A tweet published in December 2018 reiterated a long-circulating purported “life hack,” in which an easy-to-miss arrow on a car’s gas gauge indicated the side of the vehicle on which its gas tank was located: How old were you when you realized the arrow on the gas pump in your car shows which side the …
Does the Arrow on a Car’s Gas Gauge Indicate Which Side Has the Fuel Tank? Read More »
On December 15, 2018, a Facebook user shared what appeared to be a screenshot of an article reporting the shocking news that dozens of Japanese scientists had been killed by rebellious artificial intelligence: An Instagram handle was visible in the screenshot, and that account featured the following post: 4 artificial intelligence robots killed 29 scientists …
Did Four Artificially Intelligent Robots Kill 29 Humans in a Japan Lab? Read More »
On December 18, 2018, a spate of posts and articles about fast food chain Popeye’s new “emotional support chicken” appeared on social media: The move appeared to be a stunt that was either tasty or tasteless, depending on your perspective. Although several general news outlets posted about the Popeye’s product, readers and social media users …
Is Popeye’s Offering ‘Emotional Support Chicken’ to Harried Travelers? Read More »
On December 14 2018, documents released by the Department of Justice clocked the cost of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election at over $25 million: The Justice Department’s investigation into Russian election meddling and any ties to the Trump campaign has cost more than $25 million since …
Could Robert Mueller’s Investigation Turn a Profit Thanks to Asset Seizures? Read More »
On December 17 2018, a Facebook page shared the following meme purporting to reveal the surprising etymology of the word “hospital”: With a nod to the “today years old” meme, it read: How old were you when you realised that HOSPITAL means House Of Sick People Including Treatment and Labour. Fun (but often unreliable) assertions …
Does Hospital Stand for ‘House of Sick People Including Treatment and Labour’? Read More »
Is the War on Christmas a holiday tradition in its own right?
Manufactured controversy about millennial affectations have nearly become a tradition all their own, and in 2018, news outlets took a shine to claims that “social justice warriors” (often shortened in internet parlance to the more derogatory “SJWs”) were “demanding” a gender-neutral Santa. Various versions of this story featured vague details about from where people might …
On December 12, 2018, a screenshot of a tweet attributed to Stephen King began circulating on Facebook and other social sites. It read: Fuck your wall. Split that 5 billion between at-risk children who don’t have lunches and vets who can’t get proper medical and psychological treatment. Fuck your vanity project. Do something good for …
Is a Scathing Stephen King Tweet About the Border Wall Real? Read More »
On December 12, 2018, a purported Department of Homeland Security memo about the proposed border wall began circulating on social media. Titled “Walls Work,” its original wording was widely described widely as “bizarre” due in part to its unusual, labored syntax. Visiting direct links to the memo led to a page that read in part: WE …
On December 11, 2018, a Facebook user shared the following image and caption purportedly showing a genuine calcified fetus: 80 year old lady [emoji], went to have a cat-scan, and they found a fetus that’s been in her cervix for 30 years The referenced phenomenon (a calcified fetus or lithopedion) is real, but many readers …
Did a Medical Scan of an 80-Year-Old Woman Reveal a Calcified Fetus? Read More »
