March 31, 2005 08:35 AM

Broken: Flammable barbeque

Colin Henein writes: "Manufacturers of the Keanall Portable Charcoal Grill Model KD300, why do you paint your barbeque with FLAMMABLE PAINT?!!?"

Link

- - - - - - - - - -

In other news: today, Thursday March 31, is the last day for regular price tickets to Mark Hurst's Gel conference.

If you like reading This Is Broken, you deserve to see the good experiences that are being created in technology, business, science, and art.

Take a look at the speaker list. And sign up today for the last chance at regular-priced tickets.

- - - - - - - - - -

Broken: Ya tops

Felix Salmon writes:

Many girls' tops come with little straps which allow you to hang them up without getting them all bent out of shape. This one by Ya, however, has the straps sewn in pointing upwards, instead of downwards, which means that there's no way of putting on the top without the straps peeking out. Broken!

March 30, 2005 12:07 AM

Broken: Sign in Cinque Terre

David writes:

There are no trees, houses, or mixed-sex soccer playing in this Italian town (cinque terre).

March 29, 2005 12:20 AM

Broken: Inconsistency in menu items

Carl M. writes:

Here is a listbox from, let's just say a website (though it's on our intranet really). I was looking for British Pound, or Great British Pound, or perhaps UK Pound. Couldnt find it. Then I noticed an entry starting 'Pound' amid all the other entries which start by listing countries.

Wasted life - 60-120 seconds.

March 28, 2005 12:17 AM

Broken: Fedex.com country list

Sarah Kanz writes:

I went to the FedEx website to get an estimate on sending a package to Scotland. Apparently they don't deliver to Scotland. I finally selected United Kingdom--a wild guess on my part--and got my quote.

By contrast, UPS.com lists Scotland by name. Their site isn't perfect either (far from it), but I enjoy doing business with UPS because they try to make it easy for me.

March 26, 2005 12:05 AM

Broken: Apple Mail filter interface

Alex Yourke writes:

My Apple Mail junk filter doesn't learn everything, so I have to help it with some extra rules.

Unfortunately, the way Apple has designed the Rule dialog makes it impossible to get past the bottom of the screen if there are more than a certain maximum number of conditions - there's no scroll bar. Even though I can always add more conditions by clicking on a "+" icon on the right side of the dialog (cropped to avoid offending viewers with some of the spam criteria listed), I can't change what happens if the criteria are met - this is at the bottom of the box and there is no way to get there. Tabbing causes the cursor to just disappear off the bottom of the screen.

This bug has remained unfixed through several revisions of Apple Mail. Get with it, Apple!

Broken: Providence walk sign

Keith Pelczarski sends in this walk (or don't walk?) sign he spotted in Providence, RI.

March 25, 2005 12:02 AM

Broken: No Parking sign

Daniel Drucker points us to this strange no parking sign:

"Loading zone. No parking. Except Monday - Sunday."

Broken: Scout camp sign

Adam writes:

I witnessed this sign at Boy Scout camp Dechora. They have a climbing program there called C. O. P. E. But which way is it?

March 24, 2005 02:09 PM

Broken: Bad favico

Jon Wiley asks, "Why is the favicon for American Way magazine a radiation symbol? American Way is Rad!"

Broken: River access and beverages

Dave Lawrence sends us two silly entries:

1) River Access  - this sign has always amused me, first time I've actually had a camera with me to immortalize it!

2) Beverage - Do you think then tried "out-of-cup" drinks first? Can't have lasted long :)

March 23, 2005 12:39 AM

Broken: Compgeeks grammatical disclaimer

Ken Palmer points out "the oddest disclaimer I've seen in awhile".

At compgeeks.com, the product page for Clear Miniature Color 640x480 USB Keychain Digital Camera contains these notes:

• Notes:
• Package may contain several grammatical errors
• Camera does not have a flash

Ken writes, "Imagine the horror if customers bought that camera without knowing that there were - gasp - grammatical errors lurking inside the package!"

I'd say that maybe they were trying to avoid getting the product on This Is Broken :)

Link

March 22, 2005 12:09 AM

Broken: ESA battery charger

Robert Steflik writes:

I have included a scan of the instructions for my new ESA battery charger. I think the logic behind the operation is definitely flawed. As shown in the graphic, here's what the instructions say:

"A red light on the LED display will automatically come on, indicating that the batteries are charging. After 14-16 hours when charging is complete, the light on the LED display will remain red."

