The Daily WTF: Curious Perversions in Information Technology

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

In short, if you're from some other country, DON'T VISIT THE US. Unless you're suicidal.

Beyond this just being wrong, your previous paragraph is also wrong. For the sake of argument I'm going to assume you're mentioning of a gun isn't similar to the following scenario.

Cop: get out of the car Idiot: No, i have a gun and will shoot you if you make me get out of the car.

IN that case, you are indeed suicidal but that still won't get shot.

Virginia is one of a few open carry state. In other words, as long as I'm not in a school zone and whomever owns the property says it's okay, I can openly carry a holstered handgun. Cops approach me all the time about it just to see what's up. While, every once in a while they need to be educated on the state law, i have yet to be shot by the cops.

real_aardvark · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

campkev:
SuperousOxide:
campkev:
So TRWTF is that I know my rights and choose to use them? Stereotypes aside, every cop out there isn't some megalomaniacal asshole with an itchy trigger finger. Also, how is the cop more in control of the situation when he can't see 90% of my body including my hands than when he can see 100% and know that I'm not holding a gun?

You have the right to get out of the car. But why would you do it? You don't accomplish anything by getting out of the car, and you make the cop nervous. Just stay seated and chill.

Why, because my ass hurt from driving in my car all day. Or maybe my legs have a cramp. Or maybe because I just farted and want to get rid of the smell. Or maybe just because it's my RIGHT to do it and I don't need a reason or permission to do it. And maybe because I know that those who don't exercise their rights tend to lose them. I know this goes against "the norm" but I will get out of my car whenever the hell I feel like it. If you choose to live your life like a pansy, cowering in your car until the officer gives you permission to get out, be my guest. It's a free country. For now.

Freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, right to peacably assemble ... and now the right to drive at 60mph with both legs knotted with cramp, the right to act like a dangerous moron and not give your ass a break until the Highway Patrol specifically tells you to do so, and the right to fart in an enclosed space without considering the consequences.

My, that Constitution thing gets more and more detailed by the day, doesn't it?

I don't recall it specifically stating that you have the right to act like a gibbering moron, although many would suggest that subsequent interpretations of the Second Amendment take care of that particular fetish.

Incidentally, you do not have a constitutional right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those are in the Declaration of Independence; not in the Constitution.

Once again: dome light on, window wound down, and hands visible on wheel. Rights doen't matter much, pansy or not, when you've had your little pea brain creased by a bullet because you were too self-righteous and stubborn to make life easier for everybody concerned.

Dude · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

This is high school you moron, people don't pay for classes.

campkev · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Hmm, hasn't happened yet, so I guess I'll keep taking my chances that the police officers I encounter, on the infrequent times I encounter them, are more interested in giving me a ticket and upholding the law than, say, committing murder.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

campkev:
Anon:
campkev:
SomeCoder:
Ren:
I saw the 'aggression' thing coming. A friend of mine was in the US a few years back and had (of course) rented a car to get around in. For some reason or another, they get pulled over, and my friend naturally starts stepping out of the car to talk with the officer.
One officer proceeds to forcibly shut the door, while the other backs up a few steps and pulls out his gun, aiming carefully at my friend.

But nice of them to keep the office open at 7 PM.

Well, technically, you're not supposed to get out of the car like that if you are pulled over. Turn on the dome light, put both hands on the steering wheel in a visible position and don't get your license or anything out until they ask for it.

Learned all that from a friend who just became a cop :)

No, CUSTOMARILY, you are not supposed to get out of the car like that. TECHNICALLY, you have every right to. If I know I have done nothing wrong, I get out. If I know I was speeding or otherwise guilty, I go with the customary, as I am more likely to get off with a warning.

This is TRWTF right here.

"I got pulled over, but I didn't REALLY do anything wrong, I'm going to get out of my car! The cop knows I didn't do anything wrong, he's just pulling me over for the hell of it. He must know I'm not going to come out shooting."

Stay in your car for the gods' sakes. Is it really that much of a hassle to you to just sit there and let the officer control the situation? If you are in big, crime-filled cities, if you are getting out of your car you better have your hands on your head and moving to kiss the pavement or you risk getting shot. Jesus christ people.

