Remember when Google debuted their PigeonRank system in 2002? It was a delightful diversion that illustrated what a vibrant and playful company Google is. It was unexpected whimsy, and there were a few--though not, I think, amongst the nerd community--who even wondered if there was any way it might possibly be real.
Fast forward to 2011, and we are embroiled in all-out April Fools Day war. Every tech company with a shred of humor (and even some without) now has a gag of some sort on their website. Google has one for each of its myriad beta projects. While some are still funny (I expect to have a lovely golden glow when I get back from here), the sense of surprise has been lost.
As a community, nerds have the tendency to jump on a clever piece of humor with a Mozartian number of variations. And why not? One of the most defining elements of nerd-dom is it's non-traditional sense of humor combined with a level of social awkwardness; no surprise that these jokes get repeated year after year having gained traction when they were new and shiny.
None of this will stop me from pre-ordering Angry Nerds of course.
