As Halloween approaches, tech support stories take on a spooky twist. A recent reader-contributed column from The Register shares anecdotes of tech incidents that have occurred during this festive season.
One tale comes from a reader identified as “Vlad,” who worked on the audio-visual team at a large theme park. He recounted an annual Halloween event featuring temporary attractions with special effects managed by actors. Vlad explained that in the AV industry, the term “Performer” or “Actor” often elicits a similar reaction among IT professionals as the term “End User.” One year, while supporting one of these attractions, he received a frantic call from actors in the final room, claiming that the touchscreen used to reset special effects had malfunctioned.
Upon arriving at the scene, Vlad found the issue to be quite amusing. The touchscreen, which was intentionally concealed behind blackout cloth, was completely obscured, preventing the actors from seeing that it was functioning. “In fairness to them, it was a dark room,” Vlad noted, “but it is surprising that they failed to notice after performing several shows.”
Another reader, referred to as “Victor,” shared a different kind of spooky story related to a business school where he managed computer systems. Just before Halloween, some students approached him, puzzled by core dumps that included Bible passages within the code. Victor discovered that this peculiar occurrence had happened before, predominantly on Mondays. The students, while acknowledging the absurdity of their theory, speculated whether a spiritual influence was at play during the weekends.
Further investigation revealed that one of the teachers was using the mainframe to create a database of Bible scriptures on Sundays. Given that the mainframe”s memory was non-volatile, remnants of the database persisted, leading to the curious phenomenon observed by the students each Monday morning. Victor explained, “As different individuals utilized the system throughout the week, more of the scriptures would be overwritten until nothing remained, only to reappear the following Monday.”
The final story comes from a reader known as “Hannibal,” who worked for a small semiconductor company that encouraged Halloween costumes. He donned a grim reaper outfit complete with a large fake scythe and a veiled face. His aim was to elicit startled reactions from his colleagues. At one point, a coworker, overwhelmed by curiosity, insisted that he reveal his identity by lifting the veil. Hannibal had been anticipating this moment, as he was wearing a mask of former Vice President Dick Cheney underneath, referencing a notorious hunting accident involving Cheney. “I was allowed to go about my business undisturbed the rest of the day,” he shared.
As the holiday season approaches with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year”s Eve just around the corner, The Register invites readers to share their own tech support stories from these festive times. These anecdotes help keep the spirit alive during slower news periods.
