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Mysterious Website Actually Social Experiment

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the shoe-phones-and-exploding-wristwatches dept.

MaelstromX writes "For six months a website called eon8 (probably down) has carried a countdown to July 1, along with vague and mysterious codes. In addition, strange code-bearing posts associated with the site were made in various webforums, and the site carried a map of the world marked by spots of "deployment". All of this, along with some apparent recorded visits by US military and intelligence computers, led many people to believe this was an imminent terrorist operation or a massive virus to be unleashed on the web-surfing public. Turns out, it was just an experiment by a 23-year-old guy named Chris from Florida who wanted to see how people would react to an absence of information, and he was disappointed that people expected the worst -- even going to so far as to attempt to hack his webserver and make phone calls to anyone with any perceived tangential connection to the site or its host. A mirror of the site in its current state is available with an explanation added by the site owner after the countdown expired."

7 of 349 comments (clear)

  1. Just wait by The+Clockwork+Troll · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's all I can say right now ... just wait.

    --

    There are no karma whores, only moderation johns
  2. just wait... by m874t232 · · Score: 5, Funny

    This means that poorly designed web sites with unclear purposes will now be considered a terrorist threat and lead to indefinite detention of the designer(s).

    Well, I guess that's at least one effect of the anti-terrorist hysteria that I could get behind; all other efforts to force better web design have failed after all.

  3. And why should we believe him? by FhnuZoag · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh, just an experiment, he says. But how do we know? HOW DO WE KNOW?!?

    Please, arrest him quickly and torture him so that we may learn the true horror of his plot.

    1. Re:And why should we believe him? by mpcooke3 · · Score: 5, Funny

      If he lived in the UK we'd have already accidentily shot him.

      You americans have such slack security.

  4. Re:what the hell? by AngryDill · · Score: 5, Funny

    Where did the summary get the name Chris from?

    It is a mystery, but the answer will be revealed on July 3rd. Keep watching the website slashdot.org.

    That's when the dupe will be posted ;-)

    -a.d-

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    I'm Erwin Schrodinger and I approve of this message, and I do not approve of this message!
  5. No subject by naoursla · · Score: 5, Funny

    This comment is another social experiment to see how people react to a lack of information.

  6. Re: Mysterious Website Or Prank? by ezzewezza · · Score: 5, Funny

    I did one better than you and had managed to have never even heard of it until today.