I've just invented a new hobby!
Web servers come with a standard message that displays when you try to access a page that no longer exists. It's usually a boring "Error 404 - Page Not Found." Most people are content to leave it at that.
The more creative Webmasters, though, embellish the standard message with something that's amusing, or occasionally whimsical. Here's one I came across today:
"Once upon a time, someone wrote a hyperlink. The hyperlink was very happy and loved what it did. Sometime later a wicked witch placed a spell on that little hyperlink that would stop it from linking. You have clicked on that hyperlink."
So what's the new hobby? Well, forget collecting beermats and bottle tops, how about collecting variations on 404 messages? There must be thousands out there, with new ones being added every day. You can save them on your PC and show them off to visitors, just like some DXers do with QSL cards.
Another useless but harmless pastime is to collect silly, meaningless or ambiguous messages. The one that always beats me is "This page does not exist". Well, of course it does, otherwise I wouldn't be reading it, would I? It should say "the page you were looking for does not exist" or something similar.
There are loads of examples of bad grammar on the Internet, but that pops up in all walks of life. When I used to take the train from New York to 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, Amtrak had a standard announcement (it probably still does) warning passengers that "all doors will not open." The first time I heard this, I was alarmed, as I had no desire to stay on the train until it reached Washington. Fortunately, I discovered that what Amtrak actually meant was "not all doors will open."
While we're on the subject, there's a store in Philly which has a big sign outside that says "Everything in the store $1". I never had the courage to walk in and say "Here's a dollar. Give me everything in the store." I wonder if anyone ever has?
6:56:36 PM 
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