Conspiracy Theories and Theorists
The Bielefeld Conspiracy
Ever since 1993, a conspiracy has circulated online alleging that the German city of Bielefeld doesn’t exist. Now the city is pushing back by offering a million euros to anyone who can definitively prove it doesn’t exist.Entries can be submitted in either German or English, but the deadline is Sep. 4. So there’s not much time left.
It seems to me that the contest has set an impossible task, because it's well known that a negative can never be proven. For instance, we can't definitively prove that the Loch Ness Monster doesn't exist. We can only say that we haven't found her yet.
But on the other hand, the opposite is equally true. It's impossible to definitively prove anything with absolute certainty. For instance, what if someone believes that Bielefeld exists because they've lived there their entire life? Well, that doesn't actually prove anything. As Bertrand Russell pointed out in his five-minute hypothesis, it's possible that the entire universe sprang into existence five minutes ago, complete with our memories of an older history. It may seem unlikely, but it's possible. So likewise, just because someone remembers living in Bielefeld, it's possible that their memories are false.
Which is to say that even if no one wins the million euros by proving that Bielefeld doesn't exist, that doesn't mean the city actually does exist. The existence of Bielefeld can never be definitively proven or disproven.
More info: epoch times
Posted By: Alex - Fri Aug 30, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Awards, Prizes, Competitions and Contests, Geography and Maps, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists
The Handy Dandy Evolution Refuter
Read online here.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Jul 14, 2019 -
Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Dinosaurs and Other Extinct Creatures, Antiques, Anachronisms and Throwbacks, Authorities and Experts, Eccentrics, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists, Curmudgeons and Contrarianism, Science, 1970s
Flying Saucers Are Real
A great new book by my talented and weird writer pal Jack Womack.Read a piece on it here.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Feb 23, 2017 -
Comments (4)
Category: Aliens, Eccentrics, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists, Spaceflight, Astronautics, and Astronomy
Shakespeare and Psalm 46
In 1902, a person identified only as "a learned correspondent in West Hackney" brought to the attention of the world a curious fact about Psalm 46 of the King James Version of the Bible. The name "Shakespeare" seems to be coded into it.As explained in a brief notice that ran in The Publishers' Circular (Jan 11, 1902):
'S.L.H.,' in the column of the Morning Leader headed 'Sub Rosa,' says that the following suggestion reaches him 'from a learned correspondent in West Hackney':—
'In the name Shakespear there are four vowels and six consonants..... If you write down the figure 4 and then follow it by the figure 6, you get 46.
Very well — turn to Psalm 46 and you will find that in it the 46th word from the beginning is "shake," while the 46th word from the end is "spear."
This fact, or rather these facts, may be held to prove, according to my correspondent, that the Psalms were written by Shakespear and that this is really the correct way of spelling his name.
I know that controversialists are a fierce tribe and they stick at each other as well as nothing, and so they will try to make out that the word "spear" is the 47th and not the 46 word from the end of the 46th Psalm; but this can only be done by counting "Selah," and if you think I am going to throw over a valuable literary discovery for the sake of an odd "Selah" you are mistaken.'
In the original 1611 King James Bible, the word spear was actually spelled "speare," which contradicts the guy's point about the 4 consonants and spelling of Shakespeare's name.
However, his larger point remains true — that in Psalm 46, the word "shake" is 46 words from the beginning, and "speare" is 46 words from the end.
One theory is that this suggests that Shakespeare worked on the King James translation, and devised this way to leave his calling card. Kind of like a "Shakespeare was here" sign. Or maybe one of the translators was a fan of his.
Or perhaps it means absolutely nothing, and is just a weird coincidence. No one knows.
One more weird coincidence: Shakespeare was 46 in 1610, which is about when the translation was being completed.
The Gaffney Ledger - Jan 4, 1980
note: Shakespeare was 46 in 1610, not 1605.
Arizona Republic - May 15, 1976
Posted By: Alex - Wed Aug 31, 2016 -
Comments (6)
Category: Conspiracy Theories and Theorists
A Shiny New Conspiracy Theory
A new nut job conspiracy theory has hatched recently. Apparently the handful of Walmart stores that were closed unexpectedly are supposedly tied to a military operation called Jade Helm. The operation has something to do with declairing martial law by summer. Or the stores have plumbing issues that require closing up to make proper repairs. You know, one or the other.
Posted By: patty - Thu Apr 23, 2015 -
Comments (11)
Category: Annoying Things, Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Delusions, Fantasies and Other Tricks of the Imagination, Surrealism, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists
Jack van Impe
Wikipedia entry on the man.
Posted By: Paul - Tue Nov 04, 2014 -
Comments (8)
Category: Drugs, Music, Rants, Warnings, Jeremiads, Prophecies and Cassandra-like Figures, Sexuality, Public Indecency, Teenagers, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists, 1960s, 1970s
God’s Cartoonist
Everything you ever wanted to know about the famous Jack Chick and his pamphlets.
Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 02, 2014 -
Comments (4)
Category: Rants, Warnings, Jeremiads, Prophecies and Cassandra-like Figures, Religion, Outsider Art, Books, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists
Ask the Unicorn
Ahura Z is my new supreme spiritual guide.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 11, 2013 -
Comments (4)
Category: Animals, Nature, New Age, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists
White Blood Cells in the Sky
NOTE: some enthusiastic swears.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Jun 12, 2013 -
Comments (5)
Category: Annoying Things, Confusion, Misunderstanding, and Incomprehension, Science, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists, Air Travel and Airlines, Nausea, Revulsion and Disgust
Pre-internet Underground Book Distribution
Original ad here.
Gather around, children, and you shall learn of an ancient time, before the internet. A day of paper fanzines and weird information obtained only via books delivered by snailmail.
The main purveyor of such good stuff was the Loompanics catalog. Alas, they were driven out of business in 2006. The current website using their domain name is a shell and a scam by cybersquatters.
Over one hundred Loompanics books have been tagged as a Goodreads collection. You can get a small sense of what they were all about there.
Posted By: Paul - Fri Jan 11, 2013 -
Comments (9)
Category: Drugs, Avant Garde, Books, Bohemians, Beatniks, Hippies and Slackers, Conspiracy Theories and Theorists, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s
| Who We Are |
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |