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"Crank" (or kook, crackpot, or quack) is a pejorative term for a person who writes or speaks in an authoritative fashion about a particular subject, often in science, but is alleged to have false or even ludicrous beliefs. Usage of the label is often subjective, with proponents of competing theories labeling their opponents cranks, but typically is used to describe someone who is well out of mainstream opinion on a matter. In most cases the people labeled as crackpots turn out to be wrong. Quackery is the practice of producing fraudulent medicine, usually in order to make money or for ego gratification and power. ...
A word or phrase is pejorative or derogatory (sometimes misspelled perjorative) if it expresses contempt or disapproval; dyslogistic (noun: dyslogism) is used synonymously (antonyms: meliorative, eulogistic, noun eulogism). ...
What is science? There are different theories of what science is. ...
A number of topics have attracted the interest of large numbers of cranks, including:
Physics, computer science and mathematics
Squaring the circle is the problem proposed by ancient Greek geometers, of using ruler-and-compass constructions to make a square with the same area as a given circle. ...
A number of ancient problems in geometry involve the construction of lengths or angles using only an idealized ruler and compass, or more properly a straightedge and compass. ...
A theory of everything (TOE) is a theory of theoretical physics and mathematics that fully explains and links together all known physical phenomena (i. ...
Fig. ...
Albert Einsteins theory of relativity is a set of two scientific theories in physics: special relativity and general relativity. ...
Lossless data compression is a class of data compression algorithms that allows the original data to be reconstructed exactly from the compressed data. ...
Random data is data that is generated using random processes or data that has no discernable pattern. ...
See also: Topics in cryptography The security of all practical encryption schemes remains unproven, both for symmetric and asymmetric schemes. ...
This article is about algorithms for encryption and decryption. ...
In cryptography, the one-time pad (OTP) is the only theoretically unbreakable method of encryption: the plaintext is combined with a random pad the same length as the plaintext. ...
This article or section should include material from Parallel Path See also Perpetuum mobile as a musical term Perpetual motion machines (the Latin term perpetuum mobile is not uncommon) are a class of hypothetical machines which would produce useful energy in a way science cannot explain (yet). ...
Pierre de Fermat Fermats last theorem (sometimes abbreviated as FLT and also called Fermats great theorem) is one of the most famous theorems in the history of mathematics. ...
In mathematics, Goldbachs conjecture is one of the oldest unsolved problems in number theory and in all of mathematics. ...
Charles Bennett examines three cold fusion test cells at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA Cold fusion is a name for any nuclear fusion reaction that occurs well below the temperature required for thermonuclear reactions (which occur at millions of degrees Celsius). ...
Cantors diagonal argument is a proof devised by Georg Cantor to demonstrate that the real numbers are not countably infinite. ...
Time Cube is Gene Rays hypothesis that time is cubic, and that this has influences on wider aspects of life. ...
VMSK, for Very Minimum Shift Keying modulation, is one of a growing class of digital modulation methods claimed to send high speed digital data through very low bandwidth (or narrowband) channels. ...
In information theory, the Shannon-Hartley theorem states the maximum amount of error-free digital data (that is, information) that can be transmitted over a communication link with a specified bandwidth in the presence of noise interference. ...
Medicine Hypnosis is a psychological state whose existence and effects are strongly debated. ...
Mind control (or thought control) has the premise that an outside source can control an individuals thinking, behavior or consciousness (either directly or more subtly). ...
Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell division and the ability of these cells to invade other tissues, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue (invasion) or by migration of cells to distant sites (metastasis). ...
Homeopathy (also spelled homœopathy or homoeopathy), from the Greek words homoios (similar) and pathos (suffering), is a system of alternative medicine, notable for its controversial practice of prescribing water-based solutions that do not contain chemically active ingredients. ...
Nutrition Shops now include a no carbs label on some food items Low-carbohydrate diets or low carb diets, are food diet programs for weight loss and dietary health that advocate restricted carbohydrate consumption, based on research that ties carbohydrate consumption with increased blood insulin levels, and increased insulin with obesity. ...
