• Anon (unregistered) in reply to trtrwtf
    trtrwtf:
    Cheaper to toss packages from Bumfuck, Indiana onto that truck and sort them at the regional center than to have sorting centers at each local post office.

    I think if you send a package from Blue Ball, PA to Bumfuck, IN it'll get routed through Intercourse, PA first.

  • cee (unregistered)

    The Wells Fargo one is not a wtf, it's actually a rather brilliant anticipation of that exact situation.

    See the line 'you must have a valid address to receive statements online...if we cannot successfully deliver your statement....we will resume sending you paper copies'

    I'm guessing this is regulatory. They have to somehow confirm that you are actually getting your emails.

    So, they send a follow up email saying 'Our automated delivery detection system says you aren't getting these. If you are getting these, you might want to figure out what the problem is so we can stay in compliance with these ridiculous laws'.

    Yeah, they could have phrased it better, but all in all, fairly forward-thinking.

  • (cs)

    What you are seeing here is the spoke-and-hub model of distribution logistics in operation.

    Economically speaking, it's a lot more viable than what Brad R. seems to think the USPS should do, which is have O(n^2) different vans shuttling between all n post offices in the continental USA every day. Just how many billions of vans would they need in order to satisfy his demand that every package go directly from its source to its destination? Would that really be more carbon efficient?

    (Hint: No.)

  • (cs)

    Dear {user} Alex is facing increasing pressure from the {some direction} and needs your help. Either send him boots and ground; or {some contribution amount} and I'm sure he'll show up in Wisconsin. Do this by midnight because tomorrow there will be a different WTF and you'll forget all about this.

  • (cs) in reply to trtrwtf
    trtrwtf:
    Anon:
    Jay:
    Wow, surely the programming error is the least of what's wrong with that crazy People for the American Way letter!

    They want to "put boots on the ground in battleground states"? Wait, aren't these the same people who were accusing Sarah Palin of inciting violence by using the phrase "targetted opponents"?

    Their reference to Wisconsin implies that they believe that an essential element of the "American Dream" is the right to be forced to join a union and pay dues whether you like what the union is doing with the money or not. How can any nation call itself free if unions bosses don't have the right to take money from people at gunpoint?

    Nice troll. Well done.
    Is it a troll if he really believes it? (there's the real wtf...)
    It could be, if he's trying to draw others into a Battle of... um... what's the opposite of Wits?

    Battle of Obtuseness? No, that doesn't have a good ring to it at all...

  • trtrwtf (unregistered) in reply to boog
    boog:
    a Battle of... um... what's the opposite of Wits?

    Battle of Obtuseness? No, that doesn't have a good ring to it at all...

    A Battle of Twits, obviously.

  • (cs) in reply to Leftards lol
    Leftards lol:
    (or that the American Dream is for people so lazy they need others to negotiate for them)
    Leaving aside the virtues/vices of unions, do you really think the unions negotiations are just for people too lazy to negotiate themselves?

    Unions have more bargining power (replace all workers vs. one worker). Assuming equal skill, this would result in a better deal. Unions also have lower overhead costs to the business (negotiate one contract vs. 1000s). This allows more discussion time per contract.

  • (cs) in reply to trtrwtf
    trtrwtf:
    boog:
    a Battle of... um... what's the opposite of Wits?

    Battle of Obtuseness? No, that doesn't have a good ring to it at all...

    A Battle of Twits, obviously.

    scribbles in notes Bat-tle... of... Twi... ts... puts notes away

    Thanks, I'll use that from now on!

  • BentFranklin (unregistered)

    How do you get a screenshot of an iPhone? I doubt it was taken with a digital camera (no glare). More likely from a development environment emulator. So, trying out your emulator iPhone you punched in garbage. Then later you punched in garbage again and you got suggested your previous garbage. If you think this is a WTF your app is probably garbage too.

