Had a bad day?

[QuickOldCar]

This post is for anyone to tell about their bad experiences or blunders.

Could be related to coding, website design, server management, freelancing, computer related or even something else.

 

Everyone has had those bad days, I know I've had my share.

Sometimes everything goes wrong and no matter how much you try it just gets worse.

Other times is just a brain fart and do something moronic.

 

Here are just a few of my experiences I can remember.

As I'm coding in my office/basement at the time, my electric dryer behind me suddenly bursts into flames with drenched clothes in it.

You can read that story here

 

Experimenting with code, ended up doing an endless loop maxing out the memory and cpu, everything just frozen. Had to yank the plug. At the same time that server was doing an insert and corrupted the database, had to wait out a 9 hour repair process.

To top off that day the electric company had a huge power spike, so big it melted my memory away and a hole in motherboard, caught on fire. I had it through 4 surge protectors, obviously they don't help for these. New server build in order. Next garbage day saw a pile of computers and monitors for blocks, lots had a bad day.

 

Accidentally deleted an important database with no backups available. Good thing is harddrive recovery programs.

Setting up a server for a client, took forever, once completed I hit update, but instead did an upgrade to a new kernel and wiped everything out, had to start over.

 

Home server acting up, thinking is a corrupted drive saved all data to a new external harddrive. Sure enough the original harddrive unable to get any data from, whew am I lucky. Plug in new external other server and find out the new harddrive is faulty and no longer works. Being the smart person that I am....I have another exact same new external, so swapped the platters. Ends up still doesn't work. So 3 toasted drives and loss of data same day. The next day the cpu that server stopped working, another 400 bucks.

 

Ever hear the saying "dog ate my homework", try telling a client "dog ate your video card".

I went for a coffee and had the clients computer all apart, when I came back my cane corso was still gnawing on the video card in little pieces and slobber all over. Ended up paying 3x more than what original job was for.

 

I'm a computer overclocker at heart, when amd came out with the xp palomino I decided to do a new build and crank it up. Problem with these and similar cpu packaging is you have to cut and join some bridges on the cpu. razor blade and using a windshield defrost repair kit. Basically liquid copper.

Got online followed which bridges to cut and connect. Got all the work done, had the motherboard laying the hood of my car in garage on cardboard, ran an extension cord to the psu with it hotwired to turn on.

I plug it in and exploded, the heatsink hit my 15 foot garage ceiling, parts flew everywhere. Never once found any part resembling a cpu. Was a big hole in motherboard and a scorched mark my hood.

Confused I went back online to see what could have gone wrong, turns out they changed the power bridge this particular package and put 10x more voltage to the cpu than required. Ordered all new parts, did again but the right way and worked.

 

Out for a sunday drive my old barracuda with my girlfriend. Out in the boondocks somewhere when I hear a knock in the engine then a few backfires and stalls.

I get out and look over the engine but nothing obvious, cranking and hearing the backfires I assume my timing chain went.

I pushed the car while my girlfriend steered what seemed like 5 miles until I found a safe large spot to park the car. Placed a white flag on my window and a note saying will be right back with parts to fix it.

We walked probably another 5 miles to a gas station.

Called my moms boyfriend, told him what needed and he brought me the parts.(pre cell phone days)

He met me at the gas station, then we drove to where the car is...um was??

My car is gone!!! Now what in the hell, did someone steal it or what. So we drive around for a few hours going up and down local dirt roads hoping to find it. We gave up, I called every state police, local police, garage and towing company I could find.

All said had nothing to do with it, filed a stolen car report with the state police.

So here I am with no car for work, my pride and joy missing. Bought a beater fifth ave to get around, every day when got out of work drove around where my car went missing and outwards trying to find it.

8 days later I get a call from state police that a local garage towed my car. Was no reason for them to tow it, and why did it take them so long? They tell me location and I shot out there with my trunk full of tools and parts.

The scraggly man at the desk said had my car, after an argument over daily storage fees, the tow and why he towed my car in first place....I paid his con artist fees and he leads me to the car. He asks me if I need it towed, I said no, and shouldn't have towed it in the first place, the man walks back inside fearing my anger.

I quickly just started ripping it apart, slammed in a new timing chain and water pump, topped it off with antifreeze, started the car looking for leaks.

Guy comes back out, he asks me if I just changed the timing chain, I said yes, he asks me if I wanted a job, I said no.

Not sure if he was feeling guilty or getting on my good side but he said he'll just charge me the tow now. I was happy for that. Then I ask him if he wanted to buy my beater fifth ave, he looked it over and bought it for 3x what I paid for it.

 

I have more stories, that's enough for now.

[ignace]

Wow, my worst days are like accidentally wipe clients database with no back-up. But everyone has done that once or twice. And that's about it