Debunked: SIRI Predicts End Of The World July 2014

SabreSaint

New Member
Hey Metabunk, this is a fresh new end of the world conspiracy that has cropped up on facebook but also on Youtube thanks to InfoWars.

[Broken Video]

The video is just a guy on infowars testing it. Basically when you ask what July 27th 2014 is on SIRI it responds with, "Opening Gates Of Hades" now many have already jumped on this claim and already it seems pretty well debunked.

[ADMIN: 100% Debunked now, it's the Chinese Ghost Month, which varies by the lunar calendar, similar to Easter. All the "opening" dates below match]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Festival
In Chinese tradition, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh month in general is regarded as theGhost Month (鬼月), in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. Distinct from both theQingming Festival (in spring) and Chung Yeung Festival (in autumn) in which living descendants pay homage to their deceased ancestors, on Ghost Day, the deceased are believed to visit the living.
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[OP follows]

Firstly people have stated that July is the Ghost Month of the Chinese calendar which is believed to be when both the gates of heaven and hell are opened. Secondly this could also be a reference to Ramadan. During Ramadan it is believed that the gates of hell are closed until the end of Ramadan when they are opened again. It just so happens that Ramadan 2014 ends on July 27th.

This is not the first time SIRI has displayed this message, as she also did sometime in 2005 coinciding with the opening of a bar called The Gates Of Hades in New York which is now closed. But unfortunately the damage is done and we can probably expect this to grow into another internet hysteria in the coming months. Infowars has already tried to link it to their ongoing NWO Illuminati world take over predictions. Also the religious right of the internet is already jumping on this for their end of the world predictions even though Hades doesn't translate into the modern notion of hell at all.

Links to my findings are posted below:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/412...-of-hades-is-july-27-2014-users-question-why/

http://www.dailydot.com/lol/siri-world-end-glitch/

http://skeptophilia.blogspot.ca/2013/12/siri-conspiracy-theories-and-gates-of.html
 
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(just in case anyone was wondering, as was I)...

Siri /ˈsɪri/ is an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator which works as an application for Apple Inc.'s iOS. The application uses a natural language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Web services. Apple claims that the software adapts to the user's individual preferences over time and personalizes results.[2] The name Siri is Norwegian, meaning "beautiful woman who leads you to victory", and comes from the intended name for the original developer's first child.[3]
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(edit. deleted off-topic cry for attention.
you know when you go back and read what you wrote months ago that you've completely forgotten and you're like 'what the hell was I thinking?' That.)
 
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It looks like it's the Chinese Ghost Months, Ask Siri about some of the following dates, and it will tell you it's the opening/closing of the gates of Hades




(Added to OP, with screenshots)
 
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What, in infowars interpretation, would opening the gates of Hades literally mean? (sorry haven't watched video)
What claim are they making?


Hades (/ˈheɪdiːz/; from Ancient Greek Ἅιδης/ᾍδης, Hāidēs; Doric Ἀΐδας Aidas) was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. Eventually, the god's name came to designate the abode of the dead.
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So, how does a Greek concept become a Chinese one?

Is the infowars interpretation christian literal, as in graves opening for the judgement? Or zombies?
Or just a 'hey get stoned and consider this, wow man!.'?
 
I suspect this is essentially just a bug. The "gates of hades" is obviously intended for Chinese speaking markets like Taiwan. But it got flagged so it shows up on US iPhones. Likely Dia de los Muertos would show up on Mexican iPhones.

If all the world's high days, holidays, and festivals were there, then every day would have something. I suspect that some person somewhere is going through all 365 2014 dates to see what pops up.
 
Well that's disappointing. Not about it being debunked - that's neither here nor there. I know what Siri is... I'm more interested in finding out how on earth this was able to happen? Thought somebody here might know how Apple's star was compromised in such a manner... Doesn't that intrigue anybody? Because that's the only conclusion that makes much sense. I can't even find an explanation from Apple anywhere... Unless I've missed it - anyone?
 
How did what happen? A chinese holiday got translated into english? Why would that even be something that requires an explanation from Apple?
 
How did what happen? A chinese holiday got translated into english? Why would that even be something that requires an explanation from Apple?

Because it's turning up on an iOS app, that's run by Apple, and wouldn't that be cause for concern for them? Thought I'd already asked that...
 
I'm sorry I don't get what there is to concerned about? It translated a chinese holiday into the equivalent english phrase, or am I missing something?
 
https://www.metabunk.org/threads/lorem-ipsum-of-good-evil-google-china.4248/#post-122493

My post there was specifically talking about Google Translate, but a similar process was used to populate lists and external sources for various functions of Siri and Cortana as well, leading to similar results. So on the one hand, Siri knows the anniversaries of every Star Trek series premier and the different local dates for Speak Like a Pirate Day. But on the other hand, she was at one point under the impression that the anniversary of her release was a Jewish high holiday.

There's a computer saying, "garbage in, garbage out." It's a very clever trick to use the internet to source immense amounts of information all at once, but the internet is just so full of garbage that you always get weird little quirks in the final set.
 
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Because it's turning up on an iOS app, that's run by Apple, and wouldn't that be cause for concern for them? Thought I'd already asked that...
i dont see why it would concern them.

i think it has to do with the apps siri uses to answer questions. Wolfram Alpha is one of these "knowledge engine" apps. My WA doesnt tell me anything for July 27 2014, but not all users get the "opening gates of hades" response either.


