Gmail Custom Time is Google April Fools Hoax
On April 1, 2008, Google launched its 2008 April Fools joke by offering a link to Gmail Custom Time to users logged into Gmail. Initially, the link appeared to be a broken link, because it led users to a 404 error page. But at midnight CST, as April Fools Day began, users saw this page:
The first tip that the “new Gmail feature” was a hoax was this text: “How does it work? Gmail utilizes an e-flux capacitor to resolve issues of causality (see Grandfather Paradox).”
Second, Google’s language on the page was piqued with humor. For example, Google wrote, “Our researchers have concluded that allowing each person more than ten pre-dated emails per year would cause people to lose faith in the accuracy of time, thus rendering the feature useless.”
Finally, Google itself confirmed that Gmail Custom Time was an April Fools Joke by its “Privacy Policy” and “Program Policies” links.
Gmail Custom Time is the latest in a long list of Google April Fools stunts.
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