• (cs) in reply to el jaybird
    el jaybird:
    I work in a secure facility (you need at least a Reliability clearance to even enter the working areas). The president of the company was doing an address and told us the story about how a new security guard/receptionist stopped him as he tried to enter the building without his badge showing. She wouldn't let him by. "Do you know who I am?", he said. She didn't recognize him, or his executive status -- no entry without a badge.

    The president commended her in his speech for doing her job properly. What was left unsaid is that, likely, if she had bowed to the "social engineering" factor, said "Oh, sorry Mr. President" and let him in -- she would probably have been fired.

    Captcha: craaazy (yup!)

    This sounds suspiciously like the story they tell new hires at Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

    One time some guy gave me a letter cause he didn't have an ID card (he was an interviewee). i said, aiight. And for some reason when i gave it to the desk lady the whole company flipped out and was like "ANTHRAX ANTHRAX". i was mildy amused.

  • docca (unregistered)

    Reminds me of one time I won some concert tickets from a local newspaper. I walked into the newspaper building and nobody stopped me even once.

    I walked past 4 security guards who promptly bid me a "Good Morning, sir!" and found myself in the middle of the large room where all the reporters were working. I was thinking to myself, "I can't believe this", and asked someone where I could find Mr. XXXX from the entertainment news team, the guy I was supposed to collect the tickets from. The guy just throws me a keycard and says, "sure, he's in the server room down the corridor, the pin code is 1010".

    At first I thought my company's ID badge looked remotely similar to the newspaper's staff. That is, if you're myopic, without your glasses, 20 feet away from it and slightly color-blind.

    Just amazing.

    captcha: xevious (yay I love that game!)

  • Mike (unregistered)

    When I first enrolled in graduate school at Stanford in the mid-1980s I got to the part where my scholarship was supposed to pay for my tuition and the lady behind the desk said, "You don't have a blue card." She explained that I needed to go back to my department and get a blue card.

    I went back across campus and found the right person in my department. She proceeded to reach into her desk, pull out a blue 3x5 index card, and type my name on it.

    I took this back to the first lady who promptly waived all tuition expenses.

    I've often wondered what I could have accomplished if I had gone to the bookstore and purchased my own blue index cards.

Leave a comment on “The Direct Approach”

Log In or post as a guest

Replying to comment #:

« Return to Article