In the past, if you believed something just because it was on the internet you were seen as foolish.
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
121–130 of 177 posts
Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
#122Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I don't mean to spoil the fun, downvote me if this is not in the spirit, but it took me way too long to figure this out and others may be as slow as me and save some time by reading this comment: I believed it too. The thing is, this is something no one is really incentivized to lie about. If some website says "politician did X", then your lie detector turns on, because it's worth it for lots of websites to lie or…
It reminds me of a friend in high school who convinced me that he grew scallions in his bathroom. It seemed weird but he described it in some detail, how the humidity from the shower is good for them, etc. Then when I believed him he said of course I don't do that, how could you think something so ridiculous. I don't and didn't feel like believing him in this context made me gullible for the same kinds of reasons you…
Then they get you on the flip side when somebody does something way out there that's almost unbelievable. It took a couple of decades for Epstein to be shut down, after catching him once and him getting away with a slap on the wrist.
Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
#123Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I don't mean to spoil the fun, downvote me if this is not in the spirit, but it took me way too long to figure this out and others may be as slow as me and save some time by reading this comment: I believed it too. The thing is, this is something no one is really incentivized to lie about. If some website says "politician did X", then your lie detector turns on, because it's worth it for lots of websites to lie or…
It reminds me of a friend in high school who convinced me that he grew scallions in his bathroom. It seemed weird but he described it in some detail, how the humidity from the shower is good for them, etc. Then when I believed him he said of course I don't do that, how could you think something so ridiculous. I don't and didn't feel like believing him in this context made me gullible for the same kinds of reasons you…
He may have gotten this from real story from a distant relative or family friend as this is a real hobby and the humidity is a key factor. At almost $16 for a small bottle of XO sauce[1] with the main ingredient being dried scallops, it's a highly profitable home hobby.
Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
#124Earlier quoted context omitted.
It reminds me of a friend in high school who convinced me that he grew scallions in his bathroom. It seemed weird but he described it in some detail, how the humidity from the shower is good for them, etc. Then when I believed him he said of course I don't do that, how could you think something so ridiculous. I don't and didn't feel like believing him in this context made me gullible for the same kinds of reasons you…
He may have gotten this from real story from a distant relative or family friend as this is a real hobby and the humidity is a key factor. At almost $16 for a small bottle of XO sauce[1] with the main ingredient being dried scallops, it's a highly profitable home hobby. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/XO_sauce
Green onions, not shellfish. Close!
Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
#125Wow, that brings back memories. I had a link to this in my Usenet sig.. well, back in the era where one had a Usenet sig.
Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I don't mean to spoil the fun, downvote me if this is not in the spirit, but it took me way too long to figure this out and others may be as slow as me and save some time by reading this comment: I believed it too. The thing is, this is something no one is really incentivized to lie about. If some website says "politician did X", then your lie detector turns on, because it's worth it for lots of websites to lie or…
It reminds me of a friend in high school who convinced me that he grew scallions in his bathroom. It seemed weird but he described it in some detail, how the humidity from the shower is good for them, etc. Then when I believed him he said of course I don't do that, how could you think something so ridiculous. I don't and didn't feel like believing him in this context made me gullible for the same kinds of reasons you…
I get just a little annoyed, a reasonable amount, when someone leans into a lie for a long time, gives details, won't give it up, and even if I started out skeptical, I eventually start to believe them, only for them to pull the rug out and call me gullible or stupid or something.
No, I just made the mistake of trusting you and your persistence!
Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
#127I don't mean to spoil the fun, downvote me if this is not in the spirit, but it took me way too long to figure this out and others may be as slow as me and save some time by reading this comment: > The Pacific Northwest tree octopus is an Internet hoax created in 1998 by a humor writer under the pseudonym Lyle Zapato. Since its creation, the Pacific Northwest tree octopus website has been commonly referenced in Inter…
> I don't mean to spoil the fun, downvote me if this is not in the spirit, but it took me way too long to figure this out and others may be as slow as me and save some time by reading this comment: I believed it too. The thing is, this is something no one is really incentivized to lie about. If some website says "politician did X", then your lie detector turns on, because it's worth it for lots of websites to lie or…
So I immediately googled because it rang an alarm bell that some octopuses would develop specialized air-breathing apparatuses — that conflicts with my basic understanding of evolution. But I wasn’t googling it to falsify, but rather to see from a more ‘objective’ source if/how this occurred.
I think it’s the same basic principle as hanging up if a relative calls you begging for money or proclaiming to be kidnapped and calling you back. The costs for double-checking incredible claims is often not that high.
Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I don't mean to spoil the fun, downvote me if this is not in the spirit, but it took me way too long to figure this out and others may be as slow as me and save some time by reading this comment: I believed it too. The thing is, this is something no one is really incentivized to lie about. If some website says "politician did X", then your lie detector turns on, because it's worth it for lots of websites to lie or…
It reminds me of a friend in high school who convinced me that he grew scallions in his bathroom. It seemed weird but he described it in some detail, how the humidity from the shower is good for them, etc. Then when I believed him he said of course I don't do that, how could you think something so ridiculous. I don't and didn't feel like believing him in this context made me gullible for the same kinds of reasons you…
It's an important life lesson for honest people that yes, in fact many other people will lie straight to your face with things made up from whole cloth that they have zero incentive to lie about. You think "people wouldn't literally just make something up", but they do. They do all the time.
Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
He may have gotten this from real story from a distant relative or family friend as this is a real hobby and the humidity is a key factor. At almost $16 for a small bottle of XO sauce[1] with the main ingredient being dried scallops, it's a highly profitable home hobby. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/XO_sauce
Green onions, not shellfish. Close!
Gotcha
Re: The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
#130The context of this showing up on HN made me kinda assumed it was a chatgpt generated thing. A quick google shows it seems to be a well known classic hoax from the late 90s. But there really are crabs and lobsters that live in trees and things, as do lots of type of mollusc (eg slugs and snails). So it isn’t completely silly. So it’s not like a tree octopus is any more ridiculous than the coconut crab? It seems there…
> So it’s not like a tree octopus is any more ridiculous than the coconut crab? It is a lot more ridiculous though because land crabs are a well known thing (e.g. hermit crabs) whereas land octopuses don't exist. Octopuses are very much a water-only type of organism. It just requires a little prior knowledge about the broad strokes of animalian orders.
People learn new things all the time, but an octopus that lives in trees would probably be pretty famous.