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fwiw, even the term "fail" alone is still pretty subcultural. i don't entirely agree with alanh, but they are definitely right that many of those who understand

fwiw, even the term "fail" alone is still pretty subcultural. i don't entirely agree with alanh, but they are definitely right that many of those who understand the reference are letting their understanding blind them. this type of blindness is rabidly (albeit understandably) common among technology companies in general. given that that Google reaches all types of users and an error page is meant to inform, i'm not sure the reference is worth the risk. that all said, i personally find the reference obvious, thus boring. but that's just my opinion. :)

hugh3 16y ago
fwiw, even the term "fail" alone is still pretty subcultural. i don't entirely agree with alanh, but they are definitely right that many of those who understand the reference are letting their understanding blind them. Sure, but it's not necessary to fully understand the page in order to get the message. An error occurred. Why is there a whale involved? Who cares? The only people I can imagine who might get confused are people who encounter this while trying to read Moby Dick.
- catshirt 16y ago
  i never suggested the reference was detrimental to the page, but it is a risk. proven even just by the fact that it's debatable. it is an error page; the person likely got here because they are confused in the first place. this is especially notable given the huge spectrum of Google's audience. i don't feel strongly either way on the execution. however, i do feel strongly that it would be negligent for the deciding party to not at least recognize that it is a risk.
Aleul 16y ago
Just curious, what age groups to do associate with? Being 20, so around teens and what not 'fail' is said an obnoxious amount. I don't think it's as subcultural as you think. (Some of these people ask how to use Twitter...) Yes, it's an error page, and it says it is "having trouble finding the page". I don't get the confusion that could cause. If an obvious reference is boring, why did you complain about the use of fail which is subcultural as you put it?
- catshirt 16y ago
  i'm 22. it's not a generation gap and i'm aware of the virality of "fail" in general. i never suggested in what capacity it existed, just that i would consider it subcultural. even if you assume the extremity that everyone under 22 has heard "fail" to some extent- i'm quite sure they are not Google's primary audience for this product. i do realize this is not an acute analogy, but allow me to close with a sobering reminder of the truth. google asks: "what is a browser?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MwTvtyrUQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MwTvtyrUQ

hugh3 16y ago

fwiw, even the term "fail" alone is still pretty subcultural. i don't entirely agree with alanh, but they are definitely right that many of those who understand the reference are letting their understanding blind them. Sure, but it's not necessary to fully understand the page in order to get the message. An error occurred. Why is there a whale involved? Who cares? The only people I can imagine who might get confused are people who encounter this while trying to read Moby Dick.

catshirt 16y ago
i never suggested the reference was detrimental to the page, but it is a risk. proven even just by the fact that it's debatable. it is an error page; the person likely got here because they are confused in the first place. this is especially notable given the huge spectrum of Google's audience. i don't feel strongly either way on the execution. however, i do feel strongly that it would be negligent for the deciding party to not at least recognize that it is a risk.

Aleul 16y ago

Just curious, what age groups to do associate with? Being 20, so around teens and what not 'fail' is said an obnoxious amount. I don't think it's as subcultural as you think. (Some of these people ask how to use Twitter...) Yes, it's an error page, and it says it is "having trouble finding the page". I don't get the confusion that could cause. If an obvious reference is boring, why did you complain about the use of fail which is subcultural as you put it?

catshirt 16y ago
i'm 22. it's not a generation gap and i'm aware of the virality of "fail" in general. i never suggested in what capacity it existed, just that i would consider it subcultural. even if you assume the extremity that everyone under 22 has heard "fail" to some extent- i'm quite sure they are not Google's primary audience for this product. i do realize this is not an acute analogy, but allow me to close with a sobering reminder of the truth. google asks: "what is a browser?" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MwTvtyrUQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4MwTvtyrUQ