Tehnologija je iznjedrila mnoštvo naslova tijekom 2008. — a zgrčenost uz svaku priču o uspjehu je greška koju bi netko želio zaboraviti.

Sastavili smo desetak najgorih neugodnosti u vezi s tehnologijom u godini. Dok će se dobre stvari na kraju spojiti, ovi loši trenuci će zauvijek živjeti u sramoti. Pripremite^(Brace) se za neke greške koje stvaraju rumenilo.

1. Najneugodniji vijek trajanja usluge^{(Service Lifespan)}

Ide na: Lively by Google^{(Goes to: Lively by Google)}

U srpnju je Google  uzbuđeno predstavio  svoj odgovor na virtualni svijet Second Life : obiteljsko cyber okruženje pod nazivom Lively. Tako je, redoviti ljudi na crvenom svjetlu - bez seksa, bez prljavih priča, bez virtualne akcije u ovom zglobu. “[Ljudi] znaju da nećemo stavljati pornografiju tamo, a gledaju je i misle da je sigurno mjesto za ulazak”  , objasnio je izvršni direktor Googlea^{(a Google exec explained)}  u vrijeme lansiranja Livelyja.

Premotajte jedan^{(Fast-forward one)} mjesec naprijed i Lively se pretvorila u  virtualno pipajući teren  za predtinejdžere diljem svijeta. Ipak, ovi srednjoškolci morali su postati kreativni, "zabijajući" pipke robota kako bi "ugodili" drugim avatarima.

Mashable  je to najbolje rekao^{(put it best)} : Google je izgradio uslugu sa "svom zabavom virtualne sobe za čavrljanje [ali] nijednom od 'prednosti' koje nude njegovi konkurenti." Činilo se da se javnost složila - sredinom studenog^{(mid-November)} , Lively  je dobio sjekiru^{(got the ax)} , samo četiri mjeseca nakon svog debija.

2. Najneugodnija online izloženost

Ide na: Phallic Fumble Chrisa Cooleya^{(Goes to: Chris Cooley’s Phallic Fumble)}

Dolazi s onim što se samo može opisati kao jedna od “manjih” pogrešaka godine je uzastopna skupina Washington Redskinsa Chris Cooley . Cooley , koji vodi  online blog  o svojim nastojanjima u NFL- u, objavio je snimak sebe kako proučava momčadski priručnik prije utakmice. Proučavanje igraonice nago, tj.

Sada, da budemo pošteni, ne vidite puno na kadru. Zapravo, to bi moglo biti podcjenjivanje. Fotografija — uklonjena s Cooleyeva bloga, ali  dostupna ovdje^{(available here)} , ako je morate vidjeti — prikazuje knjigu u Cooleyjevom krilu s nečim dodatnim što visi ispod. A objekt nije, da tako kažemo, teško prepoznati.

^{(An apology)} Dan kasnije objavljena je isprika : “Jako nam je žao što smo jučer cijeli dan pokazali penis na našoj web stranici. To nam nikako nije bila namjera i nismo htjeli nikoga uvrijediti.”

Svatko može petljati, ali morate se zapitati kako je ovaj promaknuo. Čini se da netko nije koristio njegovu glavu. Ovaj... da, nema veze.

3. Najneugodnije e-mail otkriće

Ide na: Sarah Palin-Yahoo Mail Saga^{(Goes to: The Sarah Palin-Yahoo Mail Saga)}

U slučaju da naša sljedeća pobjednica ove godine nije imala dovoljno  javnih poniženja^{(public humiliation)}  , internet joj je donio još jednu dozu. Govorimo, naravno, o Sarah Palin i sada već zloglasnom hakiranju Yahoo Maila .^{(Yahoo Mail)}

Otkriveno je da je Palin^(Palin) koristila nekoliko Yahoo računa  za službene vladine poslove^{(for official government business)}  - potez koji su doveli u pitanje aktivisti koji su tvrdili da njezina administracija  na Aljasci ^(Alaskan)pokušava izbjeći zakone^{(trying to avoid laws)}  koji zahtijevaju da se vladini e-mailovi stavljaju u javni zapis. Čini se da ni hakeru nije dobro sjelo.

