• Pack Rat (unregistered) in reply to Rich

    White

    Anglo

    Saxon

    Protestant

     

    I do believe the Anglo-Saxon part generally limits the person to be of English orgin,a lthough I guess one could be from Scandinavia. People from the UK typically speak English, except the Welsh and Cornish, but that's another story.

    Holy Captcha batman!

  • (cs)
    Alex Papadimoulis:

    Hmmm ... maybe it was the same guy who translated this manual that came with hardware that Alistair Higson purchased (see full image) ...

    [image]

     

    Get down!

  • (cs) in reply to It's a Feature
    It's a Feature:
    Anonymous:
    Alex Papadimoulis:

    The real WTF is why they're using a web application that breaks the "Back" button... 

     Actually, I'm not sure it really does break anything. 

    Actually I can imagine that it would break. There is a site I know of, that used to break pretty bad, when you clicked the back button. It either gave you a "this page is no longer valid" error (even without the possibility to enter any data, as you'd expect with that error), or an error page "Please do not use the back key". I'm not sure what the reasons were, I do know that that was the sole reason for me not entering that site again, till some years later, when I heard that they fixed it.

  • Cheong (unregistered) in reply to madjo
    madjo:

    Yes, the large STOP sign, I know that one from our own traffic-rules too...  (I'm dutch)
    but the second (smaller) one is too ambiguous.
    I, myself, would most certainly say WTF if I would encounter them 'in the wild'. And will probably not understand immediately what was meant with that sign.

    I used the wrong word in my initial post.. I actually meant "someone who did not originally come from America" (or wherever that photo was taken) (Sorry, I'm not a native english speaking person, I'm only Dutch)

    The point is: If you're not sure about the traffic rules there, perheps you shouldn't drive there at all. (There's usually driver-hiring service at service counter of hotels, and for big cities you can travel on taxies)

     And I want to say, actually the more difficult part is on the "big red stop sign" which unless you know the sign, it doesn't give any more information on the context. The lower part just says "as is" and doesn't create confusion on it's own. If you understand the upper sign, you should be able to get it's meaning.
     

  • (cs)
    Anonymous:
    madjo:
    Anonymous:
    Alex Papadimoulis:

    Aw heck, and while we're on the subject of driving, John Lenz discovered one of the few intersections in the United States where a "rolling stop" is actually required ...

    [image]

     

    Actually, this tell the driver to "stop to give way" but not "stop the car (i.e.: turn off engine)" here.

    The meaning of "STOP" sign is clearly stated in the traffic sign guide. It's not really a WTF.

    For you maybe, but for non-native english speakers, this is definitely a puzzler. Stop is stop, right?.
    So you are not allowed to stop at any time, while you have to stop to give way.
    The little sign clearly states that under no circumstance you may stop there, but you have to stop to give way. This could be a way for the county to rake in the money from traffic-violations, because there is no way that you can adhere to both rules. :)

    Now if it said 'no parking any time', it would have been more clear (though there is indeed a difference between stopping and parking, this difference IMO is not really warranted, but that is another story) :)

     

    WTF does being a "non-native english speaker" have to do with knowing how to drive? 

    This is a traffic sign.  The meaning of the sign is defined by statute- not by Webster's. 

    I'm feeling particularly pedantic today, so here goes......

    The word "stopping" in the no stopping sign above is incorrect in this context, even if the meaning of the sign is defined by statute. One can drive a car without speaking a word of English, but understanding road signs and driving are completely different matters.

    Using Websters as a source of correct English shows ignorance and incompetence typical of our foreign friends in the antipodes.

    I am not surprised, however, that an American sign would get a very simple English word entirely wrong. You just have to look at the usage of "fast" which used to be synonymous with fixed, but through American influence has become confused with "quick". Rugged, with means bumpy, but has come to mean hard wearing.

    I am surprised that the English use "Loading" to represent standing. Loading has implications which go beyond halting a car and stopping the engine. Here in Australia, the signs say "No Standing" which is pretty sensible if you think about it. And before you start getting "Standing doesn't make sense unless your car's got legs", standing doesn't require legs, it requires standing, like a mountain does, for example, or a stand of trees, or a hat stand. It refers to immobility on a slightly more permanent basis then stopping and it doesn't create the ambiguity or easy out that loading implies.

