Oh, no! It looks like I might need better reading glasses. The words seem to be dancing around in front of my eyes!

It’s April Fool’s Day! There are a LOT of jokes that you can play with a computer. Here is one of my favorites that works with MS Word 2003 (not version 2007). Before you play your prank, however, be certain that your intended target has a good sense of humor and is not working under any critical deadlines.

Wait until your target has left their computer unattended for a few minutes. Open MS Word 2003 and pull up a document that they use often, or the last document that they were working on if it’s a work in progress (check under File, then the document listed at the bottom as number 1). Use Ctrl-a keys to select all of the document, or triple-click in the left margin, then choose Format, Font. Click on the last tab, Text Effects, then choose Shimmer, OK. Save the file.

When your target returns to their document, the text will be shifting back and forth, and might lead them to believe that it’s time to get their vision checked. After they’ve rubbed their eyes a couple of minutes, ‘fess up, and set their document back to normal by going through the same steps, except that you should choose (none) at the top of the Text Effects menu, OK.

Happy April Fool’s Day!