Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 15:27:04 -0500

From: Gareth Branwyn GarethB2[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM

Subject: Re: Ping of Death



In a message dated 11/11/97 8:09:43 AM, Monkmag[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM wrote:



In How To Talk American I define "wave a dead chicken" this way: "to perform

a useless and irrelevant repair on a severely damaged computer to prove to

the customer you at least tried to fix it." Gareth, have you noticed this

expression used in this context?



Yes, it can be used in any situation where you're reduced to voodoo, either

in an attempt to repair a broken computer, or to satisfy yourself or someone

else that the computer is, in fact, broken. I think the _Hacker's Dictionary_

basically uses the definition you've given above, but it doesn't have to be

just to satisfy a customer and boss. I hear it used all the time in referring

to one's own hopeless attempts at fixing a damaged or broken machine.



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