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UK Ministry of Defense Broken by Spoof Video 574

Posted by timothy from the oopsie-daisy dept.
An anonymous reader submits "It seems that the Royal Dragoon Guards in Iraq decided to make a spoof of a Tony Christie video, which was recently re-released by Peter Kay for Comic Relief. However, the video file was over 50MB and it took out various e-mail systems, including those at RAF Strike Command. Despite the inadvertant denial of service attack, the MoD said the spoof was 'brilliant.'"
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UK Ministry of Defense Broken by Spoof Video More

UK Ministry of Defense Broken by Spoof Video

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  • Ouch (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @06:43AM (#12564683)
    Given the media coverage some poor sysadmin is going to get completely screwed...

    • Re:Ouch (Score:3, Funny)

      by gowen ( 141411 )
      No they're not. The MoD have basically said "It was a massively abnormal surge, and it was pretty damn funny", so everyone's going to get off scott-free.

      Which is good, because the video is hilarious. They showed bits of it on the BBC news last night.
  • So, can anyone provide details of a location we can get the video from?

  • What the hell? (Score:2, Offtopic)

    by Orgazmus ( 761208 )
    Why is the thread spammed by nazi proxies?

    • Re:What the hell? (Score:5, Funny)

      by nihilogos ( 87025 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @07:22AM (#12565099)
      Why is the thread spammed by nazi proxies?

      Well, imagine for a moment that you're an angry male teenager midway through puberty. And imagine that you're too spineless to become a real vandal, or a skate punk or something.

      One option that is open to you is to join an IRC channel and prattle on about how 31337 you are and how you will h4x0r t3h w3b.

      Unfortunately, you don't have any coding skills. You can, however, download some network scanner with instructions on how to scan for ports that web proxies like squid use. Normally these should be closed to everything but internal networks, but nobody's perfect.

      Once you've found one you update your browser settings to use said proxy and post stupid messages on slashdot. Since they're all coming from the ip address of the proxy server, the ip will be banned along with all the people who connect to the web with that proxy server. Then you go back to your IRC channel where you are the toast of the town for the next five minutes.

      Sadly, deep down you feel sad and unfufilled and, as the months go by, you realise that you are unlikley to ever have sex in your entire life.
  • It was pretty funny to. Lots of squaddies waving captured Iraqi AK47s in time to Tony Christie is always funny IMHO.

    No one fell over though. (joke that americans wont get)
  • This story seemed to hit all the major news outlets in the UK. I dont really know why.

    I have seen the video a few times as the news stations have been airing it too. Its mildly amusing and probably a more productive endevour for the squadies than shooting people (IMHO).

    I do advise agaist searching for the vid though. Its one of those songs that gets trapped in your brain and remains there for the day.

    Just reading this story has put it back into my head! Thanks!

    • Re:Seems like big news... (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Woman goes to the doctors and says "Ever time I remove my underwear, I keep hearing `Is the way to Amarillo'"

      Doctor says, "That's OK, every cunts singing that at the moment."

      /My sister told me that joke.

    • I do advise agaist searching for the vid though. Its one of those songs that gets trapped in your brain and remains there for the day.

      Oh, I've heard worse... [weebls-stuff.com] ;-)

      The above managed to stay in my head for the best part of a week, and should be capable of displacing absolutely anything. Amarillo has nothing in comparison.
    • This story seemed to hit all the major news outlets in the UK. I dont really know why.

      Simple really. The MOD needed to distract everybody away from that pillock Galloway showing up our country.

      He may be a lying thieving crook prepare to exploit sick children from the 3rd world, but his oratory makes him a very credible lying thieving crook.
    • I guess this is a British phenomena. I don't think I've ever heard the original in the US.

      But, a friend sent me a link to a torrent of the video. It's interesting just to see the conditions they are living in:

      Windows media, 640x480, 26.7 MB [tjworld.org]
      MPEG, 640x480, 29.0 MB [tjworld.org]

  • you'd have thought they have competant sysadmins which have a max filesize limit set on emails wouldnt you?

    on another note - the " im an open proxy, ban me " things are irritating me now :/ Pity slashdot doesnt let you define a regexp for text to ignore

  • brilliant (Score:5, Funny)

    by __aahlyu4518 ( 74832 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @06:58AM (#12564848)
    "the MoD said the spoof was 'brilliant.'"

    Which can not be said about the person who put a 50Mb attachment in his email.

    • Re:brilliant (Score:5, Insightful)

      by gowen ( 141411 ) <gwowen@gmail.com> on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @07:07AM (#12564958) Homepage Journal
      I imagine this happens all the time. When you get a load of married men, take them away from their families and dump them in a shithole army camp middle of the desert, where a significant proportion of the local population wants to kill them, it's in your interest to keep them sweet.

      One way to do that is to allow them to send lengthy video messages back home to their families.

