It's funny because it's true

Cliff Stoll, known for Klein bottles and The Cuckoo's Egg, posted on Hacker News to clarify he was not dead — a false claim originating from an AI-generated Facebook review that Wikipedia then cited as fact. The author made a Catch-22 joke referencing Doc Daneeka's fictional death, only to receive a reply from Stoll himself revealing the joke had become painfully real: his wife had recently passed, and he had received form letters from financial institutions offering 'sincere condolences.' The story reflects on how AI-generated misinformation can have real human consequences, and how classic dystopian literature feels increasingly prophetic.