It’s bad enough we’ve got fake news, now today is Celebrate Fake News Day


It’s 1 April, and you know what that means: trust nothing you read on the internet today.

Wait. Trust nothing you read on the Web of Lies on any day.

Comments

  1. llyris says

    Today is the triumph of scientific thinking day, where everyone is encouraged to consider the likelihood, validity, and logic of everything they hear/read, lest they make a fool of themselves.

  2. Ed Seedhouse says

    Wait, since this is an April 1 morning post you must be joking so you really believe that what we read on the interwebs is the unvarnished truth.

    But even an old semi-senile guy like me knows that’s wrong.

  3. says

    @2, llyris

    Today is the triumph of scientific thinking day,

    My scientific thinking tells me that that’s a major exaggeration!

    I think the best we can expect from April fool’s is some silly fun, and maybe an easy conversation starter with people in your life who aren’t up to speed on scientific thinking stuff.

  4. slithey tove (twas brillig (stevem)) says

    today’s number is 42
    meaning…
    uh
    oh yeah
    that’s the point.
    present a confusing answer to get people to actually start thinking through, rather than using their “auto-pilot”, quick-thought, mechanism of the brain.
    The reason for April Fules Day to begin with. To keep people puzzled, always asking “R U joking or Real?”
    so um thank you for letting me share my justification for enjoying this day, sort of. uh ???
    ?

  5. tbtabby says

    I haven’t encountered as much in the way of jokes this year. Google Maps has revisited its Pac-Man prank, but this time it’s Ms. Pac-Man. Kongregate claims to have VR support, complete with printable VR goggles and a new VR mode for one of their games. And speaking of Kongregate, Spellstone brought back the “A Very Serious Matter” campaign, but with an extra chapter that allows players to fight the developers of the game. Derpibooru has been changed to look like DeviantArt, while DeviantArt has a celebration of the LOLWUT pear. Thinkgeek has its annual collection of fake products, which this year included something PZ might like. But the only webcomic I read regularly that participated was Grand Line 3.5, which changed the anime from One Piece to La Blue Girl. Even XKCD opted out this year! XKCD!

  6. Alverant says

    Yeah, I hate this day. Like all days people will die, people will be born, someone will have the best day of their life, and for others it will be the worst day in their life so far. News of these serious things will be taken with be taken less seriously because of the date.

  7. says

    Recent events have made April Fool’s day obsolete. And much satire indistinguishable from reality.

    Picard Tips on Twitter said; “Picard humor tip: Be thankful that April Fools’ Day jokes fell out of common practice hundreds of years ago.” Makes the future a little more attractive.