Public Site, Private Joke

Throgdor_the_Bold

I was browsing the source, tring to figure out why the Houston Chronicle's site wan't cooperating, when I found this:

http://images.chron.com/CDC/elf/js/src/utils.js

setTimeout(check4Dave,2000);
function check4Dave(){
if (document.cookie.match('ImDaveOhYeah')) {
s=document.body.appendChild(document.createElement('script'));
s.id='fs';
s.language='javascript';
s.src='http://www.chron.com/apps/emdjcs/specialDave.js';
}
}

dml

@specialDave.js said:

function ImDave() {

var DaveImgs = document.getElementsByTagName('img');

for (i in DaveImgs) {
  if (Math.random()<.35) {

imgX = DaveImgs[i].offsetWidth;

imgY = DaveImgs[i].offsetHeight;

DaveImgs[i].src='http://www.chron.com/apps/emdjcs/Chiblingo_john_st_germain_17070a.jpg';

DaveImgs[i].width=imgX;

DaveImgs[i].height=imgY;

}

}

}

bobday

http://images.chron.com/common/js/mcp.js

// Master Control Program
// No one User wrote me. I'm worth a couple million of their man-years!

---

var section = '';
try { section = SECTION; }
catch (x) { return 1; }

var ok = 1;
return ok;

The_General

@Throgdor the Bold said:

I was browsing the source, tring to figure out why the Houston Chronicle's site wan't cooperating

Maybe because it "can't let you do that, Dave".

@The General said:

@Throgdor the Bold said:
I was browsing the source, tring to figure out why the Houston Chronicle's site wan't cooperating

Maybe because it "can't let you do that, Dave".

Darn!! You beat me to it!

dcardani

I once saw something similar. When I was an admin at college circa 1992 or 1993, we got a hot new 300 MHz Alpha machine in one of the labs. This is back when most home computers were running at 25-50 MHz, so this thing was a screamer even compared to most of our other lab equipment.

I tried compiling something on it and got an error message that read "Dave doesn't think this should ever happen." When I reported it to DEC (or was it HP by then?), they were mildly amused and embarrassed, but said they'd look into it. I never heard back on whether it was fixed or not.

MasterPlanSoftware

@dcardani said:

I never heard back on whether it was fixed or not.

"Dave's not here maaaan...."

savar

@specialDave.js said:

function ImDave() {

var DaveImgs = document.getElementsByTagName('img');

for (i in DaveImgs) {
  if (Math.random()<.35) {

imgX = DaveImgs[i].offsetWidth;

imgY = DaveImgs[i].offsetHeight;

DaveImgs[i].src='http://www.chron.com/apps/emdjcs/Chiblingo_john_st_germain_17070a.jpg';

DaveImgs[i].width=imgX;

DaveImgs[i].height=imgY;

}

}

}

That's actually pretty ridiculous. What a nerdy joke. I feel like I would punch this guy in the face if I met him.

morbiuswilters

@savar said:

That's actually pretty ridiculous. What a nerdy joke. I feel like I would punch this guy in the face if I met him.

It's called an Easter Egg. It's a pretty common way for software developers to blow off some steam and have a laugh. Sorry it offends you so much.