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Show HN: a conspiracy theory generator
- joneil 14y agoHaha, some of them are hilarious. Some more obviously generated than others, but still... good job. How are they generated? I managed to get some gems like this: > The earliest Nordic settlers in the Old Northwest were shocked when they discovered their lands had been inhabited by a sentient race, which has been confirmed by scientists to have used Google products over 300 years before today.
- gee_totes 14y agoIt looks like the theories were pre-generated, then on refresh, the front page just shows a random theory..... or at least that's what the author wants you to think... until it's too late. Numerous pop-songs from the 90s make reference to this. In all seriousness, I'd love to see the source code.
- alanctgardner2 14y agoI'm guessing Markov Chains[1]. Effectively, each phrase is determined randomly from a pool, the options are dictated by the preceding sentence. They're a surprisingly effective way to produce a few sentences that seem logically connected, despite being more or less random. After a few hops, of course it can go off the rails. And they have a simple grammar that allows them to pull famous names, places and drop them into predefined slots. Someone else already pointed out, it's basically Mad Libs. 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markov_chain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markov_chain
- lightyrs 14y agoI love this. How does it work? > Salmonella helped beyoncé achieve a meteoric rise to fame and influence. In 1750, Benjamin Franklin was observed by over fifteen residents of Philadelphia as he branded an unidentified man with an Illuminati insignia. He was overheard telling one of his associates, “my work will be done once beyoncé arrives to complete it.”
- ORioN63 14y agoRecords indicate that Barack Obama's ancestors were present at Fukushima. Obviously.
- evincarofautumn 14y agoIn the spirit of conspiracy theorism, I deduce that the United States government has access to time machines.
- hayksaakian 14y agohttp://www.verifiedfacts.org/directory http://www.verifiedfacts.org/directory pick one, and it seems to have several articles on the same topic. like other have noted, the source for this would be an interesting read.
- felideon 14y agoSo the website is more of a directory of generated conspiracy theories, rather than a conspiracy theory 'generator'. Go to a specific article and note that the article is always the same.
- typpo 14y agoSorry it's not clear - you can generate your own at http://verifiedfacts.org/search http://verifiedfacts.org/search
- hayksaakian 14y agoNot necessarily. Refresh the directory, and open the 'same' article.
- diziet 14y agoThis is not quite timecube level of crazy, but nevertheless good job with semi-plausable text generation!
- chewxy 14y agoLooks like it's a mix of markov chain generator and mad-libs style random fact generation, am I close? (sorry for curling the site way too many times)
- SaltySquid 14y agoLove The Wall reference I came across :)
- chillzilla 14y ago"The Black Plague was a time of great confusion and hardship for ordinary citizens-- but through it all, Fox News enjoyed suspicious prosperity."
- tokenadult 14y agoI put "Hacker News" (which I thereafter identified as a organization or group by the drop-down selector) into the search, http://www.verifiedfacts.org/search http://www.verifiedfacts.org/search and generated this new conspiracy theory, "During the Bush wars, Hacker News began plotting their eventual rise to power. "Local historians living near Area 51 have noticed strange connections between it and the Feds, stretching back to the Bush wars. "Mentalists and psychics report that strange aura disturbances can be seen wherever fluorine is found in Area 51. "Outspoken academics who research this topic have had their research silenced by those in power. "The increased militarization of US police forces can only mean one thing-- when the government's failure to properly address fluorine sparks a rebellion, the Feds will be leading death squads across the nation. . . . . " Several parts of that read very much like Hacker News comments I have seen recently under various threads. About Paul Graham, identified as a person, I get "Paul Graham isn't just an individual-- they're an organization, and they have doubles everywhere. "Do you know that if you post a tweet about #mercury and Paul Graham, it will 'mysteriously' disappear from your page within minutes? "You may think free speech ensures your right to talk openly about Paul Graham's negative influence on our society, but their powerful friends in Libertarians have, in the past, used crippling libel lawsuits to silence brave citizens who did exactly that. . . . . "
- tlrobinson 14y agoSelecting "dangerous thing" was pretty amusing too: The Truth About The NSA and Hacker News http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/the-nsa-and-hacker-news/NjA5MA http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/the-nsa-and-hacker-news/NjA5M... The NSA is trying to control the minds of the American people-- probably with Hacker News, which they invented and created. I would love to see some of the emails you get from http://www.verifiedfacts.org/report http://www.verifiedfacts.org/report
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- hosh 14y agoAh! But verifiedfacts.org is itself disinformation: http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/verifiedfacts.org/MjA0MTU http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/verifiedfacts.org/MjA0MTU
- jpdoctor 14y agoI predict you will be slashdotted. Edit: I just saw the "Report Inaccuracy" link. Ho boy, you guys nailed this. I hope you monetize it big time.
