# Bad Coding

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-coding/75451>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [August 8, 2001, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-coding/75451 "2001-08-08T14:44:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jonfromdenver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-coding/75451/1 "2001-08-08T14:44:37Z")

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Today’s (8/8) column (a classic pulled from the books about the “Taos hum”), has an open-ended link on it, causing half of the text on the page to appear as a blue link. Now let’s think about this…the Straight Dope is trying to eliminate stupidity and yet makes stupid coding errors such as this? I smell hypocrisy.  
Jon from Denver

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**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-coding/75451/2 "2001-08-08T16:56:30Z")

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I don’t see it. So either  
a) The error has been fixed, or  
b) jonfromdenver is light-headed due to the thin mountain air. Come and join us in the lowlands for more oxygen!

(switching to automatic mode)

Welcome to the SDMB, and thank you for posting your comment.

Please include a link to Cecil’s column if it’s on the straight dope web site. To include a link, it can be as simple as including the web page location in your post (make sure there is a space **before** and **after** the text of the URL).

Cecil’s column can be found on-line at this link:  
[What’s the story with the Taos hum? (Week of: 18-Dec-98)](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/981218.html)

* * *

moderator, «[**Comments on Cecil’s Columns**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1)»

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**Author:** ![jonfromdenver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2001, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-coding/75451/3 "2001-08-08T17:16:36Z")

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yes, it is now fixed, so i guess i was the only one to check in early enough to see it. and no, the thin-air doesn’t affect my thinking, but i am going up north to st. paul MN, tonight, so i’ll be sure to get my yearly dose of oxygen. 🙂

jon

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**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2001, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-coding/75451/4 "2001-08-09T22:33:54Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by jonfromdenver \*  
> \*\*yes, it is now fixed, so i guess i was the only one to check in early enough to see it. and no, the thin-air doesn’t affect my thinking, but i am going up north to st. paul MN, tonight, so i’ll be sure to get my yearly dose of oxygen. 🙂
> 
> jon \*\*

No,you weren’t the only one. The tag for the anchor wasn’t closed properly. It made the entire rest of the story look like a link. I hopped in here to mention it, and saw that you already had, so didn’t worry about it. I didn’t check back to read the story because the bright blue link taking up over three-quarters of the story is a major pain to read.

Steven