WebProNews

Tag: trolling

  • Darren Aronofsky’s Anti Meth Ads, Dodgeball Ninja, Trolling a Predator, Best Buy Prank

    Lot’s of videos to get through today, so we’ll be brief with the introduction. In today’s “Best Videos” edition, you’ll see Radiohead, Darren Aronofsky’s anti meth ads, a dodgeball ninja, instructions on how to troll a predator and a few more.

    You can find more daily video round-ups here.

    Trolling a predator is much, much better if you do it in Batman costume:


    Chris Hansen would be proud. Next up is the trailer for the upcoming documentary on the Anonymous group who hack everything from here to Kingdom Come:

    Today, Radiohead announced their King of Limbs performance as part of the “From the Basement” series will be sold in DVD format. Here’s a video of them performing “Bloom,” which will appear in the DVD:

    If you’ve ever wondered what would be a great way to prank Best Buy, look no further:


    Next up is the most amazing use of computer-generated imagery since perhaps ever, courtesy of Russell Howard’s Good News, which is done in the vein of Tosh 2.0:


    “It’s like Avatar, in’it?” Have you ever seen a ninja play dodgeball? If not, prepare yourself:


    Finally, we end with a somber, but effective note. What we have are four public service announcements against methamphetamine, and when you consider the director’s approach, it’s no wonder they are so damn effective, if not completely uncomfortable:

    ER from Organic Inc. on Vimeo.

    Desperate from Organic Inc. on Vimeo.

    Deep End from Organic Inc. on Vimeo.

    Losing Control from Organic Inc. on Vimeo.


    No, those may not be the most comfortable videos ever created, but that uneasiness is what helps make the message so very effective.

  • Billionaire Makes His Mark on Google Maps

    Billionaire Makes His Mark on Google Maps

    Pranking Google Maps is nothing knew, however, this may be the first time a “prank” was motivated solely by vanity. What we have is a Sheikh from the Abu Dhabi area who is apparently really fond of the fact that he exists, and so, he’s decided to tell the world about it, via Google Maps (and other satellite mapping services). And so, he carved his name into the coast of Futaisi Island, an island he apparently owns.

    Essentially, the Sheikh in question — Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan — essentially tagged the earth. The Sun has some details:

    The mega-rich sheikh, 63 — a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi — in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates — boasts a £14 billion fortune that is second only to the Saudi king’s.

    Who says the world’s addiction to oil never led to anything creative? The report also reveals the letters in the ostentatious tag are a “kilometer” high and the entire tag spans two miles. As you can see:


    View Larger Map

    The “H” and the “A” in Hamad have also been converted into waterways. Furthermore, a closer look suggests the entire name tag is going to be some kind of water park/desert lake type of thing. The first leg of the “M” has been filling up with water as well, and one can only assume that, when everything’s said and done, the entire name will be filled with water. Why else would they be allowing the “M” to collect water if that’s the goal? Besides, all the letters are connected, indicating some kind of water channeling system.

    It’s also obvious that Shiekh Hamad is something of an egomaniac, or just a massive troll. Both are probably accurate, all things considered. One has to wonder, however, if he’s upset his name appears upside down on these satellite images.

  • Debbie Loves Cats eHarmony Video Fake, Funny Anyways

    A YouTube video entitled “eHarmony Video Bio” has absolutely blown up overnight, pretty much epitomizing the term “going viral.” The video wants you to believe that it is some sort of leaked online dating service bio, and it features a young, attractive girl with an extreme affinity for her feline companions.

    The video info says, “I’m Debbie, I love cats and I just want a soulmate!” And that basically sums it up. The 2 1/2 minute video starts off quite normal and then turns really funny when Debbie can’t get a grip on her emotions when talking about cats.

    The video has been picked up by a ton of blogs and news sites, ranging from Mashable to CBS. Some play it pretty straight, talking about how crazy Debbie is and making no mention of the validity. Others are more skeptical. Check it out:

    It’s definitely not a real eHarmony dating service video bio, that I can say with certainty. It’s an acting job, and a pretty funny one at that. The video on YouTube was first posted on June 3rd and already has almost 3/4 of a million views. Sure, it’s fake, but it’s a lesson on how to go viral. People love the crazy.

    The video was posted by user hartmanncara, who has another video on her channel entitled “Cara and Kara.” The video features the same girl as the cat video, but this time she acts as a pair of Siamese twins named, as you would expect, Cara and Kara.

    So the main question with something like this – does “fakeness” serve as the kiss of death? Can a viral vid still have value if it is not completely, 100% authentic to its premise? In the case of humorous videos, “fakeness” is less of a factor. Sure, the video would have been much funnier if it was an actual eHarmony bio. But the fact that it’s a skit doesn’t take everything away from it, as it’s still pretty enjoyable (Because c’mon, you know some crazy cat girl really does exists out there).

