November 30, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: UPS credit card selector

A reader named Jason S. writes in:

The ups.com shipping website lets you select a credit card from your profile to pay for a shipment.

Unfortunately, if you have more than one American Express card in your profile and the 11th and 12th numbers are the same on both cards, then you just have to guess which card your shipping fees will be charged to since you cannot see the remaining numbers.

UPS needs to make sure this drop-down field is wide enough to show the full detail necessary to make this feature useful.

November 29, 2006 05:08 PM

Broken: Warning on Hasbro pony toy

It may look innocent enough, but check out the warning on Hasbro's FurReal Friends Butterscotch Pony:

"Adults take note: Pony comes unassembled in box with head detatched. You may wish to not open the box around your children if they may be frightened by a box with a decapitated horse inside."

Don't buy them "The Godfather" DVD, either, I guess.

Thanks, Laurie

Broken: Cape Cod restaurant sign

Rhea Becker submits a picture of a sign taken in Provincetown, Massachusetts:

This sign reads "Parking while dinning at Napi's 5 pm dinner only."

It belongs to a restaurant named Napi's - a restaurant that has been around for a very long time, here in Cape Cod.

Is the sign trying to inform me that parking is only available for dinner at 5 pm?

Or is it trying to say that you can only park while dining at Napi's - and that dinner is at 5 pm?

You would think that since they have been around for awhile that they would have had plenty of time to fix their sign!

November 28, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Mackie console packaging

Chris Barr points out:

I recently purchased a Mackie CFX16-MKII audio mixing console, and upon inspecting the box I noticed the normal warning symbols such as "fragile," "this end up," etc. 

Then I noticed this one nondescript odd symbol on the far right of the normal icons that looks like an alien wearing a gas mask or something.

There was no description of the symbol in the box, the manual or the website. There wasn't anything on the console itself that had anything to do with this symbol. I am still baffled as to what the symbol means.

November 27, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: (Just for fun) Fortune cookie message

A reader named Philip writes, "I got a message in a fortune cookie that said: 'Beware of cookies bearing fortunes.'"

[This is a sweet version of the classic Epimedes paradox: "Don't believe the fortune in this cookie." -mh]

November 25, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Michigan State University Federal Credit Union online security option

David Mulder writes:

I saw this message when I logged into my Michigan State University Federal Credit Union online account:

MSUFCU announces TrulyU, a new ComputerLine security feature. TrulyU adds another layer of protection to your account. Due to the high number of ComputerLine users, a limited number of randomly-selected accounts will be set for enrollment each day beginning on October 18.

Great! A new security feature to make my online account safer.

Too bad I have to be randomly selected before being able to activate it.

Why didn't they just introduce the option to me if I was randomly selected for the option. Otherwise, don't notify me about the option unless it is currently availble to me!

November 24, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Emerson Biggins pub hours

Jacob Watrous submits a picture taken in Wichita, Kansas:

November 23, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Chicken fingers ingredient description

Anthony Coon writes in:

Printed directly on the front of this box of Italian style chicken fingers is the text - "Chicken Breast Strip Fritters Containing up to 20% Solution."

A 20% solution of what? I don't think I'd want to know...

[P.S. Happy Thanksgiving to all our American readers! Here's wishing you a delicious turkey dinner with less than 20% solution. -mh]

November 22, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Embassy Suites exit signs

Adam Bromwich submits a picture taken in Irvine, California:

I recently stayed at an Embassy Suites in Irvine where my wife was taking her California Architect's Board exam. On our floor, we spotted these pretty crazy exit signs in a corner of the hallway.

Simply exchanging them would make sense, since the two exits are equidistant from this corner, but the current configuration is clearly broken.

It was a little ironic that she and hundreds of other architects at the hotel were there to test/be tested on building and safety regulations.

November 21, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Mellon investor services signup

Andrew Midkiff writes:

There are several layers to this broken experience with signing up for Mellon investor services online. First, it starts with an envelope from a recent mailing telling me to visit " www.melloninvestor.com/isd." 

When you type that URL in a browser, you get a 404 "page not found" error.

I knew enough to try it without the isd and eventually found the URL at https://vault.melloninvestor.com/isd/Default.asp?PLID=MEL.

I didn't have an account set up yet, and so I needed to get a PIN. The next picture shows the way to get a PIN. So far, I was doing ok.

I then got the following picture which is the error telling me that I've either not gotten a PIN yet, I've entered an invalid investor ID number (entered incorrectly or used a social security number), or I've entered an invalid PIN.