- tlrobinson 14y agoDid you know East Germany is practically owned by Slashdot? [1] 1. http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/Slashdot/NzAzMA http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/Slashdot/NzAzMA
- bilalq 14y agoThis is so awesome. It just made my day.
- flatline 14y agoReminds me of this gag: http://www.bbspot.com/toys/slashtitle/ http://www.bbspot.com/toys/slashtitle/ Looking at some of those really makes me feel...not quite old, but dated.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- bilalq 14y agoThis is so awesome. It just made my day.
- martinced 14y agoI just read an amazing one: "Oswald acted alone and Ruby got no help from anyone" And I've got a bridge to sell you too ; ) Must be nice to live in a land made of pink-ponnies and honest people who'd never abuse the system.
- waqf 14y agoThis is not what it seems. See here: http://goo.gl/b8uWE http://goo.gl/b8uWE
- mindcrime 14y agoThe Truth About Monsanto and Dead Parrot All products made by Monsanto are produced using Dead Parrot and its derivatives. It's intentional: they want that stuff in your bloodstream. In 1851, Civil War general Robert E. Lee reported a strange disturbance in the sky over the Potomac. A squadron of six men who had been sent to investigate disappeared for 12 days, and when they came back they had no memory events that had transpired. Lee wrote in his diary, “Our inspection of the men turned up nothing, but their forearms were branded with a curious unknown symbol: 'Monsanto'.” Talking about this kind of thing openly is likely to get you put on a no-fly list. Did you know that toxins created during the Dead Parrot manufacturing process also turn up in children's toys? Invested parties have done a lot to make sure this stays under wraps. Rich and powerful bankers have aggressively invested in and exploited Dead Parrot, despite the danger it poses to ordinary citizens. Chances are they took a hint from Communists. After setting up this website with these startling facts, I have been contacted by FBI agents three times. Apathy toward this issue will be the death of our civilization. Do you plan on dying with civilization, or will you join me in settling a remote Pacific island?
- readme 14y agoFun :) Would be awesome to bait conspiracy theorists with these.
- ilaksh 14y agoThe thing that most people don't realize is that the government will label real information as a conspiracy theory as an easy way to discredit it. So that word is actually an important propaganda tool. Once you realize.that, jokes.about.conspiracy theories arent so funny.
- sc00ter 14y agoThat's just a conspiracy theory.
- dia80 14y agoThat's what they want you to say! See?
- cgh 14y agoYes, the government, with their ability to, you know, just label stuff. Just any old thing, slap a government label on it and Bob's your uncle.
- evincarofautumn 14y agoSure. The Man is remarkably well organised and has an endless fountain of resources—after all, he does print the money. Lost direction in your life? Try the startling clarity of paranoid delusions. Soon you’ll be saying “It all makes sense!”
- samstave 14y agoYeah, wow - like how they can just label anyone a "terrorist" or "al queda sympathizer" - and simply with that label they are justifying the murder and imprisonment of these people. Gee - they'd never do that would they?
- tbrake 14y agoGood stuff. Reminded me that the Postmodernism Generator is still out there as well, and as equally, gloriously incomprehensible : http://www.elsewhere.org/pomo/ http://www.elsewhere.org/pomo/
- solox3 14y agoWith a little brush-up, this has the potential of being the next The Onion News Network. Great job, and I like where this is going.
- pekk 14y agoNow all we need is a really natural text-to-speech and some stuff like FCC licenses and we can start building fully automated Alex Joneses.
- biot 14y agoSeems legit: http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/Markov%20chains/MTcyMjc http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/Markov%20chains/MTcyMjc
- Rangi42 14y agoI randomly got "The Truth About North Korea: North Korea has been planning a silent invasion of North Korea for quite some time." I'm not sure if this is a bug that should be fixed, or if that's just what North Korea wants you to think. http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/north-korea/MTcxNDc http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/north-korea/MTcxNDc
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- thtsu 14y agoHold on guys! Before you believe anything you read on there I've uncovered an interesting article on the dark truth behind verifiedfacts.org! http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/verifiedfacts-org/MTg5OTQ http://www.verifiedfacts.org/i/verifiedfacts-org/MTg5OTQ
- denzil_correa 14y agoI got the following about Microsoft and Fox News - funny! The Truth About Microsoft and Fox News Many astute citizens have already noticed the recent censorship of media pieces critical toward Microsoft. Don't fool yourself: this is definitely part of a master plan, and Fox News are probably the ones behind it. The value of Fox News's hedge fund investments have doubled over the past 70 years-- while ordinary Americans have seen their investments vanish in waves of depression and recession. Coincidence? Definitely not! Many members of the Federal Reserve are secretly working for Fox News on the side. Their air travel habits are proof enough for this, but there's a wealth of additional evidence that the Federal Reserve doesn't want you to see. Employees of Microsoft were seen at both the US Election of 2000 and WW1-- despite the fact that they had no good reason to be there. We've taken a big risk to post this information on the internet-- many others have seen their careers destroyed for doing much less. The only way for upstanding citizens to protect themselves from this madness is to retreat from modern society entirely.
