The 404s in Our Lives

If you are regular surfer of the Net, a 404 screen is one which you would have occasionally come across. It basically means that while your computer was able to communicate with the intended server, the page that you requested could not be found. And that means your surfing experience has been interrupted. It's kind of annoying, this 404 thingy.

But if you come to think of it, 404 is not confined to the cyber realm. Our lives are dotted with 404s too...

404 Page Not Found is very irritating. It is annoying because your anticipations are dashed, especially so if there is very little info on the subject that you are looking for. Then as you peruse the list and come across its accompanying brief, your hope hits a high because you think you have it! You click the link and the infamous ERROR 404 - PAGE NOT FOUND appears. That's when frustration hits cos it's like having a candy in your hand and not being able to eat it. It can be likened to coitus interruptus!!! LOL!

We get different responses for 404; from both ends of the spectrum, the extreme nonchalant to very violent. Some people treat it as a minor inconvenience and move on. Others go hopping mad and there might be occassional slamming of the mouse or banging of the keyboard. Of coure in very extreme cases, the something gets smashed. In life too, our responses to the 404s that appear can be similar

But there are those who have turned the 404 ERROR into opportunities. At some point, someone came up with this idea of turning the 404s into something that benefits. And they turned it into a creative exercise....

... of branding. In Batman lingo, this reminds us the whole paraphernalia world of Batman and Robin, in a way, maintaining presence even in an adverse situation, sort of an omni presence in the virtual world, popping up every now and then to remind, a marketeer's dream of perpetual marketing.

Sometimes, a 404 come with a humor injected...

... sometimes carving out a silent smile or even a chuckle or two. And they help to reduce the frown, lighten the tense moment. Life needs to be like that sometimes. In the face of adversity, smile or laugh at it.

Funny... how everything is related, from the sterile computing world of signals to real life. Even the workings of the tech world mimics our biological world. And like it too, there's the opposite effect as well.

Not all about 404 is negative. 404 can be a nice thing too...

This is an old photo from and old post... Order No 404 - Chicken-ala-Forestier, found at the former RKC Restaurant. It used to be a favourite among many club members. The restaurant has since then ceased to operate from the club, making many members reminisce about the good old restaurant. So 404 can be a good thing too... and rightly so too, cos sometimes by either coincidence or act of providence, you are spared of worse because of its appearance. Sometimes when 404 appears, it makes you pause and realign your priorities. 404s can be a second chance, or new lease. It pauses us, not quite in the deadlock way, but to prod us to move in another direction... sort of like a dead end but not quite one that is totally dead.

In the virtual world, a bump is called a 404. In the real world, it is known by many other names.... adversity, trials, tribulations, problems, worries, fear, torment, agony, distress, difficulty, trouble, etc, etc.... the 404s of life.