  • Unsupported global dynamic element (unregistered) in reply to BentFranklin
    BentFranklin:
    How do you get a screenshot of an iPhone? I doubt it was taken with a digital camera (no glare). More likely from a development environment emulator. So, trying out your emulator iPhone you punched in garbage. Then later you punched in garbage again and you got suggested your previous garbage. If you think this is a WTF your app is probably garbage too.
    Press the Home+Power keys.
  • Unsupported global dynamic element (unregistered) in reply to Silfax
    Silfax:
    Cgtegjjhferuhggffdgjk is what you get when you have your language set to rot13'd Welsh.
    rot13? That looks like straight up Welsh.
  • Bob (unregistered)

    I was not previously aware of the so called "People For the American Way" so here's what I thought when I read their name:

    1. I can't tell if they're right-leaning, left-leaning, or some other direction. So would I support them or oppose them? I don't know.

    2. Such a vague name seems sneaky, as if they don't want you to know what they really stand for, and slimy, because they set up their opponents to be, supposedly, People Against the American Way, and insulting, because they think I must be stupid enough to fall for such a childish trick. So I probably would oppose them.

  • FuBar (unregistered) in reply to Anon
    Anon:
    trtrwtf:
    Cheaper to toss packages from Bumfuck, Indiana onto that truck and sort them at the regional center than to have sorting centers at each local post office.
    I think if you send a package from Blue Ball, PA to Bumfuck, IN it'll get routed through Intercourse, PA first.
    Or possibly Scunthorpe, England.
  • (cs)

    "Unsupported global dynamic element"

    Must have something to do with the new episodes of Eureka coming in July...

  • (cs) in reply to Leftards lol
    Leftards lol:
    The real WTF is thinking that the skilled workers the middle class should be composed of need unions (or that the American Dream is for people so lazy they need others to negotiate for them)

    Why shouldn't labor get organized? Labor negotiates with organizations. Unorganized labor cuts its own throat unless there are very specific circumstances in the labor market.

    TRWTF is libertarians who are for freedom (e.g., free association) until it costs them a bit of pocket change.

  • trtrwtf (unregistered) in reply to Captain Oblivious
    Captain Oblivious:
    Leftards lol:
    The real WTF is thinking that the skilled workers the middle class should be composed of need unions (or that the American Dream is for people so lazy they need others to negotiate for them)

    Why shouldn't labor get organized? Labor negotiates with organizations. Unorganized labor cuts its own throat unless there are very specific circumstances in the labor market.

    TRWTF is libertarians who are for freedom (e.g., free association) until it costs them a bit of pocket change.

    Yo, Cap. If the "-tards" suffix is part of the guy's argument, what are the odds he's got the brains to follow your response? Just wondering...

  • I used to work in direct mail (unregistered)

    Check it out, there are actually business rules.

    Zipcode 495xx (the destination) gets sorted through a MXD sort through NDC (Network Distribution Center) Pittsburgh if the originating mail is too sparse, or irregular (which fits for a single piece mailing):

    http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/L009.htm#1051497

    but would go through NDC Detroit if the mailer presented enough at one time to qualify for an NDC sack or pallet:

    http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/L601.htm#215612

    This says to me that if a customer mails enough pieces, well-organized (ie, meeting set USPS standards) at one time to qualify from one place to selected Michigan destinations, they would get a discount, and the USPS would have a cost-effective reason for a freight load from Belmont to Detroit; but otherwise for single or irregular pieces, the USPS expects better consolidation (less overall handling) into freight loads out of Pittsburgh.

    Believe it that the Postmaster General needs $7 Billion, and this is something they analyze regularly.

  • MMM (unregistered)

    After I've closed an account with T-Mobile, I've been receiving monthly bills from them for -$1.39, until I've called them and said that they can keep my $1.39 if they stop sending me bills. Maybe that was their goal from start?

  • Paul (unregistered) in reply to Captain Oblivious
    Captain Oblivious:
    Leftards lol:
    The real WTF is thinking that the skilled workers the middle class should be composed of need unions (or that the American Dream is for people so lazy they need others to negotiate for them)

    Why shouldn't labor get organized? Labor negotiates with organizations. Unorganized labor cuts its own throat unless there are very specific circumstances in the labor market.