Tip je koristio pojednostavljenu sigurnosnu zaštitu Yahoo Mail-a da se  predstavi kao Palin^{(pose as Palin)}  i poništio njezinu lozinku, a zatim je nastavio objavljivati ​​slike s njezina računa  na webu^{(onto the Web)} . Whoopsie tratinčica.

To je,  prijatelji moji^{(my friends)} , razlog zašto ne koristimo usluge web-pošte niske sigurnosti za^(Webmail) službene vladine poruke.

4. Najneugodniji prikaz očaja

Ide na: Microsoft Live's Cashback Promotion^{(Goes to: Microsoft Live’s Cashback Promotion)}

Budući da nije mogao osigurati nikakvu vuču za svoju tražilicu Live , Microsoftova taktika iz 2008. bila je podmićivanje — i to mnogo toga. ^(Live)Tvrtka je prvi put započela svoj  Cashback  program  u svibnju^{(in May)} , u osnovi  nudeći korisnicima novac  da se obrate Live za pretraživanje. Tražite proizvode na stranici s poteškoćama i dobivate natrag novac za sve nastale kupnje koje izvršite.

Početna ideja bila je dovoljno izazivajuća. Ali tada, unatoč statistikama koje pokazuju da je Microsoft zapravo  izgubio tržišni udio od pokretanja programa^{(lost market share since starting the program)}  – padom od 6,5 posto od travnja^(April) do listopada –^{(October —)} ekipa Live je nastavila inzistirati da je program  bio uspješan^{(was a success)} , čak  ga je proširio^{(expanding it)}  početkom prosinca.

( Google je, inače, stekao tržišni udio u isto vrijeme kada je Microsoftov Cashback program “radio ”. Čak je i Yahoo^{(” Even Yahoo)} nekako uspio rasti.)

Potražite "očajan" i ovaj bi se tužni štos trebao pojaviti visoko.

5. Najneugodniji rezultat internetskog^(Internet) izvješćivanja

Ide na: Smrt (i kasnija smrt) Stevea Jobsa^{(Goes to: The Death (and Subsequent Near Death) of Steve Jobs)}

Prvi lažni strah za Mac majstora došao je u kolovozu^(August) , kada je Bloomberg greškom  objavio Jobsovu osmrtnicu^{(published Jobs’ obituary)}  na svojoj web stranici. Novinska služba unaprijed je napisala račun od 17 stranica i netko je pritisnuo krivi ključ.

Jobs je brzo uskrsnuo, ali nije trebalo dugo da dođe do njegovog drugog napada nesreće. U listopadu^(October) je priča objavljena na CNN-ovoj stranici za građansko novinarstvo, iReport, citirala "pouzdanog insajdera" koji je rekao da je Jobs doživio  "veliki srčani udar"^{(suffered a “major heart attack”)}  i da je hospitaliziran. Ovaj put Appleove dionice  su pale^{(shot down)}  jer se vijest brzo proširila internetom^(Internet) . Nepotrebno je reći da se cijela stvar pokazala kao prevara.

“Nefiltrirane” vijesti^{(“Unfiltered” news)} , doista.

6. Najneugodnija istraga podataka^{(Embarrassing Data Investigation)}

Ide na: TSA's Lost Laptop Probe^{(Goes to: The TSA’s Lost Laptop Probe)}

Prepustite američkoj upravi za sigurnost transporta^{(Transportation Security Administration)} da izgubi prijenosno računalo puno osjetljivih podataka, započnite potpunu istragu - a zatim shvatite da je stvar cijelo vrijeme sjedila u njezinu uredu.

