this post was submitted on 10 Sep 2023
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Asklemmy

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[–] ristoril_zip@lemmy.zip 73 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Our kids swapped the position of our bowls and plates in the cabinets, and our knives, forks, and spoons in the drawers. They definitely won.

Your kiddos are brilliant lol

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[–] nothacking@discuss.tchncs.de 72 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Put #define true (rand()%1000 != 0) in some obscure C or C++ header file on their system/project. This makes true evaluate to false one in a thousand times, and will make them spend hours trying to figure out why things like infinite loops, aren't quite infinite.

Other languages should also allow you to do things like this, if not messing with constants, messing with standard library functions.

[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 113 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They asked for harmless pranks - this would cause murders.

[–] raubarno@lemmy.ml 33 points 1 year ago

This is why airplanes crash

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If your going that evil
#define { {}{

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[–] scorpious@lemmy.world 53 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I closed the tool palette in the illustration app of a coworker and replaced it with a same-size image of same.

[–] MammyWhammy@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I go for a variation of this if a coworker leaves their computer unlocked when they leave for lunch or the day.

Screenshot their whole desktop, hide all icons and the toolbar. Set the background to the screenshot. Boom a computer that looks exactly the same as before but doesn't work.

Quick, non permanent, takes a few minutes to work out, lesson learned to not leave your machine unlocked.

[–] Crashumbc@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Putting a piece of tape over their mouse eye is good also.

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[–] andrewrgross 44 points 1 year ago

I've heard it said that the key to a benign prank is to creates a mixture of momentary alarm and confusion, followed by relief.

A few years ago, I put a sign on my boss' office door that said that his office was off limits for the week, as the building facilities team was going to be proactively placing humane termite traps in his office for two weeks as a preventative measures to lure any termites in and then release them at a nearby forest. He found it amusing.

[–] balderdash9@lemmy.zip 39 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Tape over the mouse laser is always a good one

[–] Radioactrev@reddthat.com 33 points 1 year ago (1 children)

On the computer thread, changing the keys on their keyboard is also fun. Works better if they are a touch typist as well, as they may go several hours/days before noticing, until they have to look for that one special key. :)

[–] nottheengineer@feddit.de 12 points 1 year ago

Numpad * and / are good for that, I touch type but always have to look at those.

[–] BananaPeal@sh.itjust.works 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

If we're talking computers, screenshot their desktop, set it as background, move taskbar to top, auto hide it, right-click desktop and choose hide icons.

Advanced mode: also set screen flip to 180 degrees and flip the background so it looks right side up.

[–] Supervriendje@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago

I did the screen flip thing to a coworker once. And then he just took the monitor and turned it upside down. Didn't see that coming.

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Plug in a wireless keyboard/mouse and do things, like move the mouse, or write "chicken" every so often?

[–] Brickhead92@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I added this to another similar comment:

Follow it up by placing a tiny bit of clear soft plastic in with the laser. It doesn't stop the mouse from working, but if you were you draw a straight line the cursor wobbles slightly.

[–] yenahmik@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This one is a little convoluted, but I just watched this prank video where they fed someone their own cooking in a restaurant. It may be the most wholesome prank I've ever seen.

[–] balderdash9@lemmy.zip 11 points 1 year ago

This British grandma is adorable lol

[–] jet@hackertalks.com 4 points 1 year ago

So heart warming!

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[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

True story. This thing happened last week.

Person A: I want to eat something.

Person B: Do you want some of these (B opens a box of boring cookies and shows the contents to A)

A: No!

B: How about these (opens another box of bland cookies)

A: No!

B: (grabs a third box, realizes it’s empty, but opens it carefully not to show anyone what’s inside) Ooh, I’m not showing this to you. (Puts the box away.)

A: I wanna see! (Tries to grab the box)

B: No, it’s mine! (Pushes A further away)

After some futile struggle B let A have the box. A opens it up and realizes it’s empty. We all had a good laugh.

