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August 8, 2006 9:55 PM Subscribe
Payback is a B**** Someone played one too many practical jokes and/or pranks on some IT guys who had too much time on their hands. Impressive results ensue.
Wow... if I were there boss I'd start wondering if I had too many employees. Seems like they got some time to kill to put that all together (not to mention document it).
I don't mind office pranks though. They are fun. But they shouldn't take longer then 5 minutes to do.
posted by nickerbocker at 10:13 PM on August 8, 2006
I don't mind office pranks though. They are fun. But they shouldn't take longer then 5 minutes to do.
posted by nickerbocker at 10:13 PM on August 8, 2006
Wow, hate to be Mike. (Was that a SB reference I spy?)
posted by Cyclopsis Raptor at 10:13 PM on August 8, 2006
posted by Cyclopsis Raptor at 10:13 PM on August 8, 2006
Leave it to IT to show no imagination whatsoever.
posted by mischief at 10:14 PM on August 8, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by mischief at 10:14 PM on August 8, 2006 [1 favorite]
Don't know if "impressive" is the adjective I'd go for.
posted by signal at 10:15 PM on August 8, 2006
posted by signal at 10:15 PM on August 8, 2006
I'd make some snarky comments about that being a pretty lame "prank", compared to the likes of this, but I wouldn't want those "creative IT" guys to come after me.
posted by Jimbob at 10:21 PM on August 8, 2006
posted by Jimbob at 10:21 PM on August 8, 2006
Yeah, they put cardboard covers over his stuff. Very creative.
I love that they even thought they should get the domain "prankmike.com" for their triumph.
posted by mrnutty at 10:29 PM on August 8, 2006
I love that they even thought they should get the domain "prankmike.com" for their triumph.
posted by mrnutty at 10:29 PM on August 8, 2006
He'll probably complain that the network's down.
posted by null terminated at 10:31 PM on August 8, 2006
posted by null terminated at 10:31 PM on August 8, 2006
Whats impressive (?) is that they actually took the time to create a phone, a chair, etc...out of cardboard. This had to be a full days work for a few guys, at least.
Time for some "creative" layoffs.
posted by rsanheim at 10:33 PM on August 8, 2006
Time for some "creative" layoffs.
posted by rsanheim at 10:33 PM on August 8, 2006
Again, agree with the rest of the people here. Unless the owner of this company was in on it, it seems to me at some point this prank will roll-uphill, to where he'll wonder what in the heck he pays you for.
Then again maybe its just that this consultant has been working 12 hour days for the last few weeks, and is bitter and dead inside.
posted by WetherMan at 10:37 PM on August 8, 2006
Then again maybe its just that this consultant has been working 12 hour days for the last few weeks, and is bitter and dead inside.
posted by WetherMan at 10:37 PM on August 8, 2006
Wow, they showed him. Showed him and everyone else what useless employees they are. I agree with nickerbocker. Practical jokes shouldn't take longer than five minutes.
posted by Titania at 10:43 PM on August 8, 2006
posted by Titania at 10:43 PM on August 8, 2006
Holy crap you guys are curmudgeons.
I laughed, thanks for the post.
posted by knave at 10:45 PM on August 8, 2006
I laughed, thanks for the post.
posted by knave at 10:45 PM on August 8, 2006
That was great, FlammingBore. A very meticulous practical joke with some thought. Thanks for the laugh.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 10:48 PM on August 8, 2006
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 10:48 PM on August 8, 2006
Is that what a Sprite can looks like these days?