Well, that's exactly how it works... you plug it in and the light stays red ALWAYS. There is no way you can tell when your batteries are charged without setting a timer. If you read item #4 it warns you that the batteries should not be plugged in more than 24 hours. So, whenever I plug this thing in I have to make a mental note of what time it is so I know when to unplug it. What a PAIN. My other charger at work has a light that goes OUT when the batteries are charged.

March 21, 2005 12:01 AM

Broken: Nong Shim soup instructions

Owen Minns writes:

These instructions for a packaged soup mix made me shake my head for a minute before I readied my lunch: should I use 3 cups of water or 550 mL? Looks like it depends upon which language I read, or perhaps upon the measurement system implemented in my kitchen implements!

For the benefit of the SI metric system-impaired, I appended the actual conversion rate (thank you Google converter) to the bottom of my photograph.

P.S. I boiled about 700 mL of water, and the soup was pretty good.

March 19, 2005 12:34 AM

Broken: Doctor's office voice mail

Lois Ambash gives suggestions for how to improve the voice-mail greeting of a doctor's office. Link

March 18, 2005 12:08 AM

Broken: In-store Blockbuster experience

J. Kelly writes:

I normally do NOT rent movies from Blockbuster Video, but in this case I was given a $5 rental card. So, I said "what the heck, it's free."

I wanted to rent "Collateral." While reading the synopsis on the display box on the wall, I was stoked to see that it was the two-volume collector's edition. So, I grab the box that has the CDs behind the display box. This box too says 2 disc set. I get home, only one disc. No bonus disc. When I go back to the store to return it, the following conversation ensues:

Me (to manager): There was only one disc in this box. There was supposed to be two.

Manager: No, it's all on one disc.

Me: No, the bonus features are on disc 2.

Manager: Oh, if you want the bonus disc, you have ask for it.

Me: What? How am I supposed to know that? The box I went home with stated this was a 2 disc set. Is it posted anywhere that you have to ask for the bonus disc?

Manager: No, we don't post that.

Me: Well that stinks. I was looking forward to the bonus features. Manager: Well, there's nothing really interesting on the bonus disc for this movie anyway.

Me: Isn't that a matter of opinion?

Manager: No, seriously, I think there's only director's commentary. No deleted scenes or alternate endings. You can go check the box.

Me: I did check the box before renting it. I like the director's commentary.

(Manager gives weird look. Totally indifferent.)

Me: I think I should get a credit for a free future rental. This was a terrible experience.

Manager: No, we don't do that. (Snickers.)

Me: You're kidding.

Manager: Nope.

Me: Well, you just lost a customer for life.

(Manager shrugs & smirks.)

BROKEN!

Sigh............

March 17, 2005 12:01 AM

Broken: TurboTax rebate

David Johnson writes:

So, I'm finishing up my taxes on TurboTax and am getting ready to mail in the little card to get my rebate for e-filing my return ($14.95) when I notice that instead of mailing it in, I can go to this website and get my rebate online.

So I do so, fill out all the forms and finally get to the last page where it says "Print this out and mail it in..."

*Blink*

So... it's an online rebate - but you have to mail the results of using that online site in via ordinary, everyday, snail-mail...

...just like the rebate card that came with the TurboTax CD...

Someone doesn't grasp the concept of "online" very well here.

Oh! And while the IRS (held up as the gold-standard of confusion and inefficiency in many circles) can get a multi-hundred dollar rebate back to me in 7-10 days, a $14.95 rebate takes 8-10 weeks!

Seriously broken..

March 16, 2005 12:01 AM

Broken: Kennedy Airport, Terminal 3

My friend Andrew Zolli writes:

At Kennedy Airport's Terminal 3, the terminal is separated from the car parking lot by an elevated walkway which straddles a lane of fast moving traffic. The walkway much be accessed at both ends by an elevator. For reasons that make absolutely no sense, the sign in the elevator closest to the terminal uses two different floor numbering systems. (See picture at left.) "Level 1" is on 1; "Level 2" is on 3 and "Level 3" is on 4. This sign would be particularly awful for a blind person.

Even worse, the floor numbering sysem on the other side of the walkway uses a completely different system (see other picture) of lettering the floor levels - A,B,C and D.

Madness!

March 15, 2005 11:54 AM

Broken: (Fixed) iTunes censorship

Seth Nelson points out that iTunes no longer censors the children's song, "Hens and Cocks." See original post. (Dec 23, 2003)

Broken: Credit card readers

Seth Godin writes in this post:

I bought gas for my car today and put the credit card in upside down. Took a few minutes in the snow to figure out what was going on.

But wait. Computers are close to free. Why should it be my job to put the card in right side up? Why can't the machine read the card in every direction?

