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What's It Called

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by dogknees 1 view

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I was just talking to a workmate and he mentioned that a certain piece of equipment would do a certain thing. He then made the comment that "at least that's what everyone says". Problem is, it's not actually the case!

This got me thinking about those bits of information that "everyone knows" that are actually false. Like "the file MSORUN.DLL is a virus" that's done the rounds over the years. I'm sure you all know of a few of these.

So, I was thinking, what do we call those pieces of "common knowledge" that are actually false? And, what do we call emails that pass this "information" on? They're not viruses, they're not really phishing, nor are they trojans.

Suggestions please. Sillier the better as usual.

16 replies

by john.a.wills

to IT matters. It is "common knowledge" that the spread of contraception reduces abortion rates, that the Israelis are the same nation as the Biblical Israelites and that Jesus was nicer than Paul.

by ansugisalas

than Ringo. Nobody's nicer than Ringo.

But the use of condoms and especially the use of "morning-after-pills" does reduce the frequency of abortion. And especially it reduces the frequency of undesirable teen parenthood.

Here, I think you might like to look at this.

by seanferd

Because the people opposed to contraception are those most likely to have abortions.

by dogknees

Though we should have a term specific to IT. We do like our insider jargon after all.

by john.a.wills

Country folk seem just as likely to fall for them. Or perhaps modern communication has us all living in one global urbs?

by charliespencer

The phrase applies even to that story about the girl who was picked up beside the bridge wearing her prom dress, dropped off at her parent's farm house door, and when the driver returned the next day with her forgotten sweater...

C'mon, y'all know what happened.

by hal 9000

Electricity flows from Positive to Negative?

Or Cinderella wore Glass Slippers to the Ball and was silly enough to loose one? Must have been a Blond right?

I call them errors because they knew no better or Translation Mistakes. ;)

Col

by jamesrl

Urban Legend Definition, from alt.folkore.urban archives:

An urban legend:

- appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously in varying forms
- contains elements of humor or horror (the horror often "punishes" someone who flouts society's conventions).
- makes good storytelling.
- does NOT have to be false, although most are. ULs often have a basis in fact, but it's their life after-the-fact (particularly in reference to the second and third points) that gives them particular interest.

The emails are often called emailore, or scaremail

by nicknielsen

I was parked in the woods a couple weeks ago, and found a hook hanging from the car door handle the next morning...

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