I must be Rip Van-Fucking-Winkle.
posted by sourwookie at 11:05 PM on August 8, 2006 [1 favorite]
I must be Rip Van-Fucking-Winkle.
posted by sourwookie at 11:05 PM on August 8, 2006 [1 favorite]
Guys, I would assume they weren't physically crafting cardboard sculptures in the office, on company time. It'd be kind of hard to miss, wouldn't it?
posted by brundlefly at 11:05 PM on August 8, 2006
posted by brundlefly at 11:05 PM on August 8, 2006
Withiut knowing what Mike did to deserve such retaliation from his cow-orkers, it is hard to judge whether they are brilliant or underemployed.
posted by Cranberry at 11:07 PM on August 8, 2006
posted by Cranberry at 11:07 PM on August 8, 2006
Stickies???
No Way. . . Upside-down office - maybe . . . but in today's flexible job market and ever expanding economy, a decent cardboarding could be equivalent to discovering insulin. Albeit a totally useless and frivolous form of insulin. 2nd only to a blow-dart full of curare, which I hear does wonders for adult onset diabetes. . .
Anyone know where I can get curare?
posted by isopraxis at 11:57 PM on August 8, 2006
No Way. . . Upside-down office - maybe . . . but in today's flexible job market and ever expanding economy, a decent cardboarding could be equivalent to discovering insulin. Albeit a totally useless and frivolous form of insulin. 2nd only to a blow-dart full of curare, which I hear does wonders for adult onset diabetes. . .
Anyone know where I can get curare?
posted by isopraxis at 11:57 PM on August 8, 2006
I don't mind office pranks though. They are fun. But they shouldn't take longer then 5 minutes to do.
Stuff like this is fun for about 5 seconds, maybe 10. Five minutes construction time is certainly the maximum if you're playing to the local crowd. But I think their formula is 10 seconds of mild amusement x thousands of visitors + maybe a stupid television show or two picking it up = worth wasting a day making silly crap out of cardboard while the boss is offsite. And if the victim of the prank can be made to feel a part of it, then the victim goes along with it and enjoys a lame sort of stardom.
posted by pracowity at 12:12 AM on August 9, 2006
Stuff like this is fun for about 5 seconds, maybe 10. Five minutes construction time is certainly the maximum if you're playing to the local crowd. But I think their formula is 10 seconds of mild amusement x thousands of visitors + maybe a stupid television show or two picking it up = worth wasting a day making silly crap out of cardboard while the boss is offsite. And if the victim of the prank can be made to feel a part of it, then the victim goes along with it and enjoys a lame sort of stardom.
posted by pracowity at 12:12 AM on August 9, 2006
pranks are only funny if someone is hurt in the process.
posted by wumpus at 12:27 AM on August 9, 2006
posted by wumpus at 12:27 AM on August 9, 2006
I believe most IT guys are paid for getting a job done, not for looking like they are working every minute of every day. Lame prank.
posted by jeblis at 1:53 AM on August 9, 2006
posted by jeblis at 1:53 AM on August 9, 2006
I thought the cardboard power strip was a nice touch.
And it certainly didn't take a day, an hour or two after work, or while sitting around waiting for an install to finish, maybe.
posted by madajb at 3:16 AM on August 9, 2006
And it certainly didn't take a day, an hour or two after work, or while sitting around waiting for an install to finish, maybe.
posted by madajb at 3:16 AM on August 9, 2006
I liked the Strong Bad-inspired system error on the monitor.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:14 AM on August 9, 2006
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:14 AM on August 9, 2006
Nice prank, thanks for the post.
As knave said, curmudgeons aplenty in this thread. I wonder what's so inherently excellent about post-its, tin foil etc. that the pranks carried out with them somehow beat this one. "Covering stuff up or wrapping it" is a prank genre in itself, I don't see how the choice of material is that important. This is just as (non-)creative as any other example of the genre.
As for the comments concerning underemployment or "over 5 minutes is too much": I'm an IT guy in an office with about 30 people, and the amount of work I do per day is somewhere between 0 and 180 minutes (biased towards zero). I'm lazy, sure, but honestly, there's no way I could find enough work to fill even 4-5 hours on an average day, let alone eight, even if I wanted to and seriously tried. Currently, I'm rating my music collection on my new iPod and considering various image options for rasterbation, having worked for zero minutes today. Three more hours...