    And while I'm being pedantic, why doesn't that test pattern skip the zero or O to include the zed? It's just plain stupid, both of those characters are the same anyway and could be substituted without anyone noticing. It's things like this that make me mad.

  • (cs) in reply to Cheong
    Anonymous:
    madjo:

    Yes, the large STOP sign, I know that one from our own traffic-rules too...  (I'm dutch)
    but the second (smaller) one is too ambiguous.
    I, myself, would most certainly say WTF if I would encounter them 'in the wild'. And will probably not understand immediately what was meant with that sign.

    I used the wrong word in my initial post.. I actually meant "someone who did not originally come from America" (or wherever that photo was taken) (Sorry, I'm not a native english speaking person, I'm only Dutch)

    The point is: If you're not sure about the traffic rules there, perheps you shouldn't drive there at all. (There's usually driver-hiring service at service counter of hotels, and for big cities you can travel on taxies)

     And I want to say, actually the more difficult part is on the "big red stop sign" which unless you know the sign, it doesn't give any more information on the context. The lower part just says "as is" and doesn't create confusion on it's own. If you understand the upper sign, you should be able to get it's meaning.
     


    I wish you luck, on your holiday to a country where you have a lot of different new signs, which you don't have in your country.
    Any idea how expensive taxis can be?

    I think it is quite a stretch to say someone should not drive in a country where he/she doesn't know the meaning of all signs (you can't possibly suggest that), if the major signs are clear, he/she will be able to cope just fine on the roads in the foreign country.

    The point is not whether I understood the sign or not. The combination of the two signs were a definite WTF! Stop, don't stop. That they meant something else with the other mention of stop is not apparent from the signs on itself... It simply says "Stop! No stopping allowed!". 

  • (cs) in reply to Some Idiot

    "You just have to look at the usage of "fast" which used to be synonymous with fixed"

    Hence the word "fasten".

  • Cheong (unregistered) in reply to madjo
    madjo:

    I wish you luck, on your holiday to a country where you have a lot of different new signs, which you don't have in your country.
    Any idea how expensive taxis can be?

    I think it is quite a stretch to say someone should not drive in a country where he/she doesn't know the meaning of all signs (you can't possibly suggest that), if the major signs are clear, he/she will be able to cope just fine on the roads in the foreign country.

    The point is not whether I understood the sign or not. The combination of the two signs were a definite WTF! Stop, don't stop. That they meant something else with the other mention of stop is not apparent from the signs on itself... It simply says "Stop! No stopping allowed!". 

    Perheps you're right that I don't understand, because I don't have a driver license. It's never been a problem for me to check for public transportation when I travels. 

    Btw, I guess the big red stop sign is one of the sign that's common across western countries. For the lower sign, in Hong Kong they'll just use a "red circle bordered sign with red X with blue background"(The eighth sign in here) which is more cryptic then the literal text displayed. Maybe for this reason I don't see it's really that WTF.

     P.S.: Maybe this sign may just give you inconvienence for ignoring, but ignoring signs like the 32th will make you trouble. You had better check the traffic signs first when driving in foreign countries.
     

  • Cheong (unregistered) in reply to Cheong
    Anonymous:

    (The eighth sign in here)

    Errata: It's the 7th. 

  • (cs) in reply to Cheong
    Anonymous:
    Btw, I guess the big red stop sign is one of the sign that's common across western countries. For the lower sign, in Hong Kong they'll just use a "red circle bordered sign with red X with blue background"(The eighth sign in here) which is more cryptic then the literal text displayed. Maybe for this reason I don't see it's really that WTF.
    I'm almost half of the globe away from Hong Kong, but I recognise that sign immediately, since identical sign is used here. Not so with the "No stopping at any time" sign.
  • (cs) in reply to Cheong
    Anonymous:
    madjo:

    I wish you luck, on your holiday to a country where you have a lot of different new signs, which you don't have in your country.
    Any idea how expensive taxis can be?

    I think it is quite a stretch to say someone should not drive in a country where he/she doesn't know the meaning of all signs (you can't possibly suggest that), if the major signs are clear, he/she will be able to cope just fine on the roads in the foreign country.

