April Fool

[Lewiy]

A couple of classic April Fool’s jokes hit the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">UK</st1lace></st1:country-region> news this morning which I thought I’d share with the rest of the international MrExcel community.
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The first was the announcement that the BBC is launching a documentary about a newly discovered community of penguins who have been filmed flying as they migrate to warmer climates: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/01/npenguin101.xml
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This one almost had me (until I finally noted the date!) as it was an elaborate stunt collaborated by BBC breakfast news and two major national newspapers and comprised of a professionally produced trailer for the documentary, interview with Monty Python’s Terry Jones who was allegedly presenting it and a link to BBC iPlayer!!
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This was followed up with the news of a new form of greyhound racing which sees the dogs skating on ice in an attempt for the BBC to reclaim ratings which they were hastily losing to rival network ITV’s “Dancing on Ice”.
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I’d be interested to hear of any other April Fools pulled today around the world (or just your office pranks!!)

 

[barry houdini]

Did you hear the one about British Airways "losing" 28,000 pieces of luggage at the newly opened, highly prestigious, Heathrow Terminal 5......?

...Oh, no, hold on a minute.......

 

[cornflakegirl]

There's a fab one in the Guardian about Delia taking up molecular cookery, collaborating with Heston Blumenthal...

 

[TinaP]

We had a supervisor tell a coworker that due to a new initiative she would have to stand at the front door and greet the customers. She wasn't thrilled, but she went to the lobby. We were going to fill her in right before the doors opened, but we saw a new employee approaching (who knew about the prank) and let her greet the new employee. Before a real customer entered, we yelled "April Fool!" Thankfully, she took the joke in good spirits, although I doubt she'll ever take March 31 off again.

 

[Patience]

We have had a couple of internal work ones - I work for a Play charity, but know little about play so they don't mean a lot to me. I am sure they are very funny for those in the know.

Similarly while browsing BBC news earlier (having watched the flying penguins and laughed out loud) the clip below it was all about Rick Rolling, and I spent a long time then trying to prove to myself that this was another April Fool, very elaborately conustructed by the BBC, even to the point of making sure that when you google "Rick Roll" it comes up with a lot of links explaining the phenomenon. (For those, who like me until 3 hours ago, are not in the know, it is basically being fooled into clicking an internet link that takes you not to where you would expect, but rather to a YouTube video of "Never Gonna Give you Up.") I was utterly convinced it was an April Fool as soon as I saw it, but it seems that I am just not down with the kids enough!

Someone tell me it is an April Fool, please!