Gmail Paper

April 1, 2007 12:15 AM

Google's at it again."Everyone loves Gmail. But not everyone loves email, or the digital era. What ever happened to stamps, filing cabinets, and the mailman? Well, you asked for it, and it’s here. We’re bringing it back... with Gmail Paper."
posted by Fofer (46 comments total)

Happy April 1st from Google!
posted by newfers at 12:23 AM on April 1, 2007

Is it just me or are all these web / tech April jokes getting lamer every year? Booooring!
posted by homodigitalis at 12:43 AM on April 1, 2007

Treehuggers should be relieved that gmail Paper is green:
"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."
posted by Cranberry at 12:48 AM on April 1, 2007

This of course is for real:
"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."
posted by Cranberry at 12:51 AM on April 1, 2007

Oops, sorry memo.
posted by Cranberry at 12:52 AM on April 1, 2007

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.

Well, at least Google tries to come up with fun jokes every year. :P
posted by slf at 1:01 AM on April 1, 2007

" No pop-ups...these are physically impossible in the paper medium."

Orly? Google never heard of pop-up books?
posted by furiousxgeorge at 1:59 AM on April 1, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

The Observer has a weak one.
posted by Gratishades at 3:43 AM on April 1, 2007

yes, the april 1 jokes are getting lamer by the year.

though slashdot's 'slashrating (tm)' rip on digg gave me a good laugh earlier.
posted by jimjam at 3:51 AM on April 1, 2007

For sheer comic subtlety you can't beat the Stinkernet, an April Fool courtesy of the high-tech japesters at The Sun.

I laughed so hard I nearly laughed!
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 5:58 AM on April 1, 2007

dont forget Google TiSP!
posted by petsounds at 6:58 AM on April 1, 2007

oops dint see the other thread
posted by petsounds at 7:01 AM on April 1, 2007

Now that I have Gmail Paper, I understand the difference between labels and folders. I had one message with two labels, but when I tried to stick the paper version into two filing cabinets at the same time, it just wouldn’t go.

To all the "Why aren't there folders?!" haters... suck it.
Love, Google.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 7:36 AM on April 1, 2007

Google is phenomenal at so many things.

But not humor.
posted by psmealey at 7:38 AM on April 1, 2007

Google remains by far my favourite faceless corporate monolith.
posted by WPW at 8:03 AM on April 1, 2007

I fucking loathe April 1st. Fuck!
posted by Gnostic Novelist at 8:15 AM on April 1, 2007

MEH!!!!
posted by jchgf at 8:18 AM on April 1, 2007

is it just me or do snarks get lamer each year?
posted by trinarian at 8:26 AM on April 1, 2007

It's not you, it's me.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:37 AM on April 1, 2007

I've got this old e-mail from kremvax I've been dying to print. Now, at last, I can!
posted by dhartung at 8:48 AM on April 1, 2007

april fools is awesome [not]
posted by Jeremy at 9:00 AM on April 1, 2007

I would have advertised a new coffee line from Google called "Gitter."
posted by inconsequentialist at 9:20 AM on April 1, 2007

This would have been a lot funnier 5 years ago. I still know people who'd love this "service", though.
posted by QIbHom at 9:27 AM on April 1, 2007

It would actually be funny if they really did it for a few hours, or a set number of messages, something like that. Otherwise, just lame.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 9:30 AM on April 1, 2007

Saw that when I logged on this morning... I thought it was funny! Now, if only they will include CDs for the audio attachments. Terrible oversight.
posted by The Deej at 10:05 AM on April 1, 2007

You laugh, but I was just reading an article recently about services in India that convert email to letters and deliver them to villages where there is no internet connectivity. They act as an email to snail-mail gateway.
posted by mach at 10:36 AM on April 1, 2007

Count me among those who think there is a viable market for this type of service..
posted by autodidact at 10:39 AM on April 1, 2007

Gratishades: The Observer has a weak one.

Yes, the Crucible one was not funny, but the fake BMW ad on page 4 was great.

"Introducing BMW Instant Messaging.