Jeste^(Did) li čuli za ovaj? TSA je  u kolovozu^(August) prijavila da je prijenosno računalo na kontrolnoj točki u zračnoj luci u San Franciscu  nestalo^{(as missing)} . Računalo je na sebi imalo desetke tisuća osobnih podataka putnika i nigdje ih se nije moglo pronaći.

TSA je ugasio svoj program prethodnog pregleda i započeo potragu. Nacionalni^(National) mediji su obaviješteni, a izvješća su dospjela u novine diljem zemlje. Tada je TSA shvatio da je laptop cijelo vrijeme bio  u vlastitom uredu . Ups.

Zapravo bi gubitak stvari na kraju mogao biti manje neugodan.

7. Najneugodnije prenaglašeno lansiranje^{(Overhyped Launch)}

Ide na: Cuil^{(Goes to: Cuil)}

Malo je internetskih^(Internet) startupa doživjelo onu vrstu pompe koju je Cuil uspio izgraditi prije svog lansiranja. Tražilica, koju su pokrenuli neki bivši zaposlenici Googlea, obećala je da će biti  "veća, brža i bolja"^{(“bigger, faster, and better”)}  od diva G. Sagrađena je na "kontekstualnom" pretraživanju koje će promijeniti način na koji web radi, čuli smo. Tehnološki^(Tech) blogovi  postali su ga-ga s izvještavanjem^{(went ga-ga with coverage)}  u iščekivanju tajanstvenog novog entiteta.

Tada je stranica zapravo porasla, a očekivanja su se smanjila. Smiješni rezultati i preopterećeni poslužitelji u kombinaciji  ubijaju zujanje^{(kill the Cuil buzz)} Cuila  brže nego što možete reći "Sergey Brin". Ovih dana podaci Alexa pokazuju da tražilica vidi  manje od jednog posto^{(less than a single percent)}  korisnika interneta^(Internet) koji posjećuju njegovu stranicu, u usporedbi s Googleovih otprilike  28 posto^{(28 percent)} .

Veći od Googlea^(Google) ? Možda veći neuspjeh. Pretpostavljam da Cuil^{(Guess Cuil)} ipak nije tako cool.

8. Najneugodniji javni stav

Posjeti: The Associated Press Uzmite blogere^{(Goes to: The Associated Press Take On Bloggers)}

Način na koji dobivamo informacije neprestano se razvija. Alternativni medijski izvori zauzimaju sve istaknutiju ulogu u dostavljanju vijesti, a blogeri su veliki dio te mješavine. Tada biste mogli pomisliti da će jedna od vodećih svjetskih novinskih organizacija naučiti kako se prilagoditi i prihvatiti promjenjivu kulturu za vlastitu korist. Naravno, pogriješili biste.

Umjesto toga, Associated Press se ove godine odlučio  boriti protiv blogosfere  , formulirajući  vlastiti skup standarda^{(its own set of standards)}  o tome kako bi internetske publikacije mogle koristiti njegove informacije. Proklete bile doktrine poštene^(Fair) upotrebe, AP je rekao da korištenje čak i malih isječaka njegovih priča na blogu nije u skladu i ne dolazi u obzir.

AP je nešto postigao svojim glupim stavom: otuđio se od nekih od najutjecajnijih igrača u modernim medijima. Bezbrojni^(Countless) blogovi i online publikacije obećali su da će u   potpunosti prestati spominjati i povezivati^{(stop referencing and linking)} ​​priče Associated Pressa . ^{(Associated Press)}Dolazne veze često se nazivaju "valuta blogova", igrajući značajnu ulogu u vidljivosti i plasmanu u pretraživanju. Nije da se tvrtka koja je upravo  smanjila 10 posto svoje radne snage^{(slashed 10 percent of its workforce)}  mora brinuti o takvim stvarima. Riiiight .

Dobro odigrano, AP. Dobro odigrano.

9. Najneugodniji mobilni trenutak

Ide na: iPhone 3G aktivacija^{(Goes to: iPhone 3G Activation)}

Svi su znali da će prvi dan prodaje iPhonea 3G biti ogromna. Svi, činilo se, osim Applea^(Apple) .