      In such cases, it makes sense for compassionate considerations to trump technical considerations (and after all, it's only this freak occurence that's buggered it. The systems worked pretty well for the last two years.)
    • While it's a stupidity, it shows how today's technology is far behind of people's needs. Email is about sending things, and there is nothing conceptually wrong in wanting to send a 50 MB file if that's what you want to send. In my opinion, "mail servers" should only be used when the receiver is disconnected. If he's connected why don't send the video directly to him instead of going through a server?
      • Because email is not a persistant communication medium. Unlike IMs, where you maintain contact with the server, you only get emails when you ask for them.

    • Re:brilliant (Score:2, Insightful)

      by boot1973 ( 809692 )
      As it was probably a squaddie it seems fair to say that he may not be computer literate enough to know that the file was 50Mb or the impact it may cause. Then again could you go on 40 mile route marches across all terrains with full pack and still be capable of creating an effective firefight? We each have our strengths.
    • "the MoD said the spoof was 'brilliant.'"

      Which can not be said about the person who put a 50Mb attachment in his email.

      Or the mail admin who allowed 50MB attachments.

  • Kosovo (Score:3, Insightful)

    by bhima ( 46039 ) <Bhima.Pandava@DE ... com minus distro> on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @07:03AM (#12564912) Journal
    The was a film of Nato soliders spoofing the Beach Boy's song "Kokomo" on big-boys recently and it suddenly disapeared, shame really as it was quite funny.

  • Tsktsktsk.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Mister Impressive ( 875697 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @07:04AM (#12564919)
    they should've used YouSendit [yousendit.com] d:
    • This is completely off topic, but whats the catch?

      It appears to be a service that allows people to send large files to each other, with no advertising, or other cost attached.

      As the saying goes... if it seems too good to be true...
  • I watched BBC's streaming video clip from its article. Was it me or was it not funny? Maybe BBC didn't air the whole video clip or I missed the joke. :(
    • The BBC aired a couple of stills and a crapped up version of the music.

      Download the full version, it's very funny. Had me in stitches.

      When I saw the BBC cut down version yesterday i thought the same as you

  • Right... (Score:5, Funny)

    by -medeakun- ( 811380 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @07:35AM (#12565170)
    I got this in an e-mail, should clear some things up

    1. Start at London Heathrow Airport.
    2. Catch flight from London Heathrow to Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
    3. Hire car at Dallas Fort Worth Airport.
    4. Start going toward the "Airport Exit" on "International Parkway South" - follow for 0.2 miles.
    5. Bear left onto the highway toward "Terminal East Parking" - follow for 0.3 miles.
    6. Bear left onto "International Parkway North" toward "North Airport Exit" - follow for 2.9 miles.
    7. Take the "Highway 114 west" exit toward "Fort Worth" - follow for 29.2 miles
    8. Then continue on "US 287 North" - follow for 91.1 miles
    9."US 287 North" becomes "Interstate-44 east" - follow for 0.7 miles
    10. Take left fork onto "US-287 North" toward "Vernon" - follow for 104.0 miles
    11."US 287 north" becomes "Avenue F (US-287)" - follow for 2.8 miles
    12. Continue to follow "US 287 North" - follow for 104.9 miles
    13. Take left ramp onto "Interstate 40 west" toward "Dumas" - follow for 7.8 miles
    14. Take "Exit 70" onto "US 60 east" toward "Dumas" - follow for 0.5 miles
    15. Take the "Buchanan Street" exit toward "Dumas/Pampa" - follow for 1.7 miles
    16. Turn right onto "Old Route 66 (Interstate 40)" - follow for 0.1 miles
    17. Arrive at the centre of "Amarillo, Texas"

    That's the f*cking way to Amarillo
    SO CAN EVERYONE PLEASE STOP SINGING IT NOW!!!!!!!
    • Why drive? Amarillo has an airport served by Southwest Airlines. I dare say they do direct flights to Dallas (they certainly do to Houston).

      Actually, I don't know the point of that song. Amarillo is a fairly non-descript town. The only notable thing about it is there is a nuclear weapons storage facility there, plus a Bell-Textron facility where (at least a couple of years ago) they had a couple of Osprey powered-lift aircraft.
      • The other thing very nearby Amarillo that a lot of people seem to like is the Palo Duro Canyon. It's certainly not the grand canyon, but it's also nothing to shake a stick at. It's reputed to be the second largest canyon in the US.

        The Bell-Textron facility you are talking about has more than a couple of Ospreys. They make them there. :)

        I know these things because I grew up nearby Amarillo (about 50 miles away) and did a summer internship at the nuclear weapons facility you mention (Pantex). They do mo
        • I've been to Palo Duro canyon and camped in it (the reason I ever spent any time near Amarillo) and been stranded there for a night when the attitude indicator in my plane died and it was solid IFR conditions in Houston (and wound up having to get SouthWest back to HOU). So I've seen the Pantex plant close up, it's inconvieniently located right near the airport with prohibited airspace right around it meaning you have to carefully navigate the approach!

        • Re:Right... (Score:3, Funny)

          by karnal ( 22275 )
          but it's also nothing to shake a stick at.

          I agree. I shook a stick at it and it took my arm clean off!

          Bad canyon!
      • Can you think of another four syllable place name that rhymes with pillow? I know I can't.
      • Amarillo is a fairly non-descript town.

