Join Jack Smith, a 25-year-plus IT veteran, as he takes you on a hilariously chilling journey through the wild world of tech mishaps. Each episode will leave you laughing and maybe crying a little as we navigate the absurdity of everyday tech disasters.In this podcast series we delve into the bizarre and often cringe-worthy world of IT mishaps, glitches, and the horror stories that come with it. With a sarcastic twist we recount the tales of those who somehow manage to create chaos out of the simplest tasks.Striking a balance between relatable frustration and dark humor that gets even the most cringe-inducing stories entertaining and you will find yourself laughing, cringing, and shaking their heads in disbelief as we take a wild ride through the chaotic world of IT, where every glitch is a ghost story waiting to be told.We choose not to have any subscription model nor sponsoring in order to keep our stories accessible for each and everyone. To support us please check our merchandise at shop.ithorrorstories.eu or buy us a coffee at ko-fi.com/ithorrorstories.
Some stories deserve more than a podcast episode alone. That’s why we created The Incident Log — the official blog of IT Horror Stories with Jack Smith. Here we go deeper into the incidents behind the episodes, sharing extra details, technical context, and the occasional behind-the-scenes insight that didn’t make it into the recording.From Shadow IT surprises and infrastructure mishaps to DDoS incidents, mainframe batch failures, and “temporary fixes” that somehow became production systems, The Incident Log captures the lessons, the chaos, and the reality of working in IT. If you enjoy the podcast, the blog is where the story continues — one incident report at a time.
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Disclaimer : The content of this podcast is intended for entertainment purposes only and is meant to humorously explore various tech-related situations. Any resemblance to actual events or real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. We ridicule situations, never individuals or groups. Listener discretion is advised, and we encourage everyone to approach technology with a sense of humor and an open mind.
Copyright 2024-2026 Jack Smith - hello at ithorrorstories dot eu - We do not use cookies, but do run some anonymized tracking via Fathom.
Quick links to individual episodes :
Jack's Rants:
Episode 1 : Our First Datacenter Fire
What happens when a data center goes up in smoke—literally? In this episode, we sift through the potential ashes of a not-so-great day. Join us as we chat about servers, batteries, paperwork and holidays, and the surprisingly flammable side of computing. It's a smoky mess, and we’re here for it.
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Episode 2 : Crashing Helsinki Airport
Join us as we explore the intersection of Nordic tech innovation, modern infrastructure, and the evolving world of DevOps : Finland ! From smart cities to smarter code and crashing airport parking systems with those nasty edge cases in your test scenario.
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Episode 3 : "Fun" With Domain Names
We’re unpacking the critical steps behind migrating a domain name — a process that can disrupt everything from search engine indexing and referral traffic to email deliverability and authentication.Together with an industry expert we explore the technical risks, from broken redirects to, yes — forgetting to update your SPF records and wondering why your emails end up in spam (don’t worry, you’re not the first).In the end it’s all about executing that clean, strategic transition that protects your visibility, performance, communications and a good night sleep.
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Episode 4 : IT and Global Politics
A pharmaceutical sales team is detained at an international border.On their tablets: standard product brochures that end up in an escalation into allegations of industrial espionage.In this episode, we unpack how a well-intentioned directive to preload sales materials onto devices as per strategic choices made in boardrooms can unravel on tarmacs and in detention rooms.Back home, the IT team is asleep—until the CIO calls in the middle of the night and it’s on IT to contain.
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Episode 5 : Paris Rooftops
Installing a 5G antenna on a rooftop in downtown Paris sounds simple enough - until reality sets in.In this episode, we walk thru the saga of a project that required not one, not two, but multiple site visits before the antenna finally worked as expected. Permits, building access, scheduling delays, unexpected power requirements - each visit brought a new twist, each delay a new story.Was it bureaucracy? Weather? Or just the uniquely French way of doing things?Join us on the rooftops of Paris for a tale of project planning, technical hurdles, and cultural aspects that turns a routine install into a mini-series of its own.
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Episode 6 : SAP Happens
SAP sits quietly at the heart of most global businesses, running everything from payroll to procurement, logistics to finance. It’s the system nobody brags about, but everybody depends on. And when someone says “just check SAP,” you know you’re in for more than a click or two.In this episode, we explore how SAP became the invisible backbone of enterprise life, why it inspires equal parts respect and frustration, and the strange comfort of knowing it’s always there—whether you want it to be or not. Because in the end, no matter the industry or the project… SAP happens.
