April Fools Arcticles

[Melbosa]

Thought this one was pretty good from Google:

http://www.google.com/tisp/install.html

Google TiSP (BETA) is a fully functional, end-to-end system that provides in-home wireless access by connecting your commode-based TiSP wireless router to one of thousands of TiSP Access Nodes via fiber-optic cable strung through your local municipal sewage lines.

...

[Melbosa]

One for WoW:

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/items/tinfoilhat.xml

Schematic: Tinfoil Hat
Binds when picked up
Requires Engineering (375)
Use: Teaches you how to make a Tinfoil Hat
Tinfoil Hat
Binds when equipped
Cloth Head
10 Armor
-10 Intellect
+10 Spirit
Durability: 5/5
Requires Level 10
Equip: Hides the wearer's profile from the Armory.
Equip: Allows the wearer to see "the truth." May lead to an incontrollable urge to share "the truth" with others.
Use: Grants the wearer immunity to all forms of mind control for the next 10 sec...or does it?
"On behalf of the International Gnomish Conspiracy, I've got to inform you that we're almost out of tinfoil."
Requires Tin Bar (99), Fused Wiring (4), Troll Tears (8 ), Heavy Leather (4), Star Ruby

[Melbosa]

And is this one ever well done:

http://www.tattooyourtoddler.com/

We set up a fake website at TattooYourToddler.com announcing the world's first tattoo studio designed specifically for kids, with a needle-free system to give your child a vibrant tattoo that lasts TEN YEARS!  Can you imagine?  Who would do this to their kids?

We even did a fake "live" broadcast on a snowy April Fools day to see if anybody would show up to check out Tattoo Your Toddler's body art studio.

...

Watch for another video on this page soon that incorporates all the audio, pictures, emails, and voicemails we got on this topic!

More people bought into this than we thought... here's a small sample of what we got in the mailbag:

...

[Melbosa]

Another one from Google:

http://mail.google.com/mail/help/paper/more.html

Is it free?
Yes. The cost of postage is offset with the help of relevant, targeted, unobtrusive advertisements, which will appear on the back of your Gmail Paper prints in red, bold, 36 pt Helvetica. No pop-ups, no flashy animations?these are physically impossible in the paper medium.

How about attachments?
All part of the deal. Photo attachments are printed on high-quality, glossy photo paper, and secured to your Gmail Paper with a paper clip. MP3 and WAV files will not be printed. We recommend maintaining copies of your non-paper Gmail in these cases.

Is there a limit?
You can make us print one, one thousand, or one hundred thousand of your emails. It?s whatever seems reasonable to you.

But what about the environment?
Not a problem. Gmail Paper is made out of 96% post-consumer organic soybean sputum, and thus, actually helps the environment. For every Gmail Paper we produce, the environment gets incrementally healthier.

[Melbosa]

Turbine releases new playable race for LotRO:  Smurfs anyone?

http://www.lotro.com/article/305

Turbine Unveils 1st Update for The Lord of the Rings Online™

New adventure area and a new playable race in “Chapter 9”

WESTWOOD, MA - April 1, 2007 -- Turbine, Inc. today announced its first major content update planned for The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM: Shadows of AngmarTM (LOTRO). The first update is set to begin at Chapter 9 where the launched product leaves off. Turbine revealed that Chapter 9 includes a new starting location and playable race based upon the Hobbits of the Blue Mountains.

"Turbine has a long tradition of quickly adding new content and Chapter 9 demonstrates our commitment to The Lord of the Rings Online," said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine Inc. "The new race and their starting area fit perfectly into the story and setting of The Lord of the Rings."

Of all the races in Middle-earth, the most beloved are the hobbits. Now, for the first time, players will be able to play a new form of hobbit known as the Sméorufolc (which means "tallow-folk" in Old English). The Sméorufolc were kin to the Fallohides when they came west across the Misty Mountains (Hithaeglir) on their way to the Blue Mountains. In honor of Johan Pewit, the hobbit who led them to their new home, they traditionally wear caps of white wool. They are a peaceful people, sharing a hobbit's love of food and, in particular, mushrooms. Through their farming, these mushrooms have grown to surprising size on the slopes of the Ered Luin. However, the Sméorufolc's passion for mushrooms was their undoing, as eating them altered the tone of the hobbits' skin.

Their history as a race is likewise tragic, frequently plagued by Azrukh, a fallen Maia and former servant of Morgoth, who took the form of a fearsome lynx. It is said that they dwelt in the Blue Mountains long into the Fourth Age, though they diminished with the passing of time. As with dwarves, they have more males than females, and are quite protective of their females.

Players of The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM: Shadows of AngmarTM will be given the unique opportunity to journey across Turbine's beautiful version of Middle-earth as they aid the Fellowship on its quest toward Mount Doom in the role of Man, hobbit, Elf or dwarf. Having been in development for over four years, Turbine has painstakingly re-created the unique and mystical worlds from the Books of J.R.R. Tolkien, creating a virtual world that brims with life and opportunity for endless adventure. From the quaint surroundings of the Shire to Angmar, the vile kingdom of the Witch-king, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before.