The last bullet point, about exceeding the maximum login attempts, is confusing. Is it telling me that one possible problem might be that I've exceeded the number of log in attempts? or is it telling me that is the case? I'm not sure...

The only one of these reasons that can possibly be true for me is the second option - "You have entered an invalid Investor Identification Number (Investor ID)."  Since I know I didn't type in a social security number and a PIN had nothing to do with it since I didn't have one yet and was trying to get one.

So, I try again making very sure that I type in the investor ID# correctly. It's a 12-digit number with no dashes or spaces. I hit the button again, and get the same error.

I then tried to "Chat live" with a Mellon Help Desk Specialist and get the next image telling me that the help desk has gone home for the night. Why offer me the help desk live chat option if it isn't available!?!

Mellon investor services gave me a bum URL and the application failed when I did everything correctly. I even tried their site on both Firefox and IE, just in case, and it didn't work in either browser. Then they wouldn't let me get any help because it was 7:12 p.m, when most people are doing such investor-related things.

November 20, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Akeelah and the Bee DVD box credits

Mark Crummett points out:

Here, in the Akeelah and the Bee DVD box, the person under "Laurence Fishburne" is clearly not him, nor does Angela Bassett wear glasses and have a beard.

I know why the names are placed like this on the DVD box, of course - the main character's picture usually goes first, and the way the names are arranged is decided by their "star power." The most famous actor gets named first.

Still, it makes for some double-takes at the video store!

[P.S. I see this all the time on movie posters - names unaligned with headshots... does anyone know why this is, apparently, a standard practice in Hollywood? Please post a comment and enlighten us all. -mh]

November 18, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: BestBuy.com store locator

(Best Buy fixed their store locator - it now shows you what stores are within the proximity of your zip code, it no longer re-directs you to the Microsoft Windows mobile page. Good job Best Buy!)

Nick Srinivasan writes in: I was on the Best Buy website trying to locate a store near my neighborhood. On the store locator page, after you input your zip-code under Store Locator and click "Go" to see the results, you are then re-directed to a Microsoft Windows mobile page.

The web developer must have forgotten to change a test link!

November 17, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Boston airport welcome sign

Reader Linda submits a picture taken at Boston's Logan airport:

When I arrived at Logan's baggage claim, I was greeted by this sign:

"Gilead Hepatitis Team welcomes you to Boston."

There's a surefire way to make visitors feel welcome in your city!

Actually, I know why the ad was there, but only because I specifically work in this field. A few weeks later Boston hosted the big Liver Meeting.

November 16, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Unknown fabric at Wal-Mart

Derek Kwan writes in:

I saw this material at the fabric section at Wal-Mart in Newmarket, Ontario in Canada. The fabric label reads "100% unknown."

It would be a good idea to figure out what the fabric is made of before they decide to sell it, let alone make a label for it.

November 15, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Dole raisin bag instructions

A reader points out:

I bought a bag of Dole raisins which has instructions to "tear here." However,there is no place to tear unless I am Edward Scissorhands.

There is no notch on the bag to tear - you have to cut the bag with the scissors to open it.  The instructions on the bag should state "cut here" instead.

November 14, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: No smoking sign

A reader submits a picture of a sign taken in Iraq:

If smoking isn't allowed, why is there a need to pick up your cigarette butts?

November 13, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Pie chart in eWeek article

Lore Eargle points out:

I was reading an article titled Outsourcing is Here to Stay in eWeek, and in the second part of the article there is a section that shows a pie chart displaying responses to the question - Is your company budgeting for outsourcing any IT activities to an offshore company in 2006?

Note the disparity between the numbers and the divisions in the pie chart on the far right - 65% is taking up less space on the pie chart then 35%.

November 12, 2006 11:04 PM

Broken: Bank of America's "One bank" U2 cover

Following up on the Bank of America post, here's a cover of U2's "One", repurposed as "One Bank", sung at an internal Bank of America meeting about a bank merger.

Watch the video: YouTube: One Bank video

(Thanks, AliceH)

November 11, 2006 07:40 PM

Broken: Food Network Search

The Food Network website has to deliver one thing, above all others: a decent recipe search engine. But the search engine is broken.

I searched for "chicken parmesan" and got...

- Penne with Sweet Potatoes and Fennel
- Minestrone with Crisp Parmesan Crumbs
- Grilled Polenta with Morel Vinaigrette
- Savory Spinach and Artichoke Stuffing
- Roasted Polenta with Garden Vegetables
- Butternut Squash with Thyme and Parmesan

... and the results page offered over a dozen more unrelated options before finally showing, at the very bottom of the page, chicken parmesan. (Spelling it "chicken parmigiano" was much the same, taking 15 results to get to an appropriate recipe.)

If I search for chicken parmesan, I'm pretty sure I don't want penne with sweet potatoes and fennel! Food Network should fix its search engine.

Finally, is it just me, or is it kind of gross to search for a recipe and see "New Excema Breakthrough" just beside the listings?

P.S. Of course, this isn't as bad as the New York Times' broken search results.

Broken: "Main apartments" sign

A reader named Terry points out:

I like the slogan for the apartment - "Living on Main," when they clearly live on 5th Street in Branson, Missouri.

November 10, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Crowne Plaza Sony clock radio instructions

Chris Keating writes in:

Here are the instructions to the clock radio that was in my hotel room at a Crowne Plaza hotel:

1. Press ALARM MODE until the buzzer light is lit.

2. Press and hold BUZZER for 2-3 seconds. After one beep, "ALARM" and the hour will start to flash in the display window.

3. Press TUNE/TIME SET (<< = minus, >> = plus) until the desired hour appears.

4. Press BUZZER. The minute will flash.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to set the minute. Two short beeps will confirm the setting.

I've been making trips to this hotel for months, and this instruction card has always bothered me.  First, it's difficult to follow.

Second, It doesn't give you instructions on how to set the alarm to use a CD or the radio to wake you up.

Third, the device doesn't give you much indication that the alarm is really set.

Finally, it's been my experience that the card isn't always in the room. 

Having complained, I want to point out that this breakage is more Sony's fault than the Crowne Plaza's -- the interface on this thing is abysmal.

November 9, 2006 12:42 AM

Broken: Bank of America jailing a customer

I've heard of customer-hostile banks (and have experienced them myself), but this Bank of America story takes the cake.

Matthew Shinnick dropped by a Bank of America branch in San Francisco to make sure a check he was about to deposit wasn't fraudulent. The teller found that the check was fraudulent and told the manager, who then had Shinnick thrown in jail.

Are you getting this right? The customer who wanted to make sure he wasn't about to draw on a fraudulent check, got thrown in jail by Bank of America.

From SFGate, Check from a scammer bounces victim into jail:

The teller contacted the business and was informed that no check had been written to Shinnick for $2,000 or any other amount. She immediately passed the check to the branch manager. "I saw him talking on the phone and staring at me," Shinnick said. "A few minutes later, four SFPD officers came into the bank. They didn't say a thing. They just kicked my legs apart and handcuffed me behind my back." The police report for Shinnick's arrest says he was taken into custody "for the safety of the bank employees as well as the bank customers."

Shinnick spent several hours in jail, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, before his father posted $4,500 bail. All told Shinnick spent $14,000 to clear his record. Bank of America refused to reimburse him.

In response, consumer advocate and radio host Clark Howard started a Bank of America "Money Loss Meter" to show how much money his listeners have withdrawn from BofA as they close their accounts in protest. It's up to $50 million. (There's more on Clark's site.)

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has more on the story: Clark Howard takes on B-of-A. For their part, Bank of America denies that customers are closing their accounts as Howard claims.

Broken: TIAA-CREF "Coming soon" email

Seth Green writes: I received this email from TIAA-CREF that reads - "Coming soon...TIAA-CREF's redesigned website."

"Coming Soon" messages are bad enough when you come across them on the web, but getting them in your inbox is especially not useful.

They should send you the message when the website is redesigned.

November 8, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Pharmacy sign

Blaise Coutaz submits a picture she took in an Italian pharmacy. It continually scrolled a test message...

Memory lost!

Blaise writes, "It was rather fun for a pharmacy."

November 7, 2006 12:51 AM

Broken: Diebold electronic voting machines

Today is Election Day in the US, and many Americans will cast votes on electronic voting machines.

Foxtrot, one of my all-time favorite comic strips, gets it exactly right in a recent strip. Electronic voting machines are scary... at best. At worst, their possible effects are unthinkably bad.

Read the Foxtrot strip. (Thanks, bb)

From last Sunday's New York Times, this op-ed about electronic voting machines says:

Vicki Lovegren, a mathematics lecturer at Case Western Reserve University who has become a local advocate for election integrity, said, “If you’re a computer scientist, you’re nervous,” adding: “When you have electronic voting machines, it doesn’t take a conspiracy of many people. One person can affect the outcome without anyone knowing.”

If you really want to be scared, watch this video showing how easy it is to hack a Diebold voting machine. Or read how Diebold may have knowingly supplied flawed machines for the '04 election.

Update: BoingBoing writes...

