from Hacker News

Is the error code 404 Not Found based on a room at CERN or not? (2017)

by hoyd on 8/19/23, 7:22 PM with 8 comments

  • by NoZebra120vClip on 8/20/23, 6:45 AM

    When I started mudding around 1990, the first server's TCP port number was chosen by its wizard/admin as a significant office room number at CMU. I believe it was his own office, if I'm not mistaken. And, not long afterwards, the other great well-known MUD port number was chosen by its administrator as 6250, which was the data density of the tape reels he worked with as a backup operator.

    Of course, MUD admins the world 'round have always chosen interesting and diverse port numbers for their servers, which were quite often rogue and unsanctioned. Even a server admin would choose a "non-privileged" port above 1024, because the server didn't need to run as root.

    Another interesting factoid I recently learned is that Wikidata, with its integer assignments for item IDs, has a few Easter-egg type items such as: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42

    My recent visit to a mental institution was an interesting game of room numbers. I was in a ward where they were all 3-digits beginning with 6. My father over the phone said "You must be on the sixth floor!" and I said "no, dad, I'm in the mental ward." And the room numbers counted right up to 665, followed by a mysterious unnumbered door. We chatted about what this could mean in the day room. The other hospital I've visited, I decided, is straight-up satanic in architecture and numerology. As I measured out the rooms and counted all the numbers, I decided that it was having the desired effect, and tried not to think of it anymore. But, I'm confident that these are deliberate architectural decisions by the builders, for whatever purpose, whether to convince us of our own sanity, or remind us of the dire situation we've got into.

    If Room 404 really does not exist at CERN, then that makes it logical and appropriate, yes?

  • by wizofaus on 8/19/23, 8:09 PM

    It would be slightly more amusing if room 418 turned out to be where the coffee machine was after all.

  • by https443 on 8/19/23, 7:29 PM

    The submitted link itself is 404 .. funny

  • by Terr_ on 8/19/23, 8:22 PM