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Silly Product Instructions?

canfirman asks: "Not exactly a serious question, but maybe good for a laugh: Our company is bringing in new printers into the office, and I noticed that the on-screen instructions state, 'Do not pull pages until after the printer has finished its job'. I thought this would be a redundant instruction (kinda like, 'Don't run with scissors'), but it got me thinking - what are some of the dumbest instructions you have ever seen on a piece of software, hardware, or appliance?"

50 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. Plastic bags... by geekfiend · · Score: 2, Funny

    OH! Look!

    *grabs plastic bag*

    Look this is fun!

    hrmm... what does this say?

    Not a toy!

    *falls over due to lack of oxygen*

  2. some funny instructions by syrinx · · Score: 5, Funny

    # Please try to keep posts on topic.
    # Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads.
    # Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said.
    # Use a clear subject that describes what your message is about.
    # Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated.

    --
    Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.
  3. The unreleased CD-ROM Warning by Gary+Destruction · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's a sticker with a picture of a hand putting a cup in the CD-ROM tray. Warning: Not intended as cup holder.

    1. Re:The unreleased CD-ROM Warning by polymath69 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Reminds me of the old Beagle Bros. warning label showing things not to do to a floppy disk. Such as, do not set on fire, do not feed to crocodiles, etc...

      --

      --
      I don't want to rule the world... I just want to be in charge of mayonnaise.
  4. Not redundant by Loosewire · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I see people ripping the pages out of laser printers before the printer has pushed it all the way out. Probly does them no end of damage but since the page is already completely pritned by the point the person has enough grip on the page to pull it all out people keep doing it :-(

    --
    Slashdot - The one stop shop for procrastination
    1. Re:Not redundant by Blkdeath · · Score: 2, Insightful
      I see people ripping the pages out of laser printers before the printer has pushed it all the way out. Probly does them no end of damage but since the page is already completely pritned by the point the person has enough grip on the page to pull it all out people keep doing it :-(

      I see it all the time. Not only from students (read: people who aren't expected to learn better) but from teachers (read: people who are supposed to impart said knowledge). The fact that the printer emits a mechanical grinding noise when this happens appears to bear little significance for people. I used to explain to the teachers that it wasn't in our IT budget to replace these units, and that it would instead come from their departmental budget. Sometimes they stopped doing it. Mostly they stopped doing it while I was around.

      Now that I think about it, though, it does sound similar to the noise a typical typewriter made when the page was removed, and that didn't seem terribly offensive to people either. Hmm. I'm thinking the solution is for laser printer manufacturers (though it would affect their bottom line wrt replacement gears and rollers) to install a rough, uneven pair of metal gears. G'head; pull it out now. Hear that sound? That's the sound of IMPENDING DOOM!

      --
      BD Phone Home!

      Shameless plug. Like you weren't expecting it.

  5. Redundancy? by tdemark · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Don't run with scissors" is not an example of redundant instructions.

    "Don't run with scissors while running", on the other hand, is.

    1. Re:Redundancy? by grammar+nazi · · Score: 4, Funny

      The grammar nazi officially commends you for clearing that up.

      --

      Keeping /. free of grammatical errors for ~5 years.
  6. End-User License Agreements by identity0 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    "By clicking 'I Agree' below, you agree to the following terms..."

    Seriously, does anyone read the full text of EULAs? They're a complete joke. I've heard there's a website that has a whole bunch of strange EULAs on display..

    1. Re:End-User License Agreements by longbottle · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You never found the loophole? My friend used to open those with a letter opener so he didn't break the seal. That way, he never technically agreed to anything... at least until he got to read it.

      --
      I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it!
    2. Re:End-User License Agreements by Dave2+Wickham · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That is still breaking the seal, I believe.

    3. Re:End-User License Agreements by longbottle · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Perhaps in a technical sense, yes. But I think if it came down to demonstrating it in a courtroom, he'd have a fighting chance.

      --
      I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it!
  7. iPod by JPelzer · · Score: 4, Funny

    When you open a new iPod, it has a sticker that says "Don't Steal Music."

    1. Re:iPod by Knetzar · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's why I only steal audio books and sound effects.

    2. Re:iPod by TheLink · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Yeah you can't really use the iPod for stealing music.

      Copying != stealing.

      If copying = stealing, you won't need copyright law - there are plenty of theft and property laws to deal with it. Shoplifting comes under Theft law. Copying comes under Copyright law.

