Odd Sites: Examples of Web Sites Unsuitable for Research Citation (provided for Instructional Purposes only) Some people make the assumption that information and programming on the World Wide Web is checked and approved by some person or agency, to insure accuracy and truthfulness, or that some social pressure keeps everything honest and accurate. No such person or agency exists, although a few web sites do keep track of some of the dubious pages. Anyone can put anything up for as long as they can get away with it. Internet Service Providers do not often have time to check all sites on their own system in detail immediately, and buried mistakes, bad or malicious programming, or even deliberate misinformation often goes undetected until a complaint is made. Perfectly legal sites offer information which is aimed to present a certain viewpoint or commercial angle, despite any opinions to the contrary offered by other sources. The following sites are offered as examples of sites with or linking to "disputed content", or that which is not necessarily what it appears to be. Some of these sites are intended for entertainment or educational purposes. These examples are provided for instructional purposes only, and no offense or endorsement is intended to sites or their owners.

Not Just for April, Fools!

The Dihydrogen Monoxide site is frightening. This terrible chemical that no human can breathe safely is loose in our environment! Of course, dihydrogen is H2 and monoxide is O, so H2O is pretty common. This infamous hoax site occasionally panics somebody into demanding legal action to ban all water from their area.

WiFi Spray will speed up your wireless connection: "As your computer sends data, each bit also carries hundreds of invisible WiFi Speed Spray™ "scrubbing" molecules. It works at the speed of light. and even penetrates lead walls (not even Superman can do that!). Within .0025 seconds, the entire path between you and the receiver is cleaned, scrubbed, polished, and sanitized. You'll notice the improvement immediately as your productivity soars!"

Where Is It, or Is It At All?

The Warnings and Notices page lists a number of countries that were jokes, or frauds, or hoaxes. Ever visit the United Kingdom of Atlantis? You never will.

Students may wish to transfer to Miskatonic University, but will find it only the in the pages of the famous horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft and his followers. Situated in fictional Arkham, Massachusetts, there are actually several web sites purporting to be the 'official' site for the University, including:

• Miskatonic University, motto: "A small sacrifice for knowledge".
• the branch campus in Sunnydale (where did you think Buffy the Vampire Slayer went?)
• Another version is apparently for distance education students.

Well-Intentioned But Not Well-Researched

WWW Names Pages for Medievalists to Avoid is a list of sites for persons looking for names appropriate to the Middle Ages and Renaissance. However, "People have lots of different reasons for compiling lists of names, and most of them don't result [in] good sources for medieval names. Baby-name lists are almost always compiled without reference to historical usage. Genealogical databases usually list names in standardized and modernized spellings and forms. Character-name lists for gamers or novelists may bear some relation to historical naming, but they are aimed at modern audiences with modern expectations. Even scholarly translations of medieval documents commonly render names in modern English spellings. Any of these lists might include historical names in authentic forms, but it's almost always impossible to sort out the modern names from the historical ones."

Believe It Or....

The White House (whitehouse.net) teaches you to watch those suffixes when you surf. What's the difference between .gov and .net?

Anyone old enough to remember that '70s show, Kresky?

What You See Is Not What You Get

Pictures That Lie show the latest examples of publicly released pictures that have been (or are suspected of having been) altered.

Wilder wildlife: Tree Octopuses (or is it Octopi?)

Wildlife in Zoos: Sellafield Zoo puts a zoo next to a nuclear plant. Don't attend in person!

Underground Fast Food: Ninjaburger where the motto is "Guaranteed delivery in 30 minutes or less, or we commit Seppuku!"

Alternate Uses of the Web

Finally, some examples of web sites which are devoted largely to debunking or at least debating other web sites:

Thinking of investing? Try McWhortle which looks like a good buy, until you click on the link to invest - and find that it's a government site designed to warn potential investors about investment scams.

A notable if controversial site, Hatewatch covers the hate groups and persons on the Web, attempting to expose the sites' views by revealing them.

Bad Astronomy covers the rumors, myths and outright hoaxes related to astronomy. It includes debunking the "Apollo Moon Hoax" and the giant "face" on Mars.

The Bay Area Skeptics have one of many sites on the Web to dispute and discredit rumors, superstitions and false beliefs.

Urban Legends and Folklore is one of many sites debunking urban myths and dissecting the latest rumors.