BS: From the net; ID filed off...

Subject: BS: From the net; ID filed off...
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 27 Nov 04 - 08:31 AM

There's a thread for Newspaper articles that aren;t worthy of a thread for each one, and are mostly posted without comment: there just needed to be one for those message you get from a friend...

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First, a little background. Forgive me if I shill for a moment. The company I work for develops software that allows shop owners to track the production of parts from the design phase to finished product. It's essentially a database program. If you are at all familiar with database applications, you know that you can generate all kinds of reports for analysis. One of the reports that our database can generate is known as a "W.O.B.O.M." This acronym stands for "Work Order, Bill Of Materials." This report lists all the processes, hardware, etc., necessary to produce the finished product.

Can you tell where I'm going with this?

Recently, the gentleman who trains our customers on this application was at the airport. The customer had been kind enough to drop him off and was with him at the ticket counter. The customer then asked him a question about the "W.O.B.O.M." report. Naturally, our employee began to explain this report in some detail. He constantly used the acronym.

Apparently, some sharp-eared county sheriff was passing by and heard the word "BOMB" and decided to confront our employee and the customer. He wanted to know why they were talking about bombs. He threatened them with arrest.

It took our employee about five minutes to explain to this officer what he was talking about, and that a "W.O.B.O.M" had nothing to do with explosives or explosive devices.

They then had to stand there and listen to a ten-minute lecture from this police officer about how they _could not use_ that acronym, as it just sounded too dangerous and made everyone really nervous.

Our employee listened politely, thanked the sheriff for his concern, and apologised for making "everyone really nervous." Fortunately the matter was dropped after that and everyone went on their merry way.

It's really scary out there...

Subject: RE: BS: From the net; ID filed off...
From: jacqui.c
Date: 27 Nov 04 - 09:42 AM

As if anyone who was going to plant a bomb would yalk about it so openly in a place like that. The thought processes of the sheriff are pretty scary - was he carrying a gun and what could make him think he might need to use it?

You're right - it is getting scary out here - too much paranoia isn't healthy.

Subject: RE: BS: From the net; ID filed off...
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 27 Nov 04 - 11:33 AM

Well I told people this for ages, and I tried to start a society to stop all this paranoia, but without success.
I think someone's out to stop me from doing it!!
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: From the net; ID filed off...
From: Cluin
Date: 27 Nov 04 - 11:48 AM

I don't know if "yalk" was a typo or not in jacqui's post above, but it's a good word anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: From the net; ID filed off...
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Nov 04 - 12:03 PM

Soon after September 11 a young guy was prevented from flying out of the Washington, D.C. airport because he was reading a copy of Ed Abbey's The Monkey Wrench Gang. The title itself wasn't a problem, but the cover-art scared the non-literary law enforcement folks who didn't understand this was a popular and old work of fiction.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: From the net; ID filed off...
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Nov 04 - 12:42 PM

Maybe that's why its now Mumbai. Can you imagine the panic that announcements over the address system for the city of Bombay would have caused at international airports?

Subject: RE: BS: From the net; ID filed off...
From: Metchosin
Date: 27 Nov 04 - 12:44 PM

oops, missing cookie above.