April Fools Internet Web Sites

April Fools Internet Web Sites
by Mike DiGioia

With April Fools Day approaching at light speed you’re probably thinking to yourself, “What great prank I going to pull off this year?” This is the one time we can get out there and mess with friends, relatives, and especially strangers and get away with it. If you are inclined to some of this juvenile behavior, you need to check out the web.

Your basic, up-front place to find some of the best (READ: meanest) pranks on the net is gagbook.com. Taking submissions from across the country, they have compiled one of the more comprehensive listings of pranks from the simple and benign to the large and downright evil. To keep up with the theme of annoyance the site’s designers have included some particularly irritating features including skewed frames or surprising new windows each time you click a link. At least they’re consistent.

For those with computer friendly targets rjlsoftware.com is a great place to start. They offer simple programs that can be installed on a computer quickly — thus lowering the chances of getting caught — and set to run while your target is away. The programs I tried were harmless but cute. They can change the Windows wallpaper at intervals you specify, add a mouse cursor that gives the finger, and, for those with strong hearts, fake a deletion of the entire hard drive. Most importantly they’re easy to disengage which avoids all that unnecessary screaming and throwing of heavy objects that sometimes follows overdone jokes. (NOTE: These programs are not Mac friendly.)

Looking to buy parts, body or other, for a great prop gag? The many places to shop for your tomfoolery vary in size and scope but two in particular, revengeunlimited.com and boinkmail.com, offer some incredibly handy products. Boinkmail specializes in fake packages from such reputable organizations as “The Inflatable Doll of the Month Club” or “Nude Glamour Shots.” Where you send them is your business.

Finally, if you’re working on the classic “poop joke” and want to spice things up a bit how about using elephant poop? Perhaps the rhino doodoo is more your speed. At zoodoo.com, they specialize in exotic animal poo. “Ever wonder why jungles are so lush?” the site asks visitors while giving them a rather obvious visual clue. They’re also one of the more honest web merchants. They are very up front about the fact that the products they’re selling are crap.