Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

Last post 03-20-2008 8:35 AM by whoever. 22 replies.

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03-07-2008 12:27 AM

swordfishBob
Joined on 11-23-2006
Posts 22

Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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I just took a quiz at http://www.idg.com.au/url.php?id=106991 having received the link in a newsletter.
In spite of getting most questions right, (according to their answer list at the end)...

Congratulations on finishing the quiz!
Your score: 0
Out of a maximum possible score of 58.

0-18: Do you even know what a computer is? 18-30: Back to the textbooks, you need to read up on the basics. 30-48: Your inner nerd is alive and well, although it could come out more often. 48-58: Why aren't you speaking at our upcoming virtualization event?

I am not a tea-towell.

03-07-2008 3:54 AM In reply to

XIU
Joined on 01-08-2007
Belgium
Posts 208

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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While the quiz is pretty retarded:

Congratulations on finishing the quiz!

Your score: 40

Out of a maximum possible score of 58.

03-07-2008 4:43 AM In reply to

Zecc
Joined on 06-12-2007
Location, Location, Location
Posts 654

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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38 here.

I liked question #3:

3. What's the correct spelling of virtualization?
a. Virtualization
b. Virtualisation
c. VMWare
d. Why on earth do I care?

And the answers:

Answer: (a) So you follow the American school of spelling, do you?
(3 points)
(b) So you refuse to jump on the bandwagon and embrace the American way. Good luck holding out for much longer!
(3 points)
(c) We'll give you one point, just for lasting this long in the tech industry without being able to spell key terminology.
(1 point)

If mixed metaphors were illegal, I'd be having an indigestion.
typeof NaN == 'number'

03-07-2008 5:17 AM In reply to

Cursorkeys
Joined on 08-25-2007
Posts 12

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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Tried it and got zero even though most were right according to the key.

Disabled adblock+ and enabled javascript and cookies.... still zero. Not very well designed I guess.

That said the answers were fairly amusing, the last quizz I got by email wanted to know my feature wishlist for DSOs :(

03-07-2008 5:23 AM In reply to

RayS
Joined on 01-22-2005
Posts 714

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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I got a big fat zero too (no, not because I'm stupid). Perhaps it's a browser thing? Firefox here.

EULA: By reading this post and associated disclaimer, you are consenting to agree with the opinions disclosed within. If you disagree with this license agreement, you may not return it for a refund.

03-07-2008 5:52 AM In reply to

drinkingbird
Joined on 08-26-2007
Sydney, Australia
Posts 82

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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Well, I just wrote to their contact for the event to tell them that, despite the fact that the event is just down the road from where I work and I'm working on server virtualisation at work at the moment, I won't be going to their summit because their crappy website completely destroyed my confidence in their technical nous.

03-07-2008 8:25 AM In reply to

Daid
Joined on 01-30-2007
Posts 348

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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Also 0 here :P guess Firefox support is limited. After all, it is sponsored by microsoft.

03-07-2008 8:31 AM In reply to

Zecc
Joined on 06-12-2007
Location, Location, Location
Posts 654

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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Well, I'm using Firefox and Linux, so that's not it. ..

If mixed metaphors were illegal, I'd be having an indigestion.
typeof NaN == 'number'

03-07-2008 9:13 AM In reply to

pscs
Joined on 10-30-2007
Posts 67

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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I got zero as well (actually 38) using Opera 9.something. Because I'm sad I tried on IE7 as well, and still got zero, (I should have got them all right that time since I knew the answers). I can't see how it could be browser based as there's no javascript to do with the quiz, it all looks to be server side. Opera is telling me it was given a PHP session ID cookie from that site, so it just looks like the server side is broken (maybe it can't handle multiple people doing the quiz at once or something).

03-07-2008 10:32 AM In reply to

maco
Joined on 03-07-2008
Washington, DC
Posts 2

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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pscs:
I got zero as well (actually 38) using Opera 9.something. Because I'm sad I tried on IE7 as well, and still got zero, (I should have got them all right that time since I knew the answers). I can't see how it could be browser based as there's no javascript to do with the quiz, it all looks to be server side. Opera is telling me it was given a PHP session ID cookie from that site, so it just looks like the server side is broken (maybe it can't handle multiple people doing the quiz at once or something).

They assigned a PHP Session ID but then never used it? ... wow

I got a 0 too....and not because I deserved it.

03-07-2008 10:51 AM In reply to

Quietust
Joined on 06-15-2007
Posts 96

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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For convenience, the actual URL is http://www.computerworld.com.au/survey/virtualization_iq_quiz - the one you provided simply bounces off of doubleclick.net (which I have DNS blacklisted).

P.S. If you don't get this note, let me know and I'll write you another.

Tue, Jan 19 2038 3:14 AM In reply to

Signature Guy
Joined on Thu, Jan 1 1970
Forum Signature
Posts ∞

Re: Whatever This Thread Is Named

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I agree with whatever Quietust just posted above.

03-07-2008 11:02 AM In reply to

XIU
Joined on 01-08-2007
Belgium
Posts 208

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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Used Firefox 3, ABP is on, no javascript blocking, and it just works here :P

03-07-2008 11:08 AM In reply to

AbbydonKrafts
Joined on 11-21-2006
Carrollton, GA, USA
Posts 1,022

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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Quietust:
bounces off of doubleclick.net (which I have DNS blacklisted)

That would explain it, then. I also have it blacklisted.