Tvrtka je pretrpjela ono što se samo može opisati kao veliki krah, budući da su pretplatnici koji su čekali u dugim redovima  nisu mogli aktivirati svoje nove telefone^{(unable to activate their new phones)} . Kupci u trgovini su odbijeni i zamoljeni da pokušaju aktivirati svoje telefone kasnije od kuće. Ali poslužitelji za aktivaciju ne bi radili ni preko interneta^(Internet) , ostavljajući ljudima beskorisni uređaj i neispravan telefon.

Joj^(Gee) , da je samo Apple mogao nekako  predvidjeti odgovor^{(anticipated the response)}  - ili možda imati neko  prošlo iskustvo s preopterećenim poslužiteljima^{(past experience with overwhelmed servers)}  kako bi naučio kako se nositi s njim - možda bi stvari mogle ići lakše.

10. Najneugodniji odgovor na sigurnosni propust^{(Security Flaw)}

Ide na: The Boston Transportation Hack Fiasco^{(Goes to: The Boston Transportation Hack Fiasco)}

Ovu datoteku pohranite pod " Kako^(How) ne rješavati sigurnosni propust^{(Security Flaw)} ": Nekoliko studenata s MIT-  a pronašlo je rupu^{(found a loophole)}  u sustavu podzemne željeznice "T" u Bostonu. Greška, otkrili su, omogućila bi svakome da doda neograničenu vrijednost na platne kartice sustava. Studenti, koji su planirali predstaviti svoje nalaze na godišnjoj hakerskoj konferenciji DEFCON 16 , unaprijed su se sastali s službenicima prijevoza kako bi razgovarali o svom izvješću.

Zatim je, neposredno prije konferencije, Prometna uprava^{(Transportation Authority)} podnijela saveznu žalbu i dobila privremenu zabranu pristupa kako bi studentima spriječila razgovor. Čineći to, također je nehotice objavilo  cjelovito izvješće učenika (PDF)^{(the students’ full report (PDF))}  na webu^(Web) kao dio javne evidencije.

Ipak postaje bolje. Čak i nakon što je shvatio da bilo tko na svijetu može pristupiti cijelom izvješću, Prometna uprava ^{(Transportation Authority)} borila se da produži svoju zabranu pristupa^{(fought to extend its restraining order)}  studentima. Ukratko, ugasilo se . ^(Long)Savezni sudac  odbio je zahtjev^{(denied the request)} , studenti  su dobili ocjenu "A" na svom projektu^{(got an “A” on their project)} , a sigurnosni nedostatak privukao je mnogo više pažnje nego što bi to bilo da Prometna uprava^{(Transportation Authority)} nije odlučila.

Ironija ponekad može biti tako zadovoljavajuća.

11. Najneugodnije transparentne laži

Ide na: Metallicina “We're Okay With Filesharing”^{(Goes to: Metallica’s “We’re Okay With Filesharing”)}

Činilo se da Metallica^(Metallica) pjeva novu pjesmu 2008. godine. Osam godina nakon što je bubnjar Lars Ulrich  vodio rat protiv dijeljenja^{(led the war against filesharing)} datoteka, što je u konačnici rezultiralo  gašenjem originalnog Napstera^{(shutdown of the original Napster)} , bend je naporno radio kako  bi dao izgled reformiranog pristupa .

Ulrich  je objavio video^{(released a video)}  u kojem je opušteno pričao o dijeljenju glazbe Metallice na internetu. “Sastav pokušava spasiti svoju reputaciju prihvaćajući, konačno, stvarnost internetske glazbe”,  primijetio je tada Wired.com^{(Wired.com observed)}  .

Mali je čak otišao toliko daleko da se ponašao potpuno hladno s činjenicom da je tada neobjavljeni CD njegovog benda procurio na web . “To je 2008. i dio je kako je ovih dana, tako da je u redu. Sretni smo”  , inzistirao je^{(he insisted)} .

