Your family and friends probably love you, but does that love extend to a desire to see your face every time their computer goes to sleep? You’ll soon find out! (Remember, as a rule you shouldn’t meddle with someone else’s computer, so check with an adult if you have doubts.)
what you need
* Access to a sibling’s or friend’s computer
* A silly picture of yourself
what you do
THE SETUP
1 Take a picture of yourself doing something ridiculous. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
* A close-up headshot of you sticking your tongue out at the camera with an open banana peel or pair of under-pants on your head.
* You looking terrified and pretending to have a stuffed animal stuck on your neck, as if the thing is attacking you.
* You looking very serious while pretending to read a very serious book that is very seriously upside down.
2 Save the picture to your computer and email it to yourself so you’ll have easy access to it when you’re ready to pull this prank.
3 You will follow different directions depending on whether your victim has a Mac or a PC.
If your victim has a Mac …
1 Download and save your photo, or photos, in a separate folder or event in iPhoto.
2 Go to the Apple menu and select “System Preferences.”
3 Select the “View” menu and then “Desktop & Screen Saver.”
4 Select iPhoto and then the folder that contains the photo, or photos, you want to use.
5 Make sure the computer is set to go to sleep after a short interval.
If your victim has a PC …
1 Download and save your photo, or photos, in a separate folder in My Pictures.
2 Right-click on the desktop and select “Personalize.”
3 Click on “Screen Saver.”
4 Select “Photos” from the drop-down menu. Then select “Settings” and then “Browse” to choose which photo, or photos, you want to use. Hit “Save” and then click “OK.”
5 Make sure the computer is set to go to sleep after a short interval.
PULL THE PRANK
1 Now you have two options:
* You can wait for your victim to let her computer fall asleep—you’ll know when she’s discovered your special present when you get the call/text/email asking why your lovely face is all over her screen.
* You can also speed up the process—and enjoy the reaction in person—if you ask to use your friend’s computer after you’ve set the prank in motion and the computer is asleep. Tell your friend you want to show her something so she’ll be looking at the screen when you wake the computer up.
She might never trust you with her computer again, but hopefully her reaction will make up for that.
FOR MORE COMPUTER PRANKS, GO TO WORKMAN.COM/COMPUTERPRANKS
Coyle & Sharpe:
Is Your Head a Sugar Bowl?
Long before reality TV was invented, two radio hosts from San Francisco were walking up to strangers in the street, asking them ridiculous questions, and recording the results with a hidden microphone. Dressed in suits and sounding very serious, Jim Coyle and Mal Sharpe asked their victims questions like, “Would you let someone use your head as a sugar bowl?” Or, “Would you be willing to help future generations of humans fly by having chicken wings attached to your forehead?” Amazingly, people gave serious answers, which were then broadcast on Coyle and Sharpe’s nightly radio show to hilarious effect. Coyle once said their secret was in “pushing their victims as far as they’ll go before they take a poke at us.” During the 1960s the duo duped thousands of people—without getting poked—and entertained millions of listeners at home.
Mal Sharpe and Jim Coyle