      Don't let the Corporates brainwash you and your friends into believing that copying is stealing.

      Sure copying is illegal in some cases. But if the Corporates succeed in brainwashing enough people, then copying would then be illegal in most cases.

      --
    3. Re:iPod by ahknight · · Score: 2, Funny

      But if you send it in two pieces, that's fair use!

      ... or .. umm ...

      something.

  8. HP Lasers w/Duplexers by SpoonDog_SVT · · Score: 5, Informative
    HP's new laser printers with duplexers actually spit the page out partway before reversing direction and pulling them back into the paper path. So the OP's "do not pull pages until job is done" is actually prudent.

    We have one of these types of printers (HP LJ 4600DN) in my classroom, and when the kids pull pages of duplex jobs early (before they actually get spit into the finished tray), then Bad Things Happen(tm).

    --
    "Sometimes the only thing left to say is 'Oops'" -- debbers
  9. From Jay Leno's Headlines: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Some interesting prescription instructions:
    Inhale 1 tablet vaginally at bedtime"

    And an interesting warning on a kids toy:
    It can be happy and gay not good hearing if product is with mark"

  10. neighbor's house by Satai · · Score: 2, Funny

    One time I was borrowing a neighbor's summer home, and the guy plastered the whole place with postit notes -- one the fridge he had one that said "Put food in me," on his kids' piggy banks he wrote "Please don't steal from me" and on the damn ice tray he even double layered them -- on the top it said "Fill me" and below it said "With water." Man that got old.

    "He actually wrote diddly!"

    1. Re:neighbor's house by Hamster+Of+Death · · Score: 3, Informative

      At least credit the source.

      The Simpsons

  11. Some good ones... by synaptik · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Not to be used for the other use."
    (On a package of nuts) "May contain nuts."
    (Butcher knife)"Keep out of children."
    "For indoor or outdoor use only."

    --
    HSJ$$*&#^!#+++ATH0
    NO CARRIER
    1. Re:Some good ones... by Craigj0 · · Score: 3, Funny

      "For indoor or outdoor use only."

      Well obviously it does not work well in external doorways. Duh.

  12. Hitachi electric drill... by BrokenHalo · · Score: 5, Funny
    I kept this booklet for years after the drill died. Needless to say, the drill was manufactured in China...:

    (in troubleshooting section)

    Problem: Sparks fly from commutator
    Cause: Groceries in commutator.
    Solution: Remove groceries from commutator.

    1. Re:Hitachi electric drill... by grammar+nazi · · Score: 2, Informative

      China booklets are great! I bought a chinese pellet gun when i was a kid. The manual warns, "Do not shoot the gun at the people," and later states, "The gun is for target practice and the killing of the rats.".

      --

      Keeping /. free of grammatical errors for ~5 years.
    2. Re:Hitachi electric drill... by byolinux · · Score: 2, Funny
      That's the funniest thing I've read in a while.

      I had a mini Char-G car, but a pirate version from China. It had some fantastic comedy instructions, but sadly it's at work.

      Some from engrish.com...

      On a Yo-Yo...

      1. Don't put into mouth to prevent from choking
      2. Don't tie string around neck to play in a rough way
      3. Don't leave the string alone with children under 3
      4. Don't throw the yo yo at people
      5. Be aware of people coming close when you play yo yo
      6. Be careful of the mental parts when dissemble the yo yo


      And from a Doorbell...

      Cordless Designs. No neccesitities to dig holes and arrange the wires, avoiding the eletrical cirucit bothersome of Laying out as well as paying-out, not affecting the decotating beauties.
      Remotely controlling from ultra-distances. The length reaches sixty metres, satisfying the requirements of high-stoueyed buildings.
      The sound is quite Loud, charming and ear-catching Presetting many sorts of sound for selections.

      The doorbell and the buttons code must be matched.
      After the button is installed the nine-volt battery, using screws, glass glue or double-sided sponge paper stitcher to fix at the gate, pull the antenna straightly (make sure not to be too close to the metal things. if the door is hardware one, the arial cannot approach the metal), Preventing the rain from showening diretly. When not pressing, don't ecaicsg the power. The battery can be used for one yaer (counting by twenty times daily)
      Opening the battery lid of the doorbell, the batteries. The batteries which you are invited would better akalined ones (Three No. 5 batteries, "AA" size. Ift is shorter in lives and easier to seep the electrolyts for using the oudinary batteries. There fore, they are not suitable to be used) Exausing the power is extremely Low. the doorbell can be places with your desires, or installed at any positions in the interior.
      After using for a long period of time, pleace change the batteries which are out of normal uses.

