• Gerkins (unregistered)

    The pickles are exactly why even when you "know" the customer will never see the code, you still watch what you type.

  • illtiz (unregistered)

    "TimeLink license" expired...? Sounds as if the birth of Jesus had messed up some quite universal things...

  • rast (unregistered)

    This post is Y2K ready

  • Keloran (unregistered)

    Number 5 is obviouslly, NaN

  • Carl (unregistered)

    The real expense with the bicycle was the testing. Since it doesn't have an onboard system clock to set forward, the team had to build a functional time machine and transport the bike (complete with brave rider) forward to the actual Y2K experience.

    He didn't survive the trip back, to tell everyone that Y2K turned out to be a non event. But fortunately his test checklist -- nicely filled out -- was clipped to the bike making a second test unnecessary.

    Ahh the sacrifices...

  • Cap This (unregistered)

    The solution to the CAPTCHA should be obvious to any human. Simply count the number of boxes.

    But then again, maybe you should add up the length of all the lines.

    Or maybe it wants you to total the area of the boxes. Hint: there's a possible optimization here...

  • Indiana Jones (unregistered)

    Yeah, I heard that movie was a steaming pile of cra

  • (cs)

    In 1997 I purchased a set of 'custom printed' pencils. They were standard #2 pencils, with an eraser, unsharpened. The text I had printed on them was: Y2K tested - Passed

    I still have a few lying around. Perhaps I should send one to Alex and get a sticker!

  • Nick (unregistered) in reply to Carl
    Carl:
    The real expense with the bicycle was the testing. Since it doesn't have an onboard system clock to set forward, the team had to build a functional time machine and transport the bike

    But the Time Machine would also need to be tested for Y2K compliance, as well as Y10K, Y100K, etc etc...

  • (cs)
    T0pC0d3r:
    The real WTF is ASP. When we make websites, we make them in machine code. That way no nasty errors like that pop up for the user to see.

    Except it's ASP.NET.

  • cthulhu (unregistered)

    In the late 90s the developers of this kind of beSpoke hardware realized that on January 1st 2000 the wheels would finally roll back round where they started. It was found as a result at least one Handle would become invalid.

    The cause of the error was traced using a carefully placed Brake-point and after a number of test Cycles it was determined the system could be labelled y2k compliant.

    Something about method-Chaining as well but im too Tyred to continue and I think I've puNished you all enough anyway.

  • jamface (unregistered)

    Pickling is a way of serializing data in python... so maybe that's what the guy was doing.

  • (cs)

    The 500 error is very easy to explain:

    1. The designers wanted to have an additional object for saving state-based data
    2. The lead programmer was a pregnant woman
    3. Thus, she used both cookies and pickles

    Depending on how far along she is, I do not want to be the one to tell her they're out of pickles.

  • Kozz (unregistered)

    To be fair, some browsers don't honor the W3C box model specifications (amongst numerous other violations). We don't know what browser this fellow was using to view Google's CSS reference pages.

  • cthulhu (unregistered)
    T0pC0d3r:
    The real WTF is ASP. When we make websites, we make them in machine code. That way no nasty errors like that pop up for the user to see.

    Hmm I find that very hard to believe.

    You could do it in theory by opening up a text editor (say notepad) and typing the machine codes to file before compiling them. But seriously why would anyone ever need (or want!) to do that?

    These days we have proper editors to drag and drop html into place, we don't need to use notepad, etc.

    You say you would get no nasty errors by using machine codes, but I guarantee you would get EVEN MORE nasty errors because it's harder to understand. Your comment is really a WTF in itself.

  • Carl (unregistered) in reply to Kozz
    Kozz:
    To be fair, some browsers don't honor the W3C box model specifications (amongst numerous other violations). We don't know what browser this fellow was using to view Google's CSS reference pages.
    Google Chrome, naturally.
  • Bob (unregistered) in reply to Kozz
    Kozz:
    To be fair, some browsers don't honor the W3C box model specifications (amongst numerous other violations). We don't know what browser this fellow was using to view Google's CSS reference pages.