    On the flip side, here’s an example of when authenticity is vital: The Facebook Sleeve Tattoo Girl. On Wednesday, we (and many others) brought you the video of an anonymous girl getting an arm tattoo of 152 Facebook friends. We mentioned that it was designed by Pretty Social, a Dutch company that puts Facebook collages on items like handbags, laptop covers and lampshades.

    Turns out the video was fake, staged as a marketing promotion for Pretty Social. The tat was apparently a temporary one, according to DutchNews.

    However, Rotterdam tattoo artist Dex Moelker eventually came clean on the Telegraaf website, admitting the tattoo and video is an advertising stunt.

    ‘It is a try out tattoo, a transfer, that washes off in a couple of days,’ Moelker, who has a tattoo shop in Rotterdam, told the paper. It took a couple of hours to apply the transfer not the 30 hours the video claimed to produce the real tattoo

    So laugh on, people of the internet. Fake or not, it’s still a pretty good video. Even with all that crying, though, I wonder if Debbie loves cats as much as Mitch Hedberg loves Koala Bears.

  • Facebook Troll Sentenced in Australian Court

    This extends far beyond your basic rick roller or “first” commenter.

    Today, Self-titled “troll” Bradley Paul Hampson, a 29 year old Brisbane resident, plead guilty to the possession and distribution of child exploitation material as well as using the internet to menace, harass or cause offense.  Hampson was sentenced to three years in jail, which was lowered to 1 year by the judge.  He’s already served 7  months behind bars, so he should be out in September.

    Hampson trolled the Facebook pages dedicated to two dead children last February, shopping pictures to include insensitive and profane images as well as posting comments to the page under an assumed name.  He chose to post as an old schoolmate, who he said had been bullied as a child, according to the Brisbane Times.

    On the Facebook page for a dead 12 year old boy, Hampson posted pictures of the child with “w00t I’m dead” written across his face as well as inside a woodchipper, blood spray and all.  On the page for a dead 8 year old girl, he implied that he raped and killed her, saying “My definition of pleasure… listening to her ribs crack. I got mad … so I murdered her.”

    Uh, not cool dude.

    When the officials searched his personal computer, they found more shopped photos, including ones of two dead British children with penises superimposed on their faces.

    Mr. Hampson becomes the second high profile case of a Facebook troll landing hard time for their work.  Just last October, a Manchester man was jailed for posting that he had sex with the dead bodies of Big Brother star Jane Goody and a boy mauled by a dog on their Facebook tribute pages.  He was convicted through the Communications Act that the Parliament passed in 2003 which prohibits “malicious communications” on the internet.

    It is undeniable that the actions of these trolls are in incredibly poor taste and are not funny in the slightest, but just how criminal are they?  In Australia and England, apparently quite criminal.  In a related but not exactly comparable case, an American woman was cleared after being accused of causing the suicide of a young girl through Myspace bullying.  Is being mean really a crime?  Do these actions go far enough beyond meanness and distaste that they require punishment by the law?
    Tell us what you think.

  • U.S. Military to Manipulate Social Media

    U.S. Military to Manipulate Social Media

    The United States Military can now add Facebook trolling to its growing list of endeavors.  As ridiculous as that sounds, according to an exclusive at The Guardian, that’s exactly what is going on.

    They report that United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has contracted a newly created California company, Ntrepid, to develop software referred to as  an “online persona management service.”  The contract will add $2.76 million to military spending, which of course is paid for by John Q. Taxpayer.  The program would allow military personnel to control up to 10 separate (fake) online identities per person.  The purpose of these “sock puppets” would be to sway internet posts and discussions in favor of pro-American sentiments.

    What, you say?

    The contract states that each fake persona must have a convincing background and detailed history so as not to tip anyone off that it is fake.  The contract also sets the number of possible US-based controllers of the identities at 50.  Doing the math, that is 500 fake identities that could do anything from comment on Facebook posts and blogs to Tweeting and so much more.

    The Guardian quotes CENTCOM spokesman Commander Bill Speaks as saying, “The technology supports classified blogging activities on foreign-language websites to enable CENTCOM to counter violent extremist and enemy propaganda outside the US.”  That’s right, foreign language sites.  The program is said to only be available in Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, and Pashto.  It is apparently not to be used to influence English speaking audiences.

    The new program is part of a larger program known as Operation Earnest Voice (OEV).  The Guardian reports General James Mattis talking about the aim of OEV:

    “OEV seeks to disrupt recruitment and training of suicide bombers; deny safe havens for our adversaries; and counter extremist ideology and propaganda.” He added that Centcom was working with “our coalition partners” to develop new techniques and tactics the US could use “to counter the adversary in the cyber domain.”

    Exactly how scary is this?  Do you think corporations and marketers could try to duplicate this model in the future?  Could this actually work in turning some anti-American sentiments the other way?
    Let us know what you think.