The Daily WTF: Curious Perversions in Information Technology

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

Gene Wirchenko:
There are a lot of JavaScript attacks, and they can not touch me with JavaScript disabled.

Don't worry. We'll find some JavaScript attacks too, and then you can join in the party!

chubertdev · 2014-07-09 Reply Admin

Gene Wirchenko:
Valued Service:
Jim the Tool:
...a significant segment of the population who browse without JavaScript, for whatever reason (and there are various reasons)...

Such people will find it harder and harder to have a working internet. The web is becoming more app based and less page based. Even if executed poorly, it's still going to slowly take over with no alternatives.

Oh, I think it is great. There are a lot of JavaScript attacks, and they can not touch me with JavaScript disabled. That way, it is easy for me to have a working Internet.

I love NoScript.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

I'm choking on the irony.

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

Does typing username and password to log in count as a manual task?

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

Dave:
In fairness, "It compresses air" is an unbelievably dumb answer to that question.

The question was dumb. It could/should have been "what is it used for?"

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

gnasher729:
Jeff Grigg:
We used to have *people* performing the processes. But due to budget cutbacks, we've reduced that to only eyes.

I'll recommend the short story "The Eyes Have It" by Philipp K. Dick.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/31516/31516-h/31516-h.htm

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

Gene Wirchenko:
Valued Service:
Jim the Tool:
...a significant segment of the population who browse without JavaScript, for whatever reason (and there are various reasons)...

Such people will find it harder and harder to have a working internet. The web is becoming more app based and less page based. Even if executed poorly, it's still going to slowly take over with no alternatives.

Oh, I think it is great. There are a lot of JavaScript attacks, and they can not touch me with JavaScript disabled. That way, it is easy for me to have a working Internet.

I love NoScript.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

If you think of wasting time reading / posting comments as an attack...

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

In your example, coworker = person who is incompetent at their job and should likely be fired.

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

Meep:
Gene Wirchenko:
Valued Service:
Jim the Tool:
...a significant segment of the population who browse without JavaScript, for whatever reason (and there are various reasons)...

Such people will find it harder and harder to have a working internet. The web is becoming more app based and less page based. Even if executed poorly, it's still going to slowly take over with no alternatives.

Oh, I think it is great. There are a lot of JavaScript attacks, and they can not touch me with JavaScript disabled. That way, it is easy for me to have a working Internet.

I love NoScript.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

If you think of wasting time reading / posting comments as an attack...

Well, Discourse is certainly adept at attacking the browser url history. Personally I find it much more tolerable with JS disabled: I can actually focus on the comments instead of all the stupid bells & whistles (i.e. distractions), plus as a bonus I get paging.

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

chubertdev:
Dave:
In fairness, "It compresses air" is an unbelievably dumb answer to that question.

Ask a dumb question, get a dumb answer.

If you didn't put any thought into your query, why should I put any into my response?

I'd gladly explain air compressors to a curious 4-year-old. Maybe even a curious but sheltered 24-year-old if I was in the mood. Definitely not to a provably dumb 24-year-old who will be distracted by something shiny in 30 seconds anyway.

dkf · 2014-07-09 Reply Admin

dkf:
Gene Wirchenko:
There are a lot of JavaScript attacks, and they can not touch me with JavaScript disabled.
Don't worry. We'll find some JavaScript attacks too, and then you can join in the party!

Oh hell. I meant CSS attacks. I hate typing on phones…

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

We're supposed to be shocked that a bank wants persons who are manually manipulating potentially sensitive (or very valuable) data to have oversight?

And that you can't just wing it in a heavily regulated and risk-filled industry, moving other people's money around?

Waily.

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

On Error Resume Next

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

radarbob:
Dave:
In fairness, "It compresses air" is an unbelievably dumb answer to that question.

The question was dumb. It could/should have been "what is it used for?"

I'm fairly sure that it's used for compressing air.

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

"Is that a castle?" "No, that's an air compressor"

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

Remy Porter:
And a whale, like this article, can be made from the ground up parts of many animals, and turned into delicious sausage.

Sea Shepherd wants to talk to you.

2014-07-09 Reply Admin

Valued Service:
operagost:
ANON:
I agree on the RJ45 clips. They suck.
Probably they were not designed to be pulled and pluged often unlike USB.
The clip catches and breaks often. So you put a rubber boot on it.
The clip is there to prevent a cable from being pulled out. However, if some force were applied by accident, say a person falling into the mass of cables, now you risk damaging all of equipment rather than losing connections.

USB connections provide enough resistance to stop accidental disconnections, but give easily enough to avoid damaging equipment.

If that's not enough resistance, we can make the resistance greater but employing the same technique.

Remy Porter:
"Couch" also means "put into words".

I understand the sucking, pulling, plugging, the rubber boot that I should have put on it before being pulled out, losing connections, accidental disconnections, and damage to equipment. So if I'd couched it right, I wouldn't have been impeached?

2014-07-10 Reply Admin

Wish I knew what is so unfixably broken about the built-in comment system that justifies throwing it out for one that requires me to remember yet another password. (Not that I'm going to bother.)

AndyCanfield · 2014-07-10 Reply Admin

God this makes me so glad I work where I do. I take care of them. If I screw up they shoot me. No paperwork.

2014-07-10 Reply Admin

So, what does an air compressor do?

2014-07-10 Reply Admin

Bro, do you even log?

2014-07-10 Reply Admin

Dominic:
Is there any other news site on the web that switches its comment system from day to day? Any at all?
TDWTF comments are the biggest WTF ever.

Well, there's Slashdot...

2014-07-10 Reply Admin

Brendan:
radarbob:
Dave:
In fairness, "It compresses air" is an unbelievably dumb answer to that question.

The question was dumb. It could/should have been "what is it used for?"

I'm fairly sure that it's used for compressing air.

There's nothing wrong with the question, nor with the answer for that matter. It just needs a few more questions.

What does the compressed air do? (operates mechanical pressure switches) What do the pressure switches do? (open and close electrical circuits) What runs on the electrical circuits? Etc.

Of course, you could shorten this process by giving a more comprehensive answer, but I'll get there eventually if I really want to know.

Nagesh · 2014-07-10 Reply Admin

i am actually in favour of testing in production. that is where our hapless users are finding all the bugs.

2014-07-10 Reply Admin

Jim the Tool:
Except that the developers of Discourse obviously aren't smart, and are possibly just complete dullards.

In the left corner, Jim the anonymous commenter. In the right corner, Jeff Atwood. Let the game of "smart" begin!

captcha: Paratus. While the B paratus doesn't work, the A paratus is just fine.

chubertdev · 2014-07-10 Reply Admin

We're really slacking here.

"Oh no, not again."

2014-07-10 Reply Admin

anonymous:
Andrew:
My brain went into sleep mode about halfway through the four eyes stuff. What was that about, again?
It looked like an overly formal document describing a typical work process: minion 1 doing the work, minion 2 periodically comes by to check, various overlords responsible for ensuring that minions 1 & 2 know how work should be performed (and how it should be checked) and appointing the correct minions for the job. [image]

Illustrated above: 3 Eyes Check.

2014-07-10 Reply Admin

anonymous:
Brendan:
radarbob:
Dave:
In fairness, "It compresses air" is an unbelievably dumb answer to that question.
The question was dumb. It could/should have been "what is it used for?"
I'm fairly sure that it's used for compressing air.
There's nothing wrong with the question, nor with the answer for that matter. It just needs a few more questions.
What does the compressed air do? (operates mechanical pressure switches) What do the pressure switches do? (open and close electrical circuits) What runs on the electrical circuits? Etc.

Etc.? Now that's dumb. Here's the answer:

What runs on the electrical circuits? Air compressors.

2014-07-10 Reply Admin

J:
anonymous:
Andrew:
My brain went into sleep mode about halfway through the four eyes stuff. What was that about, again?
It looked like an overly formal document describing a typical work process: minion 1 doing the work, minion 2 periodically comes by to check, various overlords responsible for ensuring that minions 1 & 2 know how work should be performed (and how it should be checked) and appointing the correct minions for the job. [image]
Illustrated above: 3 Eyes Check.

ÌÍÎÏìíîïĨĩĪīĬĭĮįİıɨɩɪɫⅠⅰ⒤ⒾⓘＩｉ愛 Pick a random number of them.

2014-07-10 Reply Admin

That last one is very reminiscent of my days at $large_aerospace_contractor.

