The man above you is about to be punched in the face because he is wearing a 3D monocle that makes everything he's looking at so unimaginably ultra-realistic that he can literally feel like a boxer is about to knock him out of the ring. Congratulations, Toshiba, you just got a free product placement today.
Welcome to April Fools Day 2011, where companies consider a day of harmless pranks as the best time to roll out ads to cash in on the extra eyeballs seeking out amusing viral video. Here's a snapshot of corporate entities looking to get in on the April 1st action:
Gmail Motion: Sure, Why Not
Considering Google's penchant for a developing a product to fit every single conceivable niche, motion activated email doesn't seem far fetched in the least:
LinkedIn: Network With Ernest Hemingway, Sherlock Holmes
Mashable found that when they logged into the more buttoned-down social-networking site, a few cultural icons showed up in the "People You May Know" section. Hemingway, care to glance at our writing clips?
[h/t: Mashable]
YouTube 1911: Viral Videos From a Century Ago
Reimagining all the already dated clips you saw last week as if they were silent films:
Hulu: Bask in the Glory of the Web Circa 1996
Hey, look: even the pictures load as if we were using dial-up.

Toshiba Spectacle: "Realism In a Simple Monocle"
Self-aware product spoof: "One-eyed 3D so real, be careful what you watch":
Non-New York Times Media Companies Erect a Paywall
See: Arianna Huffington's prank. BoingBoing's letter to readers.

The U.S. Army: Everyone Gets a Stetson
"In a fingertip-to-the-brim nod to its American frontier history, the Army is changing hats again - returning to the tumultuous days of the horse Cavalry in the wild west and adopting a dark blue Stetson as the official headgear for the current force of 1.1 million Soldiers." [U.S. Army]

Republicans: Can't Waste An Opportunity To Jab the President
The National Republican Senatorial committee creates a mock 2012 Obama ad:
Googling Helvetica Brings Up Search Results In Comic Sans

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Erik Hayden




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