Archive for the ‘cranks’ Category
The End of the World: a FAQ
November 10th, 2009
NASA has provided a Frequently Asked Questions page re: “The world will end in 2012.”
Conclusion: The world will probably continue existing.
Wilhem Reich
August 11th, 2009
Early in his career, Wilhelm Reich was a respected psychiatrist. He gradually became a crank:
Later in life, he became a controversial figure who was both adored and condemned. He began to violate some of the key taboos of psychoanalysis, using touch during sessions, and treating patients in their underwear to improve their “orgastic potency.” He said he had discovered a primordial cosmic energy, which he said others called God, and which he called “orgone.” He built “orgone energy accumulators” that his patients sat inside to harness the reputed health benefits, leading to newspaper stories about “sex boxes” that cured cancer.
It’s been a while since I’ve written a post about a crank. I love cranks.
The Flat Earth Society
January 29th, 2009
I’m not sure if this site can justifiably be called crankery, since I’m almost certain that everyone in the forum is only there to practice their debating skills.* But I wouldn’t be surprised to find that some of its supposed adherents actually believe it, so I’m including it here.
At least some humans have known with a fair degree of certainly that the Earth was mostly spherical since the 4th century B.C., and it’s probably safe to say that most of us are pretty well convinced. This is not true of the Flat Earth Society, and they have an impressive array of unintuitive arguments to back up their position in the FAQ.
Here ends crank week! Hopefully you’ve enjoyed these delightful nutjobs. If you’d like to learn about more cranks, I recommend the always-entertaining crank.net. I especially endorse their “Crank of the Day” feature. If you’re more interested in the process of identifying and rating cranks, you may find John Baez’s Crackpot Index to be a useful tool. Simply sum up the relevant points to gauge your crank!
* I’m also not entirely convinced that “crankery” is a word.
Reptoids
January 27th, 2009
Beneath our cities there dwells a reptilian menace. In the caverns under the surface of the Earth, the descendants of the dinosaurs lurk in the shadows, awaiting humanity’s moment of weakness.
To learn about the danger facing the Overworld, check out the Reptoid Research Center. The Reptilian Watch can provide you with some images of the threat.
But fear not! We can struggle against the Lizard Men by organizing on the Reptilian Resistance Forum.
Time Cube
January 25th, 2009
This week we’ll be doing a special series on cranks. If you, like myself, have spent a bit too much time on the Internets, you may immediately think of Time Cube. The site is basically full of incoherent ranting; I really don’t know what this guy’s trying to say, but it’s pretty funny.
An excellent parody of his site can be found here.