Slashdot Mirror


What Does Google Suggest Suggest About Humanity?

CNETNate writes "You'll laugh, but mostly you'll cry. Some of the questions Google gets asked to deliver results for is beyond worrying. 'Can you put peroxide in your ear?', 'Why would a pregnancy test be negative?', and 'Why can't I own a Canadian?' being just a selection of the truly baffling — and disturbing — questions Google is regularly forced to answer."

77 of 513 comments (clear)

  1. Really? by crumbz · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now my curiosity is piqued. WHY can't I own a Canadian? Or at least lease one for a year?

    1. Re:Really? by Guido+del+Confuso · · Score: 5, Informative

      Try actually searching for those terms. It's the title of an essay satirizing Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Biblical literalism. Not so weird, really, in context.

      This is two monumentally stupid articles I've seen from CNET UK in as many days (the other one being the power plugs article from yesterday). If Slashdot continues to post them, I think we should insist on a tag just for that site so we can filter them out.

    2. Re:Really? by dmmiller2k · · Score: 3, Funny

      You can't possibly be serious. You can rent one for a day at a time if you can find an available one. But, the best I've ever heard of is a 1-week timeshare, but you'll never get the week you want.

      --

      "No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up." -- Lily Tomlin

    3. Re:Really? by interkin3tic · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Along those same lines I was pondering the question at the top of the article "Why would a little girl in Yorkshire think Jesus was born in an egg?" Oddly phrased, and I don't think google is the place to search for insight on the immaculate conception, but if you believe that, it WOULD be an interesting embryological issue. Was it like a human egg and, er... a set of divine chromesomes or what? I bet some church scholar has talked about that more than any person reasonably should, it's entirely possible that got transcribed and computerized.

      Later on if I'm still as interested as I am now, I may run a google search of my own, though more along the lines of "immaculate conception, human egg fertilization." Probably not though.

    4. Re:Really? by johnlcallaway · · Score: 4, Informative

      The "Why can't I own a Canadian" is a wonderful essay that slams using religious texts for moral arguments by using parts of the bible people don't quote to justify slavery, stoning, and killing. As part of the essay, it uses Old Testament text that seems to justify owning slaves as long as they are not from your own country. As for the peroxide search, it's a treatment for getting wax out of your ear, although I don't know if it works or not.

      I was in Chennai several years ago and noticed no one was in the water other than wading. My friend told me most Indians don't know how to swim. I figured it was probably because they don't have the same infrastructure in place as the US in teaching swimming. Maybe someone from India can shed some additional light on that and solve that mystery.

      Just another worthless piece from what passes for news these days. Maybe someday reporters will get away from their desks and actually go out and report on news.

      --
      I rarely read replies, it's my opinion and if you thought about your opinion a little more, I'm OK with that.
    5. Re:Really? by Ender+Wiggin+77 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Because we make great pets.

    6. Re:Really? by Enderandrew · · Score: 4, Informative

      There are those who suggest that many of the early books in the Old Testament aren't exactly God's commandments to his followers, but rather a historical accounting. For instance, the Old Testament lists the kashrut laws. This does not mean that Christians must keep a kashrut diet.

      The Torah has 613 Mitzvot, commandments, or laws. Yet there are 10 commandments directly attributed to God. If you read the Old Testament, you'll see that there is a story arc in which God goes from having simple commandments and dealing directly with his people, to his people intentionally seperating themselves, wanting to establish government, establish a complex priesthood, and then develop these complex laws.

      I don't think it is far to say that the Mitzvot constitute Biblical law in any true sense.

      That means fundamentalists who want to come down on gays suddenly don't have much in the way of Biblical evidence to support themselves, but it also means those that want to mock Judeo-Christian beliefs can't uphold the silliness contained within the 613 Mitzvot either.

      --
      http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
    7. Re:Really? by Remloc · · Score: 2, Informative

      Submit that one then examine the links. Appears to be a line from the TV show "Lost."

      Yeah, I didn't know, either.

    8. Re:Really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      But the Old Testament was nullified by the New Testament - similar to how European nations' sovereignty has been nullified by the Treaty of Lisbon.