    The point is not whether I understood the sign or not. The combination of the two signs were a definite WTF! Stop, don't stop. That they meant something else with the other mention of stop is not apparent from the signs on itself... It simply says "Stop! No stopping allowed!". 

    Perheps you're right that I don't understand, because I don't have a driver license. It's never been a problem for me to check for public transportation when I travels. 

    Btw, I guess the big red stop sign is one of the sign that's common across western countries. For the lower sign, in Hong Kong they'll just use a "red circle bordered sign with red X with blue background"(The seventh sign in here) which is more cryptic then the literal text displayed. Maybe for this reason I don't see it's really that WTF.

     P.S.: Maybe this sign may just give you inconvienence for ignoring, but ignoring signs like the 32th will make you trouble. You had better check the traffic signs first when driving in foreign countries.
     

    If they had used that symbol (either as stand alone sign, or as a symbol on that strange "No stopping at all times" sign), most automobilists would have understood it. (We use the same sign in The Netherlands, and in Belgium, UK, Germany and France, as far as I know. Not sure if it's in use in the US, but I imagine it is) :)
    Yes, it's more cryptic, but it is also part of the course you take, when you want to get your drivers' licence.

  • Faye Gibbins (unregistered)

    I often buy the funeral flowers, as a Goth it's often the only way to get a nice bllack/purple arrangment. When I send them to my partner I often get phoned asking if that's what I REALLY want to do. Several times I've had to explain and once or twice they even changed my order without telling me.

  • Zegoma_Beach (unregistered) in reply to themagni

    Those GMs are notorious for hydroperoxyl pump failures.

  • anon (unregistered) in reply to Zegoma_Beach

    The real WTF is why they're using a web application that breaks the "Back" button...

    No. Banks do this to stop people being able to sit at the page you have just reached after logging out of your online banking and clicking the back button to view the previous screens. 
    Helps protect the data of less savvy users who use Internet cafes and the like.

    To the people complaining about 'the 'O' in H2O is a letter - if you had read the OP you would notice that it was making a reference to the image file name, which contained H20... but then it seems that there's a lot of petty one-upmanship here where people want to assert their intellectual prowess so eagerly that they fail to, er, read the posts properly.

    Lastly, what is wrong with ordering a funeral bouquet for a date in the future? 
    Or does everyone suppose that all deaths, funerals and related flower purchases occur within hours of each other?
    Unless the deceased has been left in the sun for a couple of days, I'd want some time to get my suit dry cleaned at least... 

  • (cs) in reply to VirtudyneEmployeeNumber423290123
    Anonymous:

    And this is why nobody can drive properly.   The rules of the road aren't always the same everywhere (even from state to state here in the USA, let alone different countries).  Nobody should drive anywhere for any reason without knowing the local rules.

    Come on, the "No stopping any time" rule (stopping vs. parking) is pretty obscure, but even aside from that, anyone who knew what both signs meant could still quite reasonable respond "WTF?" just from the apparent contradiction. Putting a "No stopping any time" sign on the same pole as a stop sign is funny.

  • (cs) in reply to Trinian

    Anonymous:
    The other real WTF is that signing up for the online banking service somehow requires Adobe Acrobat.  What exactly would you need Acrobat for - to print out the application form, sign it, take a picture on a wooden table, scan the picture, and then e-mail it to the bank?

    I think they mean that once you sign up, you're going to need to have Acrobat Reader to fully use the service. My bank shows me my transactions on plain old HTML pages, but lets me download my statements as PDF files.

  • (cs) in reply to Cheong
    Anonymous:
    Anonymous:

    (The eighth sign in here)

    Errata: It's the 7th. 

    Erratum: For 'Errata' read 'Erratum'.

  • (cs)

    wtf? spam? :)

  • (cs) in reply to madjo

    <font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif">That's an "in-post" ad... :P

    It should match the content of this site though...



    </font>

  • (cs) in reply to xrT

    well it was worthy of a WTF! exclamation ;)

  • (cs)
  • bbum (unregistered) in reply to A/C gal

    Nope. No relation.

  • JJman (unregistered) in reply to ryos

    Not nessecarily. It could equally well have been from a G4 tower...Or any other desktop with a dual processor. But you're right that it couldn't have been a PB.

  • (nodebb)

    cool

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