Zapravo, toliko sretan što je bend tiho  otkazao intervju^{(cancelled an interview)}  za novine nakon što je saznao da je novinar slušao neke od tih pjesama koje su procurile na internetu. U sličnom podrugljivom prikazu, Metallica je zahtijevala od brojnih blogera  da uklone unaprijed recenzije^{(take down advance reviews)}  novog albuma koje su napisali. Njihove recenzije temeljile su se na zabavi slušanja koju je održala sama izdavačka kuća. Tužno je ali istinito.

Mogu li ovi dečki biti više izvan dodira s digitalnim dobom? Možda bi trebali razmisliti o partnerstvu s  našim prijateljima iz AP -a  - čujemo da su i oni veliki u zastarjeloj ideologiji.

12. Općenito postignuće^{(Achievement)} u međunarodnoj sramoti^{(International Embarrassment)}

Ide na: Jerry Yang^{(Goes to: Jerry Yang)}

Tko bi drugi mogao biti na vrhu naše liste najvećih tehnoloških neugodnosti osim samog gospodina Yahooa^{(Mr. Yahoo)} ? Za njegov beskrajni niz nevjerojatno glupih radnji, ovime dodjeljujemo  Jerryja Yanga  Općim postignućem^{(Achievement)} u međunarodnoj sramoti^{(International Embarrassment)} . Utrka nije bila ni blizu.

Nema puno toga što se može reći o Yangovoj godini o čemu se  već  nije raspravljalo  ad nauseum . Tip je zabio svoju tvrtku u zemlju, donoseći glupu odluku za glupom odlukom — sve to dok je neprestano pričao kako se sjajne stvari odvijaju i kako je Yahooov veliki dan odmah iza ugla. Čak i kada  je  u studenom ^(November)najavio svoju davno zakašnjelu ostavku^{(announcing his long-overdue resignation)} , Yang je zanemario ono što su svi na svijetu mogli vidjeti i nastavio se pretvarati da je napravio izvrstan posao:

“It’s been an extraordinary year here at Yahoo.”

“I truly believe we’ve made tangible progress in bringing our strategic vision to life.”

“Now I believe the time is right for us to bring in a new leader — someone who will build on the important pillars we’ve put in place and who will take the reins on the critical decisions our company faces.”

Važni stupovi? Poput vrijednosti dionice koja je sada  trećina onoga što je Microsoft ponudio platiti  kada ste ih odbili? Kritične odluke? Na primjer, kako poništiti neizmjernu štetu koju ste učinili?

Oh, Jerry… Jerry , Jerry , Jerry . Sve što mogu reći je da je “Chief Yahoo” možda najprikladniji naslov koji sam ikada vidio čovjeka da drži. Čestitamo.

* * * * *Pa to je to — naših 12 najboljih tehničkih neugodnosti u 2008. Neka nas sjećanja nasmiju; drugi nas još uvijek izazivaju naježivanje (kašalj kašalj Yahoo ). A tu je, nesumnjivo, i bezbroj drugih nereda do kojih nismo ni stigli. Slobodno^(Feel) unesite svoje dodatke u odjeljku za komentare u nastavku.

Naravno, godina još nije sasvim gotova. Nadamo se da nitko neće pokrenuti još jednu tehnološku tvrtku u preostalim danima 08. ili ćemo se morati vratiti na početak. E sad, to bi bilo jednostavno sramotno.

Top 12 Tech Embarrassments in 2008

Technologу’s spawned рlentу of hеadlines throughout 2008 — and cowering next to every story of success is a slip-uр someone would like to forget.

We’ve compiled a dozen of the year’s worst tech-related embarrassments. While the good stuff will eventually all blend together, these bad moments will live forever in infamy. Brace yourself for some blush-building blunders.

