33/ I swear I am not making this up.
Yesterday I got a Facebook friend request from someone I had never heard of, and I ignored it. I realize today that the person's name was "Wiles Licher". (Same as the email address above)
Zero friends, account one month old.
... should I??
Conversation
34/ This is probably paranoid, but I'll give a warning anyway:
If anyone gets an email from me about this business, please reply to my MIT email address to confirm that it was actually from me.
14
17
491
35/ This thread has become way more sensation than it I wish it were.
So let me say something that probably needs saying: the mysterious "Wiles Licher" is very likely some third-party troll using this controversy as a chance to mess with people.
2
10
343
36/ The reality of the claims in the paper will be decided (by people closer to the situation and more expert in the field than I am) on the basis of data and reproducibility. Weird shenanigans are a distraction to the important question.
2
13
292
37/ So please don't think I'm weaving a conspiracy theory against the authors or anyone else.
5
5
227
38/ Strangely, though, the "Wiles Licher" account was created July 7. That's 16 days _before_ the paper appeared on the arxiv.
11
10
287
Replying to
I’m now very pleased my people have managed to produce a very entertaining physics drama 😎
Is there a physics drama Oscar?
Wiles Licher is an unusual enough name I’m inclined to suspect an anagram.
1
6
Replying to
I tried to find one, actually! Nothing seemed promising in English.
I was thinking maybe "wiles" like cunning/deceit, and "Licher" to sound like "leaker".
1
2
Replying to
Clue in the FB profile painting maybe? Looks like some famous scene.
1
Replying to
It's the assassination of Julius Caesar!
1
2
Hmm I can’t spot the profile pic head in the main painting. This is now a where’s waldo game
1
Replying to
It's a separate painting of Caesar:
1
Show replies
Replying to
I certainly hope not. The account is now deleted, but PR claims that just before it was deleted it had one public message:
"Remember: Julius Caesar went too far!"
1
5
Show replies