Still, I'm necessary to have around, in a fireman-like capacity: run frantically when you're needed, pass the time when you're not. I do my job with commendable efficiency when I'm needed, and that should be enough for anybody.
I can imagine that lots of other places have people in similar situations, and I'd wager that the workplace in question here is one of those.
posted by lifeless at 4:15 AM on August 9, 2006
As knave said, curmudgeons aplenty in this thread. I wonder what's so inherently excellent about post-its, tin foil etc. that the pranks carried out with them somehow beat this one. "Covering stuff up or wrapping it" is a prank genre in itself, I don't see how the choice of material is that important. This is just as (non-)creative as any other example of the genre.
As for the comments concerning underemployment or "over 5 minutes is too much": I'm an IT guy in an office with about 30 people, and the amount of work I do per day is somewhere between 0 and 180 minutes (biased towards zero). I'm lazy, sure, but honestly, there's no way I could find enough work to fill even 4-5 hours on an average day, let alone eight, even if I wanted to and seriously tried. Currently, I'm rating my music collection on my new iPod and considering various image options for rasterbation, having worked for zero minutes today. Three more hours...
Still, I'm necessary to have around, in a fireman-like capacity: run frantically when you're needed, pass the time when you're not. I do my job with commendable efficiency when I'm needed, and that should be enough for anybody.
I can imagine that lots of other places have people in similar situations, and I'd wager that the workplace in question here is one of those.
posted by lifeless at 4:15 AM on August 9, 2006
lifeless, the last time I did IT as my soul job, the amount of actual work I did in a day was between 400 and 600 minutes. I got paid for about 420 of those, and got fired for not getting all the work done.
posted by lodurr at 4:55 AM on August 9, 2006
posted by lodurr at 4:55 AM on August 9, 2006
Jesus, y'all, for all you know they did most of the work at home. What a ridiculous derail. Pretty funny prank, too.
posted by mediareport at 5:01 AM on August 9, 2006
posted by mediareport at 5:01 AM on August 9, 2006
My condolences, lodurr, without sarcasm (I hope it all worked out for the better for you in the end). I've no intention of saying that other people in other workplaces wouldn't have it a hell of a lot harder than I do.
Still, the fact that a prominently visible prank like this can be pulled off implies that the specific place this one happened in has a) an atmosphere where humor is allowed and b) people with a lot of idle time to spend. Probably more like my current job than your previous job, then.
posted by lifeless at 5:11 AM on August 9, 2006 [1 favorite]
Still, the fact that a prominently visible prank like this can be pulled off implies that the specific place this one happened in has a) an atmosphere where humor is allowed and b) people with a lot of idle time to spend. Probably more like my current job than your previous job, then.
posted by lifeless at 5:11 AM on August 9, 2006 [1 favorite]
Faint of Butt, yeah, I think they earned a lot of points for that alone!
posted by kimota at 5:23 AM on August 9, 2006
posted by kimota at 5:23 AM on August 9, 2006
I once had a boss who used to complain about the birds that would land on her second story window ledge, so one day, I came in early and set up an entire aviary outside of her office window. With the help of several employees, we hauled an actual concrete birdbath (with a working fountain) up a ladder, as well as a fifty pound bag of birdseed, various birdfeeders, and a statue of St. Francis. It was fairly impressive. Then, we closed her blinds, which were never closed.
She actually yelped when she drew the blinds.
posted by ColdChef at 5:28 AM on August 9, 2006 [1 favorite]
She actually yelped when she drew the blinds.
posted by ColdChef at 5:28 AM on August 9, 2006 [1 favorite]
lifeless, I suspect that the reason people are unimpressed by this prank is the fact that, unlike the post-its, the rellim, or the foil pranks, the IT people in this prank make no secret of their dislike for the target.
