# Things I'm Certain Of But Cannot Prove **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 21, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156 "2024-06-21T14:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![2outta3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2outta3/32/15520_2.png) [@2outta3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2outta3)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/1 "2024-06-21T14:10:26Z")
Within five minutes after the “internet” went live - and despite the lack of images and graphics - someone, somewhere posted “adult” material in some shape, form or fashion. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/2 "2024-06-21T14:31:19Z")
Your estimate is way too late. There was porn on the Internet since long before there was an Internet. Consider this: The standard reference image, used to develop and calibrate pretty much all image processing programs and protocols of any sort, was a scan from a Playboy centerfold: > **[Lenna](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenna#/media/File:Lenna_(test_image).png)** > > Lenna (or Lena) is a standard test image used in the field of digital image processing starting in 1973, but it is no longer considered appropriate by some authors. It is a picture of the Swedish model Lena Forsén, shot by photographer Dwight Hooker, cropped from the centerfold of the November 1972 issue of Playboy magazine. The continued use of the image has attracted controversy, on both technical and social grounds, and many journals have discouraged or banned its use.\[ The spelling "Lenna" ... ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/3 "2024-06-21T15:25:52Z")
> [@2outta3](#): > > someone, somewhere posted “adult” material in some shape, form or fashion. ``` ( . ) ( . ) ) . ( ( Y ) ``` ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/4 "2024-06-21T16:31:49Z")
Just speaking for myself I stumbled on a photo of a lovely butt that for some reason took a long time to open when you clicked on it. I titled it “ass1”. It took 1 minute to open on a 286. I long ago lost the photo but by the early Pentium days it was down to less then 10 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/5 "2024-06-21T16:38:50Z")
The mentioned picture might have come from a risque source, but is not risque itself. However there was dirty material online in PLATO in 1977 if not earlier. PLATO terminals had touch screens, and there was a simulator for a certain sexual act. The early internet was available only at big companies, universities, and for the government. That kept the explicit stuff down. In the early Usenet, pre-spam, there was only one alt.sex group and it was low traffic. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/6 "2024-06-21T16:44:09Z")
I’m absolutely certain that many sports refs, although usually not outright bribed, are in fact subtly ‘guiding’ games or have instructions from higher up to favor certain teams or players. Tim Donaghy was only one of many. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/7 "2024-06-21T17:04:49Z")
The ability of modern surveillance agencies to amass blackmail files means that the intelligence community can give orders to Congress, the President and his cabinet, and the Supreme Court. ---
**Author:** ![2outta3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2outta3/32/15520_2.png) [@2outta3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2outta3)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/8 "2024-06-21T17:06:06Z")
I’ve watched enough sports that I see where you’re coming from. The only question in my mind is when this appears to happen, is an official making a questionable call based on their personal bias or are they simply following orders, instructions, or being intimidated by gamblers? FWIW I don’t think this happens often, but I also don’t believe the incidence of occurrence is zero. I’ve read quite a bit about the history of pro boxing and boxers themselves throwing fights so influence by gamblers is always real concern. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/9 "2024-06-21T21:46:56Z")
I’m certain that this election will end badly. Either Trump wins, which is a disaster, or he loses and riots start since it must have been stolen. The latter will make 1/6 look like a sunday school picnic. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/10 "2024-06-21T21:57:26Z")
I’m certain that some horse races are fixed. (probably not all, for a lot of reasons including that it would be counter-productive.) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/11 "2024-06-21T22:21:21Z")
I’m certain that oil companies conspire to make gasoline prices go up the summer before a presidential election if the incumbent is a Democrat and go down when it’s a Republican. ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/12 "2024-06-21T22:32:37Z")
I’m convinced that TPTB manipulate the timing of newsworthy events to fit the desired point in the news cycle. (This is undeniable on some levels – for instance making an embarrassing or disappointing announcement on a Friday afternoon when it’s less likely to be noticed.) But in general, what we call “the news” is highly manipulated by governments and more shadowy powers (not just by the news media themselves) to keep the masses riled up, pacified, or just entertained and distracted. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/13 "2024-06-21T23:06:45Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I’m certain that this election will end badly. Either Trump wins, which is a disaster, or he loses and riots start since it must have been stolen. The latter will make 1/6 look like a sunday school picnic An equally bad third option is the election gets punted to the House of Representatives- or rather, the numbers are disputed enough that there’s controversy over whether there was an outright winner or not. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2024, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/14 "2024-06-21T23:53:00Z")
I’m certain that Flight 93 was shot down by a US missile. The passengers had not breached the cockpit door, if the terrorists felt they were forced to crash they wouldn’t have done it in an empty field, and it would have been a dereliction of duty to _not_ order the plane to be shot down. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/15 "2024-06-22T03:26:43Z")
I’m certain the Lil’wrekker steals my dainties (I buy nice knickers) and wears them a few times before they return to me from the laundry. I can’t prove it, entirely. Her butt and mine are close enough in size that she might only stretch them alittle. Some feel looser. But I may have lost weight this week. I’ll catch her…dem’s my drawers, girlie!! ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/16 "2024-06-22T03:30:04Z")
I feel there is a cure for cancer but a ton of money would be lost by it being brought out. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/17 "2024-06-22T04:06:27Z")
I believe a lot of the most outlandish conspiracy theories about the CIA , the FBI and other intelligence agencies are spread (if not created) by the agencies themselves or their competitors to obfuscate what the agencies are really doing and/or discredit their rival agencies. Just a massive disinformation campaign to divert the general public’s attention. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/18 "2024-06-22T06:42:50Z")
The “Stock Market” is the biggest Scam on Earth. But Crypto is catching up. Bless their Heart. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/19 "2024-06-22T07:05:42Z")
I believe that on rare occasions, when two pro wrestlers are legitimately pissed off at one another, the powers that be will look the other way and give them permission to legitimately beat the piss out of one another in the ring. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156/20 "2024-06-22T13:02:58Z")
I’m fairly sure that for every person that you look at and mistake for a friend, they have a friend who looks a bit like you - and this is the reason for that weird look of recognition in both directions. It’s just part of the symmetry of the universe. No, I can’t prove it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-im-certain-of-but-cannot-prove/1003156.md?page=2)