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Episode 7 : Y2K vs Y2K38 - The Rematch
We revisit the original digital apocalypse — the year 2000 - looking back at what Y2K really was, how an army of COBOL coders saved the world before midnight, and why most people never even noticed.But the clock is ticking again: Y2K38 is coming, and this time it’s 32-bit. Different date, same panic waiting to happen as UNIX time doesn’t heal — it overflows into a negative.
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Episode 8 : The DevOps Royale With Cheese
In this episode, we return to Finland, where an international burger chain suddenly found itself cut off from the one thing every fast-food operation needs to function: real-time operational data. A third-party data supplier pulled the plug without warning, leaving kitchens blind, dashboards empty, and the entire workflow stuck on “please wait.”What followed was a truly Nordic-speed DevOps rescue mission — rapid troubleshooting, frantic config changes, un-authorized workarounds, and a race to restore data before the lunch rush turned into a customer revolt.From vendor surprises to emergency pipelines, this episode serves up a full stack of DevOps chaos... with cheese.
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Episode 9 : Shadow IT Reports
We dive into the familiar chaos of Shadow IT created by the sales department — well-intentioned, fast-moving, and completely invisible until something breaks. A “quick tool” turns into a critical system overnight, contracts appear after go-live, and IT is asked to secure, integrate, and support something it never approved or even knew existed. It’s a story about speed versus control, good intentions with bad outcomes, and why Shadow IT doesn’t start with malice — it starts with urgency.
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Episode 10 : Surviving the Anonymous DDOS
We unpack what a DDoS attack actually is, using the specter of Anonymous as a cultural touchstone rather than a how-to villain. We talk about why high-profile groups target services, what it feels like in real time when traffic spikes and systems start gasping, and how panic can make things worse.Instead of glorifying attackers, we center on mindset: staying calm, recognizing early warning signs, and understanding the difference between noise and a true outage.The takeaway isn’t technical bravado; it’s preparedness. By the end of the episode, “surviving” a DDoS means knowing how to keep your service, your team, and your reputation intact when the internet decides to stress-test you all at once.
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Episode 11 : Raspberry Mistery
A few hundred field engineers. Real humans. With vans. And jobs. All coordinated by a device roughly the size of a coaster and powered by something suspiciously similar to a phone charger.For months, it runs slow but flawlessly. Tickets dispatched. Routes optimized. Managers happy. The tiny silicon hero hums along in its noble plastic case, bravely pretending it’s not one 'apt upgrade' away from a crisis.
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Episode 12 : The Failover That Failed Successfully
Conducted during a busy release weekend, the failover test exposed gaps not in the technology itself, but in coordination and communication. While production ultimately stayed unaffected, the situation quickly escalated as subcontractors weren’t aligned, assumptions didn’t match reality, and information didn’t flow when it mattered most.We unpack how a well-intentioned test turned into a coordination challenge, where timing, dependencies, and unclear responsibilities created confusion across teams. It’s a story about how resilience isn’t just about systems and infrastructure, but also about people, processes, and making sure everyone is on the same page — especially when things are supposed to “just be a test.”
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Episode 13 : Ransomware Lockdown
We explore a hypothetical ransomware scenario that mirrors what many organizations could face today. Imagine a normal day where systems suddenly become inaccessible, data is encrypted, and the scope of the attack starts to unfold in real time. What follows is a race against the clock, with teams trying to understand what’s happening while keeping critical operations alive.More importantly, we focus on the response and recovery: the trade-offs, the communication challenges, and the lessons organizations can take away before something like this actually happens. Because ransomware isn’t just a technical problem — it’s an operational and human one, where preparation and clarity matter as much as the tools in place.
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Episode 14 : Sleep Mode in Production
Welcome to the story of a perfectly known and visible laptop that somehow became critical production infrastructure inside a warehouse environment — without going through proper validation, testing, or operational review. The system worked, solved an immediate problem, and was quickly integrated into daily operations... right up until the laptop entered sleep mode and warehouse activities ground to a halt.What followed was a frantic investigation into why scanners stopped working, workflows froze, and logistics operations suddenly stalled because of a standard power-saving setting. It’s a story about how quickly “temporary” operational solutions can become business-critical, and why governance, testing, and basic operational checks matter far more than people realize — especially when convenience quietly reaches production.
