No, RedTea News is not going to run a fake April Fools’ Day story today. (Unfortunately, all of our Kim Jong-un stories are completely true.) We could run such a story — maybe an elaborate piece about how errors in Hawaii’s statehood paperwork mean Obama’s not a US citizen. Or something about Mitt Romney suddenly remembering that he invented Obamacare.
But we just don’t do fake stories on RedTea News. Something something journalistic integrity?
However, the Internet today is chock full of fakery and japery. Here are some of the best examples:
Google has a whole slew of jokes up today, which makes us wonder if anyone there actually does any work. Google.jp announced Magic Hand, a robot hand that operates your smartphone for you. Google Maps was taken over by Pokémon. Gmail informed users they could decorate their email in selfies. Google+ will automatically insert David Hasselhoff into all your photos. AdSense will now identify which planet your customers comes from, plus there’s a keyboard layout for your cat to use.
British newspaper The Guardian published a story about how scientists really don’t know how MRI machines work. Meanwhile, the Nottingham Post announced that the bones of Robin Hood have been found. The Register said that a plastic, 3D-printed skyscraper would be built in London. The Birmingham Mail said a great white shark had been spotted in the city canals. And Metro.co.uk said the British government was banning the selfie.
Slovak state-owned TV broadcast an hour-long show where celebrities counted sheep.
The Como Park Zoo & Conservatory in Saint Paul, Minnesota installed phone lines so you can call the animals.
Tumblr is a free blogging and social media service, which today announced a pay version, Tumblr Pro. All Tumblr Pro does is put a top hat on your avatar. In other social media pranks, Bill Clinton posted a photo of himself in parody of the famous meme involving his wife.
Netflix launched this original movie today: Rotisserie Chicken. Yes, it’s one hour and 13 minutes of a spinning rotisserie chicken, accompanied by a screeching noise.
Are you a Game of Thrones fan? George R.R. Martin Signs Contract That Forbids Him From Dying Before Finishing His Book Series.
For more geek humor, Star Trek’s Michael Dorn presents Rosetta Stone: Klingon. Like Google, Netflix is well known for its April Fools’ Day pranks. This announcement from 2011 wasn’t funny, though, it was just gorram cruel.
Washed-up child star Kirk Cameron has decided to exploit religion to keep himself in the limelight. Apparently he doesn’t understand faith, because he once claimed in a web video to have proved God’s existence using a banana (this is sadly real, not a prank). Here’s Kirk Cameron: Back to Atheism Thanks to Bruised Banana.
The school newspaper at Northeastern University in Boston announced that the school would build special lanes for students who wish to walk and text at the same time.
Foodie mag Bon Appétit has several parody articles today, including one called A Visit to a Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast Farm.
Have you found any great online pranks today? Post the link in the comments below!