[–] backhdlp@lemmy.blahaj.zone 31 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hide small plastic babies around their house

[–] LemmyFeed@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

.... are you my brother?

[–] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Print out a little dickbutt sticker, then put it over their mouse sensor.

[–] Brickhead92@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Follow it up by placing a tiny bit of clear soft plastic in with the laser. It doesn't stop the mouse from working, but if you were you draw a straight line the cursor wobbles slightly.

[–] Radioactrev@reddthat.com 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Shouldn't it be one of those "OK" symbols. You know, the "Made you look" game where you create an OK symbol with your hand below your waist.

[–] Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)
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[–] la508@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Jesus Christ... Dickbutt

[–] Nyla_Smokeyface@beehaw.org 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I saw a video once of a prank where two girls go up to a stranger asking them to take a picture of them across the street. The stranger takes the photo and when the two girls start crossing over to the other side, a car passes by and the two girls are replaced with two old men wearing the same shirts. Even the Polaroid photo shows the old men. It's genuinely funny and completely harmless. It just makes the person getting pranked go, "Wait, what the fuck???"

I do hope the people were told that they were pranked though and that they don't live the rest of their lives thinking they're insane πŸ˜‚

ETA: also this video where the guy puts on the collar and leash of his blind husband's service dog when he asks him to go get his watch. (He immediately reveals himself when the blind husband gets back to pick up his service dog's leash again and the husband thinks it's hysterical).

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[–] dan1101@lemm.ee 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If they leave their phone unattended take funny selfies and then quickly return their phone to exactly where they left it.

[–] cynar@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If they use android, you can open the camera without unlocking the phone. Just double tap the power button, and it pops up. It's intended for rapid camera use, but great for pranking purposes. Apple has the equivalent, though I can't remember the button combo, off the top of my head.

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[–] balderdash9@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

oh, I'm going to do this one to my partner

[–] dan1101@lemm.ee 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I have another in mind but haven't tried it. If they leave their phone unattended, take a picture of their phone sitting there. Then later on text them the photo and say "You left your phone (wherever)" You will get them to view the photo of their phone on their phone and if you're lucky they will go looking for it when they already have it.

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[–] TacoButtPlug@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I put post-it notes all over my partner's workspace while they were out of town.

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[–] Cyncit@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I made a "spray grenade" to my friend once. Attached a Ty-wrap to a bottle of Febreeze (trigger in) and throw it in his room while he was there. He was pretty quick to seek scissors and cut it but I can imagine it worse without his quick thinking and a worse scent.

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[–] cynar@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

One of the best pranks I saw involved a house sitter, and some musical Christmas socks. Before going away, they removed the music module from an old pair of Christmas socks that played "jingle bells". They then put it between the mattress and the box frame of the bed a relative would be using, while house-sitting. When they turned over in the night, they would set it off. They had jingle bells stuck in their head for a week, but didn't know why.

On another note, a work colleague is the master of ear worm deployment. He has the knack for humming catchy tunes just right. Just a few bars, quite enough you don't notice. You suddenly find you have a tune stuck in your head. You know what he's done when you realise that half a dozen others also keep murmuring the same tune (it's stuck in their heads too). It's remarkably self reinforcing. It amuses him greatly , while being fun and non-harmful.

Replace the eggs in their fridge with convincing fakes that don't quite seem right.

[–] jet@hackertalks.com 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Find a c header file on a program they're working on.

#define main main

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  • Short sheet their bed
  • If they leave their computer unattended/unlocked:
    • Screenshot it, make that their wallpaper, then hide icons & taskbar
    • (unsure if this still works) Alt + Ctrl + Arrow keys to rotate Windows desktop
  • Get a musical birthday card, then hide it (opened) somewhere in their room/office (best under a piece of furniture/couch cushion, etc) so all they can hear is the muffled music
  • Remove spring from tip of clicker ballpoint pen (ink cartridge won't stay out/in)
[–] CCatMan@lemmy.one 5 points 1 year ago
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