DIY tech pranks for April Fools’ Day

What would the age of electronics be without some clever, fun-filled jokes on April 1^st ? Below are some easy DIY tech pranks to baffle and mind-boggle your friends and co-workers.

Phantom Keystroker

The Phantom Keystroker looks like a harmless USB thumb drive. But it's not. To start the absolute annoyance, simply plug the small device into any USB port on someone's computer (preferably in the back) and make your getaway. Once installed, the Phantom Keystroker emulates a keyboard and mouse to make random mouse movements, toggle the caps-lock on and off, and type out gibberish text. To give you some control of the level of irritation, there are setting switches that allow you to choose it to do just one thing or everything, along with an adjustment dial to set the duration between events. Then sit back and enjoy, and try not to laugh when the bewilderment and frustration begins.

Disappearing desktop

Though it's commonly done by pranksters in the office setting on April Fools' Day, the disappearing desktop is always good for a couple of laughs, and it's easy to pull off too.

Start the prank by sneaking onto an unsuspecting co-worker's computer and minimize any open windows. Take a snapshot of the desktop by hitting the print screen key, then save the file and set it as the desktop background. Be sure to hide all of the actual icons saved on the desktop by either putting them in a folder or you can right-click and unselect “Show Desktop Icons” in the “Arrange Icons By” menu. This way, the victim can view the desktop icons but won't be able to access them. How frustrating (and amusing) is that?

Auto-insult

Another quick, easy and hilariously satisfying prank to make a co-worker bonkers is the auto-insult trick. All you have to do is edit the autocorrect feature in your colleague's Outlook or Word (this can be found in the tool menu of both programs). Add a new entry to replace your co-worker's name with, such as “loser,” and sit back and watch as all of his/her emails and documents become much more of a joy to read.

Blind mouse

Ever check out your mouse settings? If you're looking for a quick and easy prank, it's worth a look. Try switching someone's primary and secondary button functions for ultimate confusion, or change the pointer speed to extremely fast or super slow to stir up some rather humorous confusion.

Bluetooth blues

Thanks to the show The Office , many must beware leaving their cell phones unattended on April Fools' Day. If you're somehow lucky enough to snag an unprotected phone and have your Bluetooth earpiece handy, you can have yourself a field day (at least for a little while). After stealthily making your way over, pair your earpiece to the phone and make sure the Bluetooth functionality is activated. From there you can butt in and chat away the next time your colleague's phone rings, hands-free style.

Fake electric shock

If you're really running short on time, you can always pull the old fake electric shock prank like the guy in the video below.

Happy pranking!