So TRWTF is that I know my rights and choose to use them? Stereotypes aside, every cop out there isn't some megalomaniacal asshole with an itchy trigger finger. Also, how is the cop more in control of the situation when he can't see 90% of my body including my hands than when he can see 100% and know that I'm not holding a gun?

I was told that you stay in the car for your safety. Not so much because the cop might shoot you (though it happens) but because if you get out of your car you might be standing on the road. If you are sitting in your car and get hit there is a greater chance that you will live through it.

real_aardvark · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

A Person:
Meh. If you don't find black people to be more aggressive than whites you've obviously never lived in a large city with a lot of black people. "Racialist"? More like "realistic".

And there was I thinking you were going to make some cliched assertion like "you've obviously never played pro football against the New York Giants linebacker quartet of the mid- to late-1980s."

Shows how much I know, what with me having lived in a large city with a lot of black people for about 90% of my life. But thanks for the tip. I'll keep an eye out.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

FredSaw:
webhamster:
At my high school you were able to skip a final if your grade was 70% or higher (at the teacher's discretion).
My college physics professor told the class that we would have five tests throughout the semester, including the final. He would discard the two with the lowest scores and average the other three, and that would be our semester grade. When I received my third 100 on the third test, I approached him after class and made sure I'd understood correctly, and told him I already had three A's.
"Well, you've got an A for the semester, then," he said, followed by, "I would hope you'd continue to attend the class..."

Fat chance.

College, this would be something you paid for? So you demanded to receive less than your money's worth. And got your wish by skipping the rest of the semester.

Boy, you really showed them...

campkev · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Maybe you need to re-read the constitution. Specifically the part about powers not granted to the government. I don't need to have the right specifically granted to me in the Constitution, the Government has to pass a law specifically saying I don't have the right, which they have not seen fit to do in this case. Also, I never act like "a dangerous moron" to police officers. I'm usually very polite to them as I appreciate their hard work and the danger they willingly face in order to preserve a peaceful society. If I think, based on the situation, that it would be inappropriate for me to get out of the car, whether that's because I'm on the highway and it just isn't safe or because it's at night and the officer would not be able to see me well, then I don't. But if I pull into a parking lot in the middle of the day and there's no GOOD reason not to, I will get out and enjoy the sunshine while I wait on the officer to do what they need to do.

FredSaw · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

LEGO:
College, this would be something you paid for? So you demanded to receive less than your money's worth. And got your wish by skipping the rest of the semester.
Boy, you really showed them...

Keep reading on down the thread now, Eggo(n your face).

Mel · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Not everyone reading or commenting here is in the US. Some people reading and commenting here are in a country where it's reasonable to assume that a cop won't shoot you. Hell, in New Zealand, cops (in general) don't even carry guns! In some countries, there's a thing called respect - which is more prevalent than gun-carrying. I'm glad I can choose to live in one of those countries.

If I'm stopped by police while I'm driving, I'll get out if I want to - or I might stay in the car (until asked to get out). I'm not in the US. My first thought isn't "He's going to shoot me if I do something wrong".

campkev · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Mel:
Not everyone reading or commenting here is in the US. Some people reading and commenting here are in a country where it's reasonable to assume that a cop won't shoot you. Hell, in New Zealand, cops (in general) don't even carry guns! In some countries, there's a thing called respect - which is more prevalent than gun-carrying. I'm glad I can choose to live in one of those countries.
If I'm stopped by police while I'm driving, I'll get out if I want to - or I might stay in the car (until asked to get out). I'm not in the US. My first thought isn't "He's going to shoot me if I do something wrong".

I'm in the U.S. and that's not my first thought either. Evidently some people have watched a few too many episodes of "The Shield"

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

I turned 18 in December my senior year in high school. It could have happened to me. I once got summoned for jury duty my junior year in college, but my home county issuing the summons was 200 miles away. I was excused due to being a college student.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on them. ‘Give me five bees for a quarter,’ you’d say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn’t have any white onions, because of the war; the only thing you can get was those big yellow ones.

That whole thing just went nowhere.

snoofle · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Personally, I've found that if you take a submissive stance, are polite, and say things like 'yes/no officer/sir', it always goes a lot easier on you.

Where I live, cops randomly do stops/searches of every n-th car on a couple of main streets. If you give them attitude, they'll just hold you for an hour while "verifying" that you don't have any outstanding warrants. If you just politely do what they want, you're back on the road in 3 minutes. Annoying? Yes. Wrong? Yes. But they have badges, guns and licenses to use them, and if you make it hard on them, they WILL make it hard on you.