    TRWTF is libertarians who are for freedom (e.g., free association) until it costs them a bit of pocket change.

    Libertarians completely support voluntary unions where you are free to join if you want, or not join if you don't want. They oppose mandatory unions, because that isn't free choice.

    It is kinda fundamental to the whole idea. You are free to do what you want. You are not free to force others to do what you want.

  • Jeff (unregistered) in reply to MMM
    MMM:
    After I've closed an account with T-Mobile, I've been receiving monthly bills from them for -$1.39, until I've called them and said that they can keep my $1.39 if they stop sending me bills. Maybe that was their goal from start?
    I've been getting a monthly statement for minus 35 cents from a phone company for two or three years now. I wish they'd just send me a check, but I'm not going to buy a stamp to mail in my suggestion.
  • Anon (unregistered) in reply to trtrwtf
    trtrwtf:
    Captain Oblivious:
    Leftards lol:
    The real WTF is thinking that the skilled workers the middle class should be composed of need unions (or that the American Dream is for people so lazy they need others to negotiate for them)

    Why shouldn't labor get organized? Labor negotiates with organizations. Unorganized labor cuts its own throat unless there are very specific circumstances in the labor market.

    TRWTF is libertarians who are for freedom (e.g., free association) until it costs them a bit of pocket change.

    Yo, Cap. If the "-tards" suffix is part of the guy's argument, what are the odds he's just trolling and the two of us fell for it? Just wondering...

  • Somebody (unregistered) in reply to Anon
    Anon:
    Someone who can't be bothered to log in from work:
    Anon:
    What's the over/under on how many people will post something like "TRWTF is a $400 mouse" because they are a) too stupid to realize that it's not in USD and b) they are too lazy to notice that several idiots have already posted the same thing?
    Unless I'm mistaken, that's English. What other currency would it be in, other than USD?

    Maybe it's one of those countries where the foreigners aren't too lazy to learn English?

    Clearly you are not speaking of America.

  • Anon (unregistered) in reply to Paul
    Paul:
    Captain Oblivious:
    Leftards lol:
    The real WTF is thinking that the skilled workers the middle class should be composed of need unions (or that the American Dream is for people so lazy they need others to negotiate for them)

    Why shouldn't labor get organized? Labor negotiates with organizations. Unorganized labor cuts its own throat unless there are very specific circumstances in the labor market.

    TRWTF is libertarians who are for freedom (e.g., free association) until it costs them a bit of pocket change.

    Libertarians completely support voluntary unions where you are free to join if you want, or not join if you don't want. They oppose mandatory unions, because that isn't free choice.

    It is kinda fundamental to the whole idea. You are free to do what you want. You are not free to force others to do what you want.

    Isn't union membership mandatory because the employer decided to form an exclusive employment agreement with the union? In order to prevent that, wouldn't you have to take away the employer's right to decide whether he makes this exclusive contract or not?

    This is why the idea of freedom in society - which necessarily requires constriction of behavior and choice (i.e. organization) - is such a naive concept.

    This is also why libertarians and liberals (U.S. meanings) have so much in common. They are both so concerned about fairness, but have such different ideas of fairness that it reveals how arbitrary the concept of fairness is:

    "Why should some people get to live in mansions while I only have this little apartment? It's not fair! Why can't we just take money from other people can and give it to me? I promise I won't have ten equally incompetent children!"

    "Why should I be forced to pay for someone else's health care/schooling/roads/whatever (at gunpoint no less)? It's not fair! I shouldn't have to pay for anything that benefits me in ways I don't understand!"

  • (cs) in reply to Paul
    Paul:
    Captain Oblivious:
    Leftards lol:
    The real WTF is thinking that the skilled workers the middle class should be composed of need unions (or that the American Dream is for people so lazy they need others to negotiate for them)

    Why shouldn't labor get organized? Labor negotiates with organizations. Unorganized labor cuts its own throat unless there are very specific circumstances in the labor market.

    TRWTF is libertarians who are for freedom (e.g., free association) until it costs them a bit of pocket change.