Macrobiotics (from the Greek macro (large, long) + bio (life)) is a lifetyle that incorporates a dietary regime. ...
Water fluoridation is the act of adding fluoride ions to water in order to reduce tooth decay in the general population. ...
The raw food diet (or living foods diet) consists of uncooked and unprocessed organic foods. ...
Politics and economics A conspiracy theory is a theory that defies common historical or current understanding of events, under the claim that those events are the result of manipulations by two or more individuals or various secretive powers or conspiracies. ...
The Federal Reserve System is headquartered in the Eccles Building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. The Federal Reserve System (also the Federal Reserve; informally The Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. ...
Social Credit is an economic theory and a social movement which started in the early 1920s. ...
In United States tax law enforcement, a tax protester (sometimes spelled protestor) is a person who resists or refuses payment of a tax for which he or she is liable based on a belief that the tax laws are inapplicable or unconstitutional. ...
Richard Harwoods Did Six Million Really Die? Holocaust denial is the claim that the mainstream historical version of the Holocaust is either highly exaggerated or completely falsified. ...
This article is a biographical article about LaRouche. ...
Paranormal and spiritual "Kook" is a somewhat similar term that is usually used pejoratively to describe a person whose areas of interest are perceived to be eccentric, fantastic, or insane. A person may be said to be a "kook" if they are seen to hold socially unacceptable beliefs, or perceptions that outrageously conflict with known scientific results, and appear to base their entire world views upon them. The term was coined in 1960 and originates from the word cuckoo, which is also the name of a bird. Alexander Yuan-Chun Chiu (born February 8, 1971) is a San Francisco, California businessman who claims to have invented a number of products that achieve remarkable results, including immortality and curing of all ailments. ...
New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ...
Faith healing is the use of solely spiritual means in treating disease, sometimes accompanied with the refusal of modern medical techniques. ...
For information on the last book of the New Testament see the entry on the Book of Revelation. ...
Prophecy, in a broad sense, is the prediction of future events. ...
Fundamentalism is a movement to maintain strict adherence to founding principles. ...
Christianity, Islam and Judaism hold the belief that the universe was created by a Supreme Being. ...
Yogic flying is the purported ability to levitate which is a capability one gains through advanced practice of transcendental meditation. ...
A word or phrase is pejorative or derogatory (sometimes misspelled perjorative) if it expresses contempt or disapproval; dyslogistic (noun: dyslogism) is used synonymously (antonyms: meliorative, eulogistic, noun eulogism). ...
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being normal. ...
INSANE is a proprietary INteractive Streaming ANimation Engine developped by LucasArts. ...
Belief is assent to a proposition. ...
What is science? There are different theories of what science is. ...
1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Genera See text. ...
Orders Many - see section below. ...
The main distinguishing factor between kooks and quacks, frauds or hoaxers is that kooks genuinely believe that their perception, hypothesis or experiences constitute a valid model of reality. Predictably, "kooks" tend to draw criticism and generate controversy; it has been speculated that some kooks are motivated by a desire for such attention. However the same material can be both hoax and kookery in different hands, for example if a crank theory, sincerely believed by its originator and some of its supporters, is used as the basis of a hoax promoted by others who do not sincerely believe it. Quackery is the practice of fraudulent medicine, usually in order to make money or for ego gratification and power. ...
A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. ...
A hypothesis (= assumption in ancient Greek) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. ...
Model may refer to more than one thing : For models in society, art, fashion, and cosmetics, see; role model model (person) supermodel figure drawing modeling section In science and technology, a model (abstract) is understood as an abstract or theoretical representation of a phenomenon,see; geologic modeling model (economics) model...
Reality in everyday usage means everything that exists. ...
A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. ...
Science fiction author and critic Bruce Sterling noted in his essay in CATSCAN 13 [1]: Bruce Sterling at the Ars Electronica Festival Bruce Sterling (born April 14, 1954) is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his seminal work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which defined the cyberpunk genre. ...