If it comes down to it, you can always make your case in front of a judge.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

But this reminds me of Bobby Tables.

I think that TRWTF is that the "patches" in the form of loading screens apparently worked, and people didn't keep nuking the system, at least.

campkev · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

snoofle:
Personally, baa baaa baa baaaa.
Where I live, baa baaa baa baaa.

If it comes down to it, baa baa baa.

I'm sorry, what?

Dude · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Sanity:
But this reminds me of Bobby Tables.

When are morons like you going to quit referring to this stupid comic???

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

glwtta:
So I tied an onion to my belt, which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on them. ‘Give me five bees for a quarter,’ you’d say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn’t have any white onions, because of the war; the only thing you can get was those big yellow ones.

That whole thing just went nowhere.

Should be featured :)

Bappi · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Dude:
Sanity:
But this reminds me of Bobby Tables.
When are morons like you going to quit referring to this stupid comic???

I don't know about morons like him, but morons like me just can't get enough of this comic. How about morons like you?

Outlaw Programmer · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

MasterPlanSoftware must be spinning in his grave but god damn if this new meme isn't funny.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

FredSaw:
real_aardvark:
I'd always wanted to be The Church Lady, but apparently Jon Lovitz beat me to it.
Could it be... SATAN?

John Lovitz never beat you to it. Dana Carvey did.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

I was GOING to post that TRWTF is that the unencrypted conduit to the database executes its SQL (or DDL, in this case) with sufficient authority to DROP TABLE.

HOWEVER, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the CAPTCHA I'd be filling in: "sagaciter"!

SagaCiter: One with enough time on his hands to read all the way through a really LONG, boring post, and all its (often acrimonious, often inane) associated comments.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

And you wonder why the world has this anti-American sentiment in spades at the moment.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Dude:
This is high school you moron, people don't pay for classes.

Not so fast skippy. Just because you are not paying doesn't mean no one is paying.

In most places High School is paid for by your parents' property taxes, or if you are particularly special your own property taxes.

-Lego

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

The thing to do, as I was told, is to not mention guns unless specifically asked about them. Telling the cop you have a gun may be perceived as a threat.

In some U.S. states, if you are stopped by a policeman for any reason you are required by law to "immediately" tell him if you have a gun. In Ohio, failure to do so, even forgetting to do so for a few minutes, is a felony punishable by five years in prison.

I'm not sure exactly what good this law does. Presumably a law-abiding person who is carrying a gun because he is on his way to shoot targets at the local sporting club is going to obey the law and tell the policeman. And it makes absolutely no difference because he's no threat. A criminal who is on the run probably isn't going to tell the policeman, "Oh, by the way officer, I have a loaded gun in my pocket and I've just been waiting for the right moment, when you're not paying attention, to pull it out and shoot you."

I think next we should pass a law requiring that anyone who is planning on committing a crime must call the police station 24 hours in advance and give them notice. That way the police can be ready for them.

halber_mensch · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Calli Arcale:
I had a final in band class. It was on music theory.

Did you get a C in the class or a B#?

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Code:
I call B.S. on this. A school allowing students to get out of final exams? There are no classes where a final exam cannot be given. None. Jury duty? Come on. Some one needs to proof read these stories before putting them up. I thought these were supposed to be true stories? I think the real WTF is this site.

Here we go again. "This story must be false because I don't believe anyone would do that."

Because you think all classes should have a final exam, therefore the idea that there might be one school somewhere in the world that does not require final exams for all classes must be a work of fiction. Uh, yeah.

I've seen some of these accusations of fabrication that essentially say, "Nobody would be stupid enough to do that." That argument is incredibly weak, as it is based on the premise that no human being in history has ever done anything stupid, a premise easily refuted by anyone who has actually observed real live human beings for more than 30 minutes.

But to say that it is absolutely impossible to suppose that any human being in the entire world might disagree with you about the optimum way to evaluate a student's performance in a class ... just, wow.

I suppose that claims that there might be political parties in the world that you wouldn't want to join or religions with beliefs that you do not share strike you as unbelievable fantasies.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Its funny I don't recall Rodney King getting out of his car.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Huh - I didn't know exiting my vehicle was illegal. Be afraid cop'ers...I've got a door with power locks and I know how to use it.

