The Geek or The Fool

If you've ever switched the sugar and salt on someone or deviously planted a rubber snake as a surprise, chances are you enjoy a good prank on April Fool's Day. Taking place on April 1 in many countries all over the world, this holiday has been celebrated with humor for centuries. Today, jokes have risen to a whole new level with technology. Geeky pranks involving computers and cell phones are quick to dupe users who immediately suspect a malfunction or virus, or worse. These electronic devices are an easy target.

The following pranks offer a little fun at the computer, but if you try them, take care to keep them harmless. You do not want to frustrate friends for so long they restart their computer and lose their work!

• Place a stickie note or tape a small piece of paper over the eye of the victim's optical mouse. If they use a trackball mouse, you can remove the ball or tape a piece of paper over it. Watch your pal try in vain to move the cursor on the screen.
• If two computers are next to each other, you can switch the mouse and keyboard of one workstation for the other. Sit back and watch your two friends try to figure out how to control their machines.
• Make a desktop unclickable by taking a screenshot of your friend's current desktop, and then setting the image as wallpaper. You will need to hide the real taskbar and desktop icons, which you can do by right-clicking on the desktop, choosing Arrange Icons By, and then unchecking Show Desktop Icons. When your victim returns, watch him or her click uselessly around the screen.
• On some computers with Windows XP and an Intel graphic card, you can flip the screen display. Hit the Alt+Ctrl+Arrow keys to rotate the screen upside down, left or right.
• Many Windows users may be familiar with the "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD), a minimalist full-screen error message that displays when the computer crashes. When your co-worker leaves for a break, you can imitate this effect on his or her computer by installing the BSOD screensaver, which is available, interestingly, as a free download from Microsoft . The screensaver displays the look of a desktop that has crashed and will also simulate startup screens seen during a system boot.
• Friends who "hunt and peck" to type beware! You can switch a few keys on the keyboard by carefully popping them off and replacing them. Before you do this trick, though, you should know how to put the keyboard back together.
• When co-workers leave documents open on their screen, you can cause confusion by changing the font color to white. When they return to their desk to type, their work will be invisible.

Devote April jokesters might be interested in the ideas and mini-programs offered from the sources listed below for more mischievous pranks and computer gags.

These April Fool's Day pranks are a reminder to all to lock or logout of your computer when you leave it unattended. Stay safe!

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