more robust is inherently more secure because robust code can minimize or eliminate security flaws caused by bad code; however, robust software can still be very insecure by a flaw in the design. Back Orifice, for example, is a very robust tool; it is also, by explicit design, a security hole.

    You are however exactly right in identifying the essential trade off between security and usability :)

  • spejic (unregistered) in reply to Mike
    That's not a dialog box. It's a message box.
    That's not a dialog box. It's a space station.
  • Security Guaranteed (unregistered)

    security questions and answers are a huge WTF in the first place. Half the companies I have accounts with know my mother's maiden name. a little knowledge of me (likely to be had by people closest to me who are the most likely to try to hack into my account) would reveal my favourite book, film etc..

    Security questions are like more passwords, but easier to guess. And quite how that represents security is anyone's guess.

  • Security Guaranteed (unregistered) in reply to spejic
    spejic:
    That's not a dialog box. It's a message box.
    That's not a dialog box. It's a space station.

    That's no moon...

  • (cs)

    Duh, everyone knows you can't send sensitive information like passwords through email.

    That's why we have all this "Copy this URL to the clipboard and paste it into the address bar entry field on your computer's web browser application to reset your password" nonsense (If you're trying to make sure people who can't figure out how to visit a URL that appears in an email message understand your instructions, what are the chances that they understand words like "copy and paste" or "browser," really?) Because it's sooo much easier than everyone just spending 10 minutes to learn how to use PGP or S/MIME.

  • (cs) in reply to Security Guaranteed
    Security Guaranteed:
    spejic:
    That's not a dialog box. It's a message box.
    That's not a dialog box. It's a space station.
    That's no moon...
    That's not a dialog box. THIS is a dialog box.
  • (cs) in reply to Brompot
    Brompot:
    akatherder:
    Colin Gormley:
    How about 42!

    That's your answer to everything.

    Of course. It's the answer to life, the universe and everything.

    Actually IT ISN'T. Did you people ever READ the book?

    42 may have been the answer, but it was the WRONG answer. THAT was the WHOLE POINT.

  • mole (unregistered)

    I don't see the WTF on the username/password or the "Pick a number".

    A number of sites send both the username and password when you enter your email address. It's not the most secure, but whats the WTF here? If there was no username/password in the email, then maybe this should have been pointed out, as I'm assuming they have been blanked out by the poster for obvious reasons.

    As for the "Pick a number", whats wrong about that? I can instantly think of several numbers that stick in my mind (with one such number being the most popular). I'd much prefer an ambiguous questions such as this to someone trying to reset my password rather than a question such as "What was your first school" or "Pets name", etc, which a lot of people have access to.

  • (cs) in reply to MindChild
    MindChild:
    42 may have been the answer, but it was the WRONG answer. THAT was the WHOLE POINT.
    But it was the answer to "How many roads must a man walk down," wasn't it?

    ...or was that "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."

  • Anonymous (unregistered) in reply to MindChild

    Actually, it WAS the right answer. It's just that they didn't know what the actual question was. Did you read the book?

  • (cs) in reply to Silverhalide
    Silverhalide:
    The answer space is several times larger than "pick your favourite colour", and no one is complaining about that one.

    Only because of quantum mechanics. Colors are based on wavelengths of light, which are quantized, while there are an infinite number of real numbers between 1 and 100.

  • Andrew (unregistered)

    Just be happy you got Nots to do that much

  • Andrew (unregistered) in reply to Willow

    Hrrm, are numbers CASE SENSITIVE?

