• (disco)

    It's just a wee little frist.

  • (disco)

    Oh no, you knew, didn’t you? Oh, it’s just a harmless little piece of software, isn’t it?”

    https://youtu.be/piWCBOsJr-w?t=39s

  • (disco)

    When he wasn’t busy blowing the English countryside

    :giggity:

  • (disco) in reply to boomzilla

    :hanzo: by 13 minutes.

    Is there some dialect of English in which that means something other than :giggity:?

  • (disco) in reply to HardwareGeek
    HardwareGeek:
    Is there some dialect of English in which that means something other than :giggity: ?

    Not that I've come across...

    @mott555?

  • (disco)

    @remy, @pjh, @aliceif, we've got another dupe.

  • (disco) in reply to PleegWat

    FFS...­

  • (disco)

    Reminds me of this formula:

    You say 'X', but they don't hear 'X', they hear whatever they want to hear. Then they come back and blame you, and harrumph when you say to them 'No, I said X'.

    It would just be easier if advocates of this stupidity-revealing dumbassery just Learned To Fucking Read, but of course, management has the ample meal-based-weight to throw around that it's somehow still your fault.

  • (disco)

    What some people seem to think: Things can be made good by filling them with Monty Python references.

    The actual truth of the matter: Monty Python remains good, despite the people who continually reference it.

  • (disco) in reply to eViLegion

    Agreed. On both counts.

    From what I remember of the film, this article parodies a particular section of it. Not that this is the riason d'etra for my replying to the post other than to add: That I, cannot for the life of me, see anything in the "story" that warrants such treatment.

    But, given that there is (supposedly) a grain of truth or two in these sort of stories; I suspect the bits about "...waiting and waiting..." and "...several months later..." could be them. This reminds me of a time in my life (a few decades ago now) where I was undertaking a leadership assessment course. One of the exercises was to make recommendations based on certain scenarios. One scenario "threads" was about situations that just got worse and worse. Each successive example was just a ridiculous extension of the previous.

    Something had to break and I am afraid it was me. I had a serious sense of humour failure and just wrote "This [deterioration] should not have been allowed to progress this far" across all subsequent scenarios with increasing application of pressure.

    Turns out they were looking for answers that simply stated "escalate" whereas I was trying to "fix" them.

    My point being, I cannot understand why people do not "own" projects and problems and are quite prepared to create an SEP Field, to make them "go away". Anymore than I can understand how Companies and Organisations survive by creating a culture that nurtures such attitudes.

    BTW The SEP Field was brought you by the same people that developed Bistromathics.

  • (disco) in reply to PJH

    Typo/copy-paste/editing/brainfart error.

  • (disco) in reply to loose

    Part of the problem is that managers are promoted to their level of incompetence Peter Principle

  • (disco) in reply to loose

    @loose,

    I think you meant "raison d'être"

  • (disco) in reply to eViLegion

    ham ham ham eggs bacon and ham

  • (disco) in reply to loose
    loose:
    I cannot understand why people do not "own" projects and problems and are quite prepared to create an SEP Field, to make them "go away".

    If nobody is actually interested in making a project happen, should the organisation be doing it in the first place? (Sometimes the “interested” might be forced by regulation, which is a from-the-top approach, but that's still a valid reason.)

  • (disco)

    I hope he learned his lesson: Never bail out another department by doing their job.

    Instead, the correct strategy (unless the head of the software team is immune from consequences due to nepotism) was to:

    1. Keep his hacked-together interface secret, and just report that he completed testing as directed, and are continuing to wait for the software team to complete their portion of the work.
    2. Wait for the software team to get into massive trouble for not delivering. When questioned, explain that you have asked the software team about their expected delivery date repeatedly, and so far have not received any kind of answer.
    3. Have your resume ready, in case management decides to blame you anyways.

    Yes, this strategy will hurt the company, but frankly, they deserve it for hiring such an inept software team.

  • (disco) in reply to loose

    The problem is that this does happen. At some point, things need to be not your problem. If things keep escalating they won't be fixed until you escalate till the first common manager.

    Even if you follow up yourself, it is advisable to start CCing a next level of management (both sides) every couple of weeks of no progress.

  • (disco)

    I came up with a law a long time ago (I think I did, I have no recollection that I'm quoting someone else any way)

    Your software will be in use longer than you think it will.

    Which is my way of saying: Do it right the first time, even if it is a quick script. Otherwise, you will be haunted by your past mistakes or laziness :^)

  • (disco) in reply to EatenByAGrue
    EatenByAGrue:
    explain that you have asked the software team

    Um, no. The project manager should be doing that. I should be bugging my PM (in addition to my boss).

  • (disco) in reply to loose
    loose:
    BTW The SEP Field was brought you by the same people that developed Bistromathics.

    Douglas Adams was pretty big, but there was only one of him.

