It’s April 1 and that can only mean …

A quick roundup of early April 1 fun found on the web


Conan O’Brien Buys Mashable, Ousts Pete Cashmore as CEOL: Yes, you read that right. It begins: "Hello, fellow Mashables. It’s Conan O’Brien, and I’ve got big news. Two hours ago, I purchased Mashable.com. I’ve taken it over." Mashable’s home page now also features a "Powered by Conan O’Brien" banner. 


Google Maps go 8-Bit: On the Google Maps page the top right clickable tab is Quest and it takes you to a beautiful 8-bit-style map that looks like it was made for the old Nintendo Entertainment System in your basement. Even the Street View images have been solarized and made into crazy color 8-bit views. 


Google announces driverless car for NASCAR: You may already be familiar with Google’s self-driving car project. So what would logically come next? A self-driving NASCAR race vehicle of course! Google announces the launch of Google Racing, a "partnership with NASCAR to help self-driving vehicles compete in the world of stock car racing." 


Google Street Roo - exploring the outback one bounce at a time: Google Australia finds a way to conquer one of the final frontiers on that continent - The Outback. The site announces that: "Over the next four weeks, more than a thousand Big Red kangaroos will be equipped with a 360-degree head camera that will automatically capture images when the marsupial is on the move during daylight hours." 


 And finally a game that asks the question… 


April Fools’ Day prank or real app? As more and more off-the-wall apps appear, it might be difficult to figure out what’s real and what’s not. So folks at The Next Web decided it’d be fun to play a game. The blog post offers descriptions of things that may or may not be real apps and at the end gives the correct answers. It’s more fun if you don’t skip to the end! 


Image from Mashable.com

Best April 1 fun on the web

April 1 always brings lots of fun to the web and the day is young and already there are some clear winners. So whether you’re on the web for social media, marketing or just fun, check out …

Lose that mouse and keyboard, but still work in your email: Google introduces a new program to do away with the mouse and the keyboard when you’re in your email. Just a few simple (and not so simple) body movements do the trick. See the video Gmail in Motion.

New invisible, but clickable online advertising is here: All that unused white space on the web is going to waste says marketing guru Seth Godin. Read about it at his blog post Introducing white space links.

Linkedin’s messing with your Contacts: Well, not really. It turns out, according to the professional networking site, you know some pretty interesting, if unusual, people. Once logged in, click on Contacts – Add Connections and choose “People You May Know.” You’ll be surprised to know who you “know.” Check it out at Linkedin

The next big thing in email marketing - Infomercials: As “promoted” by Christopher Penn (@cspenn) and Blue Sky Factory (@blueskyfactory) email is going to make a comeback as the “catch-all” of your internet marketing programs. Check out the video Infomercials in your inbox.

Geeky toys for geeky kids: ThinkGeek suggests that Playmobil has come up with something every future Steve Jobs-worshipping tyke needs: A Playmobil Apple Store (video).

Other great ThinkGeek offerings: Angry Birds Pork Rinds (“A low carb, high protein, high fat snack that tastes like winning”), Star Wars Lightsaber Popsicles (Make awesome lightsaber popsicles, with movie accurate hilts) and The Original Shirt Plate (From the makers of Bowl Pants and Sock Spoon... it “Keep your snacks close by while lounging, working, sleeping or gaming”).

I hope this brings a little smile to your April 1 festivities. And you can return to all your serious web activities (social media, marketing etc) tomorrow.