"The car you drive says a lot about you. And, thanks to Instant Messaging, the car that undoubtedly says the most is a BMW. The system uses Reactive User Sound Electronic (RUSE) particles which are embedded in the windscreen. All the driver has to do is say what's on their mind and the RUSE particles react to their voice to translate their words into an instant message (written in mirror-writing on the windscreen).

"It enables BMW drivers to communicate advice, warnings, helpful driving tips and salutations to other road users without even lifting a finger. Instant Messaging launches today on all 5 Series models, but Dr Hans Fre (BMW's head of Photo Reactive Aural Telecommunications/PRAT) predicts that such a useful tool will soon be standardacross the range. We'll have to wait and see what other drivers have to say about that."

BMW does a prank ad almost every year, and they tend to be good.
posted by WPW at 10:47 AM on April 1, 2007

You know the odd thing about Google's prank? It actually makes sense: typical Google. Many people are poor or have an aesthetic taste (as well as other reasons) for paper, yet modern social interactions often dictate that e-mail or IM is used instead. I don't have to go through the litany of problems this has caused.

Btw, is there a site that documents drunk letters? I have sent many a drunk e-mail/IM, but never handwrote a drunk letter.
posted by Gnostic Novelist at 11:05 AM on April 1, 2007 [1 favorite has favorites]

the only web april fools that got a chuckle from me was techcrunch's.
posted by progosk at 11:17 AM on April 1, 2007

Gnostic Novelist, no it doesn't make sense. Any one who needs a "paper record" of an email... has a printer. For immediate gratification, you know.

You can get an inkjet with Happy Meals™ these days, I'm sure.
posted by Fofer at 11:22 AM on April 1, 2007

Ran into these a minute ago.

Blueray-Betamax

iHome Cell Phone
posted by The Deej at 11:55 AM on April 1, 2007

For sheer comic subtlety you can't beat the Stinkernet, an April Fool courtesy of the high-tech japesters at The Sun.

This is the only one that made me laugh so far, only because I found it hard to believe that anyone still found that joke funny.
posted by robla at 12:25 PM on April 1, 2007

Well, they got me with the Google Paper stuff. I forgot what day it was, and didn't read the goofy testimonials, so my husband and I spent a good 15 minutes discussing the feasibility of such a service, and the instances in which someone would use it. Dur.
posted by Zosia Blue at 12:32 PM on April 1, 2007

Zosia, Yeah, I have to confess, it took me a minute. Even after the testimonials!!
posted by The Deej at 12:37 PM on April 1, 2007

96% post-consumer organic soybean sputum

If only metafilter could enjoy such content.
posted by Burhanistan at 12:42 PM on April 1, 2007

Paper is something you'd have to not own a computer to understand.
posted by JanetLand at 12:45 PM on April 1, 2007

Gnostic Novelist, no it doesn't make sense. Any one who needs a "paper record" of an email... has a printer. For immediate gratification, you know.

You're right. I don't know how I missed that.
posted by Gnostic Novelist at 12:54 PM on April 1, 2007

Uh, I wish this was real?
posted by bukharin at 1:19 PM on April 1, 2007

April 1 : 101

It's not funny if you're not fooled.
posted by pokermonk at 1:54 PM on April 1, 2007

It's goofy. It's harmless. It made me smile. I like the pictures.

Gentles, do not reprehend. This is a joke, not an examination. Relax. Maybe, have a Google Gulp.
posted by zennie at 2:41 PM on April 1, 2007

Classics Today gave me a laugh.
posted by Wolfdog at 3:54 PM on April 1, 2007

Classics Today gave me a laugh

great !
thanks.
posted by Substrata at 5:14 PM on April 1, 2007

Wow, it's 9 pm here and I've been wondering why I hadn't encountered anything to do with April Fool's Day.
posted by pax digita at 7:00 PM on April 1, 2007

Sorry, http://ask.metafilter.com/april1.mefi was better, and I saw it at only a couple of minutes after midnight. ;)
posted by wierdo at 10:47 PM on April 1, 2007

deja vu to when this place went google for a day.
posted by Kino at 3:02 AM on April 3, 2007