    So either Google did not add a doctype, causing IE to display in "quirks mode", or the person is still using IE5.5?

    Or Google wanted the ie 5.5 box model and thus left out a doctype on purpose and the person is using Firefox?

  • David (unregistered) in reply to cthulhu
    cthulhu:
    T0pC0d3r:
    The real WTF is ASP. When we make websites, we make them in machine code. That way no nasty errors like that pop up for the user to see.

    Hmm I find that very hard to believe.

    You could do it in theory by opening up a text editor (say notepad) and typing the machine codes to file before compiling them. But seriously why would anyone ever need (or want!) to do that?

    These days we have proper editors to drag and drop html into place, we don't need to use notepad, etc.

    You say you would get no nasty errors by using machine codes, but I guarantee you would get EVEN MORE nasty errors because it's harder to understand. Your comment is really a WTF in itself.

    Good one.

  • Imroy (unregistered)

    Doing a simple google search turned up that page on CSS and style. It shows up fine on Firefox 3. Who wants to bet that screenshot is made with IE, well-known for its poor CSS handling?

  • K&T (unregistered) in reply to Imroy
    Imroy:
    Who wants to bet that screenshot is made with IE, well-known for its poor CSS handling?

    It works fine in IE 6.0

  • Rick (unregistered)

    In 1999 I was working for a company that made thermal management products, in other words, heatsinks. Big finned blocks of aluminum. For each of the heatsink products they used GE made us fill out forms verifying that our big inert chunks of metal were ready for Y2K. They were very serious about it too, there were penalties for not filing the paperwork.

  • (cs) in reply to ParkinT
    ParkinT:
    They were standard #2 pencils, with an eraser, unsharpened. The text I had printed on them was: Y2K tested - Passed
    Wouldn't surprise me if that humor was exactly the point. (And before you say it, yes, I saw that they were unsharpened and thus didn't have a point. You know what I mean.)

    Also, I have a "Mencil" (a Mensa pencil)... with erasers on both ends.

  • (cs) in reply to cthulhu
    cthulhu:
    In the late 90s the developers of this kind of beSpoke hardware realized that on January 1st 2000 the wheels would finally roll back round where they started. It was found as a result at least one Handle would become invalid.

    The cause of the error was traced using a carefully placed Brake-point and after a number of test Cycles it was determined the system could be labelled y2k compliant.

    Something about method-Chaining as well but im too Tyred to continue and I think I've puNished you all enough anyway.

    Cut it the fork out and pedal your hub-bub elsewhere, you crank, or we'll derailleur train of thought and you'll be in deep shift. Cantilever well enough alone?
  • John (unregistered)

    TRWTF is that a production website was compile with debug="true" and customErrors mode="Off"

    As an aside, I remember going to HSBC's site and getting a server error which indicated the location of the access db it was trying to open.

    Even worse was that the fact that the mdb was store inside htdocs, and therefore available to download.

    Even worse that that, it wasn't password protected (if it were it would have taken less than a second to crack it anyway).

    It turned out to be a list of all their branches, sort codes, addresses, phone numbers & direct branch phone number & fax, so nothing too juicy. Still very handy to be able to call somebody in the branch rather than a call centre

  • dave (unregistered)

    Could be worse - [image]

  • Vincent Curry (unregistered) in reply to Cap This

    If you count those three up, they're all the same...

  • Synchronos (unregistered)
    T0pC0d3r:
    The real WTF is ASP. When we make websites, we make them in machine code. That way no nasty errors like that pop up for the user to see.

    If you are trying to pose as TopCod3r, you should at least check you spell their* name right.

    ) Has TopCod3r ever said which sex they* are?