[Melbosa]

ThinkGeek has some interesting products released April 1st:

The ThinkGeek WiiHelm - Actually has a video LOL

Important Note:
The WiiHelm does not include a Wii console or controller. You need to supply your own, or trade your PS3 for a Wii on eBay. Games requiring the Nunchuck are currently not supported by the WiiHelm*

The ThinkGeek 8-bit Tie
SnūzNLūz - Wifi Donation Alarm Clock
The Most Amazing Clever Shirt Ever
Piranhaz - R/C Battle Fish
The Lonely Guy Dream Vacation Digital Photo Frame
Vilcus Plug Dactyloadapter

[Lazybones]

I love the video that goes with the WiiHelm

[Melbosa]

And for our D&D/RPG Paper Group:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/news/20070401b

Wizards to Broaden D&D Licensing
Exciting new product tie-ins planned for the coming year

April 1, 2007 (Renton, Wash.) ? Following tremendous fan interest in last year?s introduction of the My Little Pony RPG, Wizards of the Coast announced a further broadening of its Dungeons & Dragons licensing strategy with parent company Hasbro Inc., (NYSE:HAS). Exciting new products on the horizon include the D&D-themed Monopoly: There and Then edition.

According to D&D Brand Manager Scott Rouse, the success of last year?s My Little Pony RPG helped drive an expansion of the D&D licensed property plans. ?It only made sense to look at where else we could go with the D&D line,? said Scott. ?Especially when it comes to further partnering with the other business groups at Hasbro.?

Monopoly: There and Then Edition
2007 will see the D&D-themed There and Then edition of Monopoly, the world?s best-selling board game. The name plays on Monopoly?s Here and Now edition, which features such new playing pieces as a Starbucks coffee and Motorola phone, and properties that include New York?s Time Square, San Francisco?s Golden Gate Bridge, and Chicago?s O?Hare Airport.

In the There and Then edition, playing pieces will include a sword, shield, and sack of gold, while properties will be generated from the Forgotten Realms and Eberron settings, such as Sharn, Waterdeep, and Undermountain; as well as from classic adventures, such as the Tomb of Horrors, White Plume Mountain, Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, and Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.

?For There and Then, we even tried replacing the game?s 6-sided dice with a d20, but the mechanics just didn?t work out,? said Associate Brand Manager Linae Foster. ?But we did replace Jail with the Gelatinous Cube?holding players until they pay up or free themselves.?

With More to Come!
?I believe this is just the start of D&D licensing growth,? said Scott Rouse. ?There are more products to come that we feel capture the flavor and the appeal of the Dungeons & Dragons lifestyle. We?ve even discussed a D&D Party Pack SKU for our college-aged players, with a red dragon pi?ata filled with D&D Minis, ochre jelly shots?the works.

?Back in 2005, we presented the D&D Holiday Wish List, with the image of a D&D-themed bedroom set and remote-controlled beholder. I see the day when those wishes are made real!?

Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.

Wizards of the Coast, Inc., is a worldwide leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories, and a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products. The company holds an exclusive patent on trading card games (TCGs) and their method of play and produces the premier trading card game, Magic: The Gathering?, among many other trading card games and family card and board games. Wizards is also a leading publisher of roleplaying games, such as Dungeons & Dragons?, and publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information, visit the Wizards of the Coast website at wizards.com http://www.wizards.com.

Wizards of the Coast, Magic: The Gathering, and Dungeons & Dragons are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc. ?2006 Wizards. Monopoly is a registered trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. ?2007 Hasbro.

[Darren Dirt]

ThinkGeek has some interesting products released April 1st:

The ThinkGeek WiiHelm - Actually has a video LOL

Important Note:
The WiiHelm does not include a Wii console or controller. You need to supply your own, or trade your PS3 for a Wii on eBay. Games requiring the Nunchuck are currently not supported by the WiiHelm*

The "demonstration video" was pretty funny -- only thing missing was a dollop of drool on the side of her agape mouth

Also, on that page not sure if you noticed a "clickable" image, it's now my av


Considering the time of year, I'm surprised Infinite Solutions genius Mark Erickson didn't do a mega-zinger

[Darren Dirt]

Thought this one was pretty good from Google:

http://www.google.com/tisp/install.html

Google TiSP (BETA) is a fully functional, end-to-end system that provides in-home wireless access by connecting your commode-based TiSP wireless router to one of thousands of TiSP Access Nodes via fiber-optic cable strung through your local municipal sewage lines.

...

Reminded me too much of Infinite Solutions' tip


The Google pranksters were nice enough to include links to every previous year all on one page: http://www.google.com/tisp/notfound.html

[Tom]

The only thing I could think of when reading that Tisp thing was Exuberance.

[Darren Dirt]

Considering the time of year, I'm surprised Infinite Solutions genius Mark Erickson didn't do a mega-zinger

Here's another similar genre Youtube video producer... A handful of the "hacks" are actually doable, but most are pretty silly...

http://www.youtube.com/user/HouseholdHacker