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Admin
It's like some deranged traveling sales man!
Admin
hmm, earth city Montana? is that for real?
Admin
This reminds me of the time where if you wanted to go from Nottingham to Bideford without taking the M4, it would take you through Ireland, Northern France, and then finally to Bideford.
They fixed it though, which is a shame.
Admin
I find your reference to XKCD intriguing.
Admin
I know that proper form is to photograph on a wooden table, but I don't know if this is considered a "really need to" situation. Be prepared to explain yourself to the sender of the e-mail and to the environment.
captcha: wisi
Admin
The problem is, if people really need to print it, what was a 1 page email, now has two pages of SAVE A TREE.
Admin
It's Earth City, Missouri, and it is real. Try google maps.
Admin
Umm...in fairness, it does say "incorrectly routed"...
Admin
and to top it off another worthless "this message is copyright whoever. if you are not the intended recipient please do not read this message" at the end of the email.
I swear the only use for them is a devilish attempt to increase the necessary disk space on the server.
Admin
We ARE all aware that the routing information is clear that an error occurred along the way, sending it to the wrong location?
While routing errors shouldn't occur, sure, it's not really THAT much of a WTF to consider that occasionally one of the millions of packages that they handle should be sent to the wrong location, which they then corrected, logged accordingly and sent back to its proper destination? Some guy put a package in the wrong truck, and that's a hilarious programming mistake?
Or should I stick with "HAHA AN ERROR OCCURRED RIGHT WHERE IT SAYS ONE DID! HAHAHA!"?
Admin
Trevel, it's funny, quit being a troll. :)
Admin
Perhaps the wtf is that the package took only 1 day to go from Jackson to Scottsbluff when the mistake occurred, but it then took 3 days to go from Scottsbluff to Omaha and another day until it got back to Jackson. Clearly they weren't in a hurry to correct their mistake. You'd think when they realize that they fucked up that they would give getting it back on track a top priority.
Admin
Admin
TRWTF on the "green" email is the use of Comic Sans.
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Not a UPS Error...
...Software that only allows right turns works perfect!
Admin
February 2nd & 3rd were weekdays. Friday departure, Monday unloading of truck. It's entertaining to see the round-about pathing, but it's not a WTF.
Admin
Back a long time ago, I took a plunge and bought a new computer from Apple which was shipped from California (naturally) to me in Western PA (again, naturally). The Tower and (overpriced) Monitor were shipped separately.
The Tower arrived with no problems, but I remember yelling "No! No! Pull up! Pull Up!!" at the tracking as I watched through the day as I watched the monitor being tracked into Texas.
TRWTF was I didn't realize until opening the tower (of course only after waiting for the fancy pants monitor to arrive) that I could've gone to [Random Big Box Retailer] and been good to go. Alas.
Admin
As someone who once worked in a UPS hub, I can tell you exactly what happened:
It got mis-loaded.
All the fancy computer algorithms and moving belts in the world can't save you when the initial and final point of contact between the package and a truck is a human (usually unskilled, at that). If it was a small package, this happens doubly-so: the smaller packages are sorted into mail bags before being put in the trucks. These things overflow if the worker for that area is inattentive (or really busy). I haven't seen it, but it wouldn't surprise me if the packages that fall out are just put into another bag.
Regardless, once it was misloaded it arrived in Nebraska and was scanned again. The computer noted that it was mis-delivered and put it on the shortest and quickest path it could decipher to get back to MS. It looks like it was moved correctly from there on.
To be fair, mis-handlings aren't entirely the workers' fault. I've seen how hectic it can be along the lines, and it's not uncommon to be shortstaffed. This means you have less people to deal with the same amount of packages and the same speed along the line. Even so, from what I witnessed while working there I now ship everything with FedEx or USPS.
Admin
You do realize that the traveling salesman problem was written a long time ago by many many different people, where as XKCD only made a humorous joke about it. XKCD while humorous usually only takes famous theorems or scientific principles and makes humorous spins on them to make us laugh. Just because you saw it there last week, doesn't mean that the other person didn't know about that theorem long ago, study it then, and perhaps doesn't read XKCD.
Thus providing me with the chance to postulate... WTF?
Admin
At our company, XKCD knowledge is part of our interview questions for IT staff. Besides the fact that the traveling salesman problem is introduced in every CS 201 course or so.
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They must have made a wrong turn at Albuquerque.
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There is more than likely a crossover in readership between here and there. Mark mentioned it because the traveling salesman problem was added to XKCD RECENTLY and assumed that they saw it as well.
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Admin
I don't get tree huggers, it's not like we're going to run out of trees. The lumber industry plants more trees than they harvest, so the reality is you'd be doing more to help trees by printing the email than by not.
