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About the Museum
The Museum of Hoaxes is dedicated to promoting knowledge about hoaxes. (Click here for opening hours, etc.) On our blog we post about dubious- sounding claims, and whatever else strikes our fancy. The site is also home to the Hoaxipedia (the museum's online encyclopedia of hoaxes), the Hoax Forum, and the Top 100 April Fools' Day Hoaxes.
The museum was created in 1997 by Alex Boese. He's assisted by a staff of deputy curators and docents. Alex is the author of three books, most recently Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments (which has nothing to do with hoaxes). Check out the list of the Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time for a preview.
The Museum of Hoaxes is dedicated to promoting knowledge about hoaxes. (Click here for opening hours, etc.) On our blog we post about dubious- sounding claims, and whatever else strikes our fancy. The site is also home to the Hoaxipedia (the museum's online encyclopedia of hoaxes), the Hoax Forum, and the Top 100 April Fools' Day Hoaxes.
The museum was created in 1997 by Alex Boese. He's assisted by a staff of deputy curators and docents. Alex is the author of three books, most recently Elephants on Acid: And Other Bizarre Experiments (which has nothing to do with hoaxes). Check out the list of the Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time for a preview.Prankplace.com
THE TOILET MONSTERYour wife will never yell at you about leaving the seat up again! The Toilet Monster attaches to the inside of the toilet bowl by suction cups. As the unsuspecting person goes to use the bathroom, they'll scream as they lift the lid and are greeted by the Toilet Monster! Not recommended for the elderly or those with a weak heart.
COVERT CLICKERSecretly control the TV, anywhere, any time! This device is so small it is easily concealed in your pocket. It can control volume, change the channel or turn the TV on & off. It works on 90% of all TV's.
Automatic Paper Generator
A group of MIT students wrote a computer program capable of creating "random Computer Science research papers, including graphs, figures, and citations." They then used this program to create a paper that they submitted to an academic conference: the World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, which sounds like a thrill a minute. The paper was accepted, which isn't really surprising since as the students point out conferences such as this are really 'fake' conferences "with no quality standards, which exist only to make money." The students hope to travel down to the conference (if they're still allowed to attend) and deliver a "completely randomly-generated talk."
Posted By: Alex | Date: Thu Apr 14, 2005 | Permalink |
Total Comments: 5
Category: Literature/Language, Science
Category: Literature/Language, Science
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
Page 1 of 1 pages
This is great.
Posted by Floormaster Squeeze on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 07:32 AMIf you've been to any academic conferences, or tried to read many academic journals, you'll swear that most of the content is ramdomly generated.
I remember once my graduate school convened a panel discussion on how to get published in journals. Suffering, as usual, from a terminal lack of tact, I stood up and said, "Isn't it true that many of these journals have few or no readers, and that if professors didn't need to publish in order to get tenure, they wouldn't exist at all?"
To my amazement, none of panelists denied this claim (all the panelists were editors of, and major contributors to, academic journals). One of them offered the justification that, "At least my articles will be there in the university libraries if anyone in the future should ever want to read them."
Posted by Big Gary C in Dallas, Texas on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 01:17 PMI remember once my graduate school convened a panel discussion on how to get published in journals. Suffering, as usual, from a terminal lack of tact, I stood up and said, "Isn't it true that many of these journals have few or no readers, and that if professors didn't need to publish in order to get tenure, they wouldn't exist at all?"
To my amazement, none of panelists denied this claim (all the panelists were editors of, and major contributors to, academic journals). One of them offered the justification that, "At least my articles will be there in the university libraries if anyone in the future should ever want to read them."
I printed these out and interoffice mailed them to my boss, with a postit on them reading "Brian, your thoughts?" and signed the CEOs initials.
Posted by UsuallyDark in Glendale, CA on Fri Apr 15, 2005 at 08:05 PMI want to know if they actually get to talk at the convention. It would be funny to see what they represent. Kind of like the Yes Men thing that got the Republicans earlier.
Posted by Dave H in Santa Monica on Mon Apr 18, 2005 at 02:43 PMIf he hasn't allready seen it, I'll print off a copy and give it to a know-it-all at school.
Posted by Dracul on Sun Jan 15, 2006 at 11:34 AMPage 1 of 1 pages