this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2024
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Nostalgia
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nostalgia noun nos·tal·gia nä-ˈstal-jə nə-, also nȯ-, nō-; nə-ˈstäl- 1: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition also : something that evokes nostalgia
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1. Respectful Nostalgia Share nostalgic content and memories respectfully. Avoid offensive or insensitive references that may be hurtful to others.
2. Relevant Nostalgia Posts should focus on nostalgic content, including memories, media, and cultural references from the past. Stay on topic to preserve the nostalgic theme of the community.
3. Source Verification If you share nostalgic media or content, provide accurate sources or background information when possible.
4. No Spamming Avoid excessive posting of similar nostalgic topics to keep content diverse and engaging for all members.
5. Positive Discussions Encourage positive discussions and interactions related to nostalgic topics. Respect different viewpoints and memories shared by community members.
6. Quality Content Strive to post high-quality content that sparks nostalgia and meaningful conversations among members.
7. Moderation Guidelines
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Respectful Behavior Treat fellow members with kindness and respect. Harassment or disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.
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Appropriate Content Only Ensure all content aligns with the nostalgic theme and community guidelines. Inappropriate or offensive material will be removed.
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Engagement and Participation Engage actively with posts and discussions. Constructive feedback and contributions enrich the community experience.
By adhering to these rules and guidelines, we can create a welcoming and enjoyable space to relive nostalgic moments together. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out to the moderators. Thank you for sharing your nostalgia responsibly!
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Unpopular opinion: Making shit out of translucent plastic was the single fugliest way to make a product, and I'm glad it's gone.
I hold a grudge against the translucent plastic fad.
Once upon a time the Linux workstation at my desk at $CHIP_COMPANY was built into a noname transparent teal ATX case. For that reason I gave it the hostname "fugly".
We had excessive field failures with some of our chips, and I was tasked with coming up with a way to identify those bad parts at customer sites. My solution was a bootable Linux CD that would run a test and tell the customer if they need to contact us for a recall. The test relied on a modified Linux kernel, so it couldn't be distributed as an application. I used "fugly" to develop and build the test, patched kernel, and CD image.
The test was deployed, the first few customers were pleased, and I got a wood plaque and bonus for my efforts.
A few weeks later, my manager called me into her office looking uncharacteristically pissed off. She asked why I put a message saying "fugly" into the CD. A customer complained about it, saying they saw "fugly" on the screen when the test was running, and while it did it's job it was unprofessional. A split second of confusion before I realized what happened: at boot time the Linux kernel prints the name of the machine it was compiled on, in this case
fugly.team.company.com. It scrolls past quickly on boot, so neither I nor my collaborators ever noticed. Somehow the customer latched onto it.I ended up with a slap on the wrist, being put on PIP for 6 months and having to change the hostname because higher-ups needed their pound of flesh.
Coincidentally, a week after this incident, Toyota posted a billboard at a major intersection near our office advertising the Scion xB that read "Funky? Or Fugly?".
A 6 month PIP for A NAME?!? Yes, we’re going to improve your naming conventions over the next 6 months. You better improve! Obviously it’s so a manager could tell another manager that “it won’t happen again.” But, fuck that.
My manager was understanding after I explained that it was unintentional. But it made support and sales look bad in front of the customer, and in a cascade of finger pointing the director of our department decided that would convince everyone that justice had been done.
Yeah, definitely just a bunch of fluff. Still ridiculous that we live in a world where that happens. Then the sales manager went to the customer and goes “LoOk ThE eMpLoYeE wAs RePrImAnDeD. Still give money?👉🏻👈🏻”
Gross.
Whst's a PIP?
Performance Improvement Plan. Corporate probation. It's more common to see people put on PIP for low performance than managerial CYA for dumb mistakes like mine.
It heavily depends on the company as to what it means, but at this job I would have been fired if I got another PIP within that 6 months. I live in an at-will employment state, so if it weren't just a performative gesture then they would have just fired me.
Performance Improvement Plan