More than the files are corrupted
$3.95 may buy you time at Corrupted-Files.com, but the costs don't end there
By Paul McNamara on Tue, 06/16/09 - 4:00pm.
What could be more frustrating than a corrupted Word file? How about not having one handy when your term paper or work project is due ... but alarmingly incomplete?
If you're not getting the connection off hand, check out Corrupted-Files.com, a Web site dedicated to the dubious notion that anything worth achieving in life is worth cheating to accomplish. For a mere $3.95 credit-card payment (careful there, kids) the anonymous proprietor promises deadline deadbeats a thoroughly corrupted Word, Excel or Powerpoint file with the following instructions:
Step 1: After purchasing a file, rename the file e.g. Mike_Final-Paper.
Step 2: Email the file to your professor along with your "here's my assignment" email.
Step 3: It will take your professor several hours if not days to notice your file is "unfortunately" corrupted. Use the time this website just bought you wisely and finish that paper!!!
While not exactly the Oprah seal of approval, Corrupted-Files.com was recently featured on the New York Times Web site, making its homepage plea to "Keep this site a secret" more meaningless than cheeky. Moreover, the site is already on the radar of academia as yet another easy way out for the less-than-diligent crowd.
I sent the operator of Corrupted-Files.com a number of questions both via e-mail and the site's Web form.
I didn't get a reply ... not even a corrupted one.
However, the Web site Inside Higher Ed did manage to get this response from the fellow:
Inside Higher Ed e-mailed the site's proprietor via e-mail and learned the following (obviously not verifiable, and the site owner did not give a name, nor is one listed on the site's registration). The site was created in December "as a goof" by its owner.
"I didn't think anyone would actually pay for an excuse but lo and behold.... It was never meant to sell one file but I get about 3-4 downloads a day (over 10 a day during finals) and don't advertise the site," the owner wrote back. "I used the corrupted file excuse back in my college days (I'm 25) as I started my first business at 19 so I didn't have much time to do my schoolwork. When I couldn't get an extension, I sent my professors a corrupted file to buy me time. I know this was not the most ethical thing but as a young entrepreneur, I did not have much of a choice as I valued my employees well above my academics."
Ah, excuses.
The good news here, if there is any, is that the teaching profession is getting hip to tricks such as corrupted files, at least according to an undergrad at my alma mater who left this comment on the Times article: "I am a student at Northeastern and now most of my teachers insist on handing in a hard copy, so we can't 'blame' the Internet."
(Update: Those of you who believe buying corrupted files is a dumb idea -- and it's clear many of you do -- may enjoy this slideshow: "The 10 Dumbest Tech Products So Far.")
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My students can't get by with that. They have almost the entire week of finals to submit their assignments, (until Friday at noon). I at least open every file each evening just to make sure I can read it. So as long as they get them to my by Thursday they have the chance to resend it, or print it if there is a problem.
If they choose to wait until Friday at noon and the file is corrupt? Too bad. (Of course my soft heart has granted some delays in special circumstances. I just sound grouchy to try and scare them into submitting their assignments early.)
Extension or Fail?
If you try something like this, you could just as easily end up with a fail.
It relies on the idea that you submit your papers via e-mail, and that your prof isn't privy to this scam or actually cares.
A lot of profs would just give you a FAIL for it not working, with the less tech savvy or kinder possibly contacting you about it not working.
Breeding Corruption!
I think that you should introduce penalty percentage point deductions. This was the standard I was up against.
Wow stew
You're so hardcore. Goddamn. The next generation is smarter than you, you just don't know it.
They are smarter than me.
They are smarter than me now. I just don't cut em any slack if they use it against me. They may be smarter but I hold the power of the grade!
how about sending your teacher a trojan virus?
Sending a trojan virus will disable his/her computer, long enough buy you a few more days. Most faculty don't bother to update their virus definitions anyway. Nor do they bother to install OS updates.
yes but...
Doesn't work if your instructor is also an IT professional that is anal about backups and security. Trying something like that could get you expelled.
Wouldn't work at my school
I went to Georgia Tech. If we submitted an unreadable file, we failed. Of course, we could track our submissions to see how they would appear to the professor.
the children of today are
the children of today are much smarter than their predecessors. think about the combination of an i-phone with 3G internet access and a class with 300 students.
This will work on...
There is no doubt that this will work on 95% of tenured teachers and professors that have been mailing in the last 5-10 years of their careers.
Professor Switzer, I'm looking in your direction.
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