[aclug-L] Re: FW: InternetWeek Newsletter - Dec. 10

["Clint A. Brubakken" <cabrubak@xxxxxxx>]

Not exactly how it happened.

Kangaroos were added for the fun of it, and the bug was noted right away
not infront of a group of americans. Also the firing code wasn't finished
so the Kangaroos, fired the same thing as the Stinger Units: Multi-Colored
Beach Balls 

checkout 
http://www.snopes.com/spoons/faxlore/kangaroo.htm
for the full story 

On Fri, 10 Dec 1999, Dale W Hodge wrote:

> 
> You Gotta read the Kangaroo Alert piece!  Dang Funny!!
> 
> Kangaroo Alert! The following item comes from Australia's Defense 
> Science and Technology Organization and wire reports:
> 
> "The reuse of object-oriented code has caused tactical headaches for 
> Australia's armed forces. As virtual reality simulators assume larger 
> roles in helicopter training, programmers have gone to great lengths 
> to increase the realism of their scenarios, including detailed 
> landscapes and--in one case--herds of kangaroos (since disturbed 
> animals might give away a helicopter's position).
> 
> "The head of the Defense Science and Technology Organization's Land 
> Operations/Simulation division reportedly instructed developers to 
> model the local marsupials' movements and reactions to helicopters. 
> Being efficient programmers, the programmers simply reappropriated 
> some code originally used to model infantry detachment reactions under 
> the same stimuli, changed the mapped icon from a soldier to a kangaroo, 
> and increased the figures' speed of movement.
> 
> "Eager to demonstrate their flying skills for some visiting American 
> pilots, hotshot Australian pilots buzzed the virtual kangaroos in low 
> flight. The kangaroos scattered, as predicted, and the visiting 
> Americans nodded appreciatively--then did a double-take as the 
> kangaroos reappeared from behind a hill and launched a barrage of 
> Stinger missiles at the hapless helicopter. Apparently, the programmers 
> had forgotten to remove that part of the infantry coding.
> 
> "Simulator supervisors report that pilots from that point onward have 
> strictly avoided kangaroos, just as they were meant to."
> Got a pet peeve, industry view or humorous observation about our 
> industry? E-mail it to us at stopbits@xxxxxxx!
> 
> ========================================================
> 
> 

Clint Brubakken
Developer, Computer Science Services Group, LLC
Dictator-for-Life Air Capital Linux Users Group 
Wichita, KS
cabrubak@xxxxxxx
---
Love isn't hopeless.  Look, maybe I'm no expert on
the subject, but there was one time I got it right.

                --Homer Simpson
                  Another Simpson's Clip Show