Having secret code words is a great way to get your friends to chuckle when you can't
say something rude in a crowd, and they're great for joking around in grade school.
But secret codes are actually used all the time in public, and you probably didn't realize
it.
Have you ever been called a treasured guest at Disneyland?
Hopefully not, because it isn't the compliment it sounds like.
The delightful label is actually how Disneyland workers refers to customers who are unpleasant
and difficult.
Bet you never knew Mickey could be so sneaky, huh?
Just goes to show, you never know what kind of face he's making behind that mask.
Some people have noticed this euphemism in action, but it's mainly employed for diplomatic
purposes rather than gossip.
Disneyland workers are forbidden from using insulting language due to all the kids around,
so calling the jerks "treasured guests" is a nice way to warn coworkers.
"Don't mind us, we're with the guide."
"We're with Cody."
"What are you apologizing for?
You're VIP, boy, own this!"
This isn't the only code word you'll hear at the world's most colorful, magical playground,
either.
For example, people who urinate in the swimming pool activate a "Code Winnie," because you
have to have a sense of humor about these things.
Broken rides are Code 101s, and fixed rides are Code 102s, and then there's also the so-called
"White Powder Alert".
It's not about cocaine, but it's even sadder.
It refers to when people attempt to spread a loved one's ashes on the park grounds, which
is illegal without Disneyland's permission.
And honestly, when Grandpa Robbie said he wanted his ashes sprinkled from the top of
the Matterhorn, he probably meant the real one in the Swiss Alps, not the roller coaster
imitation in Anaheim.
For a parent, there are very few things scarier than the threat of child abduction, and that's
why many big chain stores employ something called Code Adam.
This is activated when a parent reports that their kid has gone missing, at which point
associates will move to monitor the building's exits, watching carefully for any young ones
matching the lost child's description and any strange adults that might be with them.
The procedure was first adopted by Walmart in 1994, over a decade after a 6-year-old
boy named Adam Walsh was abducted at a Sears.
While the exact circumstances surrounding the boy's abduction have never been fully
explained, it seems likely that the adult lured him to the parking lot by promising
candy and toys: 16 days later, according to Time, part of Adam's remains were found in
a canal off the side of the Florida turnpike.
The alleged murderer, a serial killer named Ottis Toole, confessed to the murder and recanted
his confession before dying in 1996.
Adam's father, John Walsh, became a crusader for missing children.
He co-founded the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and most famously
spent years hosting America's Most Wanted.
A lot of crazy stuff goes down in hospitals.
Sure, the antics you see on medical TV shows like Grey's Anatomy are pretty divorced from
reality, but ask any nurse how their day was and you'll hear a whole cocktail of dramas,
near-catastrophes, and disputes.
Because emergencies aren't exactly uncommon in a place with a whole unit called the Emergency
Room, medical staff use all kinds of jargon to quickly convey information without alarming
the patients, and color codes are the standard.
For example, it is generally understood that "Code Blue" refers to cardiac arrest.
While heart attacks hopefully aren't a daily part of your home life, these instances are
frequent enough in health care settings that many facilities employ rapid response teams,
called "Blue Code" teams.
Of course, the precise meaning of Code Blue can vary depending on region or hospital.
For example, the Hospital Association of Southern California simply lists it as "adult medical
emergency."
Not all emergency codes are used so frequently, but they're usually fairly intuitive.
Code Red, for instance, refers to a possible fire in the building.
Code Pink refers to an infant being abducted.
Code Silver means a potentially hostile person is armed with a weapon.
You get the idea.
Face it, if there's one thing that tech-savvy geeks love to do, it's make fun of people
who don't know how to use their computers properly.
"What is it?"
"This, Jen, is the internet."
That may sound mean, but honestly, just imagine spending three hours Skyping with a furious,
screaming relative about how their computer won't turn on anymore, and hasn't turned on
for weeks…only to find out that it had been unplugged from the wall the whole time.
When you work in tech support, a sense of humor will become your lifeblood.
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
"Are you sure?"
"Yep."
When it comes time to diagnose customer problems that have nothing to do with their "stupid"
computers, tech workers will often communicate in codes that sound real but are actually
about the Luddite caller.
Try PEBKAC, an acronym standing for Problem Exists Between Keyboard and Chair.
Ouch.
There's also Code 18, which means the problem is 18 inches from the screen.
Bigger ouch.
Then, there's EEOC for Equipment Exceeds Operator Capabilities, and the meanest code word of
all is ID-10T, which means, well, once you see it, you understand.
Nobody enjoys flying, and that's because there's literally no part of the entire process that
is the least bit enjoyable.
"I'm sorry, I'm having a really hard time processing information right now."
"Yeah, we took sleeping pills."
"Just make your way over to gate 32."
"Okay."
It's a pain from the very beginning, especially the part where you have to go through security.
Between waiting in line, taking off your shoes, putting your laptop in a bin, and dealing
with the increasingly draconian baggage policies of airlines, it's no fun.
