• (cs)

    This is just a comment.

  • Flick Paul's Bean (unregistered)

    Fist! Brillant! TRWTF is I haven't read the story yet

  • (cs)

    Despite all the non disclosure agreements I signed when going for interviews, I've never seen, or heard anything worth not-disclosing.

    Secrets projects are usually well hidden, so that visitors can visit without having to be eliminated after their visit.

  • Anon (unregistered)

    Ermm...so what was the actual position? Or is it top secret?

  • Whaleman (unregistered)

    where's the WTF??? He didn't get to see top secret "things"? Wow, didn't expect THAT coming...

    Or was it being interviewed for a position not exactly in his field? Also not very shocking...

  • (cs)

    This is where I'll be mounting my top secret ultra cool comment later on.

  • (cs)

    Behind this comment could be a top-secret warp-drive project

  • jtl (unregistered) in reply to Whaleman
    Whaleman:
    where's the WTF??? He didn't get to see top secret "things"? Wow, didn't expect THAT coming...

    Or was it being interviewed for a position not exactly in his field? Also not very shocking...

    Possibly a 3 hour tour of hallways and pickup trucks? And that they clearly just signed on any resume they got given the crowd of applicants? Seems like they did very little to try and interest him in the company.

  • my name is missing (unregistered)

    Clearly then it must not be the internet, as it's not a truck, but a series of tubes...

  • krupa (unregistered) in reply to jtl
    jtl:
    Whaleman:
    where's the WTF??? He didn't get to see top secret "things"? Wow, didn't expect THAT coming...

    Or was it being interviewed for a position not exactly in his field? Also not very shocking...

    Possibly a 3 hour tour of hallways and pickup trucks? And that they clearly just signed on any resume they got given the crowd of applicants? Seems like they did very little to try and interest him in the company.

    Also that they paid to fly him there (and presumably put him up in a hotel) for such a superficial tour/interview. Most companies at least do a phone interview or two before ponying up airfare.

  • MDW (unregistered)

    I interviewed (and hired) for a large defense contractor. I didn't know what I was actually going to do until my second day there.

    PS. There were pretty good reasons to take the job, I assure you.

  • David Karnok (unregistered)

    They wanted only a truck driver.

  • Nemo (unregistered)

    In my experience as a defense contractor, it is my opinion that most things are classified not because their public disclosure would threaten the well-being of the United States of America, but instead because their disclosure would threaten the career of a powerful industry or political figure.

    For example, the biggest secret at Groom Lake may well be the extent of toxic waste on the site. I'll never be sure, but that's where I would bet.

  • (cs)
    North Bus:
    It was a truck. Just a pickup truck with a bike rack and some camouflage paint. Just a truck.
    Truckin' Like the do-dah man Once told me, "You've got to play your hand; Sometimes your cards ain't worth a dime If you dont lay 'em down."
    North Bus:
    I made my way out of the building with little fanfare, and caught my flight home the next morning.
    Sometimes the light's all shining on me; Other times I can barely see. Lately it occurs to me What a long, strange trip its been.
  • (cs) in reply to Whaleman
    Whaleman:
    where's the WTF??? He didn't get to see top secret "things"? Wow, didn't expect THAT coming...

    Or was it being interviewed for a position not exactly in his field? Also not very shocking...

    Are you whaleman because a whale swallowed your brains?

    Try:

    1. A quickly arranged, all expense paid interview appointment.

    2. A tour of hallways and doors.

    3. The tour highlight: a camouflage painted truck with a bike rack.

    4. An interview that asked zero technical (or, it appears, any other) questions.

    5. A person posting a comment on a tech-oriented blog who is apparently smart enough to find the blog but not smart enough to understand it. (That would be you, in case you can't quite figure it out by yourself.)

    6. The person in #5 not being smart enough to refrain from posting and revealing their lack of intellect publicly.

    I could go on, but they'd simply be pointing out more things about the individual in #5 and #6 above...

  • MAG (unregistered) in reply to KenW
    KenW:
    Whaleman:
    where's the WTF??? He didn't get to see top secret "things"? Wow, didn't expect THAT coming...

    Or was it being interviewed for a position not exactly in his field? Also not very shocking...

    Are you whaleman because a whale swallowed your brains?

    Try:

    1. A quickly arranged, all expense paid interview appointment.

    2. A tour of hallways and doors.

    3. The tour highlight: a camouflage painted truck with a bike rack.

    4. An interview that asked zero technical (or, it appears, any other) questions.

    5. A person posting a comment on a tech-oriented blog who is apparently smart enough to find the blog but not smart enough to understand it. (That would be you, in case you can't quite figure it out by yourself.)

    6. The person in #5 not being smart enough to refrain from posting and revealing their lack of intellect publicly.

    I could go on, but they'd simply be pointing out more things about the individual in #5 and #6 above...

    We all get the WTF it is just that it does not have a punch line, which is sad because I thought it was going to be good WTF when I read the first line.

  • (cs)

    This is a placeholder for a witty, piercing and insightful comment I'll be adding later!

