Mischievious Fun

Well it's that time of year when everyone is happy because Christmas is coming. That's all great, but how can you use that to your advantage? Personally, I like to think it makes it easier to pull some practical jokes that would normally be frowned upon, but because it's a season of cheer, I can get away with a little more.

Here is one of my favorite tricks to pull. The "auto-correct modification".

1. Access a co-worker's computer.
2. Open Microsoft Word (sorry mac users - I don't know if it works on mac)
3. On the menu, click ->tools ->auto correct options
4. Under the AutoCorrect tab, make sure the "Replace text as you type" box is checked. (Most computers have this already checked) AutoCorrect is the thing that causes a typing mistake like "acn" to automatically change to "can". It's a great function for lazy / sloppy typers like me. But, it's also what allows you to have a lot of fun at another's expense.
5. In the box under "Replace" type in a word that this person will commonly use when typing a document, such as their name.
6. In the box under "With" type the punchline. I like to go with adding a descriptive to their name, like "Matt a.k.a. the laziest dork in the office"
7. Click "Okay"
8. Walk away from their desk quietly and wait.

The next time the person sits down at their desk to type a memo or letter, when they type their name, Microsoft's auto-correct function will change their name which they correctly typed, to whatever you enter in.

For example...

Sincerely,
Matt

Becomes

Sincerely,
Matt the big fat loser

I tend to be impatient, so I make several modifications. Common words are the best. In a church setting, love, God and Bible are perfect. In a business setting perhaps estimate, profit or the company's name work great. The idea is to 1 - frustrate the person when they can't fix the error and the error mildly insults them. 2 - to have the document go out with the "typos" in it and the person doesn't realize it making them look foolish in a meeting or presentation.

Always remember be safe when pulling a prank. While Christmas cheer may give you a little more leniency, don't light a fire you can't put out. It's all fun and games until someone pokes an eye out and you get demoted to shredding paper in the basement because your co-worker's memo called the team leader to an arrogant jerk with no sense of humor.