    Libertarians completely support voluntary unions where you are free to join if you want, or not join if you don't want. They oppose mandatory unions, because that isn't free choice.

    It is kinda fundamental to the whole idea. You are free to do what you want. You are not free to force others to do what you want.

    All unions are "voluntary" unions. Management freely enters into a contract with them, based on the premise that it will cost them more not to. Or they don't and hire scabs. Also, you are free not to join an organization which has contracts with any party you might dislike, including labor unions. Should the company break their contract so that you have another choice? Doesn't that undermine the libertarian sanctity of contract law?

  • anon (unregistered) in reply to Captain Oblivious
    Captain Oblivious:
    Paul:
    Captain Oblivious:
    Leftards lol:
    The real WTF is thinking that the skilled workers the middle class should be composed of need unions (or that the American Dream is for people so lazy they need others to negotiate for them)

    Why shouldn't labor get organized? Labor negotiates with organizations. Unorganized labor cuts its own throat unless there are very specific circumstances in the labor market.

    TRWTF is libertarians who are for freedom (e.g., free association) until it costs them a bit of pocket change.

    Libertarians completely support voluntary unions where you are free to join if you want, or not join if you don't want. They oppose mandatory unions, because that isn't free choice.

    It is kinda fundamental to the whole idea. You are free to do what you want. You are not free to force others to do what you want.

    All unions are "voluntary" unions. Management freely enters into a contract with them, based on the premise that it will cost them more not to. Or they don't and hire scabs. Also, you are free not to join an organization which has contracts with any party you might dislike, including labor unions. Should the company break their contract so that you have another choice? Doesn't that undermine the libertarian sanctity of contract law?

    You (and several others in this thread) are missing a fundamental concept of libertarianism. You see, since Libertarians have never held any office of legitimate authority, they have the luxury of dealing with the law in a solely theoretical manor while completely ignoring all practical implications. That's how they can tell with a straight face that you should have every right to get any job without joining a union while at the same time every company should have every right to sign or not sign a union exclusive contract.

  • malo (unregistered)

    I'm betting the reason the package was misrouted could be something as simple as poor hand-writing. If the postal scanner reads the zip code on the package as 19506 instead of 49506, it would probably get sent to that PA sorting station first. Zip codes are important first indicators when it comes to determining shipment destinations.

    Just trying to see this WTF as being not the post office's fault, but who knows, maybe it still is.

  • Cris (unregistered) in reply to SenTree

    Yep, it is South African Rands...

    TRWTF is that it'd probably be cheaper to buy and ship it from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Cape town and then back again than it would be to buy it retail here. (here: Somerset West, Cape Town)

  • (cs)

    Libertarian idea of marketplace wisdom: When enough people die of food poisoning people will stop buying from those suppliers! Free markets!

  • shepd (unregistered)

    I believe the last one wants you to pay $12,500,000, or $1.25cr. It's just a capitalization error, is all.

  • CAhrens (unregistered) in reply to Nagesh

    Dear Sir, I would do the needful. But I couldn't able to without one help

  • tm (unregistered) in reply to BentFranklin
    BentFranklin:
    Libertarian idea of marketplace wisdom: When enough people die of food poisoning people will stop buying from those suppliers! Free markets!

    Of course we still get tainted tomatoes.

  • xvx (unregistered)
    All unions are "voluntary" unions. Management freely enters into a contract with them, based on the premise that it will cost them more not to. Or they don't and hire scabs. Also, you are free not to join an organization which has contracts with any party you might dislike, including labor unions. Should the company break their contract so that you have another choice? Doesn't that undermine the libertarian sanctity of contract law?

    When talking about the WI union problem, it's essential to note that the government is not a private company and doesn't have the same rights. The issue isn't the Toyota can refuse unions and GM can mandate them, it's that your local / state / federal government can mandate your association with a particular group when you work for them.

  • (cs)

    It's sad that so few people understand what being libertarian is all about, but that's OK. Politics has just become a sports game in the US anyway.

