Comments on: Pranks I have known http://blog.xcski.com/2004/06/29/pranks-i-have-known Everything I used to bore people on newsgroups and mailing lists with, now in one inconvenient place. Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:57:27 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: josh brandt http://blog.xcski.com/2004/06/29/pranks-i-have-known#comment-281 josh brandt Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000 http://xcski.com/wordpress/?p=248#comment-281 Ha, I just about got kicked out of journalism for doing just that in high school. "Why can't I click on Word? Why can't I close this window!??" Then there was the day I took a screen shot of the "format this disk?" dialog box, erased the "Cancel" button, and made it the startup screen on the Mac Plus. That was also a very popular move. Heh. Ha, I just about got kicked out of journalism for doing just that in high school. “Why can’t I click on Word? Why can’t I close this window!??”

Then there was the day I took a screen shot of the “format this disk?” dialog box, erased the “Cancel” button, and made it the startup screen on the Mac Plus. That was also a very popular move. Heh.

]]> By: Paul Tomblin http://blog.xcski.com/2004/06/29/pranks-i-have-known#comment-282 Paul Tomblin Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000 http://xcski.com/wordpress/?p=248#comment-282 I can't remember if it was a prank or a virus, but I remember something on the Mac Plus that popped up a dialog where you *definitely* wanted to hit cancel, but if you tried to mouse over cancel, the window would "run away" from your cursor. If you were really really careful you could trap the window in the corner so that it couldn't get away. Fortunately hitting "ok" didn't do any actual harm. I can’t remember if it was a prank or a virus, but I remember something on the Mac Plus that popped up a dialog where you *definitely* wanted to hit cancel, but if you tried to mouse over cancel, the window would “run away” from your cursor. If you were really really careful you could trap the window in the corner so that it couldn’t get away.
Fortunately hitting “ok” didn’t do any actual harm.

]]> By: josh brandt http://blog.xcski.com/2004/06/29/pranks-i-have-known#comment-283 josh brandt Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000 http://xcski.com/wordpress/?p=248#comment-283 Oh yeah, that was a little program that you could run. The one I saw popped up what looked like a system error dialog ("I'm sorry, a system error has occurred.") where the Restart button would flee from the cursor. You could actually quit it with command-Q, I eventually discovered... Oh yeah, that was a little program that you could run. The one I saw popped up what looked like a system error dialog (”I’m sorry, a system error has occurred.”) where the Restart button would flee from the cursor. You could actually quit it with command-Q, I eventually discovered…

]]> By: Chris Clarke http://blog.xcski.com/2004/06/29/pranks-i-have-known#comment-284 Chris Clarke Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000 http://xcski.com/wordpress/?p=248#comment-284 It must be prank day. I was forwarded this, which I love. <em>One of the best pranks I have ever heard of was done by friends-of-a-friend at a small private college.</em> <em>They got hold of three sheep and painted 1, 2 and 4 on their sides, then turned them loose.</em> <em>The authorities searched for Sheep #3 for a week before anyone confessed.</em> It must be prank day. I was forwarded this, which I love.

One of the best pranks I have ever heard of was done by friends-of-a-friend at a small private college.
They got hold of three sheep and painted 1, 2 and 4 on their sides, then turned them loose.
The authorities searched for Sheep #3 for a week before anyone confessed.

]]> By: baz http://blog.xcski.com/2004/06/29/pranks-i-have-known#comment-285 baz Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000 http://xcski.com/wordpress/?p=248#comment-285 A slightly more malicious prank, I wrote a "login screen emulator" in Turbo Pascal at college. Looked exactly like our standard Netware login screen, but instead of logging you in, it saved your username and password to my home directory (encrypted, naturally), displayed a phoney error message, and rebooted the box. Fooled pretty much everyone, students and staff alike. I still have the list of logins somewhere... I'm a nice hacker these days though, honestly! A slightly more malicious prank, I wrote a “login screen emulator” in Turbo Pascal at college.

Looked exactly like our standard Netware login screen, but instead of logging you in, it saved your username and password to my home directory (encrypted, naturally), displayed a phoney error message, and rebooted the box.

Fooled pretty much everyone, students and staff alike. I still have the list of logins somewhere…

I’m a nice hacker these days though, honestly!

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