Reminds me of a VMS easter egg.
$ exit 2928
%SYSTEM-W-FISH, my hovercraft is full of eels
$
(There are several more, depending on your choice of exit code.)
Dadaist user manuals - a call for submissions
The eggnog has been drunk, the ornaments put away, the hangovers endured. Now it's time for you to dig through those users manuals for all that kit you received as a holiday goodie. Problem: the manual was translated from its original Mandarin, Minangkabau, or Quenya by an autistic babelfish. That was certainly our experience …
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Monday 11th January 2010 20:54 GMT Nebulo
From a low-budget memory stick
Greeting!! (smiley, as left)
* Wish you be happy when opening the parcel.
*China is far away; many thanks to allow us more considerable shipping time.
*Do not hesitate to contact us if any question or problem, give us a chance to help you solve any problem! Thanks (another smiley)
* Please value our services 5 stars by Detailed Seller Ratings. Our hard work needs your encouragement.
* Our website (---------) is also ready to be your best choice to retail and wholesale phone, games and accessories. Any other products please contact us for a better price.
Best wishes and have a nice day!
(the last line in a nice ornate font, and the whole thing on a small card.) It's probably more accurate English than some of our own youth could manage, and the meaning has no trouble getting through the eccentricities. Yes, I be happy when opening the parcel - cheered me up no end, and despite the low price the stick works just fine when whopped.
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Monday 18th January 2010 03:12 GMT stizzleswick
The ultimate...
...dadaist user manual, IMHO, was the original 1998 iMac's "book" of instructions... a six-page fold-out without any text at all, just graphical instructions that for some reason... actually worked. As a technical editor, that is still my favourite technical manual, because it actually does everything a manual is supposed to do (show the user how to properly operate the device) and does not have a plethora of useless "safety" hints like "do not dry your cat in this device" or similar, which only tends to confuse the user (no insult intended to those who have to supply the US market...). I'm right now rummaging around my basement to see whether I can still find it... it must be in there somewhere.
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Biting the hand that feeds IT