      From the New Testament:

      "Christians who are slaves should give their masters full respect so that the name of God and his teaching will not be shamed. If your master is a Christian, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. You should work all the harder because you are helping another believer by your efforts. Teach these truths, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them." (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT)

    9. Re:Really? by pluther · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yes.

      That's kind of the entire point of that article.

      It was a response to people using that same section of the bible to justify their modern day opposition to the rights of gays.

      --
      If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.
    10. Re:Really? by MeatBag+PussRocket · · Score: 4, Informative

      peroxide in the ear is a common treatment for ear infections, ingrown hairs, cuts and ear infections. it can also be used to flush out foreign bodies like the small stones that children like to shove in them

      --
      i wage a holy war against the apostrophe.
    11. Re:Really? by MyLongNickName · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Except that this is not justification for slavery. It is simply teaching folks to do the best that they can in the circumstances that they find themselves. The writer understood that this is not a perfect world, but that as followers of Christ we are to be the best example we can be.

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    12. Re:Really? by CannonballHead · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I should read the article.

      Hopefully it does not simply say "the Bible is wrong about this, so why use it for that?" as - whether true or not - that misses the "out of context" point.

      People that believe the Bible still very, very, very frequently take it out of context and simply use it as proof of their own ideas. "proof-texting." Finding texts to prove your idea instead of finding the idea the text is giving...

    13. Re:Really? by click2005 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Can you put peroxide in your ear?

      Yes, unless its frozen.

      Why would a pregnancy test be negative?

      Because you're male

      Why can't I own a Canadian?

      You can until the ACTA comes into effect. From then, you must license your Canadian.

      --
      I am a free slashdotter. I will not be modded, blogged, DRM'd, patented, podcasted or RFID'd. My life is my own.
    14. Re:Really? by molnarcs · · Score: 2, Funny

      This is two monumentally stupid articles I've seen from CNET UK in as many days (the other one being the power plugs article from yesterday). If Slashdot continues to post them, I think we should insist on a tag just for that site so we can filter them out.

      You forced me to ask google if it's possible to have an allergy to humour...

    15. Re:Really? by box4831 · · Score: 5, Funny

      common treatment for ear infections, ingrown hairs, cuts and ear infections.

      Does it cure redundancy too?

      --
      Miller Lite tastes like water that's somehow managed to rot.
    16. Re:Really? by jdoverholt · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If your master is a Christian [...]

      This might imply that it's acceptable for Christians to have slaves.

    17. Re:Really? by Anonymusing · · Score: 2, Informative

      Two thoughts for you. First, actually, you can just buy the New Testament without the Old. Second, the Old is still made reference to by the New, and some parts of it (e.g. poetic parts about relationships to God) are rather beautiful and not nullified by the New -- in fact they provide some connection.

      --
      Liberal? Conservative? Compare perspectives at Left-Right
    18. Re:Really? by biryokumaru · · Score: 2, Interesting

      My friend told me most Indians don't know how to swim.

      In the US Navy, the overwhelming majority of those who require special training to qualify for basic swimming proficiency are African American. Whether this is due to cultural or socioeconomic influences, I do not know. But it is very often the case.

      --
      When you're afraid to download music illegally in your own home, then the terrorists have won!
    19. Re:Really? by Richy_T · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well, some of us do have two ears.

    20. Re:Really? by Artifakt · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Quoting just the part that is advice to the slave with a Christian master simply doesn't give a very full picture, unless you include the parts that are advice to the masters themselves:

      How about Ephesians 6:9 "And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. "

      Or the People's New Testament commentary on Ephesians:

      6:9 "And ye masters. The Roman law allowed masters to treat their slaves as brute beasts, to abuse and even to murder them. But Christianity at once put Christian masters under restraint. Do the same things unto them. Act on the same principles towards them, that the Lord requires of them towards you. There must be mutual good will and mutual service. Forbearing threatening. The habit of cruel masters. Knowing that your Master also is in heaven. That you have a Master who sees you, to whom your slave is just as dear as you are, and who will hold you to account if you wrong him."

      or

      Colossians 4:1 ( New International Version) "Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven."
      (ISV) puts this as "Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven."

