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Late last week several news outlets ran a story claiming that Internet Explorer users had a lower IQ than other browser users. The study was supposedly carried out online by Canadian AptiQuant Psychometirc Consulting Co. and the “results” indicated that users of Internet Explorer scored significantly lower than those using competing web browsers such as Firefox, Chrome and Safari.
AptiQuant even followed the story up by claiming they were threatened with a lawsuit by “loyal Internet Explorer users”.
The BBC was one of the original reporting outlets but they soon became suspicious after their readers discovered the website had only recently been launched.
It has since been announced that everything surrounding the story was a complete hoax. In retrospect, there were many signs questioning the legitimacy of the study and website but media didn’t put the pieces together quickly enough.
Since the hoax was revealed, much of the content on the AptiQuant website has been removed. Furthermore, those responsible for the hoax have posted a list of signs that “should have uncovered the hoax in less than 5 minutes”.
At the top of this list is the fact that the domain was registered on July 14, 2011. This could have been revealed by a quick WhoIs domain registration search. Other warning signs include the fact that the given address for the business does not exist and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (IV) test is copyrighted and cannot be administered online.
“Again, this was all meant to be a lighthearted joke. We did not mean to insult anyone, but if we have hurt anybody’s feelings, we apologize for that. But what’s really funny is that everybody took the report so seriously, with comments like “Oh did we need such a study, we already knew that.”
In the end, we are once again sorry if I this report hurt your feelings. The main purpose behind this hoax was to create awareness about the incompatibilities of IE6 and how it is pulling back innovation. So, if you are still using IE6, please update to a newer browser.“
User Comments: 43
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Well this is a surprise indeed.
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As I pointed out in the original thread: http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic168582.html the whole thing smacked of being a phishing scam. I mean really, how vain to you have to be to download some strange PDF to validate your opinion of your own intelligence.
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What manner of gibberish is that? lol. shame on you Ms(r) Cranky.
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What manner of gibberish is that? lol. shame on you Ms(r) Cranky.Downloaded that garbage, did we....?
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Downloaded that garbage, did we....?
ups-a-daisy
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People still shouldn't be using IE though, sorry but the web developer in me despises every version of IE, it is not only the browser with less support for modern standards it is also the only major browser that runs only on one single platform.
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Does this mean that the Acai Berry Diet, Free Green Card site, and RussianGirlsWhoOnlyNeedMyCreditCardForAuthentificationPurpos
s.ru might also be less than legitimate? -
red1776 did...lol.
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Does this mean that the Acai Berry Diet, Free Green Card site, and RussianGirlsWhoOnlyNeedMyCreditCardForAuthentificationPurposNo, not at all. Given the, "innocent until proven guilty", principles of modern jurisprudence, you can't even suggest they they might be less than upstanding(*), until they've emptied your bank account, and you've cried about it for the cameras of you local 6:00 news.
s.ru might also be less than legitimate?"I thought I was getting my dream of a life partner, now I'm forced back to my blow up doll for companionship"! He said as he slobbered all over the nice newsman's microphone.
(And in case you were wondering, the "upstanding" wording, was a thinly veiled reference to the victim being the erection that he had so desperately desired to inflict on the nice Russian girl).
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this is exactly why journalists should verify their story before publishing it. case and point, WMD.
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this is exactly why journalists should verify their story before publishing it. case and point, WMD.Not really a good example. To verify the presence of WMD in Iraq before any publication of those claims, the press would have had to declare war on Iraq, then go in and search for said weapons themselves.
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I would hardly call a platform comprising 90% of all desktop PC's, numbering in the hundreds of millions, a problem.
Besides, from their stagnation earlier this century, MS has rather quickly come to IE 9, which is a pretty good browser. If a person stopped using IE a few years ago, and hasn't checked out the new version, they might still be under the impression that its horrible and crappy. I don't use it that often, but when I do use it, or play with a new version, I find it to be very fast, responsive, and stable.
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I would hardly call a platform comprising 90% of all desktop PC's, numbering in the hundreds of millions, a problem.
Besides, from their stagnation earlier this century, MS has rather quickly come to IE 9, which is a pretty good browser. If a person stopped using IE a few years ago, and hasn't checked out the new version, they might still be under the impression that its horrible and crappy. I don't use it that often, but when I do use it, or play with a new version, I find it to be very fast, responsive, and stable.
Given that most of my posts are a "bit afield" of the topic, and having admitted that I have no room to talk, is this posted in the correct thread? If so, how so? Perspiring minds want to know... :o
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They caught a few people out on here, that's for sure
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Windows users may have a lower IQ.