    SEP works amazingly well, though. At one company where I was given a troubleshooting role, there was a particular production assembly process of an electronic module that was giving problems. The manufacturing director, the assembly room manager and the technicians could walk right past this problem area without seeing it, leaving it up to the production supervisor.

    It turned out that some genius thought that passivated screws were the same as tin plated screws, and passivated screws don't conduct electricity. As in this story, the customer was appointed to be in charge of QA and was not happy. The manufacturing director ended up running a convenience store in a seaside town.

  • (disco)

    Can we get a de-fictionalized version of this story like we did with Pizza Hacker

  • (disco) in reply to Samuel_Schoenberg

    Would you prefer if there was a version of TDWTF called TDWTY?

  • (disco) in reply to CodeSlave
    CodeSlave:
    I came up with a law a long time ago (I think I did, I have no recollection that I'm quoting someone else any way)

    This is the well known engineering law "The temporary is permanent, the long term will be obsolete next week."

    I had a boss in the 1970s who was really nervous about this, and was anxious that we never just put something together in a hurry for someone, because we would then be supporting it forever. While he was away on a long job in China we had to put together a rush solution to an automation problem, so to ensure it didn't become permanent we put the industrial computer in a cardboard box (the on/off switch was a latching emergency stop button, the run button was a large green affair.) The idea was that the plant often had visitors, and this would ensure the cardboard box setup got replaced. It was still there when the boss got back and he was not pleased. But what particularly annoyed him was the operators reporting that they preferred big red and green buttons to the expensive illuminated keys we had been using up till then.

  • (disco) in reply to Samuel_Schoenberg

    Except for a few names and the Monty Python dialogue, as well as some minor structure/gramming/phrasing, it's identical to the original submission.

  • (disco)

    “There are some who call me… Tim?”

    Nice in-reference.

  • (disco) in reply to PleegWat

    I think I was trying to say that. The point being that Tim was waiting for the API to be delivered and was quiet happy at it not being so. The story does not indicate if he escalated or CC'd anybody. As the

    graham:
    "raison d'être"
    of this Site is to accurately document WTF's we must assume that if is not in the story, it didn't exist or it didn't happen.

    By all means try a fix a problem before it gets to bad, and in a way that does not increase your enemies. But, Operation Arse Covering Exercise needs to start quite quickly with Phase I - "There is a problem and I am trying to deal with it". Swiftly moving in Phase II when you think you have earned enough brownie points.

  • (disco) in reply to RaceProUK
    RaceProUK:
    Would you prefer if there was a version of TDWTF called TDWTY?

    If that's your attitude then why don't you just write a completely fictionalized hacker drama or rename this to something. I honestly don't think that the daily WTF is entertaining to read anymore now that it's no longer about the WTF. The culture in the writers seems to indicate that it's more about these poorly-done embellishments.

    If I want a story about people imagining they're doing something more fanciful than they actually are, then I'd just rather watch reruns of Muppet Babies.

    You won't be hearing from me again

  • (disco) in reply to Samuel_Schoenberg
    Samuel_Schoenberg:
    If that's your attitude then why don't you just write a completely fictionalized hacker drama or something.
    Y'know, that's not a bad idea. And because I actually *know* something about computers, it'd be a damn sight better than the dreck Hollywood shits out.
  • (disco) in reply to dcon
    dcon:
    explain that you have asked the software team

    Um, no. The project manager should be doing that. I should be bugging my PM (in addition to my boss).

    Based on what I saw in this organization, I'm guessing there was nobody approaching a competent PM. It's perfectly reasonable for him to ask as well.

  • (disco) in reply to Samuel_Schoenberg
    Samuel_Schoenberg:
    You won't be hearing from me again

    It's funny when people post stuff like this and assume other people care. So long.

    RaceProUK:
    And because I actually know something about computers, it'd be a damn sight better than the dreck Hollywood shits out.
    The trouble is, real hacking is boring to watch. There's a reason why hollywood uses the completely made up bullshit, and it's the same reason as the 10 mile long runway in the Fast and the Furious.
  • (disco) in reply to Jaloopa
    Jaloopa:
    The trouble is, real hacking is boring to watch.
    Good; that means I can spend more time spent on proper character development and emotional investiture :smile:
  • (disco) in reply to Jaloopa
    Jaloopa:
    Samuel_Schoenberg:
    You won't be hearing from me again

    It's funny when people post stuff like this and assume other people care. So long.

    He must be new here. Anyone who has been reading for a while knows we're all trolls here. So... we won again!!

  • (disco) in reply to Samuel_Schoenberg
    Samuel_Schoenberg:
    You won't be hearing from me again

    Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. Or do. It doesn't matter to us.

  • (disco) in reply to HardwareGeek

    Do we really want to have to clean the assprint off the door though?