1. Most Embarrassing Service Lifespan

Goes to: Lively by Google

In July, Google excitedly introduced its answer to virtual world Second Life: a family-friendly cyber-environment called Lively. That’s right, red light regulars — no sex, no dirty talk, no virtual action in this joint. “[People] know we’re not going to be putting porn in there, and they’re looking at it and thinking it’s a safe place to enter,” a Google exec explained at the time of Lively’s launch.

Fast-forward one month, and Lively had turned into a virtual groping ground for preteens worldwide. Still, these middle schoolers had to get creative, “thrusting” robot tentacles to “pleasure” other avatars.

Mashable put it best: Google had built a service with “all the fun of a virtual chat room [but] none of the ‘benefits’ offered by its competitors.” And the public seemed to agree — in mid-November, Lively got the ax, just four months after its debut.

2. Most Embarrassing Online Exposure

Goes to: Chris Cooley’s Phallic Fumble

Coming in with what can only be described as one of the “smaller” mistakes of the year is Washington Redskins’ tight end Chris Cooley. Cooley, who maintains an online blog of his NFL endeavors, posted a shot of himself studying the team playbook before a game. Studying the playbook naked, that is.

Now, to be fair, you don’t see much in the shot. In fact, that might be an understatement. The photo — removed from Cooley’s blog but available here, if you must see it — shows the book on Cooley’s lap with a little something extra hanging out below. And the object is not, shall we say, hard to recognize.

An apology was posted a day later: “We are very sorry that we showed a penis on our website all day yesterday. That was by no means our intention and we did not want to offend anyone.”

Anyone can make a fumble, but you’ve gotta wonder how this one slipped by. Looks like someone wasn’t using his head. Er… yeah, nevermind.

3. Most Embarrassing E-Mail Revelation

Goes to: The Sarah Palin-Yahoo Mail Saga

In case our next winner didn’t have enough public humiliation this year, the Internet brought her one more dose. We’re talking, of course, about Sarah Palin and the now-infamous Yahoo Mail hack.

Palin, it had been discovered, was using a couple of Yahoo accounts for official government business — a move questioned by activists who claimed her Alaskan administration was trying to avoid laws requiring government e-mails to be placed in public record. Seemingly, it also didn’t sit well with a hacker.

The guy used Yahoo Mail’s simplistic security protection to pose as Palin and reset her password, then proceeded to post images from her account onto the Web. Whoopsie daisy.

This, my friends, is why we don’t use low-security Webmail services for official government messaging.

4. Most Embarrassing Display of Desperation

Goes to: Microsoft Live’s Cashback Promotion

Unable to secure any traction for its Live search engine, Microsoft’s tactic of 2008 has been bribery — and lots of it. The company first started its Cashback program in May, basically offering users money to turn to Live for search. You look up products on the struggling site, and you get money back on any resulting purchases you make.

The initial idea was groan-inducing enough. But then, despite statistics showing Microsoft had actually lost market share since starting the program — a full 6.5 percent drop from April to October — the Live crew kept insisting the program was a success, even expanding it in early December.

(Google, by the way, gained market share in the same time Microsoft’s Cashback program was “working.” Even Yahoo somehow managed to grow.)

Search for “desperate,” and this sad stunt should show up high.

5. Most Embarrassing Result of Internet Reporting

Goes to: The Death (and Subsequent Near Death) of Steve Jobs

The first fake scare for the Mac master came in August, when Bloomberg mistakenly published Jobs’ obituary to its Web site. The news service had prewritten a 17-page account, and someone hit the wrong key.

Jobs was quickly resurrected, but it didn’t take long for his second bout of mistaken misfortune to arrive. In October, a story posted on CNN’s citizen journalism site, iReport, quoted a “reliable insider” as saying claimed Jobs had suffered a “major heart attack” and was hospitalized. This time, Apple’s stock shot down as the news quickly spread over the Internet. Needless to say, the whole thing turned out to be a hoax.

“Unfiltered” news, indeed.

6. Most Embarrassing Data Investigation

Goes to: The TSA’s Lost Laptop Probe

Leave it to America’s Transportation Security Administration to lose a laptop full of sensitive data, start a full-fledged investigation — then realize the thing was sitting inside its office the whole time.

