Pranksters invade Starbucks with desktop computers
By Donald Melanson 
posted Feb 25th 2008 4:53PM
posted Feb 25th 2008 4:53PM
We've already seen the confusion and hilarity some so-called "portable" computers can cause when taken out into public, but those shenanigans are nothing compared to the scene stirred up when the folks from Improv Everywhere lugged some ancient desktop computers (replete with CRT monitors) into a Starbucks. As you can see in the video after the break, they surprisingly weren't kicked out, but they did manage to attract a fair bit of attention, including from a few folks that thought the computers were set up for public use. Be sure to head up the read link below for the full report, as well as another video with the team relishing in their accomplishment.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Bah
BAH!
Epic win.
Word! They really killed it and managed to give the name laptop a new meaning:
http://improveverywhere.com/images/desk19.jpg
http://improveverywhere.com/images/desk21.jpg
No one's mentioned the obvi Jewish guy towards the end thinking they're schlepping around a server.
Now someone needs to bring an Apple II in complete with 5.25" duo drive.
I'm disappointed! I wanted to see Windows 3.1 used instead :(
And this proves what exactly? "Yeah man, DUUUDE... thats totally awesome..., look we so, like, different." LAME! Not funny. Get a job - there are more important things to be done - stop wasting your time on trying to become a rebel and make pointless statements.
Mex, you fail at having a sense of humor. Good job.
word
Those CRT monitors are great....bet they had some help though considering those guys a pretty wimpy looking!
I bet even these wimps would mow you down in a RWC game, Kiwi. CRT's or not!
Did you catch that one of the computers was running Windows 95?
Windows 95 FTW!! I declare myself preznit of these guys' new fan club founded by me.
hehe... that windows 95 boot up screen made my day... thanks
Watch the video. I appreciate how the camera nerd explains that "...it's seeing what I'm seeing..." because I was concerned he might face it towards the Burger King across the street.
He was showing that he was using glasses with a camera in them connected to the camcorder.
They should've brought some serious hardware and started playing online.
[Insert mandatory Cysis lame here]
sic = phail....Crysis!
windows 95 supported Wi-Fi?!?!?
What's WiFi? What does it do? Did I have it back in the days when I was rocking Win95 on my 120Mhz Pentium 1 which didn't have internet access?? What is the internet???????
Yup. I ran Win95 with wifi for years -- used the software that came with the 802.11b card. Worked fine as my backup machine.
I think the WiFi enabled desktop was running WinXP (see video at 1:07), while the Win95 machine was being used just for MS-Word.
Any particular reason why it couldn't?
Device driver support?
Your saying companies don't support their products on windows 95? I thought it was the new hip thing.
I didn't know there were any wifi cards that had win95 drivers. I had to upgrade an old laptop I had to Win98 so that it could use wifi.
Maybe, I know Windows 98 does. I my parent's house used to have wi-fi with windows 98. It was extremely clunky though. I just remember having to go to run and enter winipfg.
Mega ROFLage!
This has got to be fake. All those screen shots and not a single bsod. It just can't be real, can it?
Those guys rock! Props to them.
Starbucks got PWN#D!
More like Starbucks got free advertising and looked cool/laid back for going along with it and not hassling them.
Next time bring some serious gaming rigs and have starbucks lan party.
A Similar prank was pulled in my COMP1911 class a few years ago. A few students were tired of seeing pretentious teens with their notebooks in class, so they brought a full 486 into class.
Australians thought of this prank far before you.
so we can blame australians for this unfunny piece of shit?
If any of you get the chance to visit the Coffee Table (a coffee shop in Columbus, OH) then you'll probably notice a guy who seems to spend most of his days sitting at a table there with his 24 inch iMac. He often listens to quite loud music, and doesn't seem to actually do any work, but he must drink a lot of coffee.
So, he's an average Mac user?