  • (disco) in reply to Samuel_Schoenberg
    Samuel_Schoenberg:
    Can we get a de-fictionalized version of this story like we did with [Pizza Hacker](http://what.thedailywtf.com/t/pizza-hacker/48686/227?u=samuel_schoenberg)

    not likely, even pizza hacker was fictionalized to protect the innocent. besides the underlying WTFs in some of these stories are so weak the fictional story is really needed to punch it up and make it entertaining to read.

    and even then no matter what the really interesting and :wtf: stuff always comes out in the comments anyway.

  • (disco) in reply to RaceProUK

    Meh. That's a problem for those low-paid workers of dubious nationality who come in after everybody else has gone home.

  • (disco) in reply to RaceProUK

    Dammit...got me.

  • (disco) in reply to Jaloopa
    Jaloopa:
    The trouble is, real hacking is boring to watch. There's a reason why hollywood uses the completely made up bullshit, and it's the same reason as the 10 mile long runway in the Fast and the Furious.

    All the details of real life tend to get in the way of interesting stories.

  • (disco) in reply to dcon
    dcon:
    we won again!!
    Thank you, I now have a Bee Gees song in my head …
  • (disco) in reply to boomzilla
    boomzilla:
    All the details of real life tend to get in the way of interesting stories.

    Damn you, reality! *shakes fist*

  • (disco) in reply to EatenByAGrue
    EatenByAGrue:
    I hope he learned his lesson: Never bail out another department by doing their job.

    Exactly: Tim should've said "no, I didn't write any such thing" when management asked.

  • (disco) in reply to PleegWat
    PleegWat:
    The problem is that this does happen. At some point, things need to be not your problem. If things keep escalating they won't be fixed until you escalate till the first common manager.

    Exactly. TRWTF is Tim didn't complain to Roger[1]'s boss.

    [1] Placeholder, in case I forgot the person's actual name.

  • (disco) in reply to RaceProUK
    RaceProUK:
    Do we really want to have to clean the assprint off the door though?

    The door's not glass, so as long as there's no stain, who cares?

  • (disco) in reply to FrostCat

    Is it so bad to want things clean? :stuck_out_tongue:

  • (disco) in reply to RaceProUK
    RaceProUK:
    Is it so bad to want things clean?

    No, but an average skinprint won't leave a visible mark on an opaque door.

  • (disco) in reply to FrostCat

    Thanks for the visual of "what would an un-average skinprint look like?"

  • (disco) in reply to dkf
    dkf:
    Damn you, reality! *shakes fist*
    [image]
  • (disco) in reply to EatenByAGrue

    Years ago, working for a small software company, I had written a piece of software that used multiple, scheduled threads to keep data in sync. The core of the app was fairly simple: a single thread that kept track of all upcoming schedules, and spawned a thread to perform the sync operation and then die at the specified time.

    My boss, however (who knew little to nothing about multi-threaded applications), decided that the application would be faster and more efficient if it just spawned a thread for each task that had to be synced and let each thread track its own schedule. He then decided that incoming and outgoing sync each needed their own thread for each task so that they would not conflict with each other. I argued, literally, for hours, but was "outvoted". I made sure that my argument was extremely public within the dev team.

    Sure enough, the first time we had a project come up that had 12 sync tasks, the whole thing crashed during boot-up, because it hit the 24 thread limit for a single application (including the thread that was the service itself made 25).

    Luckily, most everyone at the company was very aware that I was against the design, so I didn't get the brunt of the yelling directed in my direction.

  • (disco) in reply to tenshino
    tenshino:
    Thanks for the visual of "what would an un-average skinprint look like?"

    While you're welcome, I assume no responsibility for your inability to not imagine things.

  • (disco) in reply to Samuel_Schoenberg
    Samuel_Schoenberg:
    Can we get a de-fictionalized version of this story like we did with [Pizza Hacker](http://what.thedailywtf.com/t/pizza-hacker/48686/227?u=samuel_schoenberg)

    That depends on @mott555, and I doubt he's as much of a nice guy I am.

    I only wrote up the non-embellished version that one time because a) the embellishments were somewhat dubious and b) I tried to prove a point. But we write stories here, not documentaries, and it's our liberty to reject the reality and substitute our own.

    Because that's how we roll, COMPLAIN.

    Samuel_Schoenberg:
    RaceProUK:
    Would you prefer if there was a version of TDWTF called TDWTY?

    If that's your attitude then why don't you just write a completely fictionalized hacker drama or rename this to something. I honestly don't think that the daily WTF is entertaining to read anymore now that it's no longer about the WTF. The culture in the writers seems to indicate that it's more about these poorly-done embellishments.

    If I want a story about people imagining they're doing something more fanciful than they actually are, then I'd just rather watch reruns of Muppet Babies.

    You won't be hearing from me again

    If that's your attitude, why don't you read a newspaper? Because this site is obviously not what you want.

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