Calling shenanigans

The premise of this post is this. I scan a lot of RSS feeds, and today is April Fools’ Day[wiki]. So my plan is to spot things, list them here if I think they are a load of crap, and we’ll let the cards fall as they may. Feel free to post comments to give the rest of us heads up or give us a ruling as to if it’s true or total bunk.

Why might I do this? Because it’s just as fun to try and solve the equation as it is to play the prank. Also, I got completely hosed by Father Roderick last year with his prank, and he’s a priest! A clever Dutchman, but I’m doing my best to not get nailed this year. Still, I appreciate a good joke, but his was a tad too much on the pulling at heart strings end of the stick.

So here we go, a total roll of the dice. Check back for updates on this little experiment.

» Google is pulling their usual stunt. Rebecca has it posted on her site, but it’s pretty comical. Oh the geeky humor. Status: shenanigans

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. [google]

» John Chow made a post on March 31st detailing his last blog post ever, mainly because he apparently sold his company, is dirt rich, and now going to travel the world. If that be the case, then all the best with not catching ebola, bird flu, or Montezuma revenge in whatever portion of the world that your travels take you. And I say that lovingly. Status: shenanigans

Starting tomorrow, I will be on permanent vacation. I have sold my company, TTZ Media Inc., to a Toronto based Internet Venture Company. The sale closed yesterday. I cannot disclose the sale price but it is enough that the interest on the money alone would put me in the top 1% income bracket. [johnchow]

» Maybe Robert Scoble is a natural at randomly finding people using interesting gadgets at random areas of the SF area, but this post from today seems all too fishy to me. It makes sense, but holy crap is it a long post about some new Apple gadget that is supposed to make reading RSS feeds as hip as walking down the street with white ear buds crammed in your ears. However, if true, then I guess that’s neat. Status: shenanigans

Back to what I saw: today we were eating at Sam’s Chowder House in Half Moon Bay when I saw someone down on the beach using a device I didn’t recognize. Being a geek I quickly ran down to the beach to see what it was. Turns out he was an Apple executive (he asked me not to name him) and tried to hide the device when I came near, but I eventually talked him into showing it off to me. [scobleizer]

Leave a comment if you see something else worth calling shenanigans on.

» Submitted by Gwen, Google has even more geeky humor with their Gmail Paper. The sad thing is those folks who are going to completely buy into this idea that they can finally have all their emails printed out for them. The amount of work that has gone into creating the site is fabulous. Rebecca mentioned this to me last night, but I thought the paper thing was in reference to the Google TiSP thing above. You know, paper in relation to internet through your toilet? That kind of paper. Status: shenanigans

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. [google]

» Kudos to David Drucker for linking this one first, but I recalled hearing about this last night via a Twitter from Tod Maffin. He has been hinting at this one for a while now, and it clicked in my brain this morning. When I told Rebecca about it, she agreed that it was a load of crap. Still, nice one, Tod. Almost had me believing that the would be an actual CBC Radio 4. Status: shenanigans

» One of the best, blogger gags yet. Warren Frey took his site to new levels of the uber kind. I totally dig it. Of course, it could also be that his site got hacked, but I’m banking on the whole joke thing. Status: unconfirmed

Welcome to the new house of Freyburg, city of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, the FATHER OF GYMNASTICS. We finally accomplished, our English place of assembly however please our German place of assembly, if you liked to read the original place of assembly about Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, the FATHER OF GYMNASTICS, to also visit.

We make to see you vist we here in Freyburg, Unstrut happy, city of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, the FATHER OF GYMNASTICS! Meanwhile, you enjoy please this place of assembly and last you time, to learn about Friedrich Ludwig Jahn,FATHER OF GYMNASTICS. [freyburg]