Status: Social Experiment
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.
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I can't load the site, either, after that page. Too busy.
http://www.ckyalliance.com/forum/index.php?s=ce6b0c13cbb4d7bd2732543c7d958133&showtopic=1659&view=findpost&p=51801
Interesting
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.
"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.
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?
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.
Here is the explanation: http://www.eon8.com/deployed21b.php
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.