Topeka is Now Google is Now Topeka (April Fool!)

"A different kind of company name"
Official Google Blog (April 1, 2010)

"Early last month the mayor of Topeka, Kansas stunned the world by announcing that his city was changing its name to Google. We’ve been wondering ever since how best to honor that moving gesture. Today we are pleased to announce that as of 1AM (Central Daylight Time) April 1st, Google has officially changed our name to Topeka...."

I grew up in the sixties and have done time more than once since then, in higher education: so my threshold for thinking something is too ridiculous to be real is set pretty high. It wasn't until I remembered that this was April Fool's Day that I realized that this was a joke.

A pretty good one, at that.

Related posts:

• "San Serriffe: A Lovely Lot of Islands That Really Aren't There"
  (July 15, 2008)
• "April Fools' Pranks for the Nerds"
  (April 1, 2008)
• "April Fool's Day: Origins"
  (April 1, 2008)
• "April Fools Day: The Website Too"
  (April 1, 2008)
• "April Fools Day: The Website"
  (April 1, 2008)
• "April Fools Day: Family Fun"
  (April 1, 2008)
• "April Fool's Day: Museum of Hoaxes Top 100"
  (April 1, 2008)

San Serriffe: A Lovely Lot of Islands That Really Aren't There

"San Serriffe "
Museum of Hoaxes

"On April 1, 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a seven-page “special report” about San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean consisting of several semi-colon-shaped islands. A series of articles described the geography and culture of this obscure nation.

"The report generated a huge response. The Guardian‘s phones rang all day as readers sought more information about the idyllic holiday spot. However, San Serriffe did not actually exist. The report was an elaborate April Fool’s Day joke—one with a typographical twist, since numerous details about the island (such as its name) alluded to printer’s terminology...."

There's quite a bit of detail about the San Serriffe archipelago in this article. Enjoy.

April Fools' Pranks for the Nerds

"Top 10 April Fools' Pranks for Nerds"
Wired Magazine (March 28, 2008)

This list includes the old Screenshot-as-Desktop-Wallpaper gag.

These are hilarious, but please be careful. I've worked with people who seemed genuinely frightened of technology. Exposing them to something like the Screenshot-as-Desktop-Wallpaper gag would inflict very real pain on them: and you, if your supervisors find out who was responsible.

But, as long as you exercise common sense in choosing your targets, these could be fun.

April Fool's Day: Origins

Snopes.com, on
"April Fool's Day Origins"

It isn't clear exactly where April Fool's Day came from: and that may be the biggest April Fool's Day prank of all.

April Fools Day: The Website Too

"AprilFools.com"

From
"Practical Jokes
Find fun and safe practical jokes to play on friends and family."
to
"Covert Clicker
A universal TV remote control. Turn off the tv in a bar just as the winning score is about to happen? (You better have fast feet if they catch you!)"

This site is a collection of links to commercial websites, it seems. Some look like fun - if you have the spare change.

April Fools Day: The Website

"April Fools Day"
the website.

"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.
- Mark Twain"

"April Fool's Day - Day for Tomfoolery"

Somewhat more serious that you'd expect from a website dedicated to April Fools Day.

Starts out with a short history of where April Fools Day came from, then promises: "We bring you the gift ideas for April Fools' Day, the history, traditions and customs of this fun celebration, April Fools' Day special recipes, the arts and crafts for the day and some really interesting and hilarious sections for you. You will really enjoy the quotes on April Fools' Day,...."

April Fools Day: Family Fun

"April Fools Day Pranks
FamilyFun.com

Includes classic pranks, like

• "The Big Spill
  Tickle funny bones with a phony tipped-over coffee cup"
• "Faked Potato
  These dud spuds make a great side dish at dinnertime"
• "Unexpected Dandruff Fake them out with foolery that's a bit on the flaky side"

Printable Pranks, like

• "Alien Birth Certificate"
• "Make-Believe Maze"
• "Silly Candy Wrapper"

Some might consider these tame: but I'd be cautious with some, like the "Make-Believe Maze."

April Fool's Day: Museum of Hoaxes Top 100

"Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time"
Museum of Hoaxes

Their #1 is the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest of 1957.

#100 is the British Postal Address Turnabout of 1977

There's quite a lot of nonsense between those two entries.

Lots of fun: and educational, showing what people will believe.