Making a science out of applied idiocy

[emad]

Richard Jinman
Saturday April 16, 2005
The Guardian

The research paper was clearly the work of experts. It had a long, baffling title and its authors were familiar with key topics such as "simulated annealing" and "flexible modalities".

Submitted to the World Multiconference on Systematics, Cybernetics and Informatics (WMSCI), a computer science event to be held in Florida in July, it was promptly selected for presentation.

There was just one problem: it was complete gibberish. A random collection of charts, diagrams and obtuse lines such as "We implemented our scatter/gather I/O server in Simula-67", it was generated by a computer program written by three Massachussetts Insitute of Technology students.

MIT graduate student Jeremy Stribling, 25, and two friends created the fake paper because they were tired of being sent emails by WMSCI organisers soliciting admissions.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1461245,00.html

[hobbit709]

1. Proving once again

that if you use enough buzzwords, even total bs sounds the same as facts.
Many years ago I got an A on a philosophy paper where I ran round and round in circles for 6 pages proving my conclusion by going back to my premise and saying absolutely nothing of any substance in between. The professor who gave me an A, remarked on the paper that it was total bs but I kept up a logical train of thought throughout the whole paper.

[emad]

2. Great story. Reminds me of a chum who was sitting Oxford University

entrance examination. Philosophy paper has one questiononly, time limit for answer 3 hrs.

The title of the question was "This is the Question?"

He wrote down "And this is the Answer" and left the exam room, went home.

He got in to Uni...

[Redstone]

3. MIT students have always had a great sense of humor,

along with being damned smart.

Good to see these two carrying on the tradition. And a funny story.

Redstone

[rodeodance]

4. it takes brains to pull together a convincing story such at this-