Did you hear about this one? The TSA reported a checkpoint laptop at San Francisco’s airport as missing in August. The computer had tens of thousands of passengers’ personal information on it, and it couldn’t be found anywhere.

The TSA shut down its prescreening program and started a search. National media outlets were notified, and reports hit papers across the country. Then, the TSA realized the laptop had been in its own office all along. Oops.

Actually losing the thing might have been less embarrassing in the end.

7. Most Embarrassingly Overhyped Launch

Goes to: Cuil

Few Internet startups have seen the kind of hype that Cuil managed to build leading up to its launch. The search engine, started by some former Googlers, promised to be “bigger, faster, and better” than the giant G. It was built on “contextual” search that would change the way the Web worked, we heard. Tech blogs went ga-ga with coverage anticipating the mysterious new entity.

Then the site actually went up, and the expectations went right down. Laughable results and overwhelmed servers combined to kill the Cuil buzz faster than you can say “Sergey Brin.” These days, Alexa data shows the search engine seeing less than a single percent of Internet users visiting its site, compared to Google’s roughly 28 percent.

Bigger than Google? A bigger failure, perhaps. Guess Cuil isn’t so cool after all.

8. Most Embarrassing Public Stance

Goes to: The Associated Press Take On Bloggers

The way we get information is constantly evolving. Alternative media sources are taking an increasingly prominent role in the delivery of news, and bloggers are a big part of that mix. You might think, then, that one of the world’s leading news organizations would learn how to adapt and embrace the changing culture for its own benefit. Of course, you’d be wrong.

Instead, the Associated Press decided to fight the blogosphere this year, formulating its own set of standards as to how online publications could use its information. Fair use doctrines be damned, the AP said using even small excerpts of its stories within a blog was out of line and out of the question.

The AP did accomplish something with its silly stance: It alienated itself from some of the most influential players in modern media. Countless blogs and online publications pledged to stop referencing and linking to Associated Press stories altogether. Incoming links are often called the “currency of blogs,” playing a significant role in visibility and search placement. Not that a company that just slashed 10 percent of its workforce needs to worry about such things. Riiiight.

Well-played, AP. Well-played.

9. Most Embarrassing Mobile Moment

Goes to: iPhone 3G Activation

Everyone knew the first day of iPhone 3G sales was going to be huge. Everyone, it seemed, except for Apple.

The company suffered what can only be described as a major meltdown, as subscribers who’d waited in long lines found themselves unable to activate their new phones. In-store customers were turned away and asked to try activating their phones later from home. But activation servers wouldn’t work over the Internet either, leaving people with a useless device and no functioning phone.

Gee, if only Apple could somehow have anticipated the response — or maybe had some past experience with overwhelmed servers to learn how to handle it — maybe things could have gone more smoothly.

10. Most Embarrassing Response to a Security Flaw

Goes to: The Boston Transportation Hack Fiasco

File this one under “How Not to Handle a Security Flaw”: A couple of students from MIT found a loophole within Boston’s “T” subway system. The flaw, they discovered, would let anyone add limitless value onto the system’s payment cards. The students, planning to present their findings at the DEFCON 16 annual hackers’ conference, met with transportation officials in advance to discuss their report.

Then, just before the conference, the Transportation Authority filed a federal complaint and got a temporary restraining order to keep the students from talking. In doing so, it also inadvertently published the students’ full report (PDF) to the Web as part of public record.

It gets better, though. Even after realizing anyone in the world could access the entire report, the Transportation Authority fought to extend its restraining order against the students. Long story short, it got shut out. A federal judge denied the request, the students got an “A” on their project, and the security flaw got far more attention than it would have had the Transportation Authority not thrown its fit.

Irony can be so satisfying sometimes.

