Editorial: Xbox 360 Cracking Discs? Solution? Spam Microsoft, of course!

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An article of the absurd, today, since I’ve got a lot going on. Not only is there a forum nerd out there who thinks that the Xbox 360 is cracking his discs, he thinks that the best solution to his problem is to perform an “Executive Email Carpet Bomb” (EECB). Basically, the idea is that you flood the email of all of the “figure head people” (who, “executive” or not, generally have among the least power of helping you out). You basically spam them to death, in hopes that they will surrender to your will. It has proven successful, I believe… NEVER.

First of all, I have heard absolutely no reports of the 360 “cracking” discs. Some others lump it in with the disc scratching, but I have to believe that it’s the behavior of the user that results in cracked discs. The pictures posted in the Penny-Arcade forums show that the discs always crack in a similar position. Once the game disc is in the tray it’s spinning at upwards of 7200 RPM’s (estimated 12x DVDROM speed). It’s statistically impossible to cause a crack in the same place every time. However, if you’re anal retentive enough to put your discs back in their case facing the same exact way every time, and instinctively pull them from the DVD packaging the same way every time, there’s a very good chance your cracks will be in the same place. If you learn to press down on the on the center ring of the package, rather than pull at the edges of the disc, you probably won’t crack them.

Rather than people just thinking that maybe this guy has his own set of problems to worry about, the Jergens toting jagoffs over at the The Consumerist are encouraging EECB workarounds. Here’s hoping Microsoft’s spam filters hold up and they never even catch wind of this loser looking for a handout. Go buy your games again, and learn how DVD packaging works.