2014-07-11 Reply Admin

anonymous:
There's nothing wrong with the question, nor with the answer for that matter. It just needs a few more questions.
What does the compressed air do? (operates mechanical pressure switches) What do the pressure switches do? (open and close electrical circuits) What runs on the electrical circuits? Etc.

Of course, you could shorten this process by giving a more comprehensive answer, but I'll get there eventually if I really want to know.

... because that's how it turned out in the Big Bang!

2014-07-11 Reply Admin

Norman Diamond:
anonymous:
Brendan:
radarbob:
Dave:
In fairness, "It compresses air" is an unbelievably dumb answer to that question.
The question was dumb. It could/should have been "what is it used for?"
I'm fairly sure that it's used for compressing air.
There's nothing wrong with the question, nor with the answer for that matter. It just needs a few more questions.
What does the compressed air do? (operates mechanical pressure switches) What do the pressure switches do? (open and close electrical circuits) What runs on the electrical circuits? Etc.
Etc.? Now that's dumb. Here's the answer:

What runs on the electrical circuits? Air compressors.

If the only function that compressed air serves in your process is to control the cycling of the air compressors, may I suggest shutting off the whole contraption and saving some electricity?

2014-07-11 Reply Admin

Meep:
Gene Wirchenko:
Valued Service:
Jim the Tool:
...a significant segment of the population who browse without JavaScript, for whatever reason (and there are various reasons)...

Such people will find it harder and harder to have a working internet. The web is becoming more app based and less page based. Even if executed poorly, it's still going to slowly take over with no alternatives.

Oh, I think it is great. There are a lot of JavaScript attacks, and they can not touch me with JavaScript disabled. That way, it is easy for me to have a working Internet.

I love NoScript.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

If you think of wasting time reading / posting comments as an attack...

The first thing Hitler did to control Germany was reading / posting comments.

2014-07-11 Reply Admin

Paul Neumann:
Meep:
Gene Wirchenko:
Valued Service:
Jim the Tool:
...a significant segment of the population who browse without JavaScript, for whatever reason (and there are various reasons)...
Such people will find it harder and harder to have a working internet. The web is becoming more app based and less page based. Even if executed poorly, it's still going to slowly take over with no alternatives.
Oh, I think it is great. There are a lot of JavaScript attacks, and they can not touch me with JavaScript disabled. That way, it is easy for me to have a working Internet.
I love NoScript.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

If you think of wasting time reading / posting comments as an attack...
The first thing Hitler did to control Germany was reading / posting comments.

Just wait until we invade non-Discourse threads.

tin · 2014-07-12 Reply Admin

operagost:
ANON:
I agree on the RJ45 clips. They suck. Probably they were not designed to be pulled and pluged often unlike USB.
The clip catches and breaks often. So you put a rubber boot on it. Now it doesn't break, but many jacks are designed so that there isn't enough room between the corpulent boot-laden connector and the chassis to release the clip.

Right, so the lesson here is you 2 aren't allowed to use RJ-45 connectors. Treat them with care like any other cable and they last a lifetime.

Most booted cables I've come across, you can slide the boot back down the cable if you can't press the clip. The few moulded ones I've had problems with, I simply cut the top part of the clip cover off, leaving enough to protect the clip, but an opening to press it.

Valued Service:
The clip is there to prevent a cable from being pulled out. However, if some force were applied by accident, say a person falling into the mass of cables, now you risk damaging all of equipment rather than losing connections. USB connections provide enough resistance to stop accidental disconnections, but give easily enough to avoid damaging equipment.

In your scenario, the cable is going to be forced downwards. If that happens, I'd rather the RJ45 clips break (or the tab they clip into bends a little). USB sockets have a tendency to commit suicide when forced at angles.

2014-07-12 Reply Admin

tin:
Right, so the lesson here is you 2 aren't allowed to use RJ-45 connectors. Treat them with care like any other cable and they last a lifetime.

Treat them with care like any other cable and they last for as long as the lifetime of the RJ-45 connectors, which is very short. Some of us think it's perfectly reasonable to move an Ethernet cable from one notebook PC to another notebook PC when we turn off and put away the first PC and turn on the second PC. Some clips last around 100 transfers and some last around 5. Just imagine if USB cables were like that.