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Episode 15 : Coming soon
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Jack's Rants Bonus Episodes
Batch Job Blues
When banking mainframe batch jobs go wrong, the whole morning feels it. Overnight runs, multiple transactions, very very waterfall.
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IT Hiring Chaos
The IT job market is a strange place right now. Job postings everywhere, “urgent” hiring notices, and yet somehow every role asks for 10+ years of experience… for an entry-level position.
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Floppy Disks at 35000 Feet
The Boeing 747 is often cited online as proof that aviation still runs on floppy disks — but the reality is a bit more nuanced. In this Rant, we take a closer look at how certain older aircraft, particularly some 747-400 configurations, still use floppy disks to load navigation data into their Flight Management Systems. It’s not about being outdated — it’s about reliability, certification, and systems that have proven themselves over decades of operation.
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Follow us on your favourite Podcast platform
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Other Links
Disclaimer : The content of this podcast is intended for entertainment purposes only and is meant to humorously explore various tech-related situations. Any resemblance to actual events or real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. We ridicule situations, never individuals or groups. Listener discretion is advised, and we encourage everyone to approach technology with a sense of humor and an open mind.
Copyright 2024-2026 Jack Smith - hello at ithorrorstories dot eu - We do not use cookies, but do run some anonymized tracking via Fathom.
Merchandising and Ko-Fi support :
In order to keep our podcast accessible for all we choose not to have a subscription model. If you want to support us please check out our store (Click here if you are in the EU - Click here if you are in the US), or get us a coffee on Ko-Fi.com.
Following designs - and more - are available
Follow us on your favourite Podcast platform
Follow us on Social Media
Other Links
Disclaimer : The content of this podcast is intended for entertainment purposes only and is meant to humorously explore various tech-related situations. Any resemblance to actual events or real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. We ridicule situations, never individuals or groups. Listener discretion is advised, and we encourage everyone to approach technology with a sense of humor and an open mind.
Copyright 2024-2026 Jack Smith - hello at ithorrorstories dot eu - We do not use cookies, but do run some anonymized tracking via Fathom.
Share your story :
Have a Horror Story to share ? Want to be a guest ? You can ! Get in touch using the form below and we will ping you back. Now before you get crack-a-lackin' know that there are some conditionts before we can consider having you on the podcast :
All stories must be able to be anonymized. No super recognizable companies, events, etc.
In order to let bygones be bygones, at least 2 years must have gone by
Do not use this to 'get even' with colleagues and management, we'll know :)
We get a full non-exclusive and perpetual license to use your story in the podcast and other media plus use it any way we see fit for marketing, events, examples, and any way we can
You will not be compensated, but get bragging rights
Follow us on your favourite Podcast platform
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Other Links
Disclaimer : The content of this podcast is intended for entertainment purposes only and is meant to humorously explore various tech-related situations. Any resemblance to actual events or real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. We ridicule situations, never individuals or groups. Listener discretion is advised, and we encourage everyone to approach technology with a sense of humor and an open mind.
Copyright 2024-2026 Jack Smith - hello at ithorrorstories dot eu - We do not use cookies, but do run some anonymized tracking via Fathom.
Newsletter :
Tired of chasing algorithms, hashtags, and “engagement strategies” ?You’re in good company. No reels, no stories, no “smash that like button” - just an old-school mailing list for people who prefer plain text over trending sounds.Subscribe to the IT Horror Stories with Jack Smith newsletter and get your regular dose of tech chaos straight to your inbox.You’ll receive updates on new episodes, special releases, and behind-the-scenes stories — plus sneak peeks at upcoming topics, merch drops, and community highlights.It’s the only newsletter that keeps you laughing while everything’s on fire.Stay updated, stay caffeinated, and remember: you are one of us.Oh, and yes... It’s fully GDPR compliant. We won’t sell your data, trade it for a Star Wars Lego set, or accidentally leave it on a public S3 bucket.
Follow us on your favourite Podcast platform
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Other Links
Disclaimer : The content of this podcast is intended for entertainment purposes only and is meant to humorously explore various tech-related situations. Any resemblance to actual events or real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. We ridicule situations, never individuals or groups. Listener discretion is advised, and we encourage everyone to approach technology with a sense of humor and an open mind.
Copyright 2024-2026 Jack Smith - hello at ithorrorstories dot eu - We do not use cookies, but do run some anonymized tracking via Fathom.