Improv Everywhere (previously) keeps on bringing the hits, but seriously, this one takes the cake. Read the rest

How to have fun by turning friends into foes. Bonus points for the cameraman's Muttley laugh. Read the rest

In 1982, Rochester, NY post-punk/dadaist/political musical group Party Dogs -- cyberculture pioneer RU Sirius (Mondo 2000, Reality Hackers) along with Matt Sabo, Pat Lowery, Hugh Edwards, and Kwashe -- recorded some catchy numbers that sat in the dustbin of reel-to-reel history. RU has digitized the dementia for online eternity and today releases the classic "President Mussolini Makes The Planes Run On Time," remixed for Super Tuesday by Phriendz. Enjoy!

Here's the full EP: Party Dogs

(photo by Eve Berni) Read the rest

Roger Anderson, a telephony expert, developed the Jolly Roger Telephone Company to block and madden robocallers. Read the rest

On December 30th, someone using an IP address from the 32nd Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg sent a probe out to every IPv4 address with an open connection on Port 80, consisting of a poem exhorting the reader to "DELETE your logs. Delete your installations. Wipe everything clean, Walk out into the path of cherry blossom trees and let your motherboard feel the stones." Read the rest

Liquid ASS is described as smelling like a fine combination of "butt crack, kind of a sewer smell with a hint of dead animal." It is arguably the worst smell in the world. High school prankster Allen Wittman invented it man years ago from ingredients in his chemistry set. Now it's used by the US military in war simulations to get medics used to the smell of a torn intestine with wasting spilling into the abdominal cavity. 99% Invisible tells the story of Liquid ASS and it's new application to help save lives.

You can also buy your own bottle for $10 on Amazon.

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Hammacher Schlemmer is a mostly mail-order company from which I’ve bought some lovely cashmere sweaters for my wife at Christmas. The company is renowned for its entertaining mail-order catalogue (and a great return policy) which has provided me with hours of fun reading over the years.

Often the cover features some incredibly outlandish extravagance designed solely for really wealthy folks, and which often costs a stratospheric amount of money. Top of the line at the moment is a “Five Person Exploration Submarine” which can descend to 656 feet, weighs over 7.7 tons and costs—take your seats, please—$2,700,000. As Dr. Evil used to say, “Almost three MILLION dollars.”

This year’s new and more reasonably priced money pit is a racing simulator for $185,000. It looks like a lot of fun, and my daughter says she rode something like it at Epcot at Walt Disney World, but something tells me that whoever receives it will lose interest ’ere long.

The exact prices are unimportant because they’re silly. As far as most of us are concerned, we’re far more likely to get hit by a bus than be given one of these gifts.

I genuinely enjoy Hammacher Schlemmer’s catalogue simply because it’s filled with incredibly weird things, like the remote-controlled flying shark mini-blimp for $40, and “The NASA Sleep Promoting Light Bulb” for $40.

There are also lots of handy things, like well-made flannel pjs, nice lined gloves, and so on. It’s a real 90-page potpourri and you should definitely call 1-800-543-3366 and request a free catalogue. Read the rest

BB pal Mitch Altman informs us that he's ceased manufacturing on his marvelous invention the TV-B-Gone, a keychain remote control that turns off any television with a push of the button. It's great fun in sports bars, airports, restaurants, and wherever else there's an idiot box that annoys you! Grab one now because when they're gone, you'll have to make your own (also great fun). Mitch writes:

In 2003 I quit my job to explore ways of making a living doing what I love doing. It was kind of scary, since I had no idea how I would make enough money after quitting my work. But I knew that I had to quit doing what was only OK, to make time to explore what I truly love. One thing I knew was that I wanted to design and make one TV-B-Gone remote control -- just for me. I wanted to be able to turn TVs off in public places!

It took me a year and a half to make the first TV-B-Gone remote control. And when I did, I went all over San Francisco turning TVs off everywhere I went -- and enjoying the hell out of it! And, of course my friends all wanted one. So, I made them for all of my friends. But, oddly, most of their friends wanted one. And when it turned out that many of the friends of my friends' friends also wanted one, I thought it would be interesting to make a bunch.

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PrankvsPrank turned a remote-controlled car into the infamous pizza-loving rat to terrorize unwitting passers-by. How-To video below:

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It's when you carry a frame and door to someone else's door, while dressed as someone who's staying at home and giving out candy; you interpose your door between you and their door, ring the bell, and when they answer, they're confronted with your door, with a PLEASE KNOCK sign. They knock, you open up, and offer them candy. Trick-airity ensues. (via Reddit) Read the rest

In 1958, this glowing extraterrestrial appeared on rural Michigan roads, freaking out drivers before vanishing without a trace. According to witnesses, the "little blue man" was just two feet tall, except when he was ten feet tall. And he "ran faster than any human."

After a police investigation began, Jerry Sprague, Don Weiss, and LeRoy Schultz, confessed to the prank. They had made the costume from long underwear, combat boots, a football helmet outfitted with flashing lights, and a sheet. They spray-painted the whole thing glow-in-the-dark blue, in homage to Betty Johnson's wonderful song "Little Blue Man." (Listen to it below!)

Police let the pranksters off with a warning.

(Hoaxes.org via Reddit)

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Rahat and his buddy are very good at quickly switching places in the driver's seat. They put this unusual talent to good use by driving to fast food places and making the drive-up workers think they are hallucinating. Read the rest

I doubt that the people who used this human door knocker did so unwittingly, because it's a commercial. Still, it's an excellent idea and I would love to have been pranked this way. Read the rest

This sidewalk sweets vendor in Istanbul loves playing tricks on customers. Watch one of them turn the tables on him.

No, really. Read the rest

The Gross Smoker's Prankster Mug ($7 on Amazon) is meant to be filled with coffee, tea, or milk, and then offered to a friend. It has a bunch of fake cigarette butts at the bottom to surprise them as they finish their beverage.

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His parents must be very proud. Read the rest