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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   1989 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for April 3, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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What's the stupidest computer bug you've ever made/seen?

I was having problems in a script because 0.12 < -3.45 when you compare the strings alphabetically.

I ran into a bug once in a unique ID generation scheme because the system clock ran monotonically backwards for thirty seconds, then started marching forward again.

Writing a mitigation was actually surprisingly fun. It's not often you have to explain to a reviewer why the "didTimeTravelHappen" variable is in there.

That's what you call self-documenting code. didTimeTravelHappen is there to tell you if time travel happened. Obviously.

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Why are you called The Motte?

A motte is a stone keep on a raised earthwork common in early medieval fortifications. More pertinently, it's an element in a rhetorical move called a "Motte-and-Bailey", originally identified by philosopher Nicholas Shackel. It describes the tendency in discourse for people to move from a controversial but high value claim to a defensible but less exciting one upon any resistance to the former. He likens this to the medieval fortification, where a desirable land (the bailey) is abandoned when in danger for the more easily defended motte. In Shackel's words, "The Motte represents the defensible but undesired propositions to which one retreats when hard pressed."

On The Motte, always attempt to remain inside your defensible territory, even if you are not being pressed.


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