Samurai in a box?
I don't think I want one if the slightest error causes it to rip its insides apart so that it can't fail me again.
Intel and Microsoft want to give you a home server in exchange for 17 syllables of poetic artistry. Seeing as how, according to the companies' just-announced Home Server Haiku Challenge, a "home server is like having a samurai in a box," it's fitting that a haiku-writing contest would be just the culturally sensitive gimmick …
"A random drawing selecting 100 of the total entries will be held on12/12/2009 by HB Design, an independent judging organization. Of the 100 entries selected, judges will select 23 of the best haikus."
So, if you win the random drawing lottery, then you've got roughly a 1 in 4 chance of winning something. Sounds like random chance counts for a lot more than poetic skill.
Clever Marketing
Capturing information
Cloaked as a contest.
There's a rather sweet little desktop OS called "Haiku" inspired by BeOS. It's still gestating and rough round the ages, but it seems to hold promise as it doesn't suffer from all the bloat of Linux (let alone Windows), so might be good for older/lower spec units.
The comment from Dave Harris is very close (identical?) to one of Haiku's error messages.
You can find out about Haiku here: http://www.haiku-os.org/
And I strongly suggest you muck around with it under virtualisation repeating the haiku
"Haiku is not Linux,
And neither of them are Windows.
Oh thank god!"
Stealing ideas from
The BeOS will not win you
any friends here Bill
Some particularly relevant NetPositive error messages:
Won't you please observe
A brief moment of silence
For the dead server?
First snow, then silence.
This expensive server dies
So beautifully.
Ephemeral site.
I am the Blue Screen of Death.
No one hears your screams.
Errors have occurred.
We won't tell you where or why.
Lazy programmers.
Server's poor response
Not quick enough for browser.
Timed out, plum blossom.
Stay the patient course
Of little worth is your ire
The server is down
Error reduces
Your expensive computer
To a simple stone.