Jesse, you just made me nearly choke from laughing so hard. This comment is dedicated to you! ++
*diggs up*
n1, Jesse. I got a kick out of that :)
I don't see what the big deal is. yeah its awkward, But as a starbucks employee, I would see absolutely no reason to "kick them out" like the author if this article was so surprised didnt happen.
And so they come and utilize the wifi and space...I'm still not seeing why everyones so giddy over this.
Doing it once is funny and good PR to not kick them out, but if they did it repeatedly, I would kick them out.
The point is that they got that scared confused reaction. It was f-u-n-n-y!
"Why are they doing it.." "what's the point.." "I can't see the point.." They must be terrorist apple hating freaks who hate your freedom.
I would personally buy each one of those guys (and gal) a cup of coffee of their choice if I saw that at my Starbucks.
Wow, and totally off-topic but I just noticed there seems to be a lot of James' on Engadget that just posted on this.
James (with pic), James M, and Myself.
From english movies, James seem to be a typical name of butlers. So to see they flock around topics which include references to coffee and other fine beverages shouldn't be that big of a surprise.
As an example, the classic Dinner for One:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXLtM7JO50E
;)
"This is mine." Comic gold!
Yeah he got PAWND big time, see how he shocking turns his head when he hears the words "This is mine". Further more his hat and Fubu jacket is completely out of fashion. Dressed like Coolio he must think it's 1995 or something.
wow what an incredibly boring prank, the reactions on their faces are so entirely...absent...try again guys, maybe with a 22" CRT...
fail.
You Fail!
That is funny. This prank NEEDS to be done again in about a decade when it REALLY gets people reacting. Actually, that would make a great documentary prank! Do this every 5 years and watch people's reactions evolve. Anyway, cool prank.
I'm going to do this.
Someone else already did it, what's the point of doing it again?
To aid the portable desktop revolution!
iMacs are banned from participating, though - it's just too easy for them.
Prove it.
You know, I gotta say, the people who work at starbucks are pretty laid back. I remember one time my friend and I went in and I was dressed as jack from jack in the box. The lady (who I thought was gonna kick me out) actually started talking to us for quite a while and everyone seemed to like it. This prank about the computer is awesome.
Video--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6JfkRsuj_I
Those guys have my respect, for life.
LOL
Yeah, a little too soon for it to be hilarious. Not strange enough to get a lot of reactions. I still enjoyed it though.
LOL that was great
Ha, that old jewish guy is an idiot. He thinks they are there for electric savings. Apparently he doesn't know what the internet is.
Haha, aren't sterotypes great! Wait... no, they're not.
Wait, so you people are telling me that regular people dont bring their desktops to Starbucks?! Its no wonder those store people give me funny looks... Maybe its time I upgraded my computer.
Improve Everywhere is great. Look at the Best Buy ones, it's hilarious.
My friend works at Best Buy and I read him the stuff about Best Buy and he couldn't stop laughing.
zomg!! they are using 1/MBA in starbucks ... how cool!
Funny stuff.......
But the real question:
Will it blend?
Will _what_ blend, gnat?
8 years people would be all over this in a good curious way. But today we would be "WTF"? Maybe another 8 years someone will walk into Starbucks with a laptop with Vista and carry on the tradition.
oops, I meant 8 years ago.
Reminded me of this post I saw a few days ago...
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=439135
that's ace!
pure geeks with no life
Hmm they spent their free time making an entertaining video... What do you do with yours that is so much more productive, read Engadget and whack off?
^This
Reader, what do you spend your free time doing for us, posting engadget comments and whacking off.
Entertaining to some but not all.
I'm not criticizing anyone's use of free time, Bored. It's called free time for a reason. Perfectly alright in my eyes to do whatever the hell you want, but the OP is attacking their use of it while likely doing much less with his. Generally that fits the definition of hypocrite, but I suppose who isn't?
Reader, funny you should say that I'm a hypocrite when you attack me the same way if not worse