42 votes

The case of the 500-mile email

Tags: email

11 comments

  1. [3]
    multubunu
    Link
    In the same vein: OpenOffice doesn't print on Tuesdays (including partial explanation at #28, but the whole thread is worth reading) Root cause of the above The one-page doc that jams your printer...
    • Exemplary

    In the same vein:

    22 votes
    1. [3]
      Comment deleted by author
      Link Parent
      1. [2]
        spit-evil-olive-tips
        Link Parent
        https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/?p=93765 https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2018/04/04/announcing-windows-10-insider-preview-build-17639-for-skip-ahead/

        https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/?p=93765

        https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2018/04/04/announcing-windows-10-insider-preview-build-17639-for-skip-ahead/

        Windows Calculator Improvements

        Windows Calculator has been updated (version 10.1803.711.0) to now correctly calculates square roots for perfect squares (integers that are squares of other integers). Because of the arbitrary precision arithmetic library used by the Calculator app, the square root calculation is an approximation calculated using the Exponential Identity function.

        Previously, when you would calculate the square root of 4, the result would be 1.99999999999999999989317180305609 which would be rounded to 2 when displayed, because we calculated enough digits to do the rounding correctly. However, as soon as you subtract 2, you would see the remaining digits.

        After this update, the square root calculation now recognizes perfect squares and correctly returns exactly 2 for the square root of 4.

        6 votes
        1. [2]
          Comment deleted by author
          Link Parent
          1. multubunu
            Link Parent
            I still had the vm lying around, so I verified for 6251/4 - 5 and 271/3 - 3, similar "almost zero" results.

            I still had the vm lying around, so I verified for 6251/4 - 5 and 271/3 - 3, similar "almost zero" results.

            3 votes
  2. [6]
    Greg
    Link
    This story was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the other day's XKCD.

    This story was the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the other day's XKCD.

    9 votes
    1. [5]
      gpl
      Link Parent
      What a classic piece of IT/internet lore. I remember reading this for the first time in a forum probably 12 years ago, but it is certainly much older. I just love these pieces that have been...

      What a classic piece of IT/internet lore. I remember reading this for the first time in a forum probably 12 years ago, but it is certainly much older. I just love these pieces that have been floating around forever.

      5 votes
      1. Farox
        Link Parent
        Time to also spread the love that is The Bastard Operator From Hell: http://bofh.bjash.com/ Hope it brightens someones day :)

        Time to also spread the love that is The Bastard Operator From Hell: http://bofh.bjash.com/

        Hope it brightens someones day :)

        3 votes
      2. [3]
        nothis
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        It happened in the 90s, I didn't read it right!

        It's from 2002! I honestly expected such weird problems to be 90s or even 80s era internet growing pains. But it happened this millennium.

        It happened in the 90s, I didn't read it right!

        1 vote
        1. [2]
          gogoigo
          Link Parent
          He wrote it in 2002 but this happened in 90's (he has a FAQ)

          He wrote it in 2002 but this happened in 90's (he has a FAQ)

          2 votes
          1. nothis
            Link Parent
            Ah, just read the date of the email! 90s makes more sense!

            Ah, just read the date of the email! 90s makes more sense!

            1 vote
  3. aphoenix
    Link
    This is old but gold, and I'll always read it and enjoy it and vote for it. It reminds me of a classic ground speed check which is in the same sort of class; I've read it, I'll read it again, I'll...

    This is old but gold, and I'll always read it and enjoy it and vote for it. It reminds me of a classic ground speed check which is in the same sort of class; I've read it, I'll read it again, I'll vote it and try to get more people to read it because it is delightful.

    Your "in the same vein" posts are great too.

    4 votes