    **) Actually I really hate the epicene way to say he/she with the word 'they'.

  • Vollhorst (unregistered)

    Wow, the browser (whichever, doesn't matter) didn't manage to fetch the stylesheet-file. How great! I am so totally impressed!!!

    This page goes downhill. Fast.

  • Vincent Curry (unregistered) in reply to Cap This
    Cap This:
    The solution to the CAPTCHA should be obvious to any human. Simply count the number of boxes.

    But then again, maybe you should add up the length of all the lines.

    Or maybe it wants you to total the area of the boxes. Hint: there's a possible optimization here...

    The answer to all three is in fact the same...

  • Ken (unregistered) in reply to cthulhu
    cthulhu:
    T0pC0d3r:
    The real WTF is ASP. When we make websites, we make them in machine code. That way no nasty errors like that pop up for the user to see.

    Hmm I find that very hard to believe.

    You could do it in theory by opening up a text editor (say notepad) and typing the machine codes to file before compiling them. But seriously why would anyone ever need (or want!) to do that?

    These days we have proper editors to drag and drop html into place, we don't need to use notepad, etc.

    You say you would get no nasty errors by using machine codes, but I guarantee you would get EVEN MORE nasty errors because it's harder to understand. Your comment is really a WTF in itself.

    You're either retarded or trolling. I'm not too sure which.

  • Raf (unregistered) in reply to cthulhu
    cthulhu:
    T0pC0d3r:
    When we make websites, we make them in machine code. That way no nasty errors like that pop up for the user to see.

    Hmm I find that very hard to believe.

    TODO: please calibrate your sarcasm parser.

  • 01001101010101011 (unregistered) in reply to cthulhu
    cthulhu:
    You could do it in theory by opening up a text editor (say notepad) and typing the machine codes to file before compiling them.
    Why would you want to compile the file when it already *is* machine code?
  • Precious Metal Soldier (unregistered) in reply to Indiana Jones
    Indiana Jones:
    Yeah, I heard that movie was a steaming pile of cra
    Oh cra, a WTF involving a movie...
  • (cs)

    TRWTF is as always: VB

  • Patrys (unregistered) in reply to Ken
    Ken:
    cthulhu:
    T0pC0d3r:
    The real WTF is ASP. When we make websites, we make them in machine code. That way no nasty errors like that pop up for the user to see.

    Hmm I find that very hard to believe.

    You could do it in theory by opening up a text editor (say notepad) and typing the machine codes to file before compiling them. But seriously why would anyone ever need (or want!) to do that?

    These days we have proper editors to drag and drop html into place, we don't need to use notepad, etc.

    You say you would get no nasty errors by using machine codes, but I guarantee you would get EVEN MORE nasty errors because it's harder to understand. Your comment is really a WTF in itself.

    You're either retarded or trolling. I'm not too sure which.

    And the REAL WTF is using drag&drop WYSIWYG editors :)

  • (cs) in reply to cthulhu
    cthulhu:
    T0pC0d3r:
    The real WTF is ASP. When we make websites, we make them in machine code. That way no nasty errors like that pop up for the user to see.

    Hmm I find that very hard to believe.

    You could do it in theory by opening up a text editor (say notepad) and typing the machine codes to file before compiling them. But seriously why would anyone ever need (or want!) to do that?

    These days we have proper editors to drag and drop html into place, we don't need to use notepad, etc.

    You say you would get no nasty errors by using machine codes, but I guarantee you would get EVEN MORE nasty errors because it's harder to understand. Your comment is really a WTF in itself.

    You must be new here...

  • Mickey Blue Eyes (unregistered)

    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doo? That is either the second movie (what a load of excrement that was!) or the fourth movie (according to South Park).

  • Chris (unregistered) in reply to dave

    TRWTF is that you are using a version of IE thats > 7 years old

  • Chris (unregistered) in reply to dave
    dave:
    Could be worse - [image]

    Somehow it lost the quote ><.

