All entries must be submitted by midnight, EST.  Be sure to get yours in so you don't miss the chance to get your high-res JPG (plus a laptop with which to admire it).  We're madly compiling and testing entries and will be announcing winners soon.

Tee hee: time left to enter = -Infinity. :)

 

 

So when can we expect results?

Probably by FileNotFound.

But it implies that results have been already announced. Take enum of TRUE, FALSE, FILE_NOT_FOUND, so FILE_NOT_FOUND gets number 2. That is integer. And because most common integral representation is number of msec since beginning of UNIX epoch....

I got a file not found error around 11:58pm but then quickly resubmitted to get the entry in at 12:00am.  Hopefully this doesn't disqualify me.  Maybe the WTF server has it's date set for April 18th right now and I am fine.

Does anyone know how many entries there were.  My seed # was 100351 - does that mean 351 entries??? 

msntfs:

But it implies that results have been already announced. Take enum of TRUE, FALSE, FILE_NOT_FOUND, so FILE_NOT_FOUND gets number 2. That is integer. And because most common integral representation is number of msec since beginning of UNIX epoch....

The results being announced 37 years before the contest started would be the real WTF

tpinkney:

I got a file not found error around 11:58pm but then quickly resubmitted to get the entry in at 12:00am.  Hopefully this doesn't disqualify me.  Maybe the WTF server has it's date set for April 18th right now and I am fine.

Does anyone know how many entries there were.  My seed # was 100351 - does that mean 351 entries??? 

I was wondering about that myself. My entry was listed as entry number 100336, so I was thinking... either there were more than a hundred thousand entries, or Alex started counting at a hundred thousand. I'm guessing the same as you -- around 350 entries.  

I submitted via the website back in April, but I haven't received any emailed confirmation.  Is that normal?

Maybe this is just another WTF... Some kind of random number. Maybe the number is saved as a float and for every new contestant the script adds 1.6 The output is then rounded to int and 100 is placed before via a string operation^^

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Over.:

tpinkney:

I got a file not found error around 11:58pm but then quickly resubmitted to get the entry in at 12:00am.  Hopefully this doesn't disqualify me.  Maybe the WTF server has it's date set for April 18th right now and I am fine.

Does anyone know how many entries there were.  My seed # was 100351 - does that mean 351 entries??? 

I was wondering about that myself. My entry was listed as entry number 100336, so I was thinking... either there were more than a hundred thousand entries, or Alex started counting at a hundred thousand. I'm guessing the same as you -- around 350 entries.  

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Over.:

tpinkney:

I got a file not found error around 11:58pm but then quickly resubmitted to get the entry in at 12:00am.  Hopefully this doesn't disqualify me.  Maybe the WTF server has it's date set for April 18th right now and I am fine.

Does anyone know how many entries there were.  My seed # was 100351 - does that mean 351 entries??? 

I was wondering about that myself. My entry was listed as entry number 100336, so I was thinking... either there were more than a hundred thousand entries, or Alex started counting at a hundred thousand. I'm guessing the same as you -- around 350 entries.  

 My entry was 100015, but GMail kicked the authentication email to spam, and because of the "Back to Spam" link, the "Delete Forever" button was where the "Not Spam" button should have been, and I lost the link. Had to re-submit as 100018, so if you extrapolate my retardation, there's probably only 175 entries. Much better odds.
 

DoggettCK:

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Over.:

tpinkney:

I got a file not found error around 11:58pm but then quickly resubmitted to get the entry in at 12:00am.  Hopefully this doesn't disqualify me.  Maybe the WTF server has it's date set for April 18th right now and I am fine.

Does anyone know how many entries there were.  My seed # was 100351 - does that mean 351 entries??? 

I was wondering about that myself. My entry was listed as entry number 100336, so I was thinking... either there were more than a hundred thousand entries, or Alex started counting at a hundred thousand. I'm guessing the same as you -- around 350 entries.  

 My entry was 100015, but GMail kicked the authentication email to spam, and because of the "Back to Spam" link, the "Delete Forever" button was where the "Not Spam" button should have been, and I lost the link. Had to re-submit as 100018, so if you extrapolate my retardation, there's probably only 175 entries. Much better odds.
 

 Well, I'd say around 150-200 is a good guess. When I submitted first I never received a confirmation email, so I too had to submit twice..
 

