kerempuh - Slashdot User

Submission + - Ridiculous Software Bug Workarounds?

Submitted by

theodp

on Saturday May 23, 2009 @08:05PM

theodp writes: "Ever get a workaround for a bug from a vendor that's so rigoddamndiculous that there has to be a clueless MBA or an ornery developer behind it? For example, Microsoft once instructed users to wiggle their mouse continuously for several minutes if they wanted to see their Oracle data make it into Excel (yes, it worked!). And more recently, frustrated HP customers were instructed to use non-HP printers as their default printer if they don't want Microsoft Office 2007 to crash (was this demo'ed in The Mojave Experiment?). Any other candidates for the Lame Workaround Hall of Fame?"

Submission + - Sci-Fi Writers Dream Up Ideas for U.S. Government (washingtonpost.com) 2

Submitted by cheezitmike on Friday May 22, 2009 @11:59AM

cheezitmike writes: This week in Washington, DC, a group of Sci-Fi writers is helping the U.S. Department of Homeland Security envision the future at the 2009 Homeland Security Science & Technology Stakeholders Conference. The agency is hoping the interaction between writers and bureaucrats helps the government 'break old habits of thought' and 'help managers think more broadly about projects and their potential reactions and unintended consequences'. And, it's at minimal expense to taxpayers, since the writers are consulting pro bono.

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