Forum technical glitch...?

[Squirminator2k]

I've had a rather strange rendering bug occur when I've visited the forum. Instead of display the page in full, it appears to stop part-way and begin vomiting random text on the screen instead. It first happened to me in the Bizarre Angle thread [like so (http://stuff.benpaddon.co.uk/zounds2.jpg)] and then again in the "can't run games" thread [like so (http://stuff.benpaddon.co.uk/zounds1.jpg)] (the can't run games snap is an amalgamation of two screenshots showing the entirety of the page as it rendered, which explains the two scrollbars on the left hand side...)

Any idea what could be causing this phenomenon?

[CyberShadow]

That looks like... compression errors? overlapping data?

Does it still happen? If yes, does it happen from another computer?

[Squirminator2k]

The latest one happened today, so yes. I get it on my work computer (Win XP Pro under Internet Explorer 6) and my home computer (Vista Home Premium under Firefox).

[thomasp]

I've never seen anything like that. Could be the database momentarily decided it didn't like you.

[Squirminator2k]

But it happens fairly regularly. At least once a day.

[CyberShadow]

Do you use the same ISP at home / work? Might be a link problem...

I'll add that this garbage is unlike anything I've seen. Parts of the page - symbols, words, fragments - are scattered together. If you look closer, you might even see some meaning in it, as if something's trying to communicate using garbage data... but that's probably just me :P

I would be quite interested in finding out the exact cause of this...

[Squirminator2k]

At home, my ISP is Time Warner who are notoriously silt. At work... well, it's Disney.

[thomasp]

That's a strange one...

If it was a glitch with the forum, it would be happening with more users. Does it happen with threads in the T17 forum category (news/announcements/updates) - if so, empty your cache and see if it happens when you're logged out as well. Or is it just limited to a couple of threads?

[bonz]

Move back to the UK? :rolleyes:

[Squirminator2k]

:O

I don't know why I didn't think of it before!

[Plainplane]

Can you post a link to the threads that you have had problems with?

Plainplane :)

[Squirminator2k]

It isn't specific threads - it just happens. It happens again in the "bugs in wa" thread. [See (http://stuff.benpaddon.co.uk/zoundsbug.jpg)]!

[thomasp]

'tis a strange'un.

Does it go when you refresh the page?

[Squirminator2k]

In most cases, yes. Although I usually find myself unable to use the Quick Reply box for around fifteen minutes afterwards.

[SomePerson]

Have you considered that you might be a bogon emitter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_bogodynamics)?;)

[thomasp]

It's quite strange that you're the only person this has reportedly happened to, but you also get it to happen on other computers.

[CyberShadow]

Indeed.

Could you save a page with all its contents next time it happens?

[bonz]

S2K, did that problem occur before, when you still were in the UK?
Did you get it on your old machine?

[Plasma]

Well, something like that did happen to me once or twice, but it was only text instead of the quick reply at the bottom of the page. Nothing as big as your one.

[Plainplane]

I just experienced a strange rendering issue today.
http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/9033/forumgoesmadgx0.jpg

Plainplane :)

[Squirminator2k]

So it's not just me, then...

[thomasp]

It must just be the server having momentary hissy fits. Plainplane's screenshot shows it's not a fault with a specific skin, as S2K uses the retro skin (as shown earlier). I use Safari, same as PlainPlane and have never seen these problems, so it's not browser specific either.

I'm confused :confused: