Slashdot Mirror
Revised Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness
DBarefoot writes "Last August, my Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness was submitted to Slashdot. Some folks found it at least mildly amusing, and I received a bunch of submissions of documentation weirdness from Slashdotters and others. So we've just posted an updated version of the Hall, with more than twice the images and easier navigation."
That is pretty weird. But not as weird as some stories I've read here.
The weirdness in my work project is that the documentation is missing. I keep meaning to write a comment or two, but with 12000 lines now, I just never seem to get around to it.
I'm gonna need a spec.
OK, seriously, you really are just load testing your web server, right? This site is has collapsed under the /. effect with only one comment posted, in the middle of the night USA time.
Today is the anniversary of the evil bit! I want to read about the evil bit! please? taco?
...is a lot like sex - if it's medicore it's better than nothing, but when it's good it's great!
I know, old joke. I'm of the RTFA now ;)
Everything in the world is controlled by a small, evil group to which, unfortunately, no one you know belongs.
Is he insane? He is posting a link with more images to
However, some of the ones that are finally loading are pretty good. I like the "rock or something" in the MRE...
:D
"Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
Makes me think about those stupid consumer warning labels, and how dumb someone must have been to actually do something that stupid. Also, there's the rejected consumer warning labels.
Yeah, that's some fucked up stuff. Not surprising there's a large Japanese contingent. Are there any languages that are worse for translating into English?
'Standards' in computing only impress those who are impressed by things like 'standards'.
Lets see, average of 5k.. multiply by the average amount of slashdot readers.. that works out to arouuunnnnnddd...
*ahem*, remember to tell me what the afterlife is like.
More Images
hi i am an software engineer from india, can someone pliz explain what is documentation?
Just to reply to myself, needs to be on a T-Shirt!
"Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
Since the page seems to be /.-ed, I thought someone might want to read up on funny signs and stuff at www.engrish.com.
... You insensitive clod!
The kicker is that my (ex) girlfriend decided she'd rather have the MREs. I mean, come on, even bad stir fry is better than an MRE, and I know from first hand experience. Except for that one time I found a Band-Aid in my Buddha's Delight....
http://www.rootstrikers.org/
There is an actual game on that site. Haven't found anything too interesting yet, but i'll be damned if i don't beat this thing.
This is a bit off-topic, but a while back I came across a site where the dude criticised the usability of everyday things, such as doors and elevator buttons, and so on. I thought it was the most anal crap in the world until I found out he was actually a usability expert. :) Anyone happen to know the site I'm thinking of?
'Standards' in computing only impress those who are impressed by things like 'standards'.
It is loading slowly. Francly, it is loading to here ;)
There's a mirror here. Enjoy.
You can mod your friends, you can mod your nose, but you can't mod your friend's nose.
Room: Slashdot Main Page
Directly in front of you are several stories. You notice a story about Quake with the notice 'Read More' beneath it.
>click notice
Room: Weekly Obfuscated Quake Story
You are now in an area that seems vaguely familiar. You immediately notice several trolls that are already attacking both the Quake story and a purple dinosaur.
Your score is currently +5 moderator points.
>attack trolls with mod points
You use all of your moderator ammo on the trolls, taking out a handful. There are still a few trolls left, but they leave you alone. The Quake story is now being protected by sensible readers, but the purple dinosaur is a hill of beans.
You see an opportunity for a karma kit. You see a notice marked 'Reply'.
>hit reply
You now see a Quake story with your post listed near the bottom, but in front of the trolls who are now attacking each other. Two moderators enter the room, closely followed by an Anonymous Coward and two morons who don't know how to read.
>hit submit story
Your post has drawn the attention of the others in the room. The faint smell of flamebait seems to be coming from just below your post. Five trolls have suddenly come back to life!
>attack flamebait with witty reply
Your witty attack has shot down one of the non-reading morons. One of the moderators takes care of the Anonymous Coward - he runs off to foul up some other room. The other moderator leaves behind a karma point.
Victory is yours!
insignificant sig
It sends you on wild goose chases for years, trying the silliest of things, eventually leading to the point where you give up and do it yourself.
This might be offtopic but is funny as hell nonetheless. I just gave away my points, but I would surely have modded this up as funny.
This is a funny article that featured on slashdot a couple of years ago. I describes the differences in culture one has to pay attention to while writing technical documentation for international audiences. For instance:
And while Italian and French users were very happy with printer documentation that included pictures of naked women with slim, strategically placed tinted bars showing how colors were reproduced, Esposito doubts that particular manual will be used anywhere else.