  • kelvo (unregistered)

    It's not JUST a truck, you see...

    it's a truck with cheeseburgers

  • (cs)
    Alex Papadimoulis:
    test comment, you didn't see this

    I did.

  • (cs)

    I bet they brought in this people to be interviewed just so they could hire someone else (like an executive's nephew) without being accused of nepotism. They could say we interviewed 25 people and the nephew was the most qualified for the job.

  • (cs) in reply to MDW
    MDW:
    PS. There were pretty good reasons to take the job, I assure you.

    Holy sh...! No way! You became a coworker of the irish girl?

  • (cs) in reply to kelvo
    kelvo:
    It's not JUST a truck, you see...

    it's a truck with cheeseburgers

    Shhhhh! Those are CLASSIFIED cheeseburgers.

  • (cs)

    Thank you for interviewing for the position of reading the Daily WTF. During Alex's extensive interview it became clear that you are not tD:WTF material. Please feel free to apply again.

    current openings:

    • Truck Driver
    • Facilities Guide
  • !007 (unregistered)

    As someone who has worked for a military contractor, I'd say TRWTF was "North Bus" thinking he'd get to see classified anything without a security clearance.

    For a minor WTF (a WTH maybe?) There was a national geographic map hanging in one of the offices at work, partially covered by years of junk. We removed some of the junk to see that someone got happy with the "top secret" stamp. Our security officer was a bit miffed since the map now had to be logged and destroyed as if it were top secret. Maybe if "North Bus" was lucky, he could've toured our place and saw a top-secret 10 year old national geographic map with Jeep advertising on it.

  • Burns (unregistered) in reply to Anon

    Burns: Smithers! use the Amnesia Ray! Smithers: Do you mean the revolver, sir? Burns: Yes, be sure to wipe your own memory clean as well!

  • Izzy (unregistered) in reply to Coincoin
    Coincoin:
    Despite all the non disclosure agreements I signed when going for interviews, I've never seen, or heard anything worth not-disclosing.

    Secrets projects are usually well hidden, so that visitors can visit without having to be eliminated after their visit.

    The twelve secret trucks were fully stealthed and invisible.

  • cf18 (unregistered)

    TRWTF is you have a phone number but no email address on a digital resume.

  • (cs)

    TRWTF is that they didn't take him out to lunch after 3 hours of touring the facilities.

  • Flywheel25a (unregistered)

    What do you want to bet that this was a psych job. They wanted him to think that a truck was the next platform for the latest missile system and post it on the internet.

  • Michael (unregistered)

    Of course they didn't need to conduct much of an interview.

    Everything they needed to know they learned by going through all his stuff after flying him out of town :)

  • Jay (unregistered) in reply to Nemo
    Nemo:
    In my experience as a defense contractor, it is my opinion that most things are classified not because their public disclosure would threaten the well-being of the United States of America, but instead because their disclosure would threaten the career of a powerful industry or political figure.

    For example, the biggest secret at Groom Lake may well be the extent of toxic waste on the site. I'll never be sure, but that's where I would bet.

    In my experience as a defense contractor, it is my opinion that most things are classified because somebody checked a box on a form without really giving it a lot of thought, or figured it was best to err on the side of making it classified because if they didn't, and later someone else said they should have, they could get in trouble.

  • Defense Supervisor (unregistered) in reply to Jay
    Jay:
    Nemo:
    In my experience as a defense contractor, it is my opinion that most things are classified not because their public disclosure would threaten the well-being of the United States of America, but instead because their disclosure would threaten the career of a powerful industry or political figure.

    In my experience as a defense contractor, it is my opinion that most things are classified because somebody checked a box on a form without really giving it a lot of thought, or figured it was best to err on the side of making it classified because if they didn't, and later someone else said they should have, they could get in trouble.

    Speaking of which, Jay, could I see you in my office for a minute? Seems there's a comment on some blog, The Daily W .. T .. F that should have been classified...

  • (cs) in reply to !007
    !007:
    As someone who has worked for a military contractor, I'd say TRWTF was "North Bus" thinking he'd get to see classified anything without a security clearance.
    Okay. Let's go over this again. It wasn't the point of the story that North Bus didn't get to see secret stuff. TRWTF was someone giving a tour for three hours that showed nothing, then having a 30-minute interview that asked nothing. Spending airfare and possible lodging costs for two dozen candidates is the WTF Intensifier. (Can we trademark that?) The rejection message was the (anti-climactic) punch line.
  • (cs) in reply to MDW
    MDW:
    I interviewed (and hired) for a large defense contractor. I didn't know what I was actually going to do until my second day there.

    PS. There were pretty good reasons to take the job, I assure you.

    They put snipers on the roof of the building across the street?

  • I Can't Tell You My Name Or I'd Have To Eliminate You (unregistered) in reply to MDW
    MDW:
    I interviewed (and hired) for a large defense contractor. I didn't know what I was actually going to do until my second day there.