Dude · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

LEGO:
Dude:
This is high school you moron, people don't pay for classes.

Not so fast skippy. Just because you are not paying doesn't mean no one is paying.

Blah, blah, blah...

-Lego

Yeah, and your point is?

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

abitslow:
Its funny I don't recall Rodney King getting out of his car.

But he was black, and didn't you read above that black people are ipso facto aggressive and threatening?

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

I can't believe we've gotten this far without a single mention of little Bobby Tables...

[image]

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

real_aardvark:
... Incidentally, you do not have a constitutional right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those are in the Declaration of Independence; not in the Constitution. ...

Common mistake, this rights are protected by US law as they are self-evident and unalienable Rights. Meaning governments have no right to inhibit or deny them without the people having the right to revolt and overthrow said government.

To everyone else, no I wasn't being a grammar natzi, yes my comment was a joke written in the style of the OP.

I wrote my comment after I wasn't able to RTFA. My inability originated from the horrible structure of the document. I don't claim, seek, nor desire to have good grammar. I'm able to read bad grammar and speeling ;) until the point I find it impossible or painful to read. That pint my good gentlemen (and lady) is a low mark to reach; for I have the writing ability of a 3rd grader.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Ilya Ehrenburg:
But he was black, and didn't you read above that black people are ipso facto aggressive and threatening?

I was able to read that far into the OP. I can in fact tell you sir that I read no such comment about black people. (yes I'm assuming you are a sir because your name means "son of Ilya")

FredSaw · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Lady Nocturne:
I can't believe we've gotten this far without a single mention of little Bobby Tables...

But I can believe you would assume that was so without actually checking first.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

She was bald and overweight, with curly graying hair.

You should've seen the beard on that lady!

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

webhamster:
Addendum (2008-06-23 11:46): And as far as jury duty goes, it's certainly possible. Because my high school went up to OAC (a.k.a Grade 13) at the time, I graduated high school just after my 19th birthday. So it is definitely a possibility and is probably in the system just for those rare cases where it may occur. What's the harm in keeping a code for it since it is a possibility?

The fact that being a student is an acceptable reason for disqualifying yourself from Jury Duty? I got called when I was in university. I excluded myself by writing back and showing them my student ID. I didn't have to show up or anything - they just excluded me immediately.

No harm in having the code, but no harm in making it an excuse for skipping an exam since it's one reason why you can exclude yourself without showing up at the court.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

if we have to use english spellings, shouldn't i see more wholly unnecessary u's?

(wholly unnecessary u's omitted for readability)

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Sharper-er Observer-er:
if we have to use english spellings, shouldn't i see more wholly unnecessary u's?
(wholly unnecessary u's omitted for readability)

Unnecessary, you say?! You Sir, have gravely insulted my hounuour!

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

campkev:
So TRWTF is that I know my rights and choose to use them?

I'm very concerned about exercising and defending my rights, too. But just because you have the legal right to do something doesn't make it smart.

If a cop pulls you over, you do not necessarily know why. It may be for no reason other than a minor traffic violation. Or it may be because someone just fled the scene of a mass murder driving a car that matches the description of yours. In the latter case, the cop might be understandably nervous. What's the point of doing anything to make him more nervous just to assert a trivial "right"?

I'll save my energy for the fights worth fighting, like the fact that it's now illegal for people not members of certain privileged classes to publicly criticize a candidate for federal office within -- was it 90 days? -- of an election.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

nobis:
Ilya Ehrenburg:
But he was black, and didn't you read above that black people are ipso facto aggressive and threatening?
I was able to read that far into the OP. I can in fact tell you sir that I read no such comment about black people. (yes I'm assuming you are a sir because your name means "son of Ilya")

I was referring to comment 201877 by A Person on the top of page three of the comments.

I'm not a Sir, but a plain Mr., the Queen has not yet found any reason to bestow a knighthood upon me. And, FYI, "son of Ilya" would be Ilyich.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

webhamster:
Code:
I call B.S. on this. A school allowing students to get out of final exams?

At my high school you were able to skip a final if your grade was 70% or higher (at the teacher's discretion). It was called a "recommendation".

