A collection of bizarre, funny or obscure bugs in our software and hardware
148
78 commits
updated Sep 6, 2026
============ Awesome Bugs ============ This repository contains a collection of "awesome", funny, obscure or unfortunate bugs in our software or hardware. Some day it may become a talk. Or perhaps a blarg post. The Bugs -------- * `Open Office Won't Print on Tuesdays <https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cupsys/+bug/255161>`_ * `We Can't Send Email Farther Than 500 Miles <http://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail.html>`_ (and its `FAQ <https://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail-faq.html>`_) * `Bedlam DL3 <https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/me-too/610643>`_ * `Print This File, Your Printer Will Jam <https://nedbatchelder.com/blog/200811/print_this_file_your_printer_will_jam.html>`_ * `Pokemon Sword and Shield are Crashing Roku Devices <https://gamerant.com/pokemon-sword-shield-roku-device-crash/>`_ * `I Can't Install Python Packages In Portugal. Disable IPv6 to Fix <https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/5374>`_ * `GitHub Satanically Messing With Markdown - Changes 666 to DCLXVI <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/44619165/github-satanically-messing-with-markdown-changes-666-to-dclxvi?rq=1>`_ * `The Infinite Loop That Wasnt <https://mgba.io/2020/01/25/infinite-loop-holy-grail/>`_ * Ocarina of Time, any% -- all of it * `MacBook Pro Runs Hot When Charged On the Right Side and Not Left <https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/363337/how-to-find-cause-of-high-kernel-task-cpu-usage/363933#363933>`_ * `Python 2 Can't Compile Bytecode Past 2038 <https://bugs.python.org/issue34990>`_ (The `Year 2038 Problem <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem>`_) * `IRS Site Only Delivers Stimulus Status When COERCED <https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-04-27/irs-website-hack-coronavirus-stimulus-checks-all-caps>`_ * `Reboot Your Boeing 787 Every 248 Days <https://ioactive.com/reverse-engineers-perspective-on-the-boeing-787-51-days-airworthiness-directive/>`_ (and maybe `reboot your Windows 98 <https://web.archive.org/web/20060623143454/http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q216641&>`_ too). * `Tay, The Racist AI Bot <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tay_(bot)>`_ * `Nuclear Gandhi <https://medium.com/4thought-studios/gandhi-and-the-nuclear-option-32c8fa251280>`_ * `pytest Hangs Forever Every 50th or 150th or ...th Run <http://skybert.net/python/python-pytest-hangs-forever/>`_ * `How I Cut GTA Online Loading Times by 70% <https://nee.lv/2021/02/28/How-I-cut-GTA-Online-loading-times-by-70/>`_ * `The Racist Soap Dispenser <https://twitter.com/nke_ise/status/897756900753891328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>`_ * `The Zune Bug on 2008-12-31 <http://bit-player.org/2009/the-zune-bug>`_ * `The Commodore 64 locked up if the cursor was red but not if it was purple, so make sure you use the right color before starting to program <https://retrocomputing.stackexchange.com/questions/20438/how-did-the-c64-lockup-bug-and-its-workarounds-work>`_ * A Haskell Compiler, Albeit a Dev Version, `Really Really Wants Your Code to Type Check <https://gitlab.haskell.org/ghc/ghc/-/issues/163>`_ * Dwarf Fortress `kills cats <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yWf6BHqiWM>`_ (`creator interview here <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAhHkJQ3KgY>`_) * `A strangely long second on 1927-12-31 in Shanghai <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6841333/why-is-subtracting-these-two-times-in-1927-giving-a-strange-result/>`_ * `Using OCR to Fix a Hilarious Bug <https://artsy.github.io/blog/2015/11/05/Using-OCR-To-Fix-A-Hilarious-Bug/>`_ * `Seattle Mazda drivers can't change the radio dial <https://www.kuow.org/stories/we-didn-t-mean-to-ruin-your-mazda-s-stereo>`_ * `All you need for Russell's paradox is a big enough universe <https://github.com/agda/agda/issues/5706>`_ * `Janet Jackson had the power to crash laptop computers <https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20220816-00/?p=106994>`_ (with a `CVE <https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2022-38392>`_, an `Adam Neely video <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y3RGeaxksY>`_ and a `follow-up by 99% Invisible <https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/mini-stories-volume-15/3/>`_) * `One pixel to make a bus look like a bear? <https://arxiv.org/abs/1710.08864>`_ * `Pentium FDIV Bug <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_FDIV_bug>`_ * `Debugging an evil Go runtime bug with an heat gun <https://marcan.st/2017/12/debugging-an-evil-go-runtime-bug/>`_ * `print(“lol”) doubled the speed of my Go function <https://medium.com/@ludirehak/printing-lol-doubled-the-speed-of-my-go-code-e32e02fc3f92>`_ * `Reptar in your CPU <https://lock.cmpxchg8b.com/reptar.html>`_ * `Gusto's Weirdest Bug <https://engineering.gusto.com/the-weirdest-bug-ive-seen-yet/>`_ * `I broke IKEA <https://cohost.org/sirocyl/post/2891449-i-broke-ikea>`_ * `Why does man print "gimme gimme gimme" at 00:30? <https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/405783/why-does-man-print-gimme-gimme-gimme-at-0030>`_ * `Even Ada Lovelace's very first program has a bug! <https://twobithistory.org/2018/08/18/ada-lovelace-note-g.html>`_ * `Ubuntu MATE shows an oversized cropped United Nations flag in the panel after a system update <https://ubuntu-mate.community/t/how-to-fix-strange-un-united-nations-flag-logo-emblem-icon-issue/27449>`_ * `Cursor IDE support hallucinates lockout policy, causes user cancellations <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43683012>`_ Other Kind-of-Similar Lists --------------------------- * `Dan Luu's Debugging Stories <https://github.com/danluu/debugging-stories>`_ * `Bug Stories by "500 Mile Email" <https://500mile.email/>`_ * `umutphp's Famous Bugs <https://github.com/umutphp/famous-bugs>`_ * `Wikipedia's List of Software Bugs <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_software_bugs>`_ * `Russell Davidson's Specification Gaming Examples in AI <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vRPiprOaC3HsCf5Tuum8bRfzYUiKLRqJmbOoC-32JorNdfyTiRRsR7Ea5eWtvsWzuxo8bjOxCG84dAg/pubhtml>`_ * `Adversarial Machine Learning <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adversarial_machine_learning>`_ Contributing ------------ If you know of a bug that should be on this list, please do send a pull request! My bias in the list is towards bugs that are more "how is that even possible" kinds of bugs than pure "face-palming" bugs, though sometimes the line between the two is blurry. But e.g., the Gemini 5 spacecraft crashed because it had the wrong value for an important constant used to fly it -- a terrible and critical bug, but not one for the list above. The bias is also towards technical detail, so bug reports over storytelling. If there are both available for a particular bug, definitely include the bug report and diagnosis. But any bug so interesting it's questionable for inclusion is worth considering!
Not written in Markdown, so it's shown here as plain text — view it formatted on GitHub.
24 followers · starred Aug 2022
19 followers · starred Mar 2021
A collection of bizarre, funny or obscure bugs in our software and hardware
148
78 commits
updated Sep 6, 2026
============ Awesome Bugs ============ This repository contains a collection of "awesome", funny, obscure or unfortunate bugs in our software or hardware. Some day it may become a talk. Or perhaps a blarg post. The Bugs -------- * `Open Office Won't Print on Tuesdays <https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/cupsys/+bug/255161>`_ * `We Can't Send Email Farther Than 500 Miles <http://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail.html>`_ (and its `FAQ <https://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail-faq.html>`_) * `Bedlam DL3 <https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/exchange/me-too/610643>`_ * `Print This File, Your Printer Will Jam <https://nedbatchelder.com/blog/200811/print_this_file_your_printer_will_jam.html>`_ * `Pokemon Sword and Shield are Crashing Roku Devices <https://gamerant.com/pokemon-sword-shield-roku-device-crash/>`_ * `I Can't Install Python Packages In Portugal. Disable IPv6 to Fix <https://github.com/pypa/pip/issues/5374>`_ * `GitHub Satanically Messing With Markdown - Changes 666 to DCLXVI <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/44619165/github-satanically-messing-with-markdown-changes-666-to-dclxvi?rq=1>`_ * `The Infinite Loop That Wasnt <https://mgba.io/2020/01/25/infinite-loop-holy-grail/>`_ * Ocarina of Time, any% -- all of it * `MacBook Pro Runs Hot When Charged On the Right Side and Not Left <https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/363337/how-to-find-cause-of-high-kernel-task-cpu-usage/363933#363933>`_ * `Python 2 Can't Compile Bytecode Past 2038 <https://bugs.python.org/issue34990>`_ (The `Year 2038 Problem <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_2038_problem>`_) * `IRS Site Only Delivers Stimulus Status When COERCED <https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-04-27/irs-website-hack-coronavirus-stimulus-checks-all-caps>`_ * `Reboot Your Boeing 787 Every 248 Days <https://ioactive.com/reverse-engineers-perspective-on-the-boeing-787-51-days-airworthiness-directive/>`_ (and maybe `reboot your Windows 98 <https://web.archive.org/web/20060623143454/http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q216641&>`_ too). * `Tay, The Racist AI Bot <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tay_(bot)>`_ * `Nuclear Gandhi <https://medium.com/4thought-studios/gandhi-and-the-nuclear-option-32c8fa251280>`_ * `pytest Hangs Forever Every 50th or 150th or ...th Run <http://skybert.net/python/python-pytest-hangs-forever/>`_ * `How I Cut GTA Online Loading Times by 70% <https://nee.lv/2021/02/28/How-I-cut-GTA-Online-loading-times-by-70/>`_ * `The Racist Soap Dispenser <https://twitter.com/nke_ise/status/897756900753891328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw>`_ * `The Zune Bug on 2008-12-31 <http://bit-player.org/2009/the-zune-bug>`_ * `The Commodore 64 locked up if the cursor was red but not if it was purple, so make sure you use the right color before starting to program <https://retrocomputing.stackexchange.com/questions/20438/how-did-the-c64-lockup-bug-and-its-workarounds-work>`_ * A Haskell Compiler, Albeit a Dev Version, `Really Really Wants Your Code to Type Check <https://gitlab.haskell.org/ghc/ghc/-/issues/163>`_ * Dwarf Fortress `kills cats <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yWf6BHqiWM>`_ (`creator interview here <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAhHkJQ3KgY>`_) * `A strangely long second on 1927-12-31 in Shanghai <https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6841333/why-is-subtracting-these-two-times-in-1927-giving-a-strange-result/>`_ * `Using OCR to Fix a Hilarious Bug <https://artsy.github.io/blog/2015/11/05/Using-OCR-To-Fix-A-Hilarious-Bug/>`_ * `Seattle Mazda drivers can't change the radio dial <https://www.kuow.org/stories/we-didn-t-mean-to-ruin-your-mazda-s-stereo>`_ * `All you need for Russell's paradox is a big enough universe <https://github.com/agda/agda/issues/5706>`_ * `Janet Jackson had the power to crash laptop computers <https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20220816-00/?p=106994>`_ (with a `CVE <https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2022-38392>`_, an `Adam Neely video <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y3RGeaxksY>`_ and a `follow-up by 99% Invisible <https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/mini-stories-volume-15/3/>`_) * `One pixel to make a bus look like a bear? <https://arxiv.org/abs/1710.08864>`_ * `Pentium FDIV Bug <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_FDIV_bug>`_ * `Debugging an evil Go runtime bug with an heat gun <https://marcan.st/2017/12/debugging-an-evil-go-runtime-bug/>`_ * `print(“lol”) doubled the speed of my Go function <https://medium.com/@ludirehak/printing-lol-doubled-the-speed-of-my-go-code-e32e02fc3f92>`_ * `Reptar in your CPU <https://lock.cmpxchg8b.com/reptar.html>`_ * `Gusto's Weirdest Bug <https://engineering.gusto.com/the-weirdest-bug-ive-seen-yet/>`_ * `I broke IKEA <https://cohost.org/sirocyl/post/2891449-i-broke-ikea>`_ * `Why does man print "gimme gimme gimme" at 00:30? <https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/405783/why-does-man-print-gimme-gimme-gimme-at-0030>`_ * `Even Ada Lovelace's very first program has a bug! <https://twobithistory.org/2018/08/18/ada-lovelace-note-g.html>`_ * `Ubuntu MATE shows an oversized cropped United Nations flag in the panel after a system update <https://ubuntu-mate.community/t/how-to-fix-strange-un-united-nations-flag-logo-emblem-icon-issue/27449>`_ * `Cursor IDE support hallucinates lockout policy, causes user cancellations <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43683012>`_ Other Kind-of-Similar Lists --------------------------- * `Dan Luu's Debugging Stories <https://github.com/danluu/debugging-stories>`_ * `Bug Stories by "500 Mile Email" <https://500mile.email/>`_ * `umutphp's Famous Bugs <https://github.com/umutphp/famous-bugs>`_ * `Wikipedia's List of Software Bugs <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_software_bugs>`_ * `Russell Davidson's Specification Gaming Examples in AI <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vRPiprOaC3HsCf5Tuum8bRfzYUiKLRqJmbOoC-32JorNdfyTiRRsR7Ea5eWtvsWzuxo8bjOxCG84dAg/pubhtml>`_ * `Adversarial Machine Learning <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adversarial_machine_learning>`_ Contributing ------------ If you know of a bug that should be on this list, please do send a pull request! My bias in the list is towards bugs that are more "how is that even possible" kinds of bugs than pure "face-palming" bugs, though sometimes the line between the two is blurry. But e.g., the Gemini 5 spacecraft crashed because it had the wrong value for an important constant used to fly it -- a terrible and critical bug, but not one for the list above. The bias is also towards technical detail, so bug reports over storytelling. If there are both available for a particular bug, definitely include the bug report and diagnosis. But any bug so interesting it's questionable for inclusion is worth considering!
Not written in Markdown, so it's shown here as plain text — view it formatted on GitHub.
24 followers · starred Aug 2022
19 followers · starred Mar 2021