If you experience any irregularities in voting today, call 1-866-OUR-VOTE, the hotline for the National Campaign for Fair Elections. EFF lawyers and many others are standing by across the country to take legal action to remove malfunctioning voting machines, keep polls open, etc.

Update: More to watch on the deeply flawed electronic voting system. YouTube - HACKING DEMOCRACY-(HBO) Part 1. And here's Part 2.

Broken: Do not enter sign

I recently spotted this sign in Riverside Park, on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Is there any place free from marketing hype?

"New and improved! Don't enter!"

November 6, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: Sign in Gaffney, South Carolina

PD from Atlanta, Georgia sends this in:

This sign found in Gaffney, South Carolina shows a new variation on the misspelling of "it's" - i'ts.

(Yes, Gaffney is the location of the Peachoid water tower .)

November 4, 2006 09:33 PM

Broken: Raw HTML in Apple popup

In Apple's iTunes, a .Mac popup reminded me to update my credit card.

In bold red letters, the popup reads:

Please check your spelling or go to .Mac to get a <a href="http://www.mac.com/" target="_blank"> free trial or sign up now</a>.

This is broken: Displaying raw HTML in a common popup like a credit card expiration reminder. Fix it, Apple!

Broken: Adding airtime on Tracfone website

Alex B writes in:

I use a pre-paid phone from Tracfone. To add minutes, you buy a card that includes a PIN, then you go to their website to enter the PIN and add the minutes to your account (some phones let you do this on the phone instead of the web, but not my phone).

Once you start the "add minutes" process on their site, not only do you enter the PIN from the card, but you also have to enter a lot more number sequences into your phone (each ranging from 15-28 digits). This is certainly a pain, but maybe it's necessary, so it's arguable whether the fact that you have to enter these sequences itself is broken.

The attached picture shows how it works - the next sequence you must enter is shown in blue, and sequences you've already entered appear above it, crossed out. Each time you confirm you entered a sequence, that sequence is crossed out and a new one appears below it.

But what is undeniably broken is this: Before you start, you aren't told how many sequences you'll have to enter, and each time you enter a sequence, the site never tells you how many sequences are left.

You just have to enter each sequence it tells you to enter, until you're done. It's a tedious process and by the time you're near the end, you aren't sure if it'll ever tell you to stop. This violates a basic principle of user interface design, which is that when you need the user to go through a sequence of steps, you must always tell them how many steps there are before they begin, and once they are in the process, tell them what step they are on.

November 3, 2006 12:59 PM

Broken: John Battelle's Searchblog: Rant: The Comcast HD DVR Is Simply, Terribly Awful

A good rant from John Battelle comparing TiVo and his Comcast DVR. From The Comcast HD DVR Is Simply, Terribly Awful:

I love Tivo. I have written about it here many times. I love its approach to user interface, I love its corporate attitude (I know it can't keep it up given the reality of the market), and I even love its shortcomings. It's the Macintosh of television.

And Comcast, Lord knows, is the Windows. And not Windows 3.1. Windows 1.0. Or worse, if there is such a thing.

Also see: Study in Comcast branding

(Thanks, bb)

Broken: (Just for fun) Invading alien bug on Google maps

Andrew Elgert points out:

This Google Maps image shows an insect, apparently a giant insect, measuring 50m in length, using the scale on google maps. In fact, the insect is a variety of thrip, an insect that is actually about 1mm in length.

This is apparently the first incident of an insect being accidentally photographed into the Google Maps service.

If people were actually convinced by the radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds," then Google ought to change this image - fast!

November 2, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: CNN website default search setting

Joshua Shields points out:

The search feature default setting on the CNN website is broken. Sure, it has the same problem that all news sites are notorious for - that the search function has problems locating strongly relevant results in response to what you typed into the search box.

However, the CNN.com search has something else wrong with it. Like at most websites, you are given the choice to search just the website you are on or the entire web. What's broken here is that the default selection for the CNN site search is "The Web."

Therefore, *every time* I come to CNN.com, I enter something into the search box then I realize that I forgot to change the search setting to "CNN.com." So I have to start my search over again.

If I'm going to CNN.com, it is more likely that I want to search for an article on CNN.com, not the entire web. It would make more sense to make the search default "CNN.com" as opposed to "The Web."

November 1, 2006 12:03 AM

Broken: St. Peter's Basilica sign

Kristen Lindgren submits a picture taken in the Vatican City in Rome:

I took this picture while waiting in line to get into St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. 

I can't really figure out what this sign is trying to communicate. Maybe that one-legged people or people without a shoulder aren't allowed to enter?