|
April Fools Tricks The first day of April is the time when tricksters all over the world unleash their clever plots of lighthearted deceit. April Fools' pranks have developed into an art form that is celebrated on the Net where you can enjoy reading about them from the safety of your own home. You'll find lots of ways to play tricks on your friends. You know, it's never a good idea to leave things to the last minute. Maybe you should play a trick on a friend right now, just for practice. Web:
Avenger's Page It's not nice to get even, but if you just have to do it, you might as well do it the best way you can. The Avenger's Handbook is a collection of postings from the alt.revenge Usenet group. It has everything you need to know to get revenge, except a listing of bail bondsmen in your area. Web:
Backyard Ballistics This Web site is dedicated to all the wonderful ways in which you can propel objects into the air in your own backyard. Learn about spud guns and spudzookas, air cannons, matchstick rockets, aussie mortar, the annual "Pumpkin Chunkin" contest, and much more. Web:
Big Book of Mischief Enjoy information on how to make explosives, tennis ball cannons and carbide bombs, how to open locks, and other vital information for the budding soldier of fortune. (For amusement only. You are on your honor not to actually do any of this stuff.) Web:
Culture Jamming Think of someone who jams a radio signal. He sends out another signal that has just the right characteristics to interfere with the original transmission. Culture jamming interferes with the messages of the mainstream media and popular culture. Such activities cast a wide net -- art forgeries, impostors, performance art, scams, hacks, and so on -- and are generally carried out by social dissidents with a sense of irony. However, the more you explore culture jamming, the more you realize that it is often practiced by people who actually believe that what they are doing is real. Web:
Dumpster Diving Grabbing stuff out of the trash can be either silly or cool. With most garbage cans or dumpsters, it's silly, because who wants to be rooting through other people's trash? But when the garbage yields valuable items, or the dumpster contains secret stuff, what would otherwise be silly becomes cool faster than you can say "cultural archeology". Web:
Usenet:
Exploring Campus Tunnels If you have not yet explored the tunnels under your campus, you have not had a full college experience. These tunnels are constructed in order to hold all types of utility conduits, wiring and pipes (especially steam pipes). They are secret. They can be dangerous (if you have bad luck or do something stupid). But they can be fun to explore. Since it is illegal to enter such tunnels, I advise you to not go near them. Do not look at these Internet resources even though you will find interesting stories, discussion about tunneling -- the legalities and health hazards -- and possibly information on entrances to specific campus tunnels. Web:
Usenet:
Fake IDs According to federal law, there is only one ethically defensible justification for using a fake ID: if you are an underage daughter of the President of the United States and you need to get into a bar. Now that the Bush twins, Jenna and Barbara, have attained the age of legal majority (on November 25, 2002), no one in the entire United States is morally justified in using a fake ID any longer. However, if you have an insatiable curiosity for what ethically challenged people do with their computers, printers and lamination devices, you can explore the world of counterfeit identification. As you do, please remember that, as one of my readers, there is nothing fake about you. Web:
Hack Gallery Hack Gallery is a compendium of Interesting Hacks To Fascinate People (IHTFP) at MIT. The word "hack" refers to a clever, benign and ethical prank, which is challenging and amusing for the perpetrators. The gallery offers a large list of hacks sorted by topic, location, and the dates when they were perpetrated. There is also a FAQ, book list, and a "best of" hack list. Web:
Mischief Talk and General Discussion The alt.shenanigans group is the Usenet home for discussion of all manner of practical jokes ("shens"). I particularly like reading all the stories of jokes that people have played on unsuspecting victims. This is also a good place to ask for a suggestion when you feel a burning need to put someone in their place. Usenet:
Polygraphs (Lie Detectors) A polygraph, or lie detector, is a device that is supposed to help a trained operator figure out if another person is lying. As the person answers questions, the polygraph measures changes in blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and sweating. Supposedly, the operator can look at these changes and tell if the person is lying. The test starts with innocent questions, to calibrate the results, and then moves on to the real stuff ("Who told Martha that the stock would drop?"). Want a hint to beat the polygraph? Put a tack in your shoe and press on it during the calibration questions. This will confuse the results. Web:
Practical Jokes For serious enjoyment, what could be more good clean fun than embarrassing your friends and neighbors by making them look foolish? The dribble glass and plastic vomit are child's play. On the Net, you can read about lots and lots of ideas, techniques and experiences with practical jokes. Make your loved ones say "uncle", and make your uncle say, "bork, bork, bork". Web:
Usenet:
Prank Phone Calls When you are sitting around with nothing to do, visit this site devoted to the art of prank telephone calls. Here you will find links to other prank call pages, information about the Jerky Boys (kings of the prank phone call), and tips about specific types of prank calls (such as 101 zany ways to phone in a pizza order). Web:
Revenge Talk and General Discussion Landlord got you hot under the collar for no good reason? Teacher rapped you with a ruler for something that wasn't your fault? Your ex-SO (significant other) won't return your only copy of The Little Prince? Don't get mad, get even. Join the pros and find out just how smelly a fish in the ventilation duct can be. (Federal regulations require me to remind you of the ancient Chinese saying: "Before you set out for revenge, be sure to dig two graves.") Usenet:
Statistical Know-it-all Do you love to make a pest of yourself by correcting other people? Well, now you can do it a lot and the best part is, you will be right and they will be wrong. Why? Because you will be a statistical know-it-all who has used the Net to sharpen your critical sense and arm yourself with the real facts, while your friends, neighbors and relatives still believe everything they read in the newspapers and see on TV. Web:
Telemarketer Torture Do you hate telemarketers (people who call you trying to sell something)? Here is a list of horrible things you can do to annoy and torment telemarketing people when they make an uninvited phone call to your home. The suggestions are in the form of a game. Each thing you can do to torture a telemarketer has a point value. After the call, you can add up the points to determine your score. Web:
|
© All contents Copyright 2005, Harley Hahn
Full trademark and copyright information