      It's disappointing to many that the New Testament doesn't explicitly say "Free all your slaves". It's hard to reconcile with the idea that the whole book is the word of God as some Christians claim. Personally, I regard books such as Timothy, or Paul's letters to the churches at Ephesus and others, as principally man-made texts, but that doesn't rule out a touch of Divine inspiration, in the sense that these people started getting the idea that slavery was wrong, and thinking about how to do right instead. Since the early church mostly believed that the second coming was likely to happen at any moment, worrying about how (or whether) to clean up the whole institution of slavery didn't mean as much as how to act for the immediate term and the individual case.

      --
      Who is John Cabal?
    21. Re:Really? by maxume · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think a lot of the people doing the mocking just stick the powerful sky-being thing.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    22. Re:Really? by bmajik · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That means fundamentalists who want to come down on gays suddenly don't have much in the way of Biblical evidence to support themselves

      Half true, half false.

      Christians don't have the authority to "come down" on _anyone_.

      However, there are several places in the new testament where male adulterousness, male homosexuality, and at least one spot where female homosexuality are discussed and condemned, either by Paul or Jesus.

      A quick search for "new testament homosexuality" will let you read about a variety of interpretations of a variety of new testament passages.

      Naturally two groups of people can read the same text, both claim to be experts in translating the original written language, and come to different conclusions.

      The question of the sinfulness of homosexuality is important not because it grants or revokes a license to stone gay people, but because if it is infact sinful, those who continue to willfully sin without repentance are condemned by God. There are other more practical and earthly ramifications: those who wilfully sin and refuse to repent are not fit for membership (much less leadership) in the church body.

      --
      My opinions are my own, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.
    23. Re:Really? by caluml · · Score: 4, Funny

      /*
      * Old Testament
      * Class for suppressing ignorant people.
      * Implements AngryGod
      */
      @Deprecated
      public OldTestament implements AngryGod {
      .....

    24. Re:Really? by freeweed · · Score: 2, Funny

      Do not listen to peroxide bubbling with other ear.

      --
      Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
    25. Re:Really? by lessthan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sorry, but Paul tended to be down on rights for people who weren't him. He is the one that wrote those famous bits about how a woman needs to be subservient to her husband Eph 5:22-24 What he had to say about homosexuality Rom 1:27 I can't find anything on incest, but then I'm at work and I am sure I don't want to find anything.

      --
      Space Shuttle was a program that strapped humans to an explosion and tried to stab through the sky with fire and math
    26. Re:Really? by lessthan · · Score: 2, Informative

      When did Jesus condemn homosexuality? I was aware that Paul did, but I always thought that Jesus had never said anything. Plus, he did heal the centurion's lover, which seems a little incompatible with condemnation.

      --
      Space Shuttle was a program that strapped humans to an explosion and tried to stab through the sky with fire and math
    27. Re:Really? by tibman · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I was camping once during a nice summer weekend.. no chance of rain so i just slept on the ground. Early morning something was crawling on my face (happens a lot) so i swiped it off and was planning on going back to sleep. It was a little black beetle and i startled him badly apparently because he decided to find refuge in my ear.

      You can imagine my surprise.. my surprise deepened into worry when i realized my finger could not get him out and he was still burrowing (or whatever it is beetles do). After a few minutes it really really started to hurt and i could hear the beetle screaming or something.. it was beyond loud. I tried not to panic and re-packed what little i had to GTFO of the woods. Made it maybe a half mile and could barely jog in a straight line. Stashed my pack and kept going. He stopped screaming and burrowing and the pain was down to a throb (but still quite intense). Blood was coming out of the ear and i couldn't hear anymore.

      Anyways, finally got back to base and the hospital. They flushed my ear with a pinkish fluid and a large syringe type thing, just like you described. Of course they had to bring every freaking doctor and nurse in the hospital down to see the guy with a beetle in his ear. Not that i really cared at that point, giggling doctors is nothing compared to a beetle inside your head. After a dozen or so high pressure blasts and the little guy (and some of his legs) came out. What a relief!

      --
      http://soylentnews.org/~tibman
    28. Re:Really? by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Some of us received more than 12 years of religious education more rigorous than many college degrees on the subject and have PhD theologians for parents and friends.

      Don't bother confusing us with smoke screens and non-sequiturs. The bible fully endorses the practice of slavery and makes little to no attempt to dismantle the institution.

      A God which can inspire circumcision surely could also find means of persuading his followers to abandon slavery.