11. Most Embarrassingly Transparent Lie

Goes to: Metallica’s “We’re Okay With Filesharing”

Metallica seemed to be singing a new tune in 2008. Eight years after drummer Lars Ulrich led the war against filesharing, ultimately resulting in the shutdown of the original Napster, the band worked hard to give the appearance of a reformed approach.

Ulrich released a video in which he talked casually about sharing Metallica’s music online. “The band is trying to salvage its reputation by embracing, at long last, the realities of online music,” Wired.com observed at the time.

The little fella even went as far as to act totally cool with the fact that his band’s then-unreleased CD had been leaked onto the Web. “It’s 2008 and it’s part of how it is these days, so it’s fine. We’re happy,” he insisted.

So happy, in fact, that the band quietly cancelled an interview with a newspaper after learning the reporter had listened to some of those leaked tracks online. In a similarly sneering display, Metallica demanded numerous bloggers take down advance reviews they’d written of the new album. Their reviews were based on a listening party held by the label itself. It’s sad but true.

Could these guys be any more out of touch with the digital age? Maybe they should consider a partnership with our pals at the AP — we hear they’re big into outdated ideology, too.

12. Overall Achievement In International Embarrassment

Goes to: Jerry Yang

Who else could top our list of biggest tech embarrassments but Mr. Yahoo himself? For his endless string of amazingly asinine actions, we hereby award Jerry Yang the Overall Achievement in International Embarrassment. The race wasn’t even close.

There’s not much that can be said about Yang’s year that hasn’t already been discussed ad nauseum. The guy drove his company into the ground, making dumb decision after dumb decision — all while continually talking up how great things were going and how Yahoo’s big day was right around the corner. Even in announcing his long-overdue resignation in November, Yang disregarded what everyone in the world could see and kept pretending he’d done a great job:

“It’s been an extraordinary year here at Yahoo.”

“I truly believe we’ve made tangible progress in bringing our strategic vision to life.”

“Now I believe the time is right for us to bring in a new leader — someone who will build on the important pillars we’ve put in place and who will take the reins on the critical decisions our company faces.”

Important pillars? Like the share value that’s now a third of what Microsoft offered to pay when you turned them down? Critical decisions? Like how to undo the immeasurable damage you’ve done?

Oh, Jerry… Jerry, Jerry, Jerry. All I can say is that “Chief Yahoo” is perhaps the most fitting title I’ve ever seen a man hold. Congratulations.

* * * * *So that does it — our Top 12 Tech Embarrassments in 2008. Some of the memories make us laugh; others still cause us to cringe (cough cough Yahoo). And there are, no doubt, countless other mess-ups we didn’t even get to. Feel free to make your own additions in the comments section below.

Of course, the year isn’t quite over yet. Here’s hoping no one Yangs up another tech company in 08’s remaining days, or we’ll have to go right back to square one. Now, that’d just be plain embarrassing.

Related posts

• Devet nostalgičnih tehničkih zvukova koje vjerojatno niste čuli godinama

• Popularne riječi o računalima, tehnici i informatici današnjice

• Izbjegnite prijevare online tehničke podrške i rješenja za čišćenje računala

• 5 prijevara koje su obilježile internet

• Što su administrativni alati u sustavu Windows 10?

• 20 stvari za koje niste znali da biste ih mogli staviti u USB utičnicu

• Što je Google Chrome Elevation Service

• Što je Bonjour Service u sustavu Windows 10?

• Što je HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE?

• Što je izbornik Windows 10 Power User (Win+X)?

• Kako hard i soft resetirati Roku (vrat na tvorničke postavke)

• Što je ruter i kako radi?

• Što je hkcmd?

• Što je račun ASP.NET stroja? Kako to izbrisati?

• Što je RAM? | Definicija memorije s slučajnim pristupom

• Što je tumač naredbenog retka?

• Što je proširenje datoteke .AAE? Kako otvoriti .AAE datoteke?

• Što pješčani sat znači u Snapchatu?

• Što je Microsoft Word? - Definicija iz TechCulta

• Google Redirect Virus – Vodič za ručno uklanjanje korak po korak