Posted by simoniker on Thursday April 01, @08:26AM from the you-only-live-twice dept.
DBarefoot writes "Last August, my Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness was killed by Slashdot. Some folks found it at least mildly amusing that a poor server should die in such agony, and I received a bunch of submissions of documentation weirdness from Slashdotters and others. Given that I've run out of spoons to gouge my eyes out, I've decided that I might as well kill the server for a second time."
Avantslash - View Slashdot cleanly on your mobile phone.
that they don't call them April rocket scientists.
Actually not. I was just making a point; we have dealt with this Indian software outsourcing company and they obviously didn't know how to write technical documentation.
That said, we have three indian programmers in our shop, and I consider them my friends.
Although they don't write documentation ;-)
can tell me whether the custom of using a trouser press (there's one pictured in the article for anyone wonder WTF I'm talking about) is alive and well. Never seen one used except maybe as a set prop on Masterpiece Theatre.
That's what you think.
Most brits (and certainly all british slashdotters) don't use trouser presses. You really do see them in hotels from time to time; presumably some hotel star rating or other requires them.
In soviet russia stale jokes recycle you!
point missed completely.
Having indian friends does not stop your post having racist connotations.
That is because they are programmers, not because they are Indians. ;-)
That site looks like it got slashdotted before anyone got to read it... did anyone actually see it? I have a funny feeling there was never anything there and the poster just had Slashdot readers "surf" the first of April. Good one (if I'm right).
You don't think enough... therefore you better not be!
In this case it depends upon how you look at it:
If you do it because you enjoy watching a server fry, you are a sadist.
If you do it because you enjoy your pain of having your server fry, you are masochistic.
Yes. American.
Sort of.
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
I read "revised hell of technical documentation"
Timang tinggi tinggi
parang sudah asah
alang alang mandi
biar sampai basah
One of the oddest things I've seen as far as documentation goes would have to be on the back of a package of doorstops I bought at Wal-Mart a couple years back. Take a look at this.
this one remindes me of a poster Strong Bad would have on his wall reminding him not to kill his little brother Strong Sad.
Being in the Army, I see ridiculously labeled things all the time. 'Front Toward Enemy' on the claymore makes me laugh every time, though (although it is actually handy). I'll have to snap a few photos at the unit tomorrow.
Is the Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness also technical documentation weirdness, so it should include itself?
Yes, it is real, and I've seen them. They use these at the Long Lines stations and some other microwave towers. Middle of nowhere=no water=no flushee.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
April Fools: April 1; celebrated by playing of practical jokes
Practical Joke: A mischievous trick played on a person, especially one that causes the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort.
Slashdotting: the specific practical joke of removing a persons website from the internet.
SIG: TAKE OFF EVERY 'CAPTAIN'!!
WARNING
1. With appertain rotor of screw setting pre ceiling on the under standing that scre no wield. May wield two-faced, pressboard securing. wield pre to begin with wiping ceilingof bilge dasto.
2. Thread of length need half as many again as tad.
3. Open toy of batteries shuck. Verification batteries.+,- whereafter stow down, to a certainty need locknat lest take place accident.
4. Hook through toys apside of hole.
5. Needs switches shoving NO,for pre arrows specifying of orention shoving.Pack it up time, withbold toy pate, need switches shoving OFF.
* Prythee no sport with stingy or play asperity game. Winding finger have got bloodstream not walk.
Throagh of peril.
* Tad disport of time grown man tatelage.
* Till the cowcomes home.Wield toys damage, burn-in prythee wind to a close wield.
* Give attention to open/close toys,therefore take place peril.for instance slipup batteries wield result in the emission of heat rupture liquid.vent itself prythee pay attention.
* Play at sith to a certainty bolt up power supply fetch out batteries.
* Batteries no electification dissolution.plunge ioto aquator fire.
* Not trust for tad batteries lest in advertent eat off. In the event of accident without loss of time plytheepillroller tuke order with.
May pre house the seamy side volitation!!!
WARNING [with an assortment of odd icons]
"Our interests are to see if we can't scale it up to something more exciting," he said.
You're probably thinking of that whacky Jef Raskin. http://humane.sourceforge.net/home/
While it is fun to see how badly they mess up the warning signs, you can just make your own instead. The possibilities are limitless.
sign builderEither it is a left-handed knife or it is an ambidextrous knife. If it's ambidextrous, it's not so funny that a right-handed person wields it in the diagram. It is, however, a very strange looking knife no matter which way you look at it.
"I'm so moist I'm sticking to the leather." -Kermit the Frog on The Late Late Show
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