21st Challenge No. 33 Results

"Warning: Exiting womb" and other real-life dialog box alerts.

By Charlie Varon and Jim Rosenau

  • Pages 1 2

May 6, 2000 | Cautious reminders haunt our every software interaction. Each command is followed by a dialog box asking, in effect: Do you really mean it?

What are the engineers saying? Proceed with caution? You are not to be trusted? We know not what we do? Whether you find such messages reassuring or annoying, they're an established form of punctuation in our workflow. Nagware: Can't compute without it.

But what of the rest of our lives? In this Challenge, we asked readers to propose reminders for the rest of our lives. Are you sure you want to read further ...?

THE WINNER

WARNING: Exiting womb. Are you sure you want to proceed?
-- Stephen Thompson

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Warning: This action cannot be undone
Are you sure you want to move "/your entire life" to "/follow your dreams"?
-- Jacky Sin

(on Alan Greenspan's machine)
Are you sure you want to increase the prime rate?
[Yes] [Yes] [Yes]
-- Keith Ammann

Are you sure you can pull out in time?
-- Sandra Hess

Are you sure that the voices inside my head aren't telling me what to do?
-- M. Mahoney

You have driven over an odd number of curbs. Do you really want to stop now?
-- Vincent-Hill

Are you sure you want to play Global Thermonuclear War? Wouldn't you prefer a good game of chess?
-- Tiffanie McCoy

Are you sure you want to break up company Microsoft?
[No] [Cancel] -- Owen Williams (and many similar entries)

Are you sure you want to go on the Jerry Springer show?
-- Sandra Hess

Are you sure you want to vote for someone who reminds you of his father's vice president?
-- Adam D. Solomon

Remember the last time?
-- Paul Orsillo

Are you sure you want to get out of bed today?
-- Dr. Lisa Huzel

Are you sure you want that promotion?
[Cancel] [Swallow] [Spit]
-- LeeAnn Massey

This computer virus alert is an obvious hoax. Forward it to everyone you know anyway?
-- Kevin Shay

Are you sure you turned the stove off? Hadn't you better go back and check? So you'll be late -- you shouldn't set foot in that germ-infested movie theater anyway.
-- Kevin Shay

Are you sure you want to buy stock in a company with no earnings?
-- Stu Derby

Are you sure you want to keep answering these annoying dialog-box messages?
-- Barry Ritholtz

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