The Daily WTF: Curious Perversions in Information Technology

NaN is the Loneliest Number

by Lyle Seaman in Error'd on 2025-03-21

Today we have a whole batch of category errors, picked out from the rash of submissions and a few that have been festering on the shelf. Just for fun, I threw in an ironic off-by-some meta-error. See if you can spot it.

Adam R. "I'm looking for hotel rooms for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Most hotels haven't opened up reservations yet, except for ridiculously overprice hospitality packages. This search query found NaN facilities available, which equates to one very expensive apartment. I guess one is not a number now?"

8 comments - Last comment @ 2025-03-24

No Time Like the Present

by Lyle Seaman in Error'd on 2025-03-14

I'm not entirely sure I understand the first item today, but maybe you can help. I pulled a couple of older items from the backlog to round out this timely theme.

Rudi A. reported this Errord, chortling "Time flies when you're having fun, but it goes back when you're walking along the IJ river!" Is the point here that the walking time is quoted as 77 minutes total, but the overall travel time is less than that? I must say I don't recommend swimming the Ij in March, Rudi.

15 comments - Last comment @ 2025-03-17

Tomorrow

by Lyle Seaman in Error'd on 2025-03-07

It's only a day away!

Punctual Robert F. never procrastinates. But I think now would be a good time for a change. He worries that "I better do something quick, before my 31,295 year deadline arrives."

5 comments - Last comment @ 2025-03-07

Well Done

by Lyle Seaman in Error'd on 2025-02-28

The title of this week's column is making me hungry.

To start off our WTFreitag, Reinier B. complains "I did not specify my gender since it's completely irrelevant when ordering a skateboard for my daughter. That does not mean it is correct to address me as Dear Not specified." I wonder (sincerely) if there is a common German-language personal letter greeting for "Dear somebody of unknown gender". I don't think there is one for English. "To Whom It May Concern" is probably the best we can do.

24 comments - Last comment @ 2025-03-07

Something 'bout trains

by Lyle Seaman in Error'd on 2025-02-21

We like trains here at Error'd, and you all seem to like trains too. That must be the main reason we get so many submissions about broken information systems.

"Pass," said Jozsef . I think that train might have crashed already.

7 comments - Last comment @ 2025-02-23

Dash It All

by Lyle Seaman in Error'd on 2025-02-14

Because we still have the NWS, I learned that "A winter storm will continue to bring areas of heavy snow and ice from the Great Lakes through New England today into tonight." I'm staying put, and apparently so is Dave L.'s delivery driver.

Dave L. imagines the thoughts of this driver who clearly turned around and headed straight home. "Oh, d'ya mean I've got to take these parcels somewhere!? in this weather!? I can't just bring them back?"

16 comments - Last comment @ 2025-02-21

Artificial Average Intelligence

by Lyle Seaman in Error'd on 2025-02-07

I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of AI WTFerry at this site for a while, and fewer stupid online sales copy booboos. For today, here we go:

Jet-setter Stewart wants to sell a pound, but he's going to have to cover some ground first. "Looks like Google are trying very hard to encourage me to stop using their search engine. Perhaps they want me to use chatGPT? I just can't fathom how it got this so wrong."

21 comments - Last comment @ 2025-02-10

Retry Fail

by Lyle Seaman in Error'd on 2025-01-31

Decreasingly hungry thrillseeker Weaponized Fun has second thoughts about the risk to which they're willing to expose their palate. "In addition to Budget Bytes mailing list not knowing who I am, I'm not sure they know what they're making. I'm having a hard time telling whether 'New Recipe 1' sounds more enticing than 'New Recipe 3.' I sure hope they remembered the ingredients."

12 comments - Last comment @ 2025-02-02