One thing that certainly makes it even worse, though, is when a TSA officer leaps in front
of you and yells, "Code Bravo, freeze!"
What's the deal?
Code Bravo signals a general security issue at the airport and can be employed by officials
as a way to scare travelers to make it easier to figure out who the troublesome party is.
Yes, really.
Basically, they want to shut down a checkpoint quickly and efficiently by making everybody…um,
freeze.
Fair enough.
According to the New York Times, though, this is often done during off-peak hours once or
twice annually as a simple training exercise so TSA officers will be ready to roll when
or if a real threat emerges.
Technically, if this happens to you, you're not legally required to do your best Mr. Freeze
impersonation, though you might get some mean looks if you don't stand still.
But hey, you're the one who bought the plane ticket and are spending 20 bucks on a dollar
menu hamburger at the airport, right?
Most of these codes are useful security measures.
This code, on the other hand, is a horrifying reminder that white supremacists are still
a danger to the world today.
While the numbers "14" and "88" might look innocuous enough, they're actually used as
a dog whistle for neo-Nazis.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the 14 refers to the so-called "Fourteen Words"
slogan, first written by white supremacy terrorist David Lane to summarize his disturbing, racist
worldview.
The 88 is based on H being the eighth letter of the alphabet, so 88 is supposed to stand
for "Heil Hitler."
These numbers, sometimes used apart, but usually together, signify a person's racist, white
supremacist viewpoints.
Variations of 1488 have been stealthily employed in tattoos, signs, and are often hidden within
a person's seemingly normal email address or social media handle, like 14JohnDoe88.
Once you know the code, it's terrifying to find it in unexpected places.
For instance, the Fare Network reported that certain Russian football fans with neo-Nazi
views came to a 2013 game wearing 1488 emblazoned on their T-shirts.
Another example is the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, who featured 1488 on his social media
cover photo.
These things are subtle, so keep an eye out.
When you're hitching a ride on the London Underground, you might occasionally hear staff
talking about a man named Inspector Sands, particularly if they're making an announcement
that he's needed in a certain room.
While this name brings to mind the image of a distinguished, monocled fellow who could
compete for the right to replace any of the characters in Clue, Inspector Sands is actually
just a code word so staff members can inform each other of a fire situation without alerting
the public.
It's not the same as yelling "fire" in a crowded theater, but it turns out that even casual
conversations about potential small fires can cause mass panics.
Hence, Sands to the rescue!
When the situation is defused, don't be surprised to hear an announcement that "Inspector Sands
has left the building."
The Independent confirmed that there are plenty of other code words used on the Tube, but
sadly, most of them use numbers instead of fun names and are mainly just cleaning directions
for the poor folks who have to mop up the grotesque messes found just about anywhere
humans frequent.
So when a janitor hears Code 1, they know they'll be wiping up blood, while Code 3 could
refer to vomit, and so on.
That's strangely both disgusting and boring.
As tedious as it sounds, new scientific advances are often made by taking a deep, hard look
at somebody else's published scientific results.
Whether you're debunking an old conclusion, proving it right, or building upon it, access
to that published research can be key.
Unfortunately, not every scientist has the dough to purchase the latest studies on a
particular subject, especially if they don't have a wealthy organization funding them.
What's a researcher to do?
Well, it's the 21st century, so the answer is to go on social media, post a link to the
paper you need, and write "I can haz PDF."
And then some other scientist who does have access will make a copy and send it over,
and the request will be deleted.
Sounds goofy, but it works.
According to the BBC, the tag was invented by cognitive scientist Andrea Kuszewski, based
on the popular "I can haz cheezburger" meme that often accompanied funny cat photos in
the early years of the internet.
Naturally, the publishers who hold the rights to these academic papers are pretty unhappy
about this science piracy and argue that such paper-swapping is illegal, but Kuszewski believes
that continuing the trend will change the way research papers are published, ideally
resulting in a more open-access future.
It's a lot faster than it used to be!
Unless you're a character in a slapstick comedy, falling off the side of a cruise ship is a
surefire way to ruin a family vacation.
This awful situation happens, though, so the various cruise ship companies out there have
all developed code words for the crew to use whenever a passenger falls off the side.
On Royal Caribbean cruise ships, the term "Code Oscar" is employed three times in quick
succession, followed by a location.
That means you'd be likely to hear something like,
"Code Oscar, Code Oscar, Code Oscar, off the starboard hull!"
...announced over the ship's radio system so all the crew can get involved in the rescue
effort.
Getting the word out quickly and without all the non-overboard passengers freaking out
also makes sure the vessel slows down and gives time for the crew to grab their gear.
Alternately, many other ships use a different signal that someone's gone over the side:
for some, it's three blasts on the ship's whistle, which is Morse code for the letter
O, followed by a vertical flare.
Other ships, according to the Telegraph, employ the code word "Mr. Mob" for "man overboard."
Now you're in the know.
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