      It was clearly never a priority since we have no record of Jesus explicitly telling his followers not to enslave others.

    29. Re:Really? by McFly777 · · Score: 2

      Blood was coming out of the ear and i couldn't hear anymore

      A bug in the ear is one of the few things that really creeps me out any time I think of it. (I have heard other people tell similar stories.) I have to ask.... Did your hearing return in that ear?

      --

      McFly777
      - - -
      "What do people mean when they say the computer went down on them?" -Marilyn Pittman
    30. Re:Really? by bmajik · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Agreed. It certainly doesn't further the goals of the (Christian) church or the work of (the Christian) God when the _state_ uses compulsion to extract religiously compliant behavior.

      If God wanted people to be forced to act a certain way, he would just shoot them with lightning all the time. And when the stupid Isralites long ago kept clammoring for a King to rule over them, God tried to talk them out of it.

      God is a libertarian that wants people to voluntarily be socialists :)

      --
      My opinions are my own, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.
    31. Re:Really? by bmajik · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually I think the reason that homosexuality is a "problematic" sin is that most murders, liars, and theives are willing to concede that all of those things are sinful and can be apologetic about them.

      If a man beleives engaging in homosexual acts is just dandy and his church congregation feels that it is sinful, the man is at odds with his church doctrinally, and in their view, he continues to willfully and unrepentantly sin.

      There are plenty of fundamentalist churches that welcome homosexuals -- provided that they beleive that they are repressing sinful urges or whatever. They are a by all indications a rare breed, but there are gay men out there who try and live in the tortured margins of beleiving that their religion tells them their desires are wrong.

      To be fair, married hetero men by and large still desire, at some level, to nail all kinds of women that aren't their wives, which is naturally "not cool, Jesus-wise". But marraige provides the luxury of a biblically blessed outlet for their compansionship and sexual needs [convenient for them!]

      As near as I can figure, in the fundamentalist worldview, assuming there is genetic predisposition towards homosexuality, being homosexual is akin to being born with leprosy or as a kleptomaniac. The dogma seems to be that that these people were born with a hardship that increases their proclivity for sinfulness, but they are required to condemn that temptation and recognize it for what it is.

      I go to an evangelical church, btw.

      --
      My opinions are my own, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.
    32. Re:Really? by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Insightful

      But you must not forget that it was customary, if not normal, to own slaves back then. It was normal that after a war you came back with prisoners and enslaved them. From our vantage point it seems odd, even horrible, unthinkably inhuman to own other people. But back then, it was simply the normal flow of operation. You got captured in war, you're a slave. You can't pay your debt, you pay with your head (figuratively speaking). Also, our idea of freedom would have been unthinkable for most of history. Tell our idea of government to a medieval person, used to a feudal system with lords and villains, and he'l laugh at you, at best.

      Times changes. So do people and their morals. Claiming that a millenia old moral code should be upheld is strange at best. Dangerous at worst.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    33. Re:Really? by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Had something similar happen to me about 10 years ago, only in my case, it was a moth. Kept flying around my head and face, I waved it away a couple of times, and then, suddenly, it just flew straight in like Luke Skywalker aiming for that exhaust vent in the Deathstar.

      At the ER, the doc -- instead of getting down to business -- decided to be an complete moron and wasted about 15 minutes first, by asking me repeatedly *why* I'd let it get in there. ...As if I'd invited the little bastard in there for tea or something!

      One of the few times I've ever come close to just completely losing the plot and throttling the life out of someone from sheer rage/fear/frustration.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
  2. 'Can I put peroxide in my ear?' by EvanED · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why is the peroxide question that stupid? The only thing I can think of is that the person probably meant 'hydrogen peroxide', and then I think it's a pretty reasonable question.

    1. Re:'Can I put peroxide in my ear?' by nine-times · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I agree. Hydrogren peroxide is a common home remedy for ear-aches and wax buildup. It seems reasonable (and even smart) for someone, upon receiving advice to put hydrogen peroxide in his ears, to plug it into Google to see if it's actually a good idea.

      I also don't think "Why would a pregnancy test be negative?" is that crazy a question. Yes, there's the obvious answer (you're not pregnant), but one might assume the intention of the question is "Are there reasons why a pregnancy test would be negative even if the woman were pregnant?" Pregnancy tests aren't 100% accurate, after all, so someone might have just wanted to know what factors might throw one off.