Join us at #TDWTF on irc.slashnet.org !

03-07-2008 12:16 PM In reply to

maco
Joined on 03-07-2008
Washington, DC
Posts 2

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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XIU:
Used Firefox 3, ABP is on, no javascript blocking, and it just works here :P

I've got the same setup...FF3b3, ABP, JS allowed...and a 0. If you read above, it's not happening client-side though, so browser doesn't make sense. It's server-side F-ups

03-09-2008 6:57 AM In reply to

Evo
Joined on 10-16-2006
Posts 46

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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Same here, 0. Missed 15 points even, I suck at virtualization. Anyways, according to them I 'know my stuff'.

10. Which experimental computer system does the term virtual machine supposedly come from?

a. IBM M44/44X
b. IBM M44/45X
c. IBM M43/44X
d. I have no idea, just let me finish already!

Answer: (a) IBM M44/44X. If you got this right: go you bad thing – you really know your stuff!
(10 points)

I didn't have a clue, but just a bit of psychological answering got me there :P. Usually questions are made up like this: take the real answer, change one thing for another answer, change another thing for a third answer. The real answer should usually be the answer 'in between' the other ones.

This got me through biology exams without even looking through the stuff we needed to know.

03-09-2008 7:31 PM In reply to

PSWorx
Joined on 04-28-2006
Posts 888

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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I got a zero as well, in addition to the quiz jumping back to question #1 randomly. My guess is that someone set the delay for session timeouts just a little too short...

03-10-2008 8:40 AM In reply to

RayS
Joined on 01-22-2005
Posts 714

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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Evo:
I didn't have a clue, but just a bit of psychological answering got me there :P. Usually questions are made up like this: take the real answer, change one thing for another answer, change another thing for a third answer. The real answer should usually be the answer 'in between' the other ones.
This got me through biology exams without even looking through the stuff we needed to know.

Oddly enough, the exact same logic that I used. I figure that it's normally either (a) lazy question writers, or (b) a subtle way to give bonus points to those of a logical persuasion.

EULA: By reading this post and associated disclaimer, you are consenting to agree with the opinions disclosed within. If you disagree with this license agreement, you may not return it for a refund.

03-10-2008 10:37 AM In reply to

PeriSoft
Joined on 08-17-2007
Posts 163

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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I couldn't finish at all - jumping back to #1. Or #2. Not only that, the thing took ages to load each new question - mostly due to its refusing to load until some slow-ass ad server figured out which end was up. I hate that - the whole page has loaded, but won't display because the ad server is sitting around with its thumb up its ass.

(USER WAS UNBANNED FOR THIS POST)

03-10-2008 12:49 PM In reply to

zzo38
Joined on 02-10-2008
Posts 188

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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I cannot complete it either, it is too slow. Can you please make a copy of it in plain text form so that I can see all of the questions? (Possibly I could then convert it to zzoQuiz, or make a printout) (I also noticed question 6 they forgot the question number on it)

: IF` 0=GOTO` ORIG ;
: THEN` HERE SWAP ! ;
: ELSE` GOTO` ORIG SWAP THEN` ;

gopher://zzo38computer.cjb.net/

03-19-2008 8:49 AM In reply to

digitalcircuit36939
Joined on 03-09-2008
Redwall, Mossflower
Posts 21

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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XIU:
While the quiz is pretty retarded:
Congratulations on finishing the quiz!

Your score: 40

Out of a maximum possible score of 58.

I got the same score, 40, even though I guessed four of them.

Congratulations on finishing the quiz!

Your score: 40

Out of a maximum possible score of 58.

0-18: Do you even know what a computer is?

18-30: Back to the textbooks, you need to read up on the basics.

30-48: Your inner nerd is alive and well, although it could come out more often.

48-58: Why aren't you speaking at our upcoming virtualization event?

(Funny, Firefox's spell checker is saying that virtualization should be actualization, conceptualization, visualization, individualization, or equalization.)

The sentence to the right is true. The sentence to the left is false.

03-19-2008 12:55 PM In reply to

Faxmachinen
Joined on 03-19-2007
Posts 199

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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Evo:
Usually questions are made up like this: take the real answer, change one thing for another answer, change another thing for a third answer. The real answer should usually be the answer 'in between' the other ones.

Ah, good one. I'll have to remember that.
Here's one in return: If the answers differ considerably in length, it's always the longest one.

rpar PROTON all

03-19-2008 6:07 PM In reply to

superjer
Joined on 10-05-2007
Seattle
Posts 131

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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It gave me 33/58 but when I totalled it up myself I should have got 38/58.

Maybe I'm not accounting for the order it asked me the questions: 0% -> 10% -> 20% -> 30% -> 10% -> 20% -> 30% -> 20% -> 30% -> 40% -> ... -> 100%.

Somehow I don't think this quiz is going to sell a lot of event tickets.

(Fire fox on a bun, too.)

03-20-2008 8:35 AM In reply to

whoever
Joined on 03-20-2008
Posts 17

Re: Congratulations, but we can't add up a few numbers

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At first this didn't work for me either, so i tried IE with the same results, always a score of 0.

IE complained about wanting to install a flash plugin everytime i clicked something so i installed it and on the next run it worked.

They seem to be using flash to transfer the session data, a true WTF.

53 Points, eventhough afair i had everything correct, maybe they can't even add up using flash?

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