The other three all have as a fundamental component affection for the victim.
posted by ChrisR at 7:05 AM on August 9, 2006
The other three all have as a fundamental component affection for the victim.
posted by ChrisR at 7:05 AM on August 9, 2006
Never mind the wasted time--all these pranks require a considerable waste of our planet's natural resources: to wit, aluminum and paper.
The best office prank I've experienced was a guy who would turn on the speakerphone really loud and then file his nails against the handset.
posted by scratch at 7:20 AM on August 9, 2006
The best office prank I've experienced was a guy who would turn on the speakerphone really loud and then file his nails against the handset.
posted by scratch at 7:20 AM on August 9, 2006
ChrisR writes "I suspect that the reason people are unimpressed by this prank is the fact that,... the IT people in this prank make no secret of their dislike for the target."
No, it's because it's boring. And dumb.
posted by signal at 7:32 AM on August 9, 2006
No, it's because it's boring. And dumb.
posted by signal at 7:32 AM on August 9, 2006
Your favorite prank sucks.
posted by JT at 7:34 AM on August 9, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by JT at 7:34 AM on August 9, 2006 [1 favorite]
Wow, tough crowd. I thought it was funny, especially considering the cardboard phone, computers, power strip, and award.
posted by Potsy at 8:07 AM on August 9, 2006
posted by Potsy at 8:07 AM on August 9, 2006
Scratch - they had no intercom?
posted by Kirth Gerson at 8:27 AM on August 9, 2006
posted by Kirth Gerson at 8:27 AM on August 9, 2006
Okay, I give up. What is payback?
Oh, wait a second here… Are you referring to the word that dare not bark its name?
posted by found missing at 8:42 AM on August 9, 2006
Oh, wait a second here… Are you referring to the word that dare not bark its name?
posted by found missing at 8:42 AM on August 9, 2006
I don't think the people here are being curmudgeonly. It's a prank that a lot of effort went into, but to confuse the size of the prank with its humour value is a mistake. It's like saying a Humvee is a great car just because its big.
I think the problem here is that there's no edge, no clever twist - and it is this that differentiates genuinely brilliant pranks from the run of the mill "ha-ha" variety. You only have to look at the infamous Powerbook prank to see what I mean.
posted by rhymer at 9:01 AM on August 9, 2006
I think the problem here is that there's no edge, no clever twist - and it is this that differentiates genuinely brilliant pranks from the run of the mill "ha-ha" variety. You only have to look at the infamous Powerbook prank to see what I mean.
posted by rhymer at 9:01 AM on August 9, 2006
The website seems to be down... any mirrors or anything?
posted by pithy comment at 9:45 AM on August 9, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by pithy comment at 9:45 AM on August 9, 2006 [1 favorite]
I thought it was amusing enough. But having already seen the aluminum foil prank. Well. It's just less than that.
If I hadn't seen the aluminimum prank already, I'd have probably thought this was much funnier. It pays to be first.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:56 AM on August 9, 2006
If I hadn't seen the aluminimum prank already, I'd have probably thought this was much funnier. It pays to be first.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:56 AM on August 9, 2006
Scratch - they had no intercom?
posted by Kirth Gerson at 11:27 AM EST on August 9
Intercom = speakerphone = series of cardboard tubes = why are we even discussing this any further?
posted by scratch at 11:21 AM on August 9, 2006
posted by Kirth Gerson at 11:27 AM EST on August 9
Intercom = speakerphone = series of cardboard tubes = why are we even discussing this any further?
posted by scratch at 11:21 AM on August 9, 2006
There's the overkill factor to consider. Filling desk drawers full of shipping peanuts is one thing; Saran-wrapping the cubicle entryway and filling the entire cubicle (seen it done) is another.
posted by pax digita at 12:42 PM on August 9, 2006
posted by pax digita at 12:42 PM on August 9, 2006
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posted by jonson at 10:08 PM on August 8, 2006