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If it's on the Internet, it must be true ... right? [Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn. :: ]
[April 02, 2014]

If it's on the Internet, it must be true ... right? [Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn. :: ]


(Saint Paul Pioneer Press (MN) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) April 02--Credulous ones, beware. On April 1, much of what you saw on the Internet was not true.

And Minnesota companies were posting their share of falsehoods.

Caribou Coffee, for instance, hasn't invented clear coffee, as claimed.

And the Space150 digital marketing agency has not invented an augmented-reality app for Google Glass -- so that ads appear to be emblazoned on the moon.

But Pad & Quill's Micro Field Bag, a pocket-size version of its premium-leather Field Bag, might, or might not, be true.

And the "Unicorn Poop" and "Kitty Litter" cupcakes at Maple Grove's Nadia Cakes are real (but not really made with those ingredients).

April Fools' Day is a great day to be extra wary on the Internet because many compelling and believable -- make that unbelievable -- postings are meant to amuse those who catch on, and to irk April fools who fall for the pranks.

This is a tradition in the tech world, with companies of all sizes trying to outdo each other on the Web schoolyard every year, but is by no means limited to that community of the Internet.

To plug its water-like, non-staining Clear Coffee, Brooklyn Center-based Caribou Coffee created an elaborate flow chart that -- surprise! -- always ends with a recommendation to buy, buy, buy the new product.

When visitors click a "learn more" button at the bottom, though, they are told: "Thank you for participating in our April Fools' Day joke! Our brand is about living in the moment and not taking ourselves too seriously, which is why we participated in April Fools' Day for the first time this year." Caribou invites those who are in on the joke to keep the prank going by sending their friends and family members to CaribouClearCoffee.com.



Caribou adds: "While coffee has been known to stain sometimes, it continues to be the world's favorite caffeinated beverage. Why mess with perfection!" Minneapolis-based Space150 is an April Fools' pro that, in 2011, proposed using the moon as a sort of advertising billboard.

In a variation on the theme this year, Space150 unveiled the MoonProof app for Google Glass -- the futuristic eyewear that essentially consists of a computer worn on the face.


The Glass app, Space150 said, "is an augmented reality application that allows you to preview moon advertising while looking at the actual moon. Finally, clients can visualize designs as they will look when projected on the arid, cratered surface of Earth's nearest celestial neighbor." MoonProof users upload their creative concepts, grab Glass at dusk, look up at the moon, and say, "OK Glass, Moon me." Such users can swipe left and right at the moon to "make real-time edits," Space150 explains.

St. Paul's Pearson's Candy Co. is in on the Space150 prank, allowing its name to be listed as one of the first MoonProof advertisers at bitly.com/moonproof.

Space150 assures iOS- and Android users that versions of MoonProof for their kinds of mobile devices are in development.

The Nadia Cakes cupcake maker, which also has a shop in Palmdale, Calif., is again this year concocting wacky cupcakes with off-the-wall monikers, such as "Bacon & Eggs," "Spaghetti & Meatballs" and "Turkey Dinner." Como Park Zoo & Conservatory is again setting fake phone numbers for supposed employees. This year, they include Mr. Lion, Ms. Ella Fint, Mr. Wolf and Ms. Anna Conda. Those tricked into calling are told about a $10 discount on animal sponsorships. See bitly.com/annaconda.

The Ely Chamber of Commerce got a lot of attention last year with a faux ban of social media. It's back this year with "The Ely Channel," a supposed reality-show channel with programs like "Sauna Wars, "Log Cabin Log-in," "Haulin' Bass," "Muck Luck" and "The Cabinator." Not to be undone, the Brainerd Lakes Chamber of Commerce announced in a news release that ice on Gull Lake will be "logged" via ice auger and chainsaw, to be dragged onto land by a descendant of Babe the Blue Ox (bitly.com/loggingice).

Motorboats on Minnesota lakes are banned, per the site IceOutMinnesota.org, which is the handiwork of KDWB's Dave Ryan Show (see an Outdoors Now post at bitly.com/iceoutmn).

Meanwhile, Minneapolis-based Pad & Quill, a maker of leather bags and mobile-device cases, has a tradition of oddball products that began as jokes but can end up as real products.

The company's Littlest Black Book Case for iPod Nano, a tiny variation of its book-style gadget cases, began as prank in 2012 but drew enough cash in a crowdfunding campaign to become an actual, shipping product.

This year, company co-founder Brian Holmes is trying the same tack with the Micro Field Bag, a seemingly absurd miniaturization of the recently released Field Bag (bitly.com/microfieldbag).

The Micro Field Bag would be used to protect an iPhone, with a hole cut in the flap for earbuds, and include slots for credit cards and cash.

This fake product could become real. As of Tuesday afternoon, the product's Kickstarter page showed it about a fifth of the way to its $5,000 crowdfunding goal with 29 days to go.

Find Julio Ojeda-Zapata at ojezap.com.

___ (c)2014 the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) Visit the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) at www.twincities.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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