eon8

Status: Social Experiment
image A couple of people have asked me if I know anything about eon8.com, a mysterious website that features a clock counting down to July 1 (tomorrow). Unfortunately I don't know anything about it. Though I guess we'll all find out what it is tomorrow, unless we just get another cryptic clue once the clock reaches 0.

According to Wikipedia, the leading theories are that it's a) an alternate reality game, b) some kind of distribution system for computer viruses (unlikely, I think), or c) a viral marketing scheme (perhaps a viral created by EON Productions to promote their next film, Casino Royale).

I can't think of anything else 'eon 8' would refer to. The poet WB Yeats developed an elaborate system of occult theory which held that history progresses through various spiritual eons each of which has their own special character. But I'm highly doubtful that the eon8 website is a reference to Yeatsian theosophy.

The domain registration info is also a dead end. It was registered via Domains by Proxy back in December 2005.

My hunch is that it probably will turn out to be option c: a viral marketing scheme.

Update: The eon8 site is now loading very slowly, if at all.

Update 2: You can check out an investigation of eon8 at http://eon8theinvestigation.ytmnd.com/.

Update 3: With the countdown completed, the secret behind eon8 has been revealed. It was a social experiment created by a 23-year-old web designer named Mike from Florida. He wanted to find out "the reactions of the internet public to lack of information." He discovered that a lot of people thought it might be a terrorist site (because of the ominous map it displayed with red dots over major population centers). Others, as I noted above, speculated it might be some kind of viral marketing scheme. Mike says that he's disappointed so many people assumed the site had evil intentions, but that reaction doesn't seem very illogical to me. After all, if you encounter someone that is obviously hiding something, why would you assume their intentions are benign? Also, looking at it from the perspective of social psychology, the site violated the norm of openness that exists on the internet. This would explain why it generated a hostile reaction from some. Groups always try to punish those who violate their norms.

Websites

Posted on Fri Jun 30, 2006



Comments

I can't actually load the site - must have exceeded their bandwidth or something. July 1st? Well that is Canada Day. Could have something to do with that, I suppose. It definitely sounds like a viral marketing thing of some sort though.
Posted by Gebweppy  on  Fri Jun 30, 2006  at  04:43 PM
Pretentious little pricks, whatever they're up to:

Warning
You are accessing this site from an UNVERIFIED HTTP REFERER. The site you were referred by has been recorded, and has been queued for a security audit by ES-12.

Site: http://www.museumofhoaxes.com

Audit Status: Pending ES-12 Verification

You may now continue
Posted by Terry Austin  on  Fri Jun 30, 2006  at  05:44 PM
Yeah, that's what I got too. And down at the bottom, in small type, was my computer's info - brand, OS, IP info, browser, etc. Weird.

I can't load the site, either, after that page. Too busy.
Posted by Jessica  on  Fri Jun 30, 2006  at  07:51 PM
Apparently, it was some kind of social expirment...
http://www.ckyalliance.com/forum/index.php?s=ce6b0c13cbb4d7bd2732543c7d958133&showtopic=1659&view=findpost&p=51801
Interesting
Posted by JWhales  on  Fri Jun 30, 2006  at  10:22 PM
Well, he got himself on C2C AM...
Posted by someone  on  Sat Jul 01, 2006  at  07:57 PM
No comment! It don't seem like it would do any good anyhow! (But to say 'no comment' is to have made a comment any how, so, here's my comment "Damn fools! Nuttin' but a buncha damn fools! Each and every one of yuz!!!" Sounds to me like you got a virus, worm, or a rootkit installed on yer compooters...
Posted by Christopher  on  Mon Jul 03, 2006  at  04:58 PM
"He discovered that a lot of people thought it might be a terrorist site (because of the ominous map it displayed with red dots over major population centers)."

Am I wrong or would that be THE STUPIDEST thing a terrorist group could do? There's a reason the Mafia doesn't send greeting cards notifying their intended victims that they're going to whack them, after all.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Wed Jul 05, 2006  at  01:59 AM
Somewhere, Michael Moore (the Great) is reading about this and laughing.

"Bowling for Columbine" is an examination of this country's hysterical and constant atmosphere of FEAR, FEAR, FEAR.

What a ninnie nation America has become when something like this makes people think "ooh, Terrorists!"

More people die in car accidents in a week than Islamic terrorism has killed in the entire history of the world... so, where's the National Guard on Every Streetcorner In America?

Oh, forgot, they're in... Iraq. Duh, big threat there.

Amerika makes me laugh, and cry. Sad commentary.
Posted by SoxSweepAgain  on  Wed Jul 05, 2006  at  07:58 AM
Some guy makes a web site to test people's reactions, and certain people naturally conclude that "Amerika" (more usually "Amerikkka") is somehow lacking. Of course, of course...

What garbage. And the more I hear this garbage from the Blame America First crew, the more I'm convinced that it's *they* who are the ninnies. Hurricane in New Orleans? No Kyoto, global warming, Bush's fault! A terrorist attack on America is nothing to worry about -- hey, they didn't kill *that* many people! Anyway, since Bush got a DUI, he's worse than Hitler!

(Yeah, I've actually heard that last one. More than once.)

And so it goes. The thoughtless rhetoric flies, delivered with the trademark self-righteous smirk at how stupid Americans are. There's a never-ending supply of these ninnies, always ready to serve up a potent cocktail of ignorance and arrogance. (Go on, take a sip. You'll feel much, much better about yourself.)

SoxSweepAgain is nothing more than a clown. He makes me laugh, but he'll certainly never make me cry. Why shed even a single tear over such a condescending fool?
Posted by Yeahright  on  Fri Jul 07, 2006  at  07:57 AM
Sounds to me like somebody's in denial. ^^
Don't be so harsh on SoxSweepAgain, he might not be right, but neither are you. Things are never black or white. My guess would be that if you mix his opinion with yours, we'd be a lot closer to the truth. But hey, never mind me, just freedom of speech/opinion and all that.
Posted by Azzy  on  Mon Jul 10, 2006  at  04:08 PM
The site is now for sale. It says "{eon8} Deployed".
Here is the explanation: http://www.eon8.com/deployed21b.php
Posted by Ian  on  Fri Jul 28, 2006  at  08:07 PM
Well, Eon8 came and went, and a whole bunch of people are probably feeling majorly burnt out. Eon8 (a mysterious site that developed a creeping sense of inevitable doom, thanks to some nifty tricks employed by the site creator) was simply an experiment - the guy who made the site just wanted to see what people would do faced with a lack of information.
Posted by Gerry  on  Mon Dec 04, 2006  at  08:41 AM
Azzy: If I disagree that America is always evil, then I'm in "denial"? Pfft. I understand that questions like these, and the answers to them, have nuances. But if you read for comprehension, you'll notice that SoxSweepAgain's utter lack of nuance is exactly what I'm attacking. "Amerikkka bad", like "fire bad". Get it?

But back to your idea: Yes, I *am* in denial. I deny that SoxSweepAgain is anything but an ignorant self-righteous arrogant clown. Of course, in the land of the free, you're at complete liberty to deny these obvious traits. When you do, I'll exercise my freedom to, as you say, "never mind" you.
Posted by Yeahright  on  Mon Dec 04, 2006  at  10:20 AM
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