    TRWTF is that you are using a version of IE > 7 years old

  • (cs) in reply to DaveAronson
    DaveAronson:
    ParkinT:
    They were standard #2 pencils, with an eraser, unsharpened. The text I had printed on them was: Y2K tested - Passed
    Wouldn't surprise me if that humor was exactly the point. (And before you say it, yes, I saw that they were unsharpened and thus didn't have a point. You know what I mean.)

    Also, I have a "Mencil" (a Mensa pencil)... with erasers on both ends.

    From what I know about Mensa (second hand), I believe you actually need a pencil with rubbers on both ends.

    I am now going to give my second hand a cold shower.

  • Fuzzy (unregistered) in reply to Gerkins

    Oddly enough, I know the This American Life web developer and he just likes the word pickles.

  • (cs)

    For the ASP.Net error:

    I'm going to use my psychic debugging powers to guess that Pickles is the name of one of their database server. It sounds like an update just failed to put a required dll file in the right place.

    What's of more concern is the line below the error: "Dim sql As String". That smells of an sql injection vulnerability. I mean, they might be using query parameters, but something about the way it's set up tells me that's probably not the case.

  • (cs) in reply to John
    John:
    TRWTF is that a production website was compile with debug="true" and customErrors mode="Off"

    As an aside, I remember going to HSBC's site and getting a server error which indicated the location of the access db it was trying to open.

    Even worse was that the fact that the mdb was store inside htdocs, and therefore available to download.

    Even worse that that, it wasn't password protected (if it were it would have taken less than a second to crack it anyway).

    It turned out to be a list of all their branches, sort codes, addresses, phone numbers & direct branch phone number & fax, so nothing too juicy. Still very handy to be able to call somebody in the branch rather than a call centre

    Is there any way you could make the list public?

    I'm a customer of theirs, and something like this would be really handy. (Don't try their website unless you're in a particularly forgiving mood. Bank websites are notoriously feeble, but the HSBC one is quite astonishingly useless.)

  • (cs)

    For the ASP.Net error:

    I'm going to use my psychic debugging powers to guess that Pickles is either the name of a database server or a dumb name for a constants class. It sounds like an update just failed to put a required dll file in the right place.

    What's of more concern is the line a couple below the error: "Dim sql As String". That smells of an sql injection vulnerability. I mean, they might be using query parameters, but something about the way it's set up tells me that's probably not the case. Maybe it's the lack of a Try or Using statement protecting the sql connection.

  • dave (unregistered) in reply to Chris

    lol hell no, that's IE3! I use Firefox but have multiple IEs installed. Always nice to see just how much you can break a site with an old version of IE :P

  • Spoe (unregistered)

    #1 reminds me of a radio story I heard on NPR a couple years back. It was a report on the high demand in the People's Republic of China for Rabbis to certify products kosher. Makes a certain amount of sense with all the food products coming from China these days.

    However, one of the Rabbis interviewed mentioned regularly getting requests to certify furniture, electronics, toys and so forth Kosher.

  • Mizchief (unregistered) in reply to Mickey Blue Eyes
    Mickey Blue Eyes:
    Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doo? That is either the second movie (what a load of excrement that was!) or the fourth movie (according to South Park).

    The Temple of Doo would have been a much more entertaining movie than the last one they put out.

  • Montoya (unregistered)

    Clearly the CAPTCHA is just O00O in one of those boxy fonts.

    my CAPTCHA: secundum. It only took me a secund to think of this dum comment.

  • Steve (unregistered)

    Yay! I'm the guy that wrote the code for the This American Life web site. Pickles is one of our custom classes that handles database connectivity, and other miscellaneous functions.

    Here's another This American Life easter egg... if you select all, you'll see hidden text on the bottom of the page that says Choppity chop chop cha-pow!

    Pickles pickles, whoopy doo!

  • Autocracy (unregistered)

    Pickles == Foo == Bar. I personally use Llamas sometimes. Seriously.

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