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Sharky

Shark Tank

Lesson learned - not

This Navy pilot fish is stationed on an aircraft carrier. "My boss was the navigator, and he was forever leaving his account logged in with his e-mail open when he left the bridge," says fish.

"One day I walked onto the bridge to find the computer wide open and unattended. I mentioned to one of my subordinates that one day I was going to teach the navigator a lesson."

Subordinate just smiles and dares fish to do it.

So fish quickly creates an e-mail message and addresses it to all the officers onboard — a large group on a carrier. The message's body: "Where am I?"

Then fish sends the message and then quickly steps away from the computer.

About five seconds later, the navigator walks back onto the bridge. Seconds after that, his phone starts ringing. Subordinate answers it and tells the navigator that the executive officer — the carrier's second-in-command — is on the phone.

"From what I could overhear of the conversation, the XO was asking the navigator if he was OK," fish says. "The XO explained that he was concerned by the message the navigator had sent.

"The navigator fumbled through an explanation that his e-mail account must have been hacked, and he would take care of the problem."

Fish leaves the bridge and heads back to his office to work. And for the next few hours he sees officers strolling in and out of the office, and hears them talking about the bizarre message they received from the navigator.

Finally, fish gets an e-mail message from the navigator, addressed to all of the officers on the ship.

"In it, he explained how his e-mail account was hacked by someone and that they sent the message," reports fish. "He apologized for the inconvenience and explained that it wouldn't happen again because he had already changed his password.

"Ten seconds after reading the message, my phone rang. It was the navigator calling: 'Chief, how do I change my password?'"

Sharky's e-mail is full of true tales of IT life. Send me yours at sharky@computerworld.com — and I'll send you a shipshape Shark shirt if I use it. Add your comments below, and read some great old tales in the Sharkives.

Now you can post your own stories of IT ridiculousness at Shark Bait. Join today and vent your IT frustrations to people who've been there, done that.

 

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