Remboooo:

DoggettCK:

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Over.:

tpinkney:

I got a file not found error around 11:58pm but then quickly resubmitted to get the entry in at 12:00am.  Hopefully this doesn't disqualify me.  Maybe the WTF server has it's date set for April 18th right now and I am fine.

Does anyone know how many entries there were.  My seed # was 100351 - does that mean 351 entries??? 

I was wondering about that myself. My entry was listed as entry number 100336, so I was thinking... either there were more than a hundred thousand entries, or Alex started counting at a hundred thousand. I'm guessing the same as you -- around 350 entries.  

 My entry was 100015, but GMail kicked the authentication email to spam, and because of the "Back to Spam" link, the "Delete Forever" button was where the "Not Spam" button should have been, and I lost the link. Had to re-submit as 100018, so if you extrapolate my retardation, there's probably only 175 entries. Much better odds.
 

 Well, I'd say around 150-200 is a good guess. When I submitted first I never received a confirmation email, so I too had to submit twice..
 

I've submitted 3 times (I hope), but hit the submit button way more than that. Until I trimmed my zip file way down, submitting wouldnt work. I still havent seen a submission number (the page times out no matter what for me), so I dont know how many IDs I wasted. But even submitting 3 times, I suspect that only the last version has a shot.

wacco:

-Edit- Nevermind. Post got screwed up badly by the forum software since the Preview function dies a horrible dead in Safari, and I'm too lazy to rewrite my damn argument.

In short it involved my number being 100239 and submitting 26 hours before the deadline, making a third of the submissions being last-day entries.

Oh, I fully admit mine was a last-day entry. I had about 2 hrs to spare. 

My goal for my WTFery didn't get accomplished, but I got pretty far down the road -- enough to submit with a fair chance of winning, IMO.  

I just hope we get to see a good number of the entries, not just the top 3 or so.  If nothing else, I'm curious to compare my (unexecuted) idea to those that actually entered.  Not sure why I didn't, I could use a new lappy.

By the way, I think I figured out where Alex and crew got the laptop for the competition.  One of my more gullible friends sent me this "free laptop" link:

http://consumerresearchcorporation.com/vaiomac/index.php?lid=::go_freelaptop(vomb)&nopop=1

Sony Vaio or Apple MacBook.  Enjoy your learning Spanish CDs and childrens furniture!
 

Pineconius:

I just hope we get to see a good number of the entries, not just the top 3 or so.

The Rules say:

All eligible submissions (and their source code) will be publicly available on WorseThanFailure.com.

 

So, it seems like your wish will be fulfilled.

Pineconius wrote:

I just hope we get to see a good number of the entries, not just the top 3 or so. If nothing else, I'm curious to compare my (unexecuted) idea to those that actually entered. Not sure why I didn't, I could use a new lappy.

I agree. I think we could all learn something (!) from reviewing all the entries. I Hereby give permission for Alex to distribute *my* Entry, "Don't trust the hardware," freely.

Hmmm... I think my entry is probably just a 'participation' entry.  Especially after reading about some of the crazy GUI's some guys are creating with dials and all sorts of knobs

Good luck being the one with the beefed up resume:

"June 2007 - Won Grand Prize $2000 Laptop in OMGWTF Programming Contest against 100,351 other competitors"

 

tpinkney wrote:

Good luck being the one with the beefed up resume: "June 2007 - Won Grand Prize $2000 Laptop in OMGWTF Programming Contest against 100,351 other competitors"

That's what I was looking for-- bragging rights more than anything.  I mean, the MacBook Pro would be nice, and I could always use more pictures of trophies, but knowing that I can write code as poorly as anyone is what I was hoping to learn.

 It's kinda like those "bad" skaters you see at circuses.  If they were *really* bad skaters, they'd kill themselves.  But since they *really* can skate, they can do all kinds of crazy stuff.   One has to be really, really good at something to be able to *look* like they're awful and still be safe :)
 

But remember - Mr.WTF is looking for a clever solution that can be optionally buggy.  So - whoever pulls off the win is probably pretty good and worth hiring.  Plus the reason they come to this site is to realize they aren't alone.

I haven't been to the circus in a while - but I do know what you mean.  I picture a guy who can ski really well trying to impress a girl by flying down the hill backwards waving his arms like he is going to fall as he keeps his balance over little jumps etc.  Only a pro can look so rookie. oh yeah!