Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by LaminatorX on Wednesday April 08 2015, @02:45AM   Printer-friendly
from the technical-foul dept.

Ars Technica reports

A second-tier German professional basketball team has been relegated to an even lower tier as a result of being penalized for starting a recent game late—because the Windows laptop that powered the scoreboard required 17 minutes to perform system updates.

The March 13 match between the Chemnitz Niners and the Paderborn Baskets was set to begin normally, when Paderborn (the host) connected its laptop to the scoreboard in the 90 minutes leading up to the game.

In an interview with the German newspaper, Die Zeit (Google Translate), Patrick Seidel, the general manager of Paderborn Baskets said that at 6:00pm, an hour and a half before the scheduled start time, the laptop was connected "as usual."

"But as both teams warmed up, the computer crashed," he said. "When we booted it again at 7:20pm, it started automatically downloading updates. But we did not initiate anything."

After all the updates were installed, Paderborn was ready to start the game at 7:55pm.

By the end of the match, Paderborn won 69-62. But then Chemnitz formally protested, saying that because Paderborn had delayed the start time of the match by 25 minutes (instead of the 15-minute maximum as allowed under the German basketball rules), they should be penalized. As a result, Paderborn lost another point in the standings (Google Translate), according to a Basketball Budesliga press release, which meant that it would certainly be relegated to the "ProB" league of German pro basketball.

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Thursday April 09 2015, @12:34PM

    by kaszz (4211) on Thursday April 09 2015, @12:34PM (#168291) Journal

    Move to another country where regulations are more business friendly?

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 1) by anubi on Friday April 10 2015, @01:04AM

    by anubi (2828) on Friday April 10 2015, @01:04AM (#168572) Journal

    That is definitely in the cards.

    For right now, I just want to get this running. Where the weather is such that I can develop and test this thing.

    I am so convinced this thing will work that I am devoting every resource I have left to it, and flat refuse to have anyone else involved. Especially investors.

    Once I have the whole thing known good design, I will then be free to take what resources I have left and reconstruct another one somewhere else. Out of the jurisdiction of the takers.

    I saw where in the old company I used to work for, there were like three people who "made it happen". Once the financial and government crowd got involved, the fire went out.

    Very few can kindle the fire of innovation. However, any entity funded by cash-rich entities such as the government or investment groups can hire the skills to put the fire out.

    Its also my belief that more than half of the people here on this forum have seen that same thing happen... personally.

    --
    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday April 10 2015, @01:26AM

      by kaszz (4211) on Friday April 10 2015, @01:26AM (#168578) Journal

      Guess the answer is to exclude, manage or deceive those entities?

      • (Score: 1) by anubi on Friday April 10 2015, @03:15AM

        by anubi (2828) on Friday April 10 2015, @03:15AM (#168615) Journal

        Exclude. They are about as helpful as tin whiskers on solder joints.

        --
        "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]