It is April first and the Internet is abuzz with April Fool’s Day pranks and chatter about the ones to look out for. Some people are using the web to protect and warn others and some see the web as a medium to discuss good ones to subject people to and finally, some use the web to conduct the prank. The most famous prankster on this day is Google. Every year, the web giant promotes a silly product or service as if it is 100% real and without fail, grabs the attention of unwitting participants and the cynics alike.
This year Google showed up with 2 pranks. Both are more clever than we’ve seen in recent years.
The first prank is as simple as a job posting for an “Autocompleter.” As you type in the search box in Google, a complex algorithm is finding every combination of your letters to narrow the possibility of what you are searching for. Google has now posted a job for a human to do that. This job does not come easy though. One requirement that the applicant must possess is good typing skills - to the tune of being able to type 32,000 words per minute. See:http://www.google.com/intl/en/jobs/uslocations/mountain-view/autocompleter/index.html for the full job ad.
The bigger one is a new service they claim will be available soon. It is called Google Motion and it is the lovechild of Gmail and a Nintendo Wii. Gmail’s product manager, a paralanguage expert and a movement specialist all tell us how using your computer’s webcam along with pre-defined gestures will allow you to interact with your computer. Giving a hitchhiking like thumb toward your back is the obvious motion for a reply. Check out: http://mail.google.com/mail/help/motion.html to watch the video and sign up.
Just like every other year, the pranks are delivered with the professional design and apparent sincerity of true new service, but somehow, seem just outside the realm of possibility or sensibility.
Many people on the web have come to look forward to Google’s yearly prank. It is fun to see this brand interact with its users and embrace a day like April Fool’s. Enjoy! Thanks Google!
