I got a verbal spanking at work today...

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:34 pm

For a couple of years now, I've been designing Point of Sale screens for our customers with subliminal "GO STEELERS" messages all over the place. The example below is enhanced. Usually, the colors are just slightly different so they can barely be seen. Well, one of our customers in Cleveland with 10 stores finally noticed. He was pissed, my boss was pissed, and her boss was pissed. I was taken into the conference room for a "company pep talk". I couldn't stop laughing, which didn't help my case. For punishment, I have to go into all 10 stores via PC Anywhere and remove the subliminal messages - ON MY OWN TIME. I can promise you this, each one of those store will have a "YOU SUCK" message cleverly hidden somewhere!!!

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:43 pm

Boy, are they suckers for punishment!

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:47 pm

lolol....give them hell, r8!!!
btw, about the "recevable" button: Isn�t there an "i" missing in the word?

Baiting Guru Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 7103 Location: Yes

Why can't you just toe the line Repro?? Laughing

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:51 pm

Nice one. It could have been worse. You could have had to sing the company song as well.

Regarding the subliminal message, how about something like "David Beckham sucks like a Hoover" - Victoria.

You are a star as far I'm concerned. That nice Mr Soludo still flashes my Cycling Proficiency Certificate at dinner parties.

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:16 pm

It's a pity that in some rather sarcastic way those POS terminals don't have speakers. Every now and then, the utterance "You're a Fugly Milf" might not go astray.

Grrr. Corporate assholes.

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:22 pm

FUGLY MILF..... was'nt he in Lord of the Rings Shocked

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:30 pm

They were mad about that? Seriously? What a bunch of squares.

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:28 pm

Great stuff Rebro8. There was a time that I would have liked to have put in subliminal flashes but never did. There are now federal laws prohibiting time bombs in firmware. Back in the day I've written all sorts of messages beyond the delimiters. I've told bosses that it was for copyright purposes. If I were you I would go with the company message. "I did it to protect company property. Having 'Go Steelers' in competing POS displays would show that company intellectual property was stolen." The hard part would be to say that with a straight face to a bunch of squares.

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:46 pm

im guessing theyre not steelers fans. Laughing

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:18 pm

Tell them to never go to Disney World, or watch any Disney movies. So many hidden messages there that if you saw them all your head would spin. Many hidden mickeys are quite offensive. To get all worked up over a Go Steelers? That's just sad.

Now, just to make sure, R8, you have another, better-hidden "GO STEELERS!" message somewhere else, right? I mean, it would be a crying shame to lose it forever.

And so sad that your boss couldn't be even slightly amused. Evil or Very Mad

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:36 pm

Hugh Jundys wrote:

...just to make sure, R8, you have another, better-hidden "GO STEELERS!" message somewhere else, right? I mean, it would be a crying shame to lose it forever.

In the Meta tag?

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:40 pm

^^^^ Click on the (extremely outdated Embarassed

) "this page" link in my sig. I have a nice little hidden jab in the meta tags.

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:48 pm

^^^ reminds when we had a trainee (ferialpraktikant) a few years ago, and my colleague was just editing our homepage..
He asked her: "What are you doing here?"
"Redesigning our homepage"
He: "With vi!?!?!?!???" Shocked

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:05 pm

oops!

I'd have spanked you for typing "fonction" instead of "function"

Corporate guys. No sense of humour...

twas only the other day i said to my boss, "shove it up your a##e, sideways" and next thing i'm on a disciplinary..........

how on earth did he spot the "Go Steelers" though??????????

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 11:43 pm

@KD

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:25 am

R8......pretty clever. Is it possible they didn't really see it, but could smell it? The Steelers did kinda stink this year.

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

R8, wasn't it a test of the colour balance of the screens? If they can read it then their screen isn't set up right.

breadcrumb, the trainee was damn right. Should have used emacs. Rolling Eyes

thud runs and hides

Elite Baiter Joined: 24 Nov 2003 Posts: 1709

God what wankers. You can't even see it. Corporate people are such tossers.

Reprob8 I hope you are not letting them make you feel bad about this. HR people are just like air hostesses ie EVIL FEMBOTS. It is enough punishment for anything just having to be in a room with them - I feel your pain mate.

Here's a KITTYSTAMP to make you feel better

Hello Kitty!

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:48 pm

It only shows that your company's CRM has not all neccesary information required to have a meaningful relationship with your customers. If you'd known that customer X would be a fan of - say - Green Bay Packers or the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (to have some variation), you would have placed that team in that message, or even your customer's favoured Representative. I bet you can say that with a very innocent face.

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:20 pm

My bosses were angry because they thought I had singled that customer out because I knew they were Cleveland Browns fans and I was just trying to be annoying. I didn't have the balls to tell them I had put hidden messages in EVERY program I've written for a cpl years and that there are probably 200+ terminals across the Midwest US with "Go Steelers" hidden among the screens. They were angry but, on the other hand, I'm at work now, they know I'm logged on to the Eater, and I'm not catching any grief for it. Can someone explain "meta tag" to me? I'm an idiot.

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:25 pm

"meta tags" are something you have in the head of a computer file (including HTML files/Web pages) which contain data about the file, such as the author, key words, etc. Since they aren't displayed when the file is viewed, only used by software that reads it, they're great for hidden messages and in-jokes.

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:33 pm

^^^^ Thanks! How do i view the hidden message in the link KD mentioned above?

My revenge on the customer in question has taken the following form:

The buttons normally display as shown below unless you touch one, then they go into the "DEPRESSED DISPLAY MODE" for just a split second. They don't stay in that mode if you keep your finger on it. So I made the change to the light red buttons as shown below. As I said, the depressed mode only flashes for an instant, and their finger will be covering most of the message. Childish? Sure it is!!! Satisfying? YOU BETCHA!!

Baiting Guru Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 11857 Location: UK

Reprob8 wrote:

How do i view the hidden message in the link KD mentioned above?

^^^^^ Right click on the page and click "view source".

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:44 pm

Thanks SP! @KD Laughing

I got a verbal spanking at work today...	View next topic View previous topic