Admin
Back when I worked for the government, I was once given a 60 page (literally) questionnaire to fill out on how my project was being managed. One major section of the questionnaire was on what steps we were taking to reduce paperwork. If it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to keep my job, my first suggestion would surely have been to eliminate the 60 page questionnaire.
Admin
Apparently, NE is Nebraska because USPS & Canada Post made an agreement not to conflict. NB is New Brunswick province. Alabama (AL) & Alberta (AB) are also too close to call.
Admin
They could have the same problems as UPS, but so far I've not experienced the same hassles on the customer end. However, I know what goes on in UPS, so it's something sure versus something questionable.
I do still use UPS for shipments that are fairly sturdy (seriously, don't ship electronics through UPS) and that I don't need immediately.
USPS is anyone's guess, I don't use them much for shipping anyway. I don't think I've ever used DHL.
Admin
I should hope that the best route for a salesman to take isn't on a dead horse.
Admin
The site has spoken: stick with "HAHA AN ERROR OCCURRED RIGHT WHERE IT SAYS ONE DID! HAHAHA". There may be a lack of wtfery to draw on as a result of the holiday weekend.
Admin
What we really need is a picture of Irish Girl on a wooden table
Admin
Strange. Usually once UPS sends something down the rabbit hole, it stays there.
I imagine there will be an investigation to see who put it back on track and then fire them.
Admin
The real WTF is that the arrows on the map are wrong. The arrows show the package leaving Jackson, MS and going to Scottsbluff, NE. In reality, the package left Jackson and went to Earth City, MO.
The arrows are backwards in that left loop.
Admin
FedEx is sooo much better than UPS. Anyone remember when newegg used to ship with fed ex and you could get a 3 day package in 1 or 2 days. With UPS my the 3 day packages get HELD at a sorting facility to be sure they arrive exactly on the 3rd day. There is never is early delivery with UPS!
Admin
Admin
One does not have to be a "tree hugger" to be amazed by the sheer staggering stupidity of your argument.
Firstly, the lumber industry often clears old tree populations which also serve as valuable eco systems, and replace them with fast-growing monocultures which are no proper substitute in most regards, except the commercial future use for the industry itself of course.
And secondly - and more importantly - it is always better to not use a resource if you do not really need it, because e.g. felling a tree and using it to produce paper does use a lot of other resources (energy, water etc.) - the chopped down tree itself is really not the main issue.
I initially hoped that you meant to be funny or sarcastic, but I'm afraid that your usage of the very derogatory term "tree hugger" already says it all...
Admin
One does not have to be a "tree hugger" to be amazed by the sheer staggering stupidity of your argument.
Firstly, the lumber industry often clears old tree populations which also serve as valuable eco systems, and replaces them with fast-growing monocultures which are no proper substitute in most regards, except the commercial future use for the industry itself of course.
And secondly - and more importantly - it is always better to not use a resource if you do not really need it, because e.g. felling a tree and using it to produce paper does use a lot of other resources (energy, water etc.) - the chopped down tree itself is really not the main issue.
I initially hoped that you meant to be funny or sarcastic, but I'm afraid that your usage of the very derogatory term "tree hugger" already says it all...
Admin
Save some pixels and only post your comment once next time ;)
Admin
The FedEx tracking page for one my packages last month looked like this:
[image]I'm still not sure if going from California to Tennessee and back again is a typo, or if they really shipped it there and then flew it back.
Admin
Yep. That trip from CA to TN to CA is the reason that FedEx exists. The "hub-and-spoke" shipping method was their secret to reducing costs. They could promise overnight delivery anywhere in the country. If they flew point-to-point for every shipment (or even most), they couldn't provide that overnight service at a reasonable price.
Addendum (2008-03-24 15:42): Of course, your package wasn't "overnighted," but FedEx uses the same route anyway. They just give priority to the overnight service.
Admin
Had this sort of thing happen with DHL once. Three boxes left Fort Worth at the same time. Two boxes made it to Des Moines and then on to Nebraska like the should have. The third decided to turn right, go to Gary, IN, Columbus, OH, Erie, PA, Pennsylvania, PA, before it decide it really did want to be delivered and started coming back. All in all, that box took another 7 days to show up at my door.
Admin
If instead of towns the traveling salesman problem involved buildings in London, it may well be quicker on a dead horse.
//it's well and truly beaten now.
Admin
Bugs Bunny?
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Not to mention his user name is a remarkable (albeit misspelled) reference to 200 Motels. So, I'm dually impressed.
Admin
Most likely it was put on a truck bound for Memphis by way of Oakland.
Admin
Admin
How do you read that stuff?
Feb 22 it went from Memphis to Oakland. On Feb 23 it magically paid a visit to Santa Clara (to check the place out?) before leaving Oakland an hour later for Santa Clara for real.
Or something.