        Maybe, but just west on I-10 is Sweetwater, home of the annual Rattlesnake Roundup. Cue the singers: "O whacking day, o whacking day, Our hallowed snake-skull cracking day..."

      • ... they had a couple of Osprey powered-lift aircraft.

        Couldn't they use jet engines like everyone else?

        • Re: your sig
          -- I'm going to Scotland in September - what must I not miss?

          Depends whereabouts you're going to be. I'm a northern scot myself, so I'll give you some ideas for this end of the land

          Inverness makes a pretty good base to explore the highlands from. If you want to see the kind of stuff that usually gets portrayed in movies about Scotland - the moors, heather, rolling hills, all that kind of stuff, then you'll want to head to the west coast - the Inverness/Dingwall to Ullapool drive is nice and

      • Re:Right... (Score:4, Funny)

        by VAXcat ( 674775 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @10:42AM (#12566519)
        You forgot the coolest thing about Amarillo - it's where the world's biggest helium mine is. Over 90% of the helium ore mined in the world comes form the helium mine at Amarillo.
      • Why drive? Amarillo has an airport served by Southwest Airlines. I dare say they do direct flights to Dallas (they certainly do to Houston).

        Southwest Airlines flies out of Love Field (DAL), not DFW. So, a traveler would have to make their way from DFW to DAL (about 30 minutes, if the traffic is light) to catch a SWA flight.

        American Airllines operates regional jets from DFW to Amarillo. But, I doubt that would have been modded +5, Funny.

    • Re:Right... (Score:5, Funny)

      by jobsagoodun ( 669748 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @08:02AM (#12565243)
      My wife went to the doctor the other day and said "Doctor, doctor I was in the shower this morning and my vagina was singing 'show me the way to amarillo'". The doctor said "Don't worry, luv, every c*nts singing that at the moment".

    • Re:Right... (Score:3, Funny)

      by Speare ( 84249 )
      But do you know the way to San Jose?

      • Re:Right... (Score:2, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward
        But do you know the way to San Jose?

        No, but I can tell you how to get to Sesame St.

  • Correction (Score:5, Informative)

    by rpjs ( 126615 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @07:42AM (#12565187)
    It's the "UK Ministry of DefenCe", not "Defense".

    • Re:Correction (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Yeah, that tears it. No more Mr. Nice Guy. From now on it's Pearl Harbour.... you hear me yanks... Pearl HARBOUR.
    • It's the "UK Ministry of DefenCe", not "Defense".

      Don't be so poduntic.

      • Re:Correction (Score:5, Informative)

        by WIAKywbfatw ( 307557 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @09:31AM (#12565791) Journal
        Sorry, I know there are transatlantic spelling differences but I doubt even Americans spell "pedantic" as "poduntic". Time you buy yourself a dictionary.

        And, for the record, it is The Ministry of Defence, not The Ministry of Defense. I'm British, but I'd never refer to the US's equivalent, the DOD, as the Department of Defence. It's called respecting other cultures, you know?
        • Well said.

          (repeat after me UK /.ers:)

          Whose bloody language is it anyway?

          If it was meant to be spelled the American way it'd bloody well be *called* American, not English.

          Ah, the hours of fun I have at home, seeing as my wife is both American and a sociolinguist and so has some rather diverging views from the above...

        • Re:Correction (Score:2, Funny)

          by Xoro ( 201854 )

          It's called respecting other cultures, you know?

          Yup, it's all about respect. Good thing nobody in Britain would every do that [bbc.co.uk].

          From ruling the waves to whining about disrespectful spelling. How the mighty have fallen...

          • From "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" to carpet bombing innocent women and children. From New World to a Brave New World.

            Please, don't start the "my country is better than your country" shit. It's a game that neither of us can truly win.

  • Modern tactics... (Score:5, Funny)

    by ArAgost ( 853804 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @08:32AM (#12565373) Homepage
    Slashdotting something before having it posted to Slashdot. Always be a step ahead your enemy!

  • The way to amarillo? Step out my front door. (Score:5, Funny)

    by StormyWeather ( 543593 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @09:07AM (#12565602) Homepage
    I like Amarillo, TX. It's a good place to live, but it's not nearly as hick'ish anymore as folks in England want it to be when they get here after winning one of those radio station contests. I mean most duallys don't even have a 5th wheel hitch anymore, the belt buckles have shrunk well below the 8 inch radius, heck we only bury Caddilacs half way [libertysoftware.be] now.
  • Did you catch the guy with the white cane? :-)
    • That cane is probably used for carefully probing the ground so he doesn't become a Spread All Over The Landscape soldier. I did notice the ones with cigarettes. Don't they know that's dangerous?

  • At least... (Score:3, Funny)

    by lawpoop ( 604919 ) on Wednesday May 18, 2005 @09:45AM (#12565911) Homepage Journal
    ... it took out various e-mail systems... the MoD said the spoof was 'brilliant.'"

    At least the Message of the Day wasn't lost!

  • How long before the RIAA wake up to this story and start suing soldiers in Iraq?

    Kids, grannies, soldiers, what's the difference? :-)

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