      In fact, most of the questions in this article are pretty valid questions that I can understand a person wanting the answer to. "Am I going into labor?" Well it's not necessarily immediately obvious, and there's even such a thing as "false labor". "Why would a married man cheat?" It's a valid question, and I bet there are interesting scientific studies that try to address the question.

  3. At least wasn't responsible for by idontgno · · Score: 4, Funny

    "How is babby formed?"

    --
    Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    1. Re:At least wasn't responsible for by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny
  4. Peroxide by gauauu · · Score: 4, Informative

    Can you put peroxide in your ear?

    Why is this disturbing? Pouring peroxide in your ear bubbles like crazy (and feels rather nice), and supposedly helps remove built-up ear wax. But some sources say it does more harm (drying and/or irritating the ear) than good.

    Either way, it's about as disturbing as asking whether I can put a Q-tip in my ear.

    1. Re:Peroxide by Enahs · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I do this on occasion. It's been beneficial, imho. Stupid author is stupid.

      --
      Stating on Slashdot that I like cheese since 1997.
  5. Why can't I own Canadians? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

    1. Re:Why can't I own Canadians? by jimbobborg · · Score: 4, Funny

      Because Canada is the 51st state. Not to mention America's hat.

    2. Re:Why can't I own Canadians? by Phrogman · · Score: 4, Funny

      No no, the US is Canada's couch

      --
      "The first time I got drunk, I got married. The second time I bought a chimpanzee, after that I stayed sober" Arian Seid
    3. Re:Why can't I own Canadians? by BarryJacobsen · · Score: 3, Funny

      No no, the US is Canada's crotch

      Fixed that for you.

    4. Re:Why can't I own Canadians? by kimvette · · Score: 4, Informative

      The concept of "slavery" that the Israelites practiced was similar to indentured servitude in early US history; not similar to the slavery the Israelites endured in Egypt or africans endured here in America. If you read leviticus all the way through you'll find that the "slaves"[sic] are to be set free and all debts released after a period of time (7 years IIRC), and also, every 50 years (the year of jubilee) all land should be returned to their original owners (so in effect land wasn't sold, but rather, leased).

      So yes, you can have indentured servants (termed slaves in leviticus) but NOT slavery in terms of the horrible American slavery.

      Having said that, you can't really enslave Canadians. After all, Canadians aren't really people! *kidding, obviously*

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
    5. Re:Why can't I own Canadians? by kimvette · · Score: 2, Funny

      If I learned anything from watching TV, it's that Canada is America, Jr. and therefore there is no reason to visit. Homer Simpson taught me that. ;)

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
    6. Re:Why can't I own Canadians? by ElectricTurtle · · Score: 5, Funny

      That makes sense, since we're all such big dicks.

      --
      I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
    7. Re:Why can't I own Canadians? by j4s0n · · Score: 5, Funny

      It takes balls to admit that...

  6. Obligatory George Carlin Quote by kidblast · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

    1. Re:Obligatory George Carlin Quote by dogmatixpsych · · Score: 2, Informative

      I know that quote is humorous but it is technically wrong. "Average" intelligence extends +/- 10 points the mean IQ score (set at 100, with a standard deviation of 15) - although, there are people who consider average to be +/- 20 IQ points. In any case, 50-68% (or even higher) of people have "average" IQ (intelligence).

      This means that the "average" person only has a maximum of 25% of the population with a lower IQ. I know that's technical but when we (psychologists) talk about average intelligence, average != the mean. Average is a range.

      Okay, I'm done being pedantic.

    2. Re:Obligatory George Carlin Quote by maxume · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Giving the range you are describing the label '"average" person' is nonsensical, and if you look at individuals and integrate across those individuals, by definition, the percentage of the population with a lower iq will be larger than 25% (because the very bottom of the range has an iq that indicates 25% of the population has a lower iq than they do, 25.249% if you take the distribution too seriously).

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  7. Personal anecdote by Estanislao+Mart�nez · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I once many years ago went to Google HQ to interview for a part-time job. In the lobby, right above the receptionist's desk, they had a big scrolling LCD thingy that shows actual searches that have been sent to the search engine.

