International conference accepts a nonsense paper written using iOS autocompete

Christoph Bartneck is a Professor at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand and he pulled out a prank which to many must look like utter nonsense but for many somewhat intriguing. The learned Professor was invited to a conference on atomic and nuclear physics. He and the topic were alike as cheese and chalk.

You may ask why? Well, he is an authority in Human Interface Technology and did not know anything about Atomic Physics, Nuclear energy, fission, fusion or Radioactivity. Without a clue he just wrote two words- Atomic and nuclear and bingo! A suggestion popped up, courtesy to iOS auto complete feature. The learned professor wrote out his paper with the words churned out by the app and wonder in thunder, his work has been accepted by the International Conference on Atomic and Nuclear Physics.

You may ask what exactly was written by auto complete and if it made any sense or not. Christoph Bartneck did not expect his paper to be accepted. However what followed led him to scratch his head and his near and dear ones rolling on the floor laughing. He got a reply three hours later that his paper was accepted with thanks. Seems like the e-mail with the above sentiments was also an automated response. The response sending app must have recognized his fellow genius at the other end and did not want to disappoint it.

Some of the words churned out by the iOS app include many philosophical statements like atoms of a better universe enjoy equal rights or Power is not a great place for a good time. Bartneck’s brilliantly illustrated his fake paper with the first graphic from a Wikipedia entry on atomic physics. He submitted it under a fake identity of an associate professor, Iris Pear from the US. His experience in the field of atomic and nuclear physics was underlined in a biography with a generous sprinkling of gender pronouns.

About the author

Meenakshi Rawat

Having worked on Entertainment, Technology, and Business for four years, Meenakshi finds solace in technology, and more so in covering it. She loves to read novels, listen to music, and roam around places. You can reach Meenakshi at meenakshi@pc-tablet.com.