      (Worst thing I've typed in a long time)
  13. quick scan through the kitchen gives me... by dnight · · Score: 3, Funny


    Spray paint can: "Do not spray in eyes."
    Cotton Balls: "Do not insert in rectum"
    Aluminum foil box: "Do not microwave"

    1. Re:quick scan through the kitchen gives me... by gmhowell · · Score: 2, Interesting

      IIRC, teflon fumes can be poisonous to birds. My parents were ditching their teflon stuff anyway, but when they got a Double Yellow Amazon Parrot (now there's a fucking bird I'd like to nail to a perch) they ditched the rest.

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    2. Re:quick scan through the kitchen gives me... by bergeron76 · · Score: 2, Funny

      quick scan through the kitchen gives me... (Score:3, Funny)

      It actually gives (4: Funny [not just 3]). The fourth is, why do you have cotton balls in your kitchen?

      --
      Don't think that a small group of dedicated individuals can't change the world. It's the only thing that ever has.
    3. Re:quick scan through the kitchen gives me... by Mantorp · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It's called teflon flu and happens when you heat teflon to temperatures way too high for normal cooking, of course duPont will tell you it's a myth.

  14. Fire extinguisher by dacarr · · Score: 5, Funny
    On the front:

    FIRE EXTINGUISHER

    On the back, oddly enough, were the following words:

    Do not use near heat or open flame

    ...huh?

    --
    This sig no verb.
  15. Cheez Whiz by clbyjack81 · · Score: 5, Funny
    I don't know if they still do, but Cheez Whiz cans used to have this warning...

    "For best results, please remove cap."

    Really? I was just going to bang it on the table until it exploded, then lick all the 'cheese' up!

    --
    Cole's Axiom: The sum of the intelligence on the planet is a constant. The population is growing.
  16. Do Not Eat by Curtman · · Score: 3, Funny

    My favourite is still those little preservative packets that come in shoes labelled "DO NOT EAT". I wonder if I would have a case if I choked scarfing down the laces.

    "I thought it was candy"

    1. Re:Do Not Eat by Curtman · · Score: 4, Funny

      Let this be a lesson to you newbie Slashdotters. If you find yourself writing a 4 paragraph detailed post defending people who might eat silica gel.. Its time to go out and meet people.

  17. Ghetto Wear washing instructions by almaon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Over a decade ago, there used to be a brand of skateboarding apparrel made by World Industries called Ghetto Wear. I didn't notice till some years later after buying a pair of their pants about the washing instructions printed on the tag.

    1) Pile dirty clothes on floor
    2) When you run out of clean clothes, gather them up and ask your Mom how to use the washer
    3) When she says she'll do it so you don't break her washer and ruin your clothes, come back in an hour and they'll be done.

    I also had a FUCT jacket that's washing instructions were:

    Washing Instructions: Steal this garment.

    I like that kind of thing, making the blatently obvious and unnessary become fun.

  18. candle by austad · · Score: 3, Funny

    My friend had a candle sitting on the table at his house a few years ago that had a sticker on the bottom which read, and I shit you not, "To extinguish, blow out."

    --
    Need Free Juniper/NetScreen Support? JuniperForum
  19. FUCT by BSDevil · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does some great stuff with their lables. I have one of their t-shirts which includes "wash cold, dry low, use no bleach or chemical weapons, question authority" and "100% cotton mouth, made in the united states of the eu."

    --
    Cue The Sun...
    1. Re:FUCT by TheTimoo · · Score: 3, Funny

      Bullshit! The Label said: "We are sorry that our President is an idiot. We didn't vote for him." There's a Discussion on the mfg's website.

      --
      "Be careful or be roadkill" - Calvin
  20. Some quotes by dargaud · · Score: 2, Funny
    "This manual says what our product actually does, no matter what the salesman may have told you it does." --In a californian graphic board manual, 1985.
    "Here is your parachute and here is the manual.
    Welcome to Linux."
    --
    Non-Linux Penguins ?
  21. not really hardware, but.... by hswerdfe · · Score: 2, Funny

    do not reuse....

    its on every condom....

    --
    --meh--
  22. Lather, Rinse, Repeat by Andy_R · · Score: 2, Funny

    has killed several programmers, is /. sigs are to be beleived.

    However a personal favourite of mine is on an old can of chocolate drink powder, the recipe for making it up includes the follwing instruction:

    Add 2 heaped tablesppons of milk.