  • (cs) in reply to Code Dependent
    Code Dependent:
    Security Guaranteed:
    spejic:
    That's not a dialog box. It's a message box.
    That's not a dialog box. It's a space station.
    That's no moon...
    That's not a dialog box. THIS is a dialog box.
    That's not a dialog box, that's a spoon!
  • (cs) in reply to Andy Goth
    Andy Goth:
    Code Dependent:
    Security Guaranteed:
    spejic:
    That's not a dialog box. It's a message box.
    That's not a dialog box. It's a space station.
    That's no moon...
    That's not a dialog box. THIS is a dialog box.
    That's not a dialog box, that's a spoon!
    There is no spoon.
  • (cs) in reply to Code Dependent
    Code Dependent:
    Andy Goth:
    Code Dependent:
    Security Guaranteed:
    spejic:
    That's not a dialog box. It's a message box.
    That's not a dialog box. It's a space station.
    That's no moon...
    That's not a dialog box. THIS is a dialog box.
    That's not a dialog box, that's a spoon!
    There is no spoon.
    Argh, I wasn't going for a Matrix reference. I had in mind the knify-spooney incident in the Australian episode of The Simpsons.
  • (cs)

    How fantastic would it be if there were more code that ensured the user did in fact enter a number, and that it was between 1 and 100.

  • Ens (unregistered) in reply to Anonymous
    Anonymous:
    Actually, it WAS the right answer. It's just that they didn't know what the actual question was. Did you read the book?

    Except the experiment was corrupted by the Golgafrinchams, who displaced the local human population and ultimately corrupted the experiment long before it was destroyed several seconds before completion (the true answer may have been, but in all likelihood was not, the realization of Fenchurch).

  • (cs) in reply to Andy Goth
    Andy Goth:
    Argh, I wasn't going for a Matrix reference. I had in mind the knify-spooney incident in the Australian episode of The Simpsons.
    Oh, sorry. Well, it's Friday and it's well past noon, which is the time my giveashitter normally breaks, so... let the nonsense continue!
  • Lafcadio (unregistered) in reply to Sam B
    Sam B:
    How to post a comment on THE DAILY WTF.CN

    1. Make an effort to begin to be typing your name. Remember that to have been transferring not anonymously, please enter log.

    2. After the before effort, please be given a brief recapitulation of the theme of your best contributions.

    3. Finally, start writing your placard. Remember correct syntactic and breaking, so that other people can be fully understanding their views.

    4. Exemplify the correct word to be having in the picture (of the Captcha), actually submit your placard.

    This is a lot clearer than the HD instructions. You need to look at a thesaurus or something and choose some completely wrong synonyms for some of these words.

    (Whenever I see badly mangled English, though, I'm reminded of something I once read about Jean-Claude Van Damme's poor English skills: "How are you in your fifth language?")

  • (cs) in reply to ailivac

    Because it's sooo much easier than everyone just spending 10 minutes to learn how to use PGP or S/MIME.

    Yeah, and then manage their keys, never lose them, back them up, have them with them...

    There's a reason no normal, sensible person uses that crap - because it's not worth the trouble.

  • John Hensley (unregistered) in reply to Mike L
    Mike L:
    And yet, the fan I bought a few months ago (a normal fan with an on off switch) came with a SEVEN PAGE instruction.
    Of course it did! Do you realize how many people have died because they went to sleep with the fan on?
  • Global Warmer (unregistered) in reply to Colin Gormley
    Colin Gormley:
    How about 42!

    42, how do you know about 42?

    Did you know 42 is the center of the universe?

    capicha: vulputate <- I think I did that last night

  • Atario (unregistered) in reply to snoofle
    snoofle:
    The message box alert isn't all that uncommon. In apps that absolutely must not go down (silently in flames), it's common practice to reserve enough memory at startup to create a simple message box. This way, if allocation fails, the reserved memory can be freed so that a final something-bad-happened-so-i'm-gonna-die-now alert can be displayed.
    The MessageBox is thrown up by a Windows API call that takes simple strings and flag values. You don't have to allocate (or design) anything for it. Which is one reason why you see it used so much, and why it tends to work even in dire circumstances like not being able to allocate any memory.
  • dc (unregistered) in reply to krupa
    krupa:
    In my opinion, admitting that you work for McMenamin's is a WTF. Sorry, but I never liked their beer or food. You can get much better of both in Portland.

    You should try the Edgefield distillery's spirits, they're pretty fantastic. The gin and whisky are my personal favorites. Also the raspberry ale they're slinging these days is pretty damn good. Nice and hoppy with just enough raspberry to make it awesome; not super-sweet like so many fruity beers.

