Errors and Inclusions

Oops.

This has got to be the most memorable and humorous error screen I have ever received.  I assume this screen is reserved for the extreme and unexpected system errors (losing a server, etc.)   If it's the only error message, the lack of contextual and timeline information may get a little annoying.  But as a final fall back, it's brilliant. 

Kudos to the Bloglines folks.  Brings some humanity back to these dastardly devices we are all addicted to.

P.S.  If you use BlogLines, get the latest Firefox!  It finally integrates BlogLines (along with some other like Google Reader).

Sigh. Please upgrade to IE.

This is a common and avoidable mistake - error pages that demand a certain browser for simple content.  While it's arguably legitimate to demand a specific technology for advanced functionality, I was simply trying to access the "contact us" page. 

The part that really got under my skin was the offer to upgrade to the latest "Netscape Navigator" browser.  Are you kidding??  This highlights the importance of error messages and how they deserve to be continually reviewed.  Something we all could use to remember as it's never a priority on any project.  Myself included.

All of this is because Starbucks is using IE specific javascript to protect their email address from SPAM.  A simple mistake, and one that can be easily rectified.  If you can get through to the contact page and let them know, that is.  ;)

What really surprised me was that Starbucks would not recognize the number of Mac types frequenting their organization (designers, agency types, programmers, etc.). Perhaps they don't have statistics on this?  Or maybe we're hidden?  Or maybe they just don't have the ability to test on this platform?

Note: I did finally contact them from a Virtual Machine on my Mac.  And people wonder why I get so little done in a day.