    What's more important and obvious to anyone except some greedy public union leeches, errr, a select few people, is that the one important role of the government is to provide the most service at the least cost. Since unions attempt to provide the least service at the most cost, they are completely incompatible with a responsible government. However, polticians pander to the unions for votes, the union gets fatter off the taxpayer, and the cycle continues.

    I don't fault anyone for taking opportunities that come their way - hell, I'd happily be one of the the unionized lifeguards in the OC, >90% of whom are making north of $100k and can retire at age 50 with 90% pay until death - but there's just no chance that such a scenario occurs without mandatory collective bargaining.

  • Post Master General (unregistered)
    The USPS has a post office in every Zip code which functions as a local sorting center. Letters to the same Zip code are delivered directly, not sent to another sorting facility. UPS does not have local sorting centers in each city. They are more like regional sorting centers covering a number of cities and towns. Your local "UPS Store" is just a drop-off point.
    Local post offices do very little sorting. Larger delivery offices may sort packages into 'our district' and 'not our district'.

    The USPS wtf is a sort error. There is a sort facility in Allen Park. It is likely that the package went there, and ended up on it's way to PA, in such a way that it was never scanned arrived at Allen Park the first time. Perhaps it fell off a pallet.

    Letters and flats are sorted by machines. Most packages are not. The machines have higher error rates than humans.

  • Post Master General (unregistered) in reply to Power Troll

    This argument is invalid. Postal union workers do not work for the government, they work for the United States Postal Service, which is no longer a federal agency. Not only do postal workers not get paid using tax revenue, the postal service subsidizes the Office of Personnel Management, contributing to the retirement of actual government union employees.

    I will remind you of the triangle fire.

  • uncoolperson (unregistered)

    so a few years back for christmas I order myself a pistol, it was just outside the distance to make it worthwhile to drive in december(something like 200 miles, eastside/westside washington state).

    around 3 days after it shipped (UPS) i contacted the gun shop and asked if they had a tracking number, and started tracking my pistol as it went south. Eventually ending up in oakland california before finding it's way back up here.

    Now, that was pretty funny... it got better. When I went to pick up my pistol I noticed a big sticker with "not legal in california" on the case.

  • Moar Carbons (unregistered)

    TRWTF is people caring about carbon footprints.

  • Pr0gramm3r (unregistered) in reply to Moar Carbons
    Moar Carbons:
    TRWTF is people caring about carbon footprints.
    TRWTF is people who believe global warming is real.
  • (cs) in reply to Pr0gramm3r
    Pr0gramm3r:
    Moar Carbons:
    TRWTF is people caring about carbon footprints.
    TRWTF is people who believe global warming is man-made.
    FTFY
  • J (unregistered) in reply to frits
    frits:
    Pr0gramm3r:
    Moar Carbons:
    TRWTF is people caring about carbon footprints.
    TRWTF is people who believe global warming is man-made.
    FTFY
    Yes. The climate changes on it's own (not really, but humans don't need to interfere to make it happen). The people pushing anthropogenic global warming don't seem to understand this.

    Libertarians in the US want to maximize personal liberty. Unfortunately, unions and the left have destroyed education for too many people in this country for that to work (as they don't know how to think for themselves and only know how to do what the politicians tell them).

  • Dave (unregistered) in reply to iogy
    iogy:
    "Wells Fargo a pixel image in its emails to track when they've been opened," notes Andrew

    Wells Fargo accidentally the whole image?

    Yes, because the computer fletely, mouse and all!

  • Dave (unregistered) in reply to newfweiler
    newfweiler:
    The USPS has a post office in every Zip code which functions as a local sorting center. Letters to the same Zip code are delivered directly, not sent to another sorting facility. UPS does not have local sorting centers in each city. They are more like regional sorting centers covering a number of cities and towns. Your local "UPS Store" is just a drop-off point.

    Thus explaining why the USPS is running at a 2 gajillion dollar annual loss while UPS makes a pretty good profit.

