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Now you too can enjoy my Inbox without
the annoying spam. Every week I get some amazing e-mail. Some amazing
because of the sheer cluelessness of the sender, some because of
the time and energy that went into crafting them and some are just
simply amazing.
For the first two years I let April 1st pass with nary a practical
joke on my readers. I thought it would be redundant on a site like
BBspot that does stuff like that 364 days out of the year. Then
last year I changed course and redesigned
the home page and made an announcement that BBspot
was joining the MSN network joke. Several people complained
of having heart attacks, and cursed my name that day for selling
out.
It's very difficult concocting something for the intelligent BBspot
crowd. No one would believe if the site got h4X0r3d on April 1st,
and making an announcement that I'm quitting the site would just
be cruel. I had to come up with something better.
This year, the new Mailbag feature provided the setting for the
prank. The regular readers of the site love to point and laugh
at the fools who believe the BBspot stories. I attempted to turn
the tables on them, and you can read the following emails to
see if I was successful.
Dripping with
Irony
Some thought that I was the one being duped by these e-mails.
Baaa...
From: Doug [mailto:Dougxxxxxx@xxxxxx.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 11:05 AM
To: briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: mailbag
you dirty son of a bitch. I was reading the email from 'microsoft' and i
was like, he obviously fell for a fake email from someone or he makes
up these emails. Then i read the email about you making these up. I was
like, woah, thats weird. And then i hit the bottom of the mailbag.
you dirty s.o.b. How dare you fool with my emotions.
tremendously funny, as always.
i hope there is a real mailbag tommorow though!
A common thread through many of these emails is the use of
profanity directed at me. Normally, I would be upset at being
called some of the names you will read, but today I wear them
as a medal of accomplishment.
Double-Takes
Now the next emails came in as pairs. The first email would congratulate
me. The second wasn't always so friendly...
From: Jim [mailto:Jimxxxxx@comcast.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 8:52 AM
To: 'briggsb@bbspot.com'
Subject: Damn!
A message from Peter Jackson?! Major kudos. If he can come
up with something as funny as the Jack Black/Sarah Michelle
Geller MTV easter egg on TFOTR DVD, we're in for a treat...And
all thanks to you. I gotta say you run an excellent site. Half
the fun is reading emails from those that either don't get
it or those that think they do. OK, 31.59%, but we'll round
up.
Four minutes later...
From: Jim [mailto:Jimxxxxxx@comcast.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 8:56 AM
To: 'briggsb@bbspot.com'
Subject: Should've read further
You bitch. I got to the end and forgot the date until I got
there. Now it's down to 28.03%
Next...
Now a scoop of double-take with a side order of irony...
From: Patrick [mailto:xxxxxx@verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 12:21 PM
To: briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: not so awesome news
Microsoft has no VP of Marketing named Marie Bixby.
(Nor does Microsoft have an employee named Karl Franks (or
Carl Franks))
I wouldn't be surprised to find that you got had with that
one...
About three people wrote to tell me there was no Karl Franks
at Microsoft. One minute later...
From: Patrick [mailto:xxxxxx@verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 12:22 PM
To: Patrick Cook [Home]; briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: Re: not so awesome news
I hate you.
Thank you. Next...
From: Alan [mailto:support@xxxxxx.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 12:13 PM
To: briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: PJ Email
Duuuuuuuuuuude!
My guess is that's the congratulatory form of the word "dude."
Six minutes later...
From: Alan [mailto:support@xxxxxx.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 12:19 PM
To: briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: PJ Email Redux
Gak!
I can't believe you suckered me! If you do it one more FUCKING
time,
I'm going to stop reading BBSpot FOREVER.
Hopefully, by next year he'll have forgiven me.
From: xxxx@xxxxxx.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 4:54 PM
To: briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: Microsoft mail - probably fake
Check the headers on the mail you got from "Microsoft" -
probably a fake. There is no Karl Franks that works at Microsoft,
either as "Lead Counsel", or anywhere else for that
matter. If Microsoft does ever send you mail, it will probably
be from one of the paralegals first, anyway. Let me know if
you get any "Microsoft" mails in the future - I can
check them out for you.
Then reality sets in...
From: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 5:53 PM
To: briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: Re: Microsoft mail - probably fake
OK, that will teach me to not read all the way to the bottom
of the article before sending mail. I was really trying hard
not to get fooled by April Fool's pranks this year, but I have
to say, you got me.
Please ignore my foolish mail.
Then more reality sets in...
From: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 5:54 PM
To: briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: Re: Microsoft mail - probably fake
Oh, and I would request that you not include this exchange
in your next mailbag feature, because as much as I enjoy the
feature, I would appreciate keeping a) my pride b) my job.
Then acceptance...
From: xxxxxx@xxxxxx.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 6:01 PM
To: Brian Briggs
Subject: RE: Microsoft mail - probably fake
Well, since I really like the site, you can run the email,
IF you remove all identifying marks, INCLUDING MY NAME.
Sure thing Mr. Ballmer :-)
Believers
It takes a lot of courage to admit when you've been fooled. I
commend these fine BBspotters who let me know that they had been
had. Now let's all laugh at them...
From: Matthew xxxxxxx [mailto:xxxxxx@bigpond.net.au]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 7:10 AM
To: briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: You got me....
I’d always thought Australians and engineers were immune
to almost all forms of deceit (being from cynical convict stock),
but I will gladly declare to the entire world, that I didn’t’ even
feel the hook go in…. I am humbled and bow my head in
shame oh great dark master.
And on April 1st of all days god dam it!!!
Don't worry, you weren't alone.
Even with my declaration that it was an April Fools joke, this
guy is still not sure.
From: Yoda [mailto:xxxxxx@jedisaber.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 9:06 AM
To: briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: BBSpot Mailbox
Had to comment on the lastes mailbox article. I'm still not
sure if these are real e-mails or not, easy to belive, but
it is a satire site, and April 1st.... :-)
Anyway, I wanted to comment on the e-mail from Debbie Stabenow.
As a resident of Michigan, I have no problem beiliving this
one. I bet she had an AOL account before she got her goverment
account. The woman is an absoulute loon.
Keep up the good work!
A real loon indeed. Next...
From: Tom xxxxxx [mailto:xxxxxx@nottingham.ac.uk]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 5:41 AM
To: briggsb@bbspot.com
Subject: April Fools
On http://bbspot.com/News/2003/04/mailbag_20030401.html you
wrote:
> Except for this time. If you haven't figured it out already then - APRIL >FOOLS.
Aaargh! Cunt. Haha lol. I have to wake up my flat mate so
I can play tricks on him. If I don't he won't get out of bed
all day.
...I think the fire alarm would be a good way to get him
up...
Somewhere in the UK a flat mate got a very rude awakening.
I didn't even let my friends in on the joke. Fuzzy
Logic contributor, Jackrabbit, figured it out just in time...
Jackrabbit: The Peter Jackson email made my fingers go tingly
for a minute. I was all "Holy SHIT!"
Jackrabbit: and then reality set in.
Jackrabbit: but you got me.
Jackrabbit: I even went in EXPECTING April Fools, and I still got burned.
Jackrabbit: jeez... my body is now processing all that adrenaline.
Jackrabbit: dick.
Jackrabbit: I'm just glad I realized before linking to any of my friends.
Jackrabbit: I went so far as to open my ICQ list. I was about to pick a person
to mention the link to when reason flooded in.
That's all for this week. Thanks.
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