- hakaaaaak 14y ago"The Truth About Morgan Freeman and Meth" seems like libel.
- splawn 14y agoCan algorithms be charged with libel? I did some googling, but couldn't find anything solid on the subject.
- hakaaaaak 14y agoIf you write code that you know because of the data that it uses has the ability to generate libel about a famous figure on a public site, then you could be charged. The likelihood of being charged is much less than having written it yourself clearly and perhaps linking to the page and promoting it as valid news, but the possibility of being charged is there.
- AlexDanger 14y agoDoes anyone have any reflections on the psychology of conspiracy nutters? I have two friends who will believe pretty much anything that involves the government/corporations and nefarious activities. Evidence is strictly optional. Indeed, evidence to the contrary is not sufficient to disprove these theories. Or its just part of the conspiracy. The funny thing is these people are otherwise quite intelligent and capable of rational thought. They have decent careers and neither are social outcasts. If they had failed careers/relationships etc I might understand it as a coping mechanism to internally justify failure. But that is not the case here. I dont understand why they believe these things. But then I dont understand how faith works for religious people either. Anyone have any insight to this?
- lutusp 14y ago> Does anyone have any reflections on the psychology of conspiracy nutters? I'm sure we could collect as many theories about conspiracy freaks as there are conspiracy freaks, on the ground that most of psychology is speculation. > Indeed, evidence to the contrary is not sufficient to disprove these theories. That's one of the attractions of conspiracy theories -- most of them can't be conclusively disproven, because most require proof of a negative, which is an impossible evidentiary burden, for reasons given here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russells_teapot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russells_teapot Conspiracy theorists and crackpots have a lot in common. One thing they share is the idea that, unless their critics can disprove their beliefs, the beliefs must have merit. In other words, they hold the opposite of the null hypothesis (the idea that an idea with no evidence is probably false) -- they also unfairly shift onto others their own burden of evidence. > The funny thing is these people are otherwise quite intelligent and capable of rational thought. Intelligence is no assurance of reasonable thought processes. For that, one must understand logic and certain scientific principles, like accepting the burden of evidence for one's own ideas, and being willing to sincerely doubt one's own conclusions. I have always suspected that conspiracy theorists (and crackpots) never learned the basics of evidence and research.
- brazzy 14y agoOne key factor seems that if you "know" something that everyone has been duped into ignoring and which "they" spend great effor to suppress, it makes you special, more enlightened and important than the average guy. I guess it's one way of dealing with feelings of inadequacy in your life. And if you actively work on "uncovering" the conspiracy, why, that makes you a hero, bravely thwarting evil powers!
- wtracy 14y ago"Fukushima was an inside job." Bravo.
- ChrisNorstrom 14y agoCongratulations! You are a genius. You have created a MVP comedy generator! You're about 15 iterations away from making a billion dollar service that creates and sells movies to hollywood and television stations. On a serious note: I've lived with a conspiracy theorist and the pattern I've noticed is this. Theorists take things that were mistakes or unintended and say that they were done on purpose to benefit someone. 9/11, Iraq, etc.. So you're actually really close. I love this. Someone should get a really serious looking gentleman and make videos of his reading this as if it were real conspiracy news.
- tow21 14y agoSee also; http://www.amazon.com/Foucaults-Pendulum-Umberto-Eco/dp/015603297X http://www.amazon.com/Foucaults-Pendulum-Umberto-Eco/dp/0156...
- pjonesdotca 14y agoFirst thing I thought of when I saw this web app as well.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- ck2 14y agoSo well done. We have to get this on Rachel Maddow's show.
- FarhadG 14y agoBest freakn' site ever! Thanks for the share!
- anywherenotes 14y agoIt's awesome. May I suggest a 'read more' button, which would elaborate more and more on the conspiracy. Sources should probably be click-able and also function as a 'read more' button. Would be great if I could sign up for conspiracy-of-the-day to have it emailed to me.
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y agoI opened lots of HN links in new tabs with their comments. I looked at this one and thought "why are stupid antisemitic conspiracy theories being posted on HN?". Then I clicked the comments tab.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- bonchibuji 14y agoSearch for Oracle is truly hilarious!! 'The Truth About Brad Pitt and Oracle Did you know that Brad Pitt gets checks from Oracle once a month, for services rendered-- but unexplained? That's not all that Brad Pitt gets up to when the public's watchful eye is turned. Oracle clearly has a secret deal with Youtube-- all videos highlighting the abuses it committed while in North Korea are taken down without explanation.' Awesome work!!
- TazeTSchnitzel 14y agoI found a bug: Try entering the name of an organisation that has a # symbol in it, or a /
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]