Build a conspiracy theory from scratch.
The best way to learn to spot a conspiracy theory is to make one yourself.
Pick a real news story. On the next step you'll choose who's behind it and why. Then walk through the four moves real conspiracists use, with a debunk on every step.
- Hunt anomalies — turn coincidence into evidence of a secret plot.
- Fabricate connections — draw lines between unrelated dots until they look meaningful.
- Dismiss counter-evidence — if a fact disagrees, make the fact part of the cover-up.
- Discredit the critics — dismiss people who point out flaws in your theory.
Pick the event.
Choose whichever real-feeling headline your imagination will run wildest with. Don't overthink it.
Jagger: Rock legend turned "Instagram Normie
Mick Jagger, the longtime frontman of the Rolling Stones, has been sharing unexpectedly ordinary moments from his tour life on Instagram. Instead of the usual glamorous or staged celebrity photos, his feed shows mundane outings—visits to local attractions, bars, strip malls and well‑known landmarks. He told The Washington Post that these images are less about spectacle and more about getting a feel for places, and he treats the account like a simple visual diary.
US campus unearths 142-year-old observatory
Workers installing hammock poles on Michigan State University's campus in August 2023 unexpectedly unearthed the buried stone foundation of an old observatory. Built in 1881 and demolished in the 1920s, the small structure had been covered over for decades. Archaeologists and university staff identified the masonry as part of that 19th-century building, making it a notable historical find on a modern college lawn.
British adults prioritize celebrity knowledge
A recent poll of 2,000 British adults found many people follow celebrity news more closely than the lives of family and friends. Forty-four percent said they cared about trivial celebrity matters, and 80% admitted they knew more about celebrities than their own parents. Nearly half reported knowing more about famous people than about their friends. Sixty-one percent believe the media spends too much time on celebrity coverage.
Apple Teaching Siri Lip Reading
Apple has filed a patent application that describes using motion sensing to detect lip and head movements so Siri could recognize commands without relying only on a microphone. The filing, titled "Keyword Detection Using Motion Sensing," explains how analyzing mouth shapes and subtle head motions might identify common phrases, which could help the assistant work better in noisy environments or avoid false activations from background speech.