Did you get fooled into believing an April Fools' Day joke? You're probably not alone.
There's a long tradition within media organizations of pulling off gags and tricks by publishing fake stories. There are plenty online. Here's an NPR story about a self-driving car with a serious case of road range. (Here's a look at "Media Mischief On April Fools' Day' from NPR.)
And it's not just newspeople who are pranking audiences. A feature on Google Maps allowed people to play Pac-Man (Thanks Google for the many work productivity minutes lost because of this). The company also released a flipped version of Google Search.
Several Sacramento groups also got in on the action.
The Crocker Art Museum tweeted this announcement.
Not to be outdone. The Sacramento Public Library said it would create a "Library of Cats" after the successful launch of its "Library of Things." (Some people might be VERY disappointed that this is not real.)
And the Capital Public Radio newsroom was particularly impressed by the Sacramento Kings' prank about installing the "World's Smartest Cowbell" for the new downtown arena. (Press release, a photograph rendering and all!)
According to a statement from the Sacramento Kings, the 52-foot tall, 6-ton cowbell would be placed on the roof of the arena, serving as a "beacon of Kings fandom."
According to the press release, the giant bell, equipped with a solar-powered generator and purple LED lights, would ring during "tip off on gamedays" and would mark special occasions like New Year's Eve. It would also be made out of 100 percent, locally sourced recycled cowbells and would be inscribed with the names of "prominent local cows throughout Sacramento history."
(Note: Here's the Sacramento Kings' video admitting to the prank.)
Well done, everyone. All joking aside, we hope that you are enjoying this day of laughs.
UPDATE:
Here are some more tweets that we noticed today:
Did you get see or get fooled by a joke from a local organization? Let us know in the comments below and we'll add it to the list.
-Capital Public Radio Staff
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