    The list was censored so that nothing NSFW would pop up, of course, but it was far from perfect. So me and my friend got treated to a good one: "voir les culottes de filles."

  8. Can you put peroxide in your ear? by rolfwind · · Score: 2, Informative

    Hydrogen Peroxide in your ears is a way to remove ear wax buildup.

    Idk what is so worrying about that.

  9. 'Owning A Canadian' refers to a joke by The_AV8R · · Score: 5, Informative

    A radio personality named Dr. Laura Schlessinger, an orthodox jew, once said on her show that homosexuality was an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and could not be condoned under any circumstance. "Why Can't I Own A Canadian is the title of the letter in response to her comments.

    --
    What? I can't assume Occam's Razor was a slick fold-up scooter?
  10. Wow. just. wow. by idontgno · · Score: 4, Funny

    (No, not World of Warcraft.)

    I just tried the little experiment in TFA with the phrase "What are..."

    Google's #1 suggestion: "...these strawberries doing on my nipples I need them for the fruit salad"

    I boggle. I boggle at google.

    There's an amazing untold story there. I hope it stays that way.

    --
    Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
    1. Re:Wow. just. wow. by Rary · · Score: 4, Informative

      There's an amazing untold story there. I hope it stays that way.

      Sorry.

      --

      "You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war." -- Albert Einstein

    2. Re:Wow. just. wow. by captjc · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Why "

      My favorites are: "why is my poop green", "why did I get married", and "why is there a dead pakistani on my couch"

      --
      Slow Down Cowboy! It's been 1 hour, 47 minutes since you last successfully posted a comment
    3. Re:Wow. just. wow. by choongiri · · Score: 3, Funny

      Speaking of untold stories:

      "I like"...

      ...to tape my thumbs to my hands to see what it would be like to be a dinosaur

      WTF?

    4. Re:Wow. just. wow. by dontmakemethink · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Something is definitely fishy here. When I entered "What are" the top recommended string was also "these strawberries doing on my nipples I need them for the fruit salad", which had 10,100 hits. However, the next on the list was "the 7 wonders of the world", which had 10,900,000 hits. Further down the list is "torrents" with 161,000,000 hits.

      Ah, the post below indicates the "strawberries" string is the title of a book at Amazon.com. So Amazon is paying to have their products come up in the search string recommendations. How quaint...

      --

      War as we knew it was obsolete
      Nothing could beat complete denial
      - Emily Haines
  11. Many of these questions are legitimate by ShooterNeo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Many of the "inane" questions in the article illustrate the stupidity of the journalist who wrote the article. Most of these questions are legitimate, with a legitimate answer.

    Some examples :
    Can you put peroxide in your ear?

    Actually, you can use it to remove earwax and to disinfect your ear if you went swimming in dirty water. It's a perfectly safe, legitimate use.

    Am I going in labour?

    Actually, other pains can be mistaken for labor, and it takes hours to develop in many women. Perhaps you're a woman, and you want to know if that abdominal pain was your first contraction or just a GI problem.

    Am I having a heart attack?

    Again, it's possible to mistake heartburn and cracked ribs for a heart attack. Maybe you should see what the symptoms are before you blow $300 at the Emergency Room.

    Why can't black people swim? Why can't white people dance? Both must be stereotypical behaviors, and maybe there is a reason why it can seem like both are true.

    Can you drink your own urine?

    Again, a legitimate question. In a desperate situation, drinking your own urine may extend your survival under some environmental conditions. It's commonly mentioned in media.

    Why would a pregnancy test be negative?

    Yes, it's possible to get a negative test and be pregnant.

    Can two women make a baby?

    Yes, it's possible with newly developed technology to create sperm from stem cells. However, it has never been demonstrated in humans and may be quite unsafe.

    1. Re:Many of these questions are legitimate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      (1) Google "What is the chance" and facepalm away.

      (2) Slate had an article this week about the differences between how people ask google questions. It's enlightening.

      http://www.slate.com/id/2234019/

    2. Re:Many of these questions are legitimate by Any+Web+Loco · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "...blow $300 at the Emergency Room."
      Ok so a little off-topic but if you think you're having a heart attack you should not have to think twice about seeking medical advice - cost should not hold you back. One of the advantages of socialised health care I guess...

