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by patriksvensson 698 days ago
Interesting: Despite Haraguchi's efforts and detailed documentation, the Guinness World Records have not yet accepted any of his records set.
1 comments

Guiness is not an "authentic" record-keeping organization, in that they largely don't attempt to maintain accurate records of "the most X" and "the fastest Y". Rather, their business model is primarily based on marketing and publicity stunts: a company makes a ridiculously large pizza or whatever, and pays a very large amount of money to have Guinness "verify" their record for biggest pizza. A Guinness world record is just Guinness's record; it's commonly different from the true world record.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinness_World_Records#Change_...

Guinness claims that the IBM System/360 (1964) was the first computer to use integrated circuits. I've tried unsuccessfully to convince them that they are wrong. The Texas Instruments Semiconductor Network Computer (1961) was the first, a prototype system, followed by multiple aerospace computers earlier than the System/360. Moreover, the System/360 used hybrid SLT modules which weren't even integrated circuits, so it's not even a contender. Maybe you could argue that the System/360 was the first commercial, production computer to use high-density modular electronics, but that's a lot of extra adjectives.

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-com...

Guinness started out as a joke. And if you look at the diversity of records it has, it definitely falls in the theme of a joke
Not to mention, being used as a whitewashing tool by autocrats across the Middle East and Central Asia (for no reason other than a dick measuring contest).