The Random Crap Thread 2: It Hits the Fan.
- Thread starter North_Ranger
- Start date
It sucks when it happens here. We have 10,000 users.
Dave
Staff member
There was a big kerfuffle at Apple a few years ago where someone accidentally sent out a message to all employees. The problem wasn't people replying all back, the problem was that their Out Of Office messages did not differentiate between a new or repeat email. So if you sent a person 100 emails you'd get back 100 OOO messages.
So this person sent out a message to everyone in the company. The X number of people who were out of the office sent everyone an OOO message...who then got OOO messages back, which caused them to send out an OOO message to each recipient again. It grew very quickly and melted their servers.
Basically, bad architecture caused a simple email chain to act like a worm, which took down the email for the entire company for a few days (it may have been a whole week).
So this person sent out a message to everyone in the company. The X number of people who were out of the office sent everyone an OOO message...who then got OOO messages back, which caused them to send out an OOO message to each recipient again. It grew very quickly and melted their servers.
Basically, bad architecture caused a simple email chain to act like a worm, which took down the email for the entire company for a few days (it may have been a whole week).
GasBandit
Staff member
Meanwhile, every sane e-mail system (all the ones I've used/administrated, including our current Google Gmail for business solution) only replies directly to the sender with the OOO notification.
That would not have been enough. You still would've had a situation like the one described since the OOO people would've continued to bombard each other (individually) with OOO messages.
It's an interesting idea for a DDoS, though.
--Patrick
Reminds me of when one of the PhDs at my old job left for a sabbatical, and instead of using OOO simply set an MS Outlook rule to reply to every single e-mail she received with an "sorry not here" message.
After the second or third institution-wide e-mail chain, the CIO called me and had me unplug that computer
After the second or third institution-wide e-mail chain, the CIO called me and had me unplug that computer
Yeah, i'm good thanks.
I'm pretty far north of the epicentre of the quake so compared to what they experienced down south what I felt was pretty minor.
It's actually the first earthquake I have ever felt. This area is very stable.
I actually thought something was wrong with me at first since I could detect something funny going on before I really picked up on things moving. I thought that maybe I was just getting dizzy
I'm pretty far north of the epicentre of the quake so compared to what they experienced down south what I felt was pretty minor.
It's actually the first earthquake I have ever felt. This area is very stable.
I actually thought something was wrong with me at first since I could detect something funny going on before I really picked up on things moving. I thought that maybe I was just getting dizzy
figmentPez
Staff member
Even assuming that people with OOO messages are sending emails to people with OOO messages (why are you sending email if you're out of the office?), that's still only an infinite chain of back and forth emails, not an exponentially growing chain reaction.
They've been good while I on my extended sick leave, but I would get calls and urgent emails on my sick days and vacation 
If I didn't respond quickly enough, I'd get bombarded on my personal phone.
If I didn't respond quickly enough, I'd get bombarded on my personal phone.
I know that feeling exactly.They've been good while I on my extended sick leave, but I would get calls and urgent emails on my sick days and vacation
If I didn't respond quickly enough, I'd get bombarded on my personal phone.
Fucking Walmart axe. Back to the gym roidy.Somewhere there is a parallel dimension where the Gas Bandit was born female. That's the only difference, and of course, that means that instead of what you guys are used to, she just keeps posting THESE kinds of pictures.
fade
Staff member
So, uh, some, uh guy I know found a zip file with nearly every NES rom ever made in it, and it's amazing how many movie and TV tie-ins there were in that era. Even bad syndicated shows. Like Time Trax. "My only weapons are badly executed martial arts and shooting car keys from the future which for some reason I never just use right off the bat."
GasBandit
Staff member
Wow, I have no idea where anybody could find a file like that.
. . . That's actually been the case for most of the dimensions I've slided through.Somewhere there is a parallel dimension where the Gas Bandit was born female. That's the only difference, and of course, that means that instead of what you guys are used to, she just keeps posting THESE kinds of pictures.
GasBandit
Staff member
Get off my lawn toots.
GasBandit
Staff member
Coochie coochie to you, too.
(I didn't notice you because that comment got me a bajillion replies)
Nearly every Friday I would go to my local small village diner and order their steak. But they have under cooked it the last couple of times that I've been there. Last time it was seared well but raw (not rare) in the middle for a medium rare order.
It really is a shame. I hate giving up on a restaurant that I really like for other meals.
It really is a shame. I hate giving up on a restaurant that I really like for other meals.
Somewhere there is an alternate universe where the Gas Bandit was born male and keeps posting these kinds of pics.Somewhere there is a parallel dimension where the Gas Bandit was born female. That's the only difference, and of course, that means that instead of what you guys are used to, she just keeps posting THESE kinds of pictures.
But we don't judge him for that.
--Patrick
WHAT HAVE YOU UNLEASHED ON US?!?!
You're one of those hippy freaks who eats their steak well done aren't you.
Hippy freak! Hey everybody come see the hippy freak!
See nobody cares.