2014-07-14 Reply Admin

Norman Diamond:
tin:
Right, so the lesson here is you 2 aren't allowed to use RJ-45 connectors. Treat them with care like any other cable and they last a lifetime.
Treat them with care like any other cable and they last for as long as the lifetime of the RJ-45 connectors, which is very short. Some of us think it's perfectly reasonable to move an Ethernet cable from one notebook PC to another notebook PC when we turn off and put away the first PC and turn on the second PC. Some clips last around 100 transfers and some last around 5. Just imagine if USB cables were like that.

I'm tempted to make a video of me unplugging and re-plugging an Ethernet cable 100 times and upload it to YouTube just to prove a point. But I'm too lazy for that, so instead I'll just type a snarky comment about you not being allowed to touch Ethernet cables. You shouldn't be allowed to touch Ethernet cables. They're not that fragile. You're just dumb and clumsy.

chubertdev · 2014-07-14 Reply Admin

Norman Diamond:
Treat them with care like any other cable and they last for as long as the lifetime of the RJ-45 connectors, which is very short. Some of us think it's perfectly reasonable to move an Ethernet cable from one notebook PC to another notebook PC when we turn off and put away the first PC and turn on the second PC. Some clips last around 100 transfers and some last around 5. Just imagine if USB cables were like that.

What kind of cheap connectors do you have? The cable I use with my laptop has probably been reconnected hundreds of times, and it's still as strong as the day that I bought it.

2014-07-14 Reply Admin

chubertdev:
Norman Diamond:
Treat them with care like any other cable and they last for as long as the lifetime of the RJ-45 connectors, which is very short. Some of us think it's perfectly reasonable to move an Ethernet cable from one notebook PC to another notebook PC when we turn off and put away the first PC and turn on the second PC. Some clips last around 100 transfers and some last around 5. Just imagine if USB cables were like that.
What kind of cheap connectors do you have? The cable I use with my laptop has probably been reconnected hundreds of times, and it's still as strong as the day that I bought it.

The kind of cheap connectors that come on cheap cables. Some clips last around 100 transfers (so I could make a video the same as some clown suggested just before this) and some clips last around 5 transfers.

I'm a bit clumsy but that doesn't affect the design of those clips. The clip has to be pushed down in order to disengage the cable, there's only so far the clip can be pushed down, and that operation doesn't get affected by clumsiness. The clip's joint is designed to be excessively fragile.

2014-07-15 Reply Admin

Norman Diamond:
chubertdev:
Norman Diamond:
Treat them with care like any other cable and they last for as long as the lifetime of the RJ-45 connectors, which is very short. Some of us think it's perfectly reasonable to move an Ethernet cable from one notebook PC to another notebook PC when we turn off and put away the first PC and turn on the second PC. Some clips last around 100 transfers and some last around 5. Just imagine if USB cables were like that.
What kind of cheap connectors do you have? The cable I use with my laptop has probably been reconnected hundreds of times, and it's still as strong as the day that I bought it.
The kind of cheap connectors that come on cheap cables. Some clips last around 100 transfers (so I could make a video the same as some clown suggested just before this) and some clips last around 5 transfers.
I'm a bit clumsy but that doesn't affect the design of those clips. The clip has to be pushed down in order to disengage the cable, there's only so far the clip can be pushed down, and that operation doesn't get affected by clumsiness. The clip's joint is designed to be excessively fragile.

I have never experienced an Ethernet cable that broke due to anything but abuse (snagging the tab on something). Normal use does not break them.

chubertdev · 2014-07-15 Reply Admin

Norman Diamond:
chubertdev:
Norman Diamond:
Treat them with care like any other cable and they last for as long as the lifetime of the RJ-45 connectors, which is very short. Some of us think it's perfectly reasonable to move an Ethernet cable from one notebook PC to another notebook PC when we turn off and put away the first PC and turn on the second PC. Some clips last around 100 transfers and some last around 5. Just imagine if USB cables were like that.
What kind of cheap connectors do you have? The cable I use with my laptop has probably been reconnected hundreds of times, and it's still as strong as the day that I bought it.
The kind of cheap connectors that come on cheap cables. Some clips last around 100 transfers (so I could make a video the same as some clown suggested just before this) and some clips last around 5 transfers.
I'm a bit clumsy but that doesn't affect the design of those clips. The clip has to be pushed down in order to disengage the cable, there's only so far the clip can be pushed down, and that operation doesn't get affected by clumsiness. The clip's joint is designed to be excessively fragile.

Next time, buy American!