    PS. There were pretty good reasons to take the job, I assure you.

    I expect you're not at liberty to tell us what those reasons were, or else we would have to be eliminated, right?

  • (cs)

    (In my best Home Simpson voice)

    Hmmm... Power supplies.

  • RyanRyanRyan (unregistered)

    I bet you saw more than that. You just don't remember because they used the flashy thing to wipe your memory and implant the memory of "just a truck".

  • (cs)

    The entire trip and visit was a charade; a test to see if North Bus could be trusted with sensitive information.

    By sharing your story, North Bus, with thousands of readers, you have proved that you cannot be trusted.

    Sorry, you won't get the job.

  • (cs) in reply to Flash
    Flash:
    !007:
    As someone who has worked for a military contractor, I'd say TRWTF was "North Bus" thinking he'd get to see classified anything without a security clearance.
    Okay. Let's go over this again. It wasn't the point of the story that North Bus didn't get to see secret stuff. TRWTF was someone giving a tour for three hours that showed nothing, then having a 30-minute interview that asked nothing. Spending airfare and possible lodging costs for two dozen candidates is the WTF Intensifier. (Can we trademark that?) The rejection message was the (anti-climactic) punch line.

    Your (well, okay, an anonymous someone's) military-industrial tax dollars at work... Sounds about par for the course. Cost-plus contract, anyone?

  • Marvin The Martian (unregistered)

    And you are sure all of you made it back?

    Because if not, I'd be watching the low-budget department of your dvd store for some industrial shlock horrormovie called "the apprentice" or "theInterview" or so.

  • (cs)

    Sounds like they were testing your reaction to being confronted with a truck. You acted the way any normal engineer would have - registering no shock or surprise. The whole interview process was designed to find people who think that trucks are the most amazing invention on the planet and are awestruck at the sight of one. They should just move their headquarters to Ohio.

  • Thunder (unregistered) in reply to Charles400
    Charles400:
    (In my best Home Simpson voice)

    Hmmm... Power supplies.

    Dude, sucky Homer voice. Here, let me show you how it's done:

    Hmmm... Power supplies.

    Way better.

  • Franz Kafka (unregistered) in reply to Markp
    Markp:
    The entire trip and visit was a charade; a test to see if North Bus could be trusted with sensitive information.

    By sharing your story, North Bus, with thousands of readers, you have proved that you cannot be trusted.

    Sorry, you won't get the job.

    Like anybody would hesitate to share info that was of no particular value - at least dummy up something sexy so the guy thinks it might be classified/confidential.

  • C. F. Martin (unregistered) in reply to schaefer
    schaefer:
    Sounds like they were testing your reaction to being confronted with a truck. You acted the way any normal engineer would have - registering no shock or surprise. The whole interview process was designed to find people who think that trucks are the most amazing invention on the planet and are awestruck at the sight of one. They should just move their headquarters to Ohio.

    (Its round on the ends and HI in the middle)

    CAPTCHA: consequat

  • (cs)

    TRWTF is that North Bus didn't realize the "truck" was a Transformer. Maybe Optimus Prime?

  • Mr Binky (unregistered)

    What the truck?

  • David Emery (unregistered)

    All-in-all, it sounds a lot more informative than the interview I went on at No Such Agency, where you walked around with an escort who talked to blinking boxes. When you entered a room for the interview, the escort would reach to a switch next to the door, triggering a blue police light (and causing internal giggles about "Attention K-Mart Shoppers!". Most of the interviews I remember were like this:

    me: So what do you do here? him: Can't tell you. me: what should I know? him: signal processing me: can you be any more specific, e.g. what kinds of signals? Is this more of a math job or a data management job? him: can't say.

    At least you got to see the trucks :-)

    dave

  • Chris (unregistered) in reply to Salami
    Salami:
    I bet they brought in this people to be interviewed just so they could hire someone else (like an executive's nephew) without being accused of nepotism. They could say we interviewed 25 people and the nephew was the most qualified for the job.

    Yeah, i would agree with that. I work for a rather large organization as well, we often times have to meet a threshold of candidates to interview, and then make a decision based on something we knew we were going to do anyways.

    Normally, we wouldn't spend this amount of capital on such an interviewing process, but for the Govt, probably a drop in the bucket.

  • Real Old Fart (unregistered) in reply to Salami
    Salami:
    I bet they brought in this people to be interviewed just so they could hire someone else (like an executive's nephew) without being accused of nepotism. They could say we interviewed 25 people and the nephew was the most qualified for the job.

    No. The contracting company had X dollars allocated in the contract for recruiting purposes. Have to spend it or lose it - and you usually can't move money between allocation units. Looks like they weren't hiring - they wanted to spend the money in such a manner that there could be no repercussions.

  • pong (unregistered) in reply to my name is missing
    my name is missing:
    Clearly then it must not be the internet, as it's not a truck, but a series of tubes...

    It was Internet 5.0: A series of tubes MOUNTED on a truck. They use millions of eyeballs for their radar substitute and adware as ammunition.

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