March 14, 2005 12:16 AM

Broken: Pliers package

Jonathan Johnson points us to this description of a broken pliers-package design: you need pliers to open the package, to get to the pliers!

March 11, 2005 12:14 AM

Broken: Philips mobile phone

Justin Wood writes:

So, my Dad always had trouble with his phone, he kept hitting the wrong button, cutting me off, just generally having issues with it - and I always mocked him for it.

So I went home for christmas, and checked out this phone - thinking: "This is easy, I'll program it for him!"

Was I ever wrong.

Maybe it's just me, but what does the smiling sun do? Or the C with two arrows? Or the ramp? Or the Manuscript? Heck.. What does anything do?!

March 10, 2005 12:05 AM

Broken: Fish-nuggets packaging

Jake Watrous writes:

I find it a bit un-Disneyish and disturbing to see a box of fish nuggets decorated with Ariel: the Little Mermaid and her fish friends. The only worse idea would be a clownfish-decorated box of Nemo Nuggets!

[Not only that - but what's "dooz"? Is that like "fish dooz"? -mh]

March 9, 2005 11:51 AM

Broken: Wayport wireless

Steve Hoffman writes: Wayport Net access in my hotel is broken!

Broken: Battery close-up

Steve Davis points out this page, which offers a zoomed-in version of a plain 9-volt battery. Why would anyone need to zoom in to such a common item?

March 8, 2005 10:12 AM

Broken: Corporate hate sites

Forbes reports on disgruntled customers' Top Corporate Hate Websites.

Broken: AA.com title list

Online travel pioneer Terry Jones points out this list of honorifics over at AA.com... as he says, "every title from Duchess to Swami!"

Not exactly broken, but perhaps a bit excessive?

March 7, 2005 11:12 AM

Broken: Crack-smoking professor

The NYTimes reported last weekend on the Robert Blake trial, and included this bizarre tidbit:

Earlier in the trial, a professor from the University of California, Los Angeles, testified as an expert witness about the psychotropic effects of cocaine. He said that he had smoked crack cocaine himself and sat in a cage with monkeys to teach them how to smoke cocaine as well.

Did I read that right - UCLA is actually hiring professors who smoke crack and hang out with monkeys? Does anyone else consider this bizarre?

Here's the article (reg. required, link dies after a few days).

Broken: Fire station in Start, La.

Randy McKoin writes from Louisiana:

This is a fire station in Start, Louisiana and is named Start Fire. Need I say more...

March 4, 2005 12:01 AM

Broken: Omelette sign

Norm Tatlock points out a sign at an eatery in the lobby of the Empire State Building:

    All our eggs are made with 3 omelettes

Norm points out, "If it's not made with 4 omelettes, then you can't call it an egg!"

March 3, 2005 12:13 PM

Broken: (for fun) Post no Bills

From Toronto: A creative take on the post no bills sign.

Thanks to boingboing.

Broken: Water filter warning label

Bob Sifniades writes:

I had this OmniFilter U25 whole-house water filter installed recently. Today, I noticed it has a label. The label is black on clear plastic, and is affixed to a clear plastic canister. The filter inside the canister is black. The result is an unreadable black on black.

The camera flash brings out the lettering somewhat, but in normal room light, it's invisible. I can just make out the words Caution, Important Notice, and Warning, and that's about it.

When I remove the filter in a few months to change it, I'll be able to read the whole thing. But it came pre-assembled as you see it, so the installer probably didn't even know there was a label.

March 2, 2005 12:22 AM

Broken: Sight in carpool lane

Robert McLaughlin writes:

This vehicle went by me in the carpool lane with only one the driver visible.  Now I guess he can carpool if someone is in the back, but there just seems to be something wrong about thinking like that.

March 1, 2005 12:39 AM

Broken: Challenge response text

Olivier Wiener found this problem on a Swiss search engine. (Challenge-response text cuts off the last character on the right edge of the graphic.)

Broken: Prius shifter

huphtur writes:

I recently purchased a 2005 Toyota Prius. The car features "By-Wire" Technology, which is an electronic shifter for Reverse, Neutral and Drive. The technology itself works perfect, except the user experience is broken.

When the lever is pushed up/forward, the car goes in Reverse and when pushed down/backward, the car goes in Drive. It would have been more intuitive to have up/forward for Drive and down/backward for Reverse. Just like a car with manual transmission, to get the car moving, you push up/forward for 1st gear.

I talked to a few other Prius owners and they have experienced the same annoyance with this, but said it takes getting used to after a while.