Is webhamster from Canada? Because I'm Canadian and we too had recommendations (or "recommends" for short.) If your mark was high enough going into the final, you didn't have to write the final. As an honour roll student, I wound up writing one (mandatory) English final in my last year. A good friend of mine, who was not a good student, didn't get any recommends. He was the one who pointed out the unfairness inherent. By forcing him to write six exams in two weeks, how could he possibly compete fairly with me in the one exam we both had to write? How could the mark I got in English be compared to the mark he got when the final exam was 40% of the mark, yet I had two weeks to study and he had roughly two days?

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Pro-American:
If I were a cop, I would pull my gun on EVERYBODY until I had them secured at the back of the car in handcuffs. Then I would discuss their broken taillight.

Too bad you're not a cop. Because that kind of abuse of power would quickly get you locked up, and we'd all be rid of you.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

real_aardvark:
Incidentally, you do not have a constitutional right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those are in the Declaration of Independence; not in the Constitution.

"Rights non-enumerated specifically are NOT excluded from constitutionally protected"

Weng · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

TRWTF is that nobody ran DROP TABLE absences.

FredSaw · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Johnny Canuck:
As an honour roll student, I wound up writing one (mandatory) English final in my last year. A good friend of mine, who was not a good student, didn't get any recommends. He was the one who pointed out the unfairness inherent.

I fail to see inherent unfairness. At the beginning of the class, did you two stand the same chance of succeeding? Does he work nights and fall asleep in class, while you spend your evenings studying? Is he taking care of an invalid mother while yours takes care of you?

If not, then I don't see it. He had the same opportunity you did.

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Jay:
The thing to do, as I was told, is to not mention guns unless specifically asked about them. Telling the cop you have a gun may be perceived as a threat.

In some U.S. states, if you are stopped by a policeman for any reason you are required by law to "immediately" tell him if you have a gun. In Ohio, failure to do so, even forgetting to do so for a few minutes, is a felony punishable by five years in prison.

I'm not sure exactly what good this law does. Presumably a law-abiding person who is carrying a gun because he is on his way to shoot targets at the local sporting club is going to obey the law and tell the policeman. And it makes absolutely no difference because he's no threat. A criminal who is on the run probably isn't going to tell the policeman, "Oh, by the way officer, I have a loaded gun in my pocket and I've just been waiting for the right moment, when you're not paying attention, to pull it out and shoot you."

I think next we should pass a law requiring that anyone who is planning on committing a crime must call the police station 24 hours in advance and give them notice. That way the police can be ready for them.

I suspect the purpose of this and similar farcical laws is to make it easy to pile on charges in addition to any legitimate charge where said gun was actually used.

SuperousOxide · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

webhamster:
At my high school you were able to skip a final if your grade was 70% or higher (at the teacher's discretion). It was called a "recommendation".

70%? That low? If I remember at my high school 70 was the cutoff for passing. At best it was a low C. I wouldn't see that as justification for skipping the final exam.

Most of the time our "Final" was just the test on the last few weeks of the class, maybe with a few extra bits from earlier in the year. Skipping these wouldn't make any sense, we still needed to learn that material.

Dude · 2008-06-23 Reply Admin

Atario:
Too bad you're not a cop. Because that kind of abuse of power would quickly get you locked up, and we'd all be rid of you.

WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHAT AN ABUSE OF POWER IS AND ISN'T???

BTW, we'd rather be rid of you, IDIOT!

2008-06-23 Reply Admin

FredSaw:
Johnny Canuck:
As an honour roll student, I wound up writing one (mandatory) English final in my last year. A good friend of mine, who was not a good student, didn't get any recommends. He was the one who pointed out the unfairness inherent.
I fail to see inherent unfairness. At the beginning of the class, did you two stand the same chance of succeeding? Does he work nights and fall asleep in class, while you spend your evenings studying? Is he taking care of an invalid mother while yours takes care of you?
If not, then I don't see it. He had the same opportunity you did.

Likewise I fail to see the fairness in a system that lets you skip a final just because you have good grades in class and/or showed up regularly. It'd be better to exclude the bottom 1/2 and tell then that frankly they don't have a hope in hell of doing better, so sod off and stop wasting our time.

Final exams are also a way of ensuring teachers teach to the same level of competence, and statistical analysis can help administration spot trouble areas / cheating teachers / etc.

Lazy f'ing teachers is my bet. Wish I could do the same trick with taxes.

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