    Then, of course, you should thank whatever higher power you believe in that you live in a city where McMenamin's is the franchise-happy corporate behemoth. (Seriously, try and find a good second-run beer theater in any other city in the US. It's maddening. Can't swing a cat near my apartment without hitting one.)

    Also: given their branding, random glyphs appearing in their printouts shouldn't be too big a problem, innit?

  • Phil (unregistered) in reply to Ens
    Ens:
    Anonymous:
    Actually, it WAS the right answer. It's just that they didn't know what the actual question was. Did you read the book?

    Except the experiment was corrupted by the Golgafrinchams, who displaced the local human population and ultimately corrupted the experiment long before it was destroyed several seconds before completion (the true answer may have been, but in all likelihood was not, the realization of Fenchurch).

    The Earth was built to find the question, not the answer.

  • (cs)

    69 dude.

    // Bill S. Preston and Ted Theodore Logan respectfully agree.

  • Tyler (unregistered)

    Obviously, Kenneth, you just need Firebug! I've actually had a few times where I have to change the HTML on the fly so the page actually makes sense...

  • BOb (unregistered) in reply to MindChild
    MindChild:
    Brompot:
    akatherder:
    Colin Gormley:
    How about 42!

    That's your answer to everything.

    Of course. It's the answer to life, the universe and everything.

    Actually IT ISN'T. Did you people ever READ the book?

    42 may have been the answer, but it was the WRONG answer. THAT was the WHOLE POINT.

    Actually 42 was the right answer, but the question "what do you get when you multiply six times nine?" was wrong because a spaceship crashed into the Earth computer.

  • Ugnaut Supreme (unregistered) in reply to dc
    dc:
    Then, of course, you should thank whatever higher power you believe in that you live in a city where McMenamin's is the franchise-happy corporate behemoth. (Seriously, try and find a good second-run beer theater in any other city in the US. It's maddening. Can't swing a cat near my apartment without hitting one.)

    Yeah I don’t get the McM hate either. It’s like bitching about the crappy chocolate in the magical chocolate waterfall, and the gumdrop trees are getting a little stale. Whenever someone bitches about McM I think “here’s someone who’s never been anywhere else”

  • (cs)

    Windows does in fact have a way of showing message boxes when you're out of memory...

    MessageBox(NULL, "Please to be not using so much memory.", "FLAGRANT SYSTEM ERROR", MB_ICONSTOP | MB_SYSTEMMODAL);

    It uses a message box that it's allocated memory for ahead of time... so it'll work even if there's no memory left. It also rather heavily cuts down the work that MessageBox does... the text isn't word-wrapped, and is limited to 3 lines.

    However, that doesn't explain the picture in the post... it's clearly using MB_ICONWARNING, not MB_ICONSTOP.

  • Mean Old Man With No Arms (unregistered)

    In the assemblies elucidation diagram, it appears that the author was not a native english speaker.

  • jondr (unregistered) in reply to ordie77
    ordie77:
    Who wants to bet that the most common answer to "pick a number between 1 and 100" is 69!

    Or 3.14159

  • Steve C (unregistered) in reply to Jay

    Provided they don't validate as a number within the stated range, your 'number between 1 and 100' could be almost anything. You might never guess that my number is 101.

    It's a bit like putting you mothers maiden name as "dog biscuits". If you can give the matching response to the challenge, there is no need for it to actually make sense.

    That makes an even bigger infinite range of possibilities.

  • Gem (unregistered)

    I don't see how the "Pick a number" is much more insecure than the others.

    Answers to questions like "Mother's birth city" are often a matter of public record and if the person is active online then finding out questions of personal preferences if often not very difficult.

    The only problem I see with "Pick a number between 1 and 100" is that the range of possible answers is too small but then again if you took the top 10 most popular movie titles and tried the list of usernames your hit rate might be better. If someone tried to get the information out of you it would be obvious that they were up to no good whereas some of the other questions could easily be dropped into casual conversation without causing suspicion.

    I suspect that if you chose that security question they wouldn't actually validate that you put in a digit between 1 and 100 they'd probably save the text just like they would for the other options so in theory you should be able to enter any number of digits up to the length of the string they store.

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