Curiously, Siri’s timetable for this imaginary apocalypse changes quite significantly if you reworded the question. Ask her explicitly when the gates of hell are opening, and she’ll tell you that we’ve actually all been living in hell since May 14, 2005.
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wa.JPG
 
i dont see why it would concern them.

i think it has to do with the apps siri uses to answer questions. Wolfram Alpha is one of these "knowledge engine" apps. My WA doesnt tell me anything for July 27 2014, but not all users get the "opening gates of hades" response either.


Curiously, Siri’s timetable for this imaginary apocalypse changes quite significantly if you reworded the question. Ask her explicitly when the gates of hell are opening, and she’ll tell you that we’ve actually all been living in hell since May 14, 2005.
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wa.JPG
Ah! Thank you. Finally somebody that answered the question (it was after all, and honest one).... I didn't realise WolramAlpha was so intertwined. It is quirky, I must admit. Certainly more of an explanation than 'garbage in, garbage out' that's for sure.
 
Ah! Thank you. Finally somebody that answered the question (it was after all, and honest one).... I didn't realise WolramAlpha was so intertwined. It is quirky, I must admit. Certainly more of an explanation than 'garbage in, garbage out' that's for sure.
actually, its the same explanation as 'garbage in, garbage out', Hevachs post is what directed me in order to look up a "laymen" way of explaining it. Computer guys sometimes don't realize how we lamen think. Hevachs link to his original explanation, if you read it, is really a better more concise explanation.

This is from Siri user's guide (just so you get a better idea of what hevachs link is talking about):

Which apps does Siri work with?
Siri works with almost all the built-in apps on iPhone 4S. And it’s smart enough to figure out which apps to use to provide you with answers. It also uses Search and Location Services to help you with your requests. Here’s a list of apps and services that Siri works with worldwide:

  • Phone
  • FaceTime
  • Music
  • Mail
  • Messages
  • Calendar
  • Reminders
  • Notes
  • Contacts
  • Weather
  • Stocks
  • Web Search
  • Find My Friends
  • Alarms, World Clock and Timer
  • Wolfram|Alpha (English only)
  • Wikipedia search
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http://www.siriuserguide.com/siri-faq/
 
actually, its the same explanation as 'garbage in, garbage out', Hevachs post is what directed me in order to look up a "laymen" way of explaining it. Computer guys sometimes don't realize how we lamen think. Hevachs link to his original explanation, if you read it, is really a better more concise explanation.

This is from Siri user's guide (just so you get a better idea of what hevachs link is talking about):

Which apps does Siri work with?
Siri works with almost all the built-in apps on iPhone 4S. And it’s smart enough to figure out which apps to use to provide you with answers. It also uses Search and Location Services to help you with your requests. Here’s a list of apps and services that Siri works with worldwide:

  • Phone
  • FaceTime
  • Music
  • Mail
  • Messages
  • Calendar
  • Reminders
  • Notes
  • Contacts
  • Weather
  • Stocks
  • Web Search
  • Find My Friends
  • Alarms, World Clock and Timer
  • Wolfram|Alpha (English only)
  • Wikipedia search
Content from External Source
http://www.siriuserguide.com/siri-faq/

I'm not a computing layman myself, actually. I actually forgot that Siri used WolframAlpha as one of the sources of information. I don't use (and doubt I ever will) iOS. I'm an Android fan. The last time I remember Siri getting attention was over the question "What is the best smartphone" (I'm sure you remember it), and Apple changing her answer once the iPhone (4?) was no longer #1.

Be that as it may, it's still very strange that the answer to this question is anything remotely to do with the gates of hell when really, it ought to be "the 208th day of the year".
 
Be that as it may, it's still very strange that the answer to this question is anything remotely to do with the gates of hell when really, it ought to be "the 208th day of the year".
since browsers lately have been 'remembering' our previous searches and using that info to 'decide' what to show us when we search for other stuff!.... i actually dont find it that strange at all.

All sites i found about "ghost month" and "the ghost festival" describe the first day as "opening the gates of hell".

There's a cool documentary about "Watson"... the AI (artificial intelligence) computer and how they tried to 'train it' to be a contestant on Jeopardy, and how 'he' uses different sources to find what he (as a computer, not a human) determines is the best answer to different questions. He did pretty well considering, on Jeopardy.. but still he had some funky answers.

AI and 'cognitive development' is really pretty fascinating, both in its limitations and its capabiliites.
 
Computer translations, or even human translations, don't understand the significance of what they are translating. Opening the gates of hell might seem odd, but then letting your children celebrate the torture and killing some guy on a cross might seem strange to those not familiar with the Christian culture.
 
Computer translations, or even human translations, don't understand the significance of what they are translating. Opening the gates of hell might seem odd, but then letting your children celebrate the torture and killing some guy on a cross might seem strange to those not familiar with the Christian culture.

So I wonder if 'Good Friday' for a non-english speaker translates as 'day man was nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change'
(as Douglas Adams put it).
 
So I wonder if 'Good Friday' for a non-english speaker translates as 'day man was nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change'
(as Douglas Adams put it).
you'll have to change your internet-phone to another language and ask siri "what is Good Friday" ! the answers would be interesting.
 
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