I woke up this morning with a notification in my Gmail account asking me to check out Google's latest 'Gmail Motion' feature. A beta version apparently, that uses your computer's in built webcam and 'spatial technology' to detect your movements and gestures in front of the screen and translating them into commands or actions in Gmail. "Movements are designed to be simple and intuitive for people of all skill levels." it said. And I got to admit, that I almost felt for it, until I saw this video. :p
Well done Google, you almost had me there. Having said that, let me add that I truly appreciate the humor and creativity behind it. So, I decided to compile all those pranks that Google has come up with over the past few years. So have a look and enjoy. :)
MentalPlex: Scanning Brain Wave Activity For Google Search
This feature fooled people by claiming that it anticipates your search query based on the sites that you visit on Google, current air pressure, humidity, astrological configuration, personal aura and brainwave activity. To be even more convincing, here's how Google tried to pull it off back in 2000:
"Using proprietary predictive search algorithms developed through 13 years of research by an international consortium of PhDs in the fields of artificial and pseudo-intelligence, parapsychology and improbability, MentalPlex is the only search engine that accurately returns results without requiring you enter a query. Typing in queries is so 1999."
Pigeon Ranking: The Heart Of Google's Search Technology
Google's attempt to fool its users by trying to convince them of cost-effective and efficient means of ranking pages, while reassuring that no animal cruelty is involved in the process.
"By collecting flocks of pigeons in dense clusters, Google is able to process search queries at speeds superior to traditional search engines, which typically rely on birds of prey, brooding hens or slow-moving waterfowl to do their relevance rankings."
Google Offers Jobs On The Moon
Google tried to get a little more experimental this time by offering jobs on the moon, it seemed that Google's Copernicus Hosting Environment & Experiment in Search Engineering (G.C.H.E.E.S.E.) was conducting certain experiments for which they were looking for candidates for engineering positions.
"This unique opportunity is available only to highly-qualified individual who are willing to relocate for an extended period of time, are in top physical condition and are capable of surviving with limited access to such modern conveniences as soy low-fat lattes, The Sopranos and a steady supply of oxygen."
Google Gulp: A Drink With DNA Scanner To Maximize Surfing Efficiency
Now, this one is one of my favorites where Google claims to have come up with a fruity drink that can make you more intelligent and less thirsty, thereby enhancing your search engine experience. A drink that is low in carbs and comes in flavors like, Beta Carroty and Glutamate Grape.
"Google gulp will send packets of data related to your usage of this product from a wireless transmitter embedded in the base of your Google Gulp bottle, a heavily guarded, massively parallel server farm whose location is known only to Eric Schmidt, who carries its GPS coordinated on a 64-bit-encrypted smart card locked in a stainless-steel briefcase handcuffed to his right wrist. No personally identifiable information of nay kind related to your consumption of Google Gulp or any other current or future Google Foods product will ever be given, sol, bartered, auctioned off, tossed into a late-night poker pot, or otherwise transferred in any way to any untrustworthy third party, ever, we swear."
TiSP: Toilet Internet Service Provider
A hilarious prank, where Google apparently offered a free broadband service that uses toilet and sewage lines to provide free internet service. People were given step by step instructions to insert a "fiber-optic" cable in the toilet and flush it down which will then connect with Google's interface to provide free internet access.
"Within sixty minutes - assuming proper data flow - the other end of your fiber-optic cable should have reached the nearest TiSP Access Node, where our Plumbing Hardware Dispatchers (PHDs) will remove the sinker and plug in the line into our global data networking system. Congratulations, you're online! (Please wash your hands before surfing.)"
AdSense For Conversations: Contextual Advertising Above Your Head
I hope no one fell for this one, because it is unbelievably lame, but an applaudable attempt to fool those 'die-hard' advertisers. Google claimed that they have recently rolled out a monetization solution that displays a screen above your head depending the topic of your conversation.
"Anyone taking part int he conversation can hit the ad with their hand to immediately take advantage of the product or service being offered. With our new Teleportation Technology (TM), you'll be transported directly to the site where the service is available, or have the product appear instantaneously in your hands."
Gmail Custom Time: Send Emails From The Past
"Be on time. Every Time" it said, a new feature that lets Gmail users send "pre-date" messages. Quite a believable prank inspired from Back To The Future movie and also published fake testimonials from their fictitious beta users.
"Just click 'Set custom time' from the Compose view. Any email you send to the past appears in the proper chronological order in your recipient's inbox. Our researchers have concluded that allowing each person more than ten pre-dated emails per year would cause people to lose faith in the accuracy of time, thus rendering the feature useless."
Virgile: Permanent Human Settlement In Mars
Google truly went out of their way to fool people through this prank, where they claimed that Virgin group is working alongside Google for a permanent human settlement in Mars. Not only did they announce that Larry Page, Richard Branson and Sergey Brin are strongly backing up this project, but also created a questionnaire to test if you have what it takes to start a new civilization.
"It's high time that humanity moved beyond Earth and began our great, long journey to explore the stars and establish our first lasting foothold on another world. In the years to come, we'll be sending up a series of spaceships carrying (along with the supplies and tools needed to build a new colony) what eventually will be hundreds of Mars colonists, or Virgle Pioneers.
With this I wrap up some of my favorite pranks played by Google on 1st April. And I welcome you to share some of pranks that you've played or have been a victim of in the comment section below.
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