    --
    A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a
  23. Apple Laserwriter by SandSpider · · Score: 2, Funny

    Do not expose Apple Laserwriter to open flame.

    =Brian

    --
    There is nothing so good that someone, somewhere, will not hate it.
  24. Silly instructions by Blew · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not realy an instruction but a lot of OEM microsoft products used to have a seal over the CD box which needed to be broken to open the case, the seal said somthing along the lines of 'breaking this seal shows that you have agreed to the licencing conditions contained within' Also unplug your keyboard and see what the message says. Odds are it says no keyboard or keyboard error, press f1 to continue.

  25. Re:SO LONG, AND THANKS by jcenters · · Score: 2, Funny

    1) They actually print blow job instructions nowadays?

    2) Tooth space? Sounds like someone's girlfriend needs braces.

    3) ???

    4) Profit!

    (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

    --
    vi ~/.emacs

    --

    vi ~/.emacs

  26. People's Republic of California: power cords by Tackhead · · Score: 4, Funny
    > # Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated.

    I always read that as:

    # Offtopic, Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments might be moderated +5

    Dumbest warnings I ever saw were on a laptop's power supply:

    FOR USERS IN CALIFORNIA:

    WARNING: The power cord on this product contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.

    And no, I'm not making this up.

    Of course, there's no word on whether the lead in the power cord is transmuted to gold when I cross the border into Nevada, or whether or not residents of other states need to wash their hands after plugging things in or not.

    (The background is that a bunch of twits fell for the junk science on PVC softened with lead phthalates. Consider that if studies on intravenous bags with the stuff are questionable, it's Not Bloody Likely that failing to wash your hands after you plug in your laptop is going to kill you. But since when did science matter to the granola-crunchin' hypesters of the People's Republic of California? It's to protect the chilllllldren and the enviiiiiiirunmennnnnt!

    1. Re:People's Republic of California: power cords by mbstone · · Score: 4, Funny

      I was in law school, and we had a guest lecturer on Environmental Law. At the end of the lecture, I asked, "Who made up the law that all the buildings in California have to have silly little signs at the entrance that say stuff like, Xerox machine toner/lightbulbs/Bic pens/styrofoam coffee cups are used in this building and they are known to cause cancer or reproductive harm."

      He replied "I did!!" and his face turned three shades of red and he wagged his finger at me for 15 minutes while angrily attempting to explain why he thought Prop 65 was wise legislation.

      Moral: You never know who you're talking to.

  27. Really Pointless Instruction by taylortbb · · Score: 4, Funny

    At the grocery store I recently found a package of Taramisiu and it said DO NOT TURN UPSIDE DOWN, on the bottom (bit late isn't it?).

    1. Re:Really Pointless Instruction by Anonymous+Codger · · Score: 2, Funny

      A local pizza delivery joint has the following printed on the bottom of their boxes:

      "If you can read this your pizza is upside down"

      --
      No sig? Sigh...
  28. Do Not Use While Sleeping by derfla8 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    On a hair blow dryer. A little research found that a company was sued when a guy used his hair dryer to keep himself warm by turning it on and throwing it in his blankets. He fell asleep and became crispy after the fire that started. Amazing, the moron won.

    I say warnings like this should be omitted on purpose so that people without this common sense are weeded out of the gene pool.

  29. An all time classic: by pixel_bc · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Do not taunt happy-fun ball."

    Words to live by, kids.

  30. You're probably one of the brainwashed. by TheLink · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's still not stealing.

    And copying entire songs is only illegal if the applicable laws say so.

    I'm not sure how things are in the Land of the Free and the Home of the DMCA, but in my country it's not illegal if you copy it for private or domestic use. In NZ they're thinking of making it legal if you're copying it for your own use, amidst protests by the corporates.

    "It's taking away people's rights to earn a living, and that's horrendous," Sony NZ managing director Michael Glading is quoted as saying.

    Let's cut the BS: If I make a copy the owners of the original copy still have FULL ACCESS to the original. So it's unlike stealing which deprives the owners of access.

    In contrast: The corporates have lobbyed (successfully in many countries) to remove and reduce the public's access to copyrighted material AND copyrighted material that would have entered PUBLIC DOMAIN.

    Now you tell me who are the real thieves? Who are the real thieves?

    Don't be deceived by the lies - the brainwashing and bullshit terms like "Intellectual Property" and "Piracy".

    --