Kibology

Kibology is a parody religion, partly satirizing Scientology. It is centered on the Usenet newsgroup "alt.religion.kibology". The central figure of Kibology is Kibo. Practitioners of Kibology are called "Kibologists" or (sometimes more disdainfully) "Kibozos".

James "Kibo" Parry and his friends began Kibology about 1989at the suggestion of Mark Jason Dominus. In its early Usenet days it was centered in the newsgroups talk.bizarre and alt.slack, until the creation of alt.religion.kibology in late 1991. The faux religion aspect faded in the mid 1990s, and the newsgroup became oriented to the sense of humor of Kibo and his followers. The newsgroup also follows various internet "mad scientists" and "crackpots" like Archimedes Plutonium, Kurt Stocklmeir, and Time Cube inventor Gene Ray with a mixture of mockery and appreciation for the unintended humor they produce. A similar Internet phenomenon exists surrounding the Church of the SubGenius.

In addition to "Leader Kibo," other Kibologists have developed cult followings of their own from their unusual and humorous writing. The most prominent of these include David Pacheco, Lisa Pea (Elisabeth Rea Higgins), Matt McIrvin, Stephen Will Tanner, Stefan Kapusniak, M Otis Beard, Joe Bay, Dag Ågren, and E Teflon Piano. In 2003, the group spawned a band, Interröbang Cartel, which by early 2007 had written and recorded over 70 songs.

External links

* [http://www.kibo.com/ kibo.com] — Kibo's website
* [http://www.geocities.com/athens/6270/kibosig.html Kibo's usenet signature]
* [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.kibology The alt.religion.kibology newsgroup] via Google Groups
* [http://world.std.com/~mmcirvin/kibology/index.html Matt McIrvin's Kibology] humorous articles and a brief history of alt.religion.kibology
* [http://www.vic.com/~dbd/kibology David DeLaney's random arkhive] Another collection of posts from the newsgroup, saved for various reasons or none at all, in stunning 1994 graphic display!
* [http://www.wiblovia.com The Wiblovian Institute of Kibology] Home of the Kibological Gourmet, an archive of recipes posted to ARK over the years, as well as random bits of weirdness and bozosity.
* [http://www.interrobangcartel.com Interröbang Cartel web site]