  12. My own contribution: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Me:
    what is the

    Google:
    date today
    meaning of life
    population of Canada
    name of bo and luke dukes 69 dodge charger in the tv series the dukes of hazzard
    population of the world
    sum of days in a week months in a year hours in a day
    largest city in canada
    canadian dollar worth
    best laptop
    capital of california

    I don't know how their system works, but I don't think it's based on actual searches that people have done. I mean, how many people who google for the name of the Dukes' car would actually type a full sentence like that?

    Another one I just tried:

    Me:
    what's worse than
    Google:
    a pile of dead babies

  13. or yahoo answers by circletimessquare · · Score: 2, Funny

    http://answers.yahoo.com/

    and the end all most awesome/ most depressing question ever asked there:

    "how is babby formed, how girl get pragnent"

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  14. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  15. The obvious weakness... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Of this piece is the same issue that plagues the "Dear God, look at Yahoo Answers, and weep for humanity" articles.

    Obviously, the internet is, in fact, filled with fucktards; but it is also full of people searching for jokes, people trolling for the lulz, satire, google bombing, etc. Without reasonably solid statistics munching, you can't really say whether a given query is common because people are searching for it in seriousness, in jest, because they are mocking the people who were searching for it seriously, etc, etc.

  16. Re:I entered by idontgno · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's proof that Google understands the distinction between fact and fiction (let alone blatant impossibility).

    --
    Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
  17. Stupid to ask questions? by syousef · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Since when is it now laughable or stupid to ask questions to relieve oneself of ignorance? I'd say it's stupid to want to stay ignorant.

    Basing your actions entirely on one or two less than credible sources might be stupid. I wouldn't put peroxide in my ear for instance without making sure I had plenty of credible sources to back that action. However asking the question on a search engine which might lead me to such credible sources is anything but stupid.

    Whoever came up with this tripe is the one that's stupid. We don't need to praise willful ignorance, when knowledge is just a google query away...

    --
    These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
  18. Why you can't pown one... by SuperKendall · · Score: 3, Funny

    Because they got sk1ll5, and you are a n00b.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  19. Re:let's not forget drunk & silly people by Arancaytar · · Score: 4, Informative

    No, they meant this satirical open letter.

  20. Jesus came from an egg by Saishuuheiki · · Score: 2, Informative

    Everyone knows the holiday Easter came from the three wise-men scouring the desert looking for the egg of Jesus.

  21. Follow the Rabbit Hole... by pspahn · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So I tried a few of the searches myself, I wanted to see what these pages actually said. After reading the article here, I found myself in a world of hilarity. The web is an interesting place.

    --
    Someone flopped a steamer in the gene pool.
  22. This one is the worst by Explodicle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We typed: 'Am I going...'
    Google suggests: '...into labour?'
    Answer: There's an easy and reliable way to test. Is there a brand-new human poking out of your lower body? If yes, then congratulations, you're going into labour. More accurately, you're already in it.


    I'm amazed that these guys make fun of a question, act like wiseasses who know the answer, yet did not read the results of the search! The early stages of labor can start DAYS before birth, and false labor is very common.

  23. Disturbing Search Requests by John+Jorsett · · Score: 5, Interesting

    One of the sites I like to look at from time to time is a blog of webmasters who post some of the more bizarre search requests that have led people to their sites. A recent one: "masturbate with armor all". http://www.disturbingsearchrequests.com/

  24. Yes. Really. by dazedNconfuzed · · Score: 5, Funny

    I own a Canadian. Cost me everything I have, and everything I ever will have. Worth every penny.

    However, independent observers may conclude she owns me. ...sorry, gotta run, being paged...

    --
    Can we get a "-1 Wrong" moderation option?
  25. Gideons already do this. by ickeicke · · Score: 2, Informative

    As far as I know, Gideon International, famous for their distribution of bibles, only distribute the New Testament. Not sure what the reason is, but I am sure efficiency plays a big role if you are going to distribute more than 1,5 billion copies...

    --
    Firehed - Unfortunately, thanks to medical breakthroughs, common sense is not as common as it once was.
  26. Re:Jesus by commodoresloat · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you type in "why is" one of the first suggestions is "why is there a dead Pakistani on my couch?"

    I just poked my head in the living room. It's actually a pretty good question.