- There's supposed to be a lot of difference between the hurtful online statement "You're a moron," and the tastefully facetious statement "You're a moron :-)". I question whether this is really the case, emoticon or no. And even the emoticon doesn't help much in one's halting interaction with the occasional online stranger who is, in fact, gravely sociopathic. Online communication can wonderfully liberate the tender soul of some well-meaning personage who, for whatever reason, is physically uncharismatic. Unfortunately, online communication also fertilizes the eccentricities of hopeless cranks, who at last find themselves in firm possession of a wondrous soapbox that the Trilateral Commission and the Men In Black had previously denied them.
In other words, the Internet is a magnet for kooks and cranks. If you use the Internet much at all, particularly Usenet, you will see kooks. An emoticon, also called a smilie, is a sequence of printable characters such as :), ^-^, or :-) or a small image that is intended to represent a human facial expression and convey an emotion. ...
Antisocial personality disorder (APD) is a personality disorder which is often characterised by antisocial and impulsive behaviour. ...
The Trilateral Commission is a private organization, founded in 1973 at the initiative of David Rockefeller, of over 300 private citizens from Europe, Japan, and North America to promote closer cooperation between these three areas. ...
In UFO conspiracy theories, the term Men in Black (MIBs) are alleged to be men dressed in black suits claiming to be government agents, who attempt to harass or threaten UFO witnesses into silence. ...
Usenet is a distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP network of the same name. ...
Kook trademarks are paranoia and grandiosity. Kooks will often build up elaborate imaginary support structures, fake corporations and the like, and continue to act as if those things are real even after their falsity has been exposed and documented in public. Kooks also tend to be utterly humorless and fail to grasp that their behavior is causing people to laugh at them; they do not seem to be very capable of introspection, and do not seem to understand how their behavior looks to others.
While they may appear harmless, and are usually filtered out by the other regular participants in a newsgroup or mailing list, they can still cause problems because the necessity for these measures is not immediately apparent to newcomers; there are several instances on record, for example, of journalists accepting kook claims as valid. A newsgroup is a repository, usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users at different locations. ...
A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. ...
Some people find kooks entertaining and take amusement from heckling them, or from prodding and provoking them to ever more kooky online behavior. Some people consider this to be cruel.
At least some kooks are mentally ill or suffer from one or more personality disorders, so this should be done with caution. See: schizophrenia, Narcissistic personality disorder Personality disorders form a class of mental disorders that are characterized by long-lasting rigid patterns of thought and behaviour. ...
Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder that is characterized by extreme feelings of self-importance, a high need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. ...
See also Pseudomathematics is a form of mathematics-like activity undertaken primarily by non-mathematicians. ...
Pseudoscience refers to any body of knowledge or practice which purports to be scientific or supported by science but which is judged by the mainstream scientific community to fail to comply with the scientific method. ...
A delusion is commonly defined as a false belief, and is used in everyday language to describe a belief that is either false, fanciful or derived from deception. ...
Quackery is the practice of producing fraudulent medicine, usually in order to make money or for ego gratification and power. ...
This proposed logo for a U.S. government agency was dropped due to fears that its Masonic symbolism would provoke conspiracy theories. ...
Moonbat is a political epithet coined in 2002 by Perry de Havilland of The Libertarian Samizdata, a libertarian weblog. ...
Time Cube is Gene Rays hypothesis that time is cubic, and that this has influences on wider aspects of life. ...
Josiah Stinkney Carberry is a fictional professor, created as a joke. ...
For the Scrabble-playing algorithm, see Maven (Scrabble). ...
This list of alternative, speculative and disputed theories includes examples of fields of endeavor that many in the mainstream scientific community consider to be fringe or pseudoscientific. ...
Clark Stanleys Snake Oil Liniment. ...
alt. ...
External links - Kooks Museum, a humorous collection of kook ideas, by Donna Kossy
- Crank Dot Net, a collection of Web sites related to cranks, created by Erik Max Francis
- the Almighty LART.com, more kook appreciation
- John Baez' crackpot index, in the author's words: A simple method for rating potentially revolutionary contributions to physics.
- The Unofficial NANAE Kooks Kollection, a collection of articles on the Usenet kooks particular to the NANAE newsgroup.
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