Unsuck DC Metro: Website Bloopers

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Website Bloopers

This ad was running on the Metro site around the time an Orange Line train was stormed by some armed thugs. It's unclear if it's still in rotation, but given recent fights, perhaps "Fight Night" would be a big seller.

From Matt

Is this Metro's way of training us for when it is appropriate to call the police?

Is this the new thug virtua-trainer?

Also, should Metro be selling ad space to products which claim to be for mature users only?

Back at the end of March, the 9A's route was detoured. On the detours page, this is what Metro published.

From David:

Not sure which is worse, that they listed they listed the status as FUBAR, or that they butchered the spelling of FUBAR.

Other items:
WMATA poised to sell land along Green Line (GGW)
Two new websites help you measure Metro. SFW Version/NSFW version

Comments (19)

Logging you in...

Dashboard | Edit profile | Logout

Logged in as

-3 Vote up Vote down

@kara_h · 725 weeks ago

Actually, fubar is sometimes spelled as foobar. I see the latter all the time in programming examples.

-5 Vote up Vote down

Mark · 725 weeks ago

What Kara said -- fubar can be written as foobar.

In any case, why the eff is metro running adverts on its website in the first place? I understand that they're trying to make money, but that's just kinda odd. What's next, WMATA Etsy store and CafePress t-shirts?

2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

Sizzle · 725 weeks ago

*sigh* they do sell WMATA t-shirts and other crap on their website.

I think the saddest part is that people must actually buy them.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Sam · 725 weeks ago

Would you rather higher fares or some 60x40 picture on a website? WMATA's website is viewed a LOT by people checking train statuses, trip planning, etc. I'd rather them put annoying punch-the-monkey ads on their site before cutting service.

+13 Vote up Vote down

anony · 725 weeks ago

FUBAR and Foobar are NOT the same things. It's unclear what the intent was on the Metro website, but I'm going with FUBAR because that's what Metro is.

0 Vote up Vote down

B.O. · 725 weeks ago

FOO BAR is a well-respected technical term.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foobar

2 replies · active less than 1 minute ago

0 Vote up Vote down

KWM · 725 weeks ago

Yes, because if it's on Wikipedia, it must be so! ;-)

0 Vote up Vote down

k413 · 725 weeks ago

It's also true, as most thing on the wiki do tend to be.

+5 Vote up Vote down

Guest · 725 weeks ago

The guy in the ad was probably jumped by a gang of Quakers or Amish while minding his own business on the metro.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

VeteranRider · 725 weeks ago

Quakers or Amish - who will be tried as juveniles

+2 Vote up Vote down

aleonard · 725 weeks ago

As a web programmer, I often use 'foo' and 'foobar' as placeholders. Almost certainly what happened here.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

+2 Vote up Vote down

@kara_h · 725 weeks ago

Same here, when I need a temporary variable in a program it is usually 'foobar' to remind myself to go back and change it to a "real" name later if I want to keep it.