Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of things that began as a joke


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.  

The result was delete.--Fuhghettaboutit 03:21, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

List of things that began as a joke

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Unsourced article that fails WP:V and WP:RS. Possible original research. Also, what's a "thing"? What's a "joke"? Well, the article itself is probably a joke as only one user really worked on it Tomj 18:45, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Delete Unencyclopedic. --Dweller 18:51, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Strong delete as failure of WP:V. Per nom -- what's a "thing" and what's a "joke" in this context? This article is a joke. Ten Pound Hammer  • (Broken clamshells•Otter chirps•Review?) 19:11, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Delete. The definition of "joke" is highly subjective. I can say (since I was "there") that the coinage of blog was ha ha only serious, and the first use of "blogosphere" was definitely a joke but it was deliberately and seriously "coined" later. So who is calling it a joke and why? --Dhartung | Talk 19:16, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Delete. It's all original research, and there's little or no proof that any of those items actually began as a joke.  (With the exception of the Thagomizer, the evolution of which is described in its article.)  --Elkman (Elkspeak) 19:33, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Delete. List doesn't serve any particular purpose per WP:LIST.-h i s  s p a c e   r e s e a r c h 19:38, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Delete - Totally unencyclopedic. Hirohisat's  .  Sockpuppet  19:44, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Delete Like those books of "funny laws" that have no sources, this one takes an interesting concept and wastes it. The idea seems to be that we will look at the blue links and learn more than we're told.  Sadly, what we learn is that the article is inaccurate (there is some confirmation for "blog": the story is that Jorn Barger coined the word weblog from "web log", and Peter Merholz noted that it looked like "We 'blog'").  However, the Goodtimes virus was not the first computer virus; the term Thagomizer has gained acceptance as the name for the stegosaurus's tail, but is not the "official name"; the South Park article doesn't confirm the story; and things like Project Steve, Punch Brothers Punch, and the dihydrogen monoxide (H2O, get it?) hoax did not "become real" just because they were created in fun.  The only good thing that comes out of this might be that someone will do a redirect of "Punch, Brothers, Punch" to A Literary Nightmare Mandsford 20:27, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Delete. While mildly humorous, it's not really verifiable.  Useight 22:20, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * [[Image:Symbol comment vote.svg|20px]] Comment Maybe the creator should move the page to his userspace? Jonj  onbt  22:34, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Delete If there's one thing that can be added to the article its itself. - Presidentman 22:38, 19 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Delete - Per nominator's reasons. Brusegadi 23:18, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

CommentThere actually is a potential article here. J.Walter Thomson once commented that "all the best ideas begin as jokes". The frosted light bulb was developed as a result of a prank challenge. And General Gallieni, looking for a way to deploy his Parisian troops to stop the German advance on the Marne, seized on the joking comment of an officer that they could just send the soldiers by taxi-- and did so. I'm sure there are lots more examples. Neutral.Rhinoracer 09:18, 20 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Delete Is this a joke?-- Sef rin gle Talk 04:04, 21 August 2007 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.