  • Dave (unregistered) in reply to FuBar
    FuBar:
    Anon:
    trtrwtf:
    Cheaper to toss packages from Bumfuck, Indiana onto that truck and sort them at the regional center than to have sorting centers at each local post office.
    I think if you send a package from Blue Ball, PA to Bumfuck, IN it'll get routed through Intercourse, PA first.
    Or possibly Scunthorpe, England.

    Or Goose Fart, Quebec.

  • trtwtf (unregistered) in reply to J
    J:

    Libertarians in the US want to maximize personal liberty. Unfortunately, unions and the left have destroyed education for too many people in this country for that to work (as they don't know how to think for themselves and only know how to do what the politicians tell them).

    And we would have got away with it, if it hadn't been for you crazy kids.

  • (cs) in reply to imgx64
    imgx64:
    Arne:
    I'd say TRWRF is them being unable to spell "mouse". First they tried "MOUS", and when that looked wrong, they tried "MOSE".

    Judging from the "C/LESS", I'd say the label has a limit on the number of characters that can be printed on it. I don't know about the MOSE, but it's probably a code or something.

    Yes, I'm sure it does. Clearly, "C/LESS" is an abbreviation for "CLUELESS".

  • (cs) in reply to cee
    cee:
    The Wells Fargo one is not a wtf, it's actually a rather brilliant anticipation of that exact situation.

    See the line 'you must have a valid address to receive statements online...if we cannot successfully deliver your statement....we will resume sending you paper copies'

    I'm guessing this is regulatory. They have to somehow confirm that you are actually getting your emails.

    So, they send a follow up email saying 'Our automated delivery detection system says you aren't getting these. If you are getting these, you might want to figure out what the problem is so we can stay in compliance with these ridiculous laws'.

    Yeah, they could have phrased it better, but all in all, fairly forward-thinking.

    Yes, I'm sure they must verify the customer's email address. To do it using a web bug...

    It seems that organizations these days are determined: "We're going to shove these stinkin' web bugs down your lousy stinkin' throats! Accept them or else!"

    Even my employer's gift shop sends them, in internal mail. Sigh.

    So you're left with a choice: Turn them on and get spammed to death or turn them off and have Wells Fargo ding you for not having a valid email address? What kind of a choice is that? "Accept our web bugs or you can't be our customer!"

    Wells Fargo--and a lot of other organizations--need to start respecting their customers.

  • (cs)

    "More options" reminds me of an interesting WTF I saw the other day. The menu of a Linux boot CD included "advanced options", which led to... an empty menu. Guess there were no advanced options...

    That CD turned out to be burned from a corrupted image though, so maybe the menu just got eaten.

  • South Georgia Penguin (unregistered) in reply to JR
    JR:
    Blecki:
    The USPS one isn't a wtf. The package got sorted wrong. Big fucking deal.
    Most of these aren't.

    iPhone: Type nonsense, and you're going to get a nonsense suggestion. E-Mail: Obviously a problem caused by using Thunderbird More Choices: They got more choices. Duh. Mouse: Someone said before, it's not USD. IT: Maybe in the trusted domain, but banned for another restriction. Wells Fargo: Multiple email addresses Bill: Lost in the mail. Duh.

    The WTF for the mouse was that they showed a was-now comparison over R.95 for a formerly R399.95 item, not that the price was high. It's more of a minor, silly thing than a true WTF, but it could have been foreseen and avoided.

    if (newPrice <= .98*oldPrice) wasNowFlag = true; else wasNowFlag = false;

  • (cs)

    Sure, I'll donate -- I'm proud to be one of the unsupported global dynamic elements that make this country great!

  • (cs) in reply to jarjams
    jarjams:
    #4: Not a WTF. reuse of a control may not always yield optimal results, but leads to a consistent and user friendly interface. It also simplifies maintenance and reduces dev time.

    I'm assuming this is said tongue in cheek. The ease and user friendliness of the UI should ALWAYS take precedence over the ease of coding. That is why we are here to make the users job easier. Sometimes that makes our job harder.

    If the reuse of a control doesn't yield optimal results, then fix it. Not fixing it is the WTF. Of course this was probably designed this way. It is a design bug, but still a bug.

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