2014-07-16 Reply Admin

chubertdev:
Norman Diamond:
chubertdev:
Norman Diamond:
Treat them with care like any other cable and they last for as long as the lifetime of the RJ-45 connectors, which is very short. Some of us think it's perfectly reasonable to move an Ethernet cable from one notebook PC to another notebook PC when we turn off and put away the first PC and turn on the second PC. Some clips last around 100 transfers and some last around 5. Just imagine if USB cables were like that.
What kind of cheap connectors do you have? The cable I use with my laptop has probably been reconnected hundreds of times, and it's still as strong as the day that I bought it.
The kind of cheap connectors that come on cheap cables. Some clips last around 100 transfers (so I could make a video the same as some clown suggested just before this) and some clips last around 5 transfers.
I'm a bit clumsy but that doesn't affect the design of those clips. The clip has to be pushed down in order to disengage the cable, there's only so far the clip can be pushed down, and that operation doesn't get affected by clumsiness. The clip's joint is designed to be excessively fragile.
Next time, buy American!

Hmm, you persuaded me to take a look, but I can't tell where my cables were made. They're labelled in English and mention an ISO standard, but they don't say where they were made.

The American component of my computers is Windows. It still breaks more than cables do.

chubertdev · 2014-07-16 Reply Admin

Weird, I thought that Windows usually breaks loose every tenth time that you try to use it.

2014-07-16 Reply Admin

chubertdev:
Weird, I thought that Windows usually breaks loose every tenth time that you try to use it.

Every tenth time would mean BSODs and failures to awaken from hibernation.

More often than every tenth time would be stuff like the following.

Internet Explorer 11 broke Outlook 2003. I didn't know why Outlook was broken, but my fifth Google search found the reason, and now it comes up first in Google: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/ie/en-US/b46d2476-658d-42e7-92bb-a2728ec4d221/internet-explorer-11-install-causes-changes-to-drafts-being-lost-in-outlook-2003?forum=iewebdevelopment

I reverted to Internet Explorer 10. Outlook was less broken, but there were other problems. After a fresh boot of Windows 7, user interaction was reasonably quick, but by the end of the day it was pretty slow (Windows being more tired than me, right?), and it would hibernate but the next day it would take 30 to 60 minutes to fully awaken from hibernation. After a few more days it would not awaken from hibernation.

So now I use Firefox. Internet Explorer 10 is still installed so Outlook 2003 is still a little bit broken but not too bad. Windows awakens from hibernation OK. Firefox is only broken sometimes; it offered to send crash dumps 3 times to the volunteers on Mozilla and I let it send them. Interesting that Internet Explorer no longer makes the same offer.

Sometimes I put Windows 7 in sleep mode instead of hibernation. It usually awakens from sleep mode OK. And when it awakens from sleep mode, it usually doesn't report errors in the system log about the disk's NTFS structure becoming corrupted. But when it does report errors in the system log about the disk's NTFS structure becoming corrupted, it writes many thousands of logs, starting when awakening from sleep and continuing until the next full reboot. But does it display an icon in the task bar's notification area to let the user know to save their work and reboot -- no, that warning icon is there for more trivial stuff.

Let's see, what else. Windows Explorer still loses files in copy operations because it still doesn't know to copy files with short names before copying files with long names. Long long ago in a galaxy far far away, Microsoft said they had fixed that, but in Windows 7 it became unfixed. http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-files/windows-explorer-still-loses-files-in-windows-7/fef2256e-7a78-4c9d-a7dc-4520d6f97aaf?tm=1400472535701&lc=1041&auth=1

chubertdev:
Weird, I thought that Windows usually breaks loose every tenth time that you try to use it.

Maybe, for some value of "you".

2018-02-12 Reply Admin

Quote:

If the only function that compressed air serves in your process is to control the cycling of the air compressors, may I suggest shutting off the whole contraption and saving some electricity?

End quote

That compressor cost a lot of money and is part of the process!! Unplugging it is cause for termination!!!

2024-02-23 Reply Admin

I gave cbd gummies a prove payment the cardinal previously, and I'm amazed! They tasted great and provided a sense of calmness and relaxation. My stress melted away, and I slept well-advised too. These gummies are a game-changer on the side of me, and I greatly commend them to anyone seeking spontaneous pain alleviation and better sleep.

In the Belly of the Beast

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