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captaincranky said:
Given that most of my posts are a "bit afield" of the topic, and having admitted that I have no room to talk, is this posted in the correct thread? If so, how so? Perspiring minds want to know... :o
I'm almost positive he was saying that in response to Mario's comment.
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captaincranky said:I would hardly call a platform comprising 90% of all desktop PC's, numbering in the hundreds of millions, a problem.
Besides, from their stagnation earlier this century, MS has rather quickly come to IE 9, which is a pretty good browser. If a person stopped using IE a few years ago, and hasn't checked out the new version, they might still be under the impression that its horrible and crappy. I don't use it that often, but when I do use it, or play with a new version, I find it to be very fast, responsive, and stable.
Given that most of my posts are a "bit afield" of the topic, and having admitted that I have no room to talk, is this posted in the correct thread? If so, how so? Perspiring minds want to know... :o
I was talking about IE9, but I suppose that fast, responsive and stable would be good qualities in any potential East Slavic bride as well.
I would add feisty for the bride, but perhaps not the browser. Like this:
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Lokalaskurar said:
captaincranky said:As I pointed out in the original thread: http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic168582.html the whole thing smacked of being a phishing scam. I mean really, how vain to you have to be to download some strange PDF to validate your opinion of your own intelligence.
I feel really stupid now. Even though it actually wasn't any kind of a strange PDF-file, being ballsy resulted in falling for the hoax completely :o
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Windows users may have a lower IQ.I don't think you can say that, without implying that Mac OS users are smarter....
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...unless it's the linux users who are smarter.
...then it comes down to retardation race between people that keep Steve Bullmer in a job, or keep a Jobs in a j....pulpit.
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captaincranky said:this is exactly why journalists should verify their story before publishing it. case and point, WMD.Not really a good example. To verify the presence of WMD in Iraq before any publication of those claims, the press would have had to declare war on Iraq, then go in and search for said weapons themselves.
dude serious?
that's is NOT the only option to finding out WMD. that's propaganda talk, also known as cool aid. if declaring war on nations is the only option for you to find out other's secrets, the world would be bursting in flame and no one would be alive by now. there're ways to verify a report. you just gotta do a better job verifying the "source". if you can't. don't publish the story.
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I still thing people using IE are retarded.
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HiDDeNMisT said:
captaincranky said:As I pointed out in the original thread: http://www.techspot.com/vb/topic168582.html the whole thing smacked of being a phishing scam. I mean really, how vain to you have to be to download some strange PDF to validate your opinion of your own intelligence.
I knew it. I myself don't use IE but still, computer savvy people shpuld have known that this was a scam.
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dude serious?Yeah dude serious.
that's is NOT the only option to finding out WMD. that's propaganda talk, also known as cool aid. if declaring war on nations is the only option for you to find out other's secrets, the world would be bursting in flame and no one would be alive by now. there're ways to verify a report. you just gotta do a better job verifying the "source". if you can't. don't publish the story.
And if only for the fact, that finding out the truth would ultimately have taken longer than Messrs. Bush & Cheyney's, very "successful", "rush to judgment".
There were 2 fully involved propaganda machines between the press and the fact or fantasy of WMD in Iraq, ours and theirs. The press, is to one degree or another, dependent on our government for "the truth", and must take much of what comes out of the White House on faith.
Iraq was a closed society at that time, and had a "White Palace" press secretary to disseminate their version of the "truth" also. (I think he was killed, at the very least captured).
So, if any investigative reporter had a general, more advanced knowledge of the truth about WMD in Iraq, and wasn't listened to, that is a tragic oversight in history.
My suggestion to you would be the time honored, "if you want anything done right, do it yourself", instead of talking smack here at TS.
I look forward to any revelations that "howzz-ileaks" could, in the near future, provide for our general betterment and enlightenment, promoting world peace, and perhaps even upholding the ideals of the Miss America Pageant.
dude serious? , the world would be bursting in flame and no one would be alive by now.I pulled this out to deal with it separately. This is hyperbole. We possess the ability to almost knock the earth out of orbit, hasn't happened. The world is constantly in flames, simply not all once. We just change the location of the fire periodically, out of convenience, necessity, and situational exigences. -
"Not really a good example. To verify the presence of WMD in Iraq before any publication of those claims, the press would have had to declare war on Iraq, then go in and search for said weapons themselves."
Or just point out that an undated image with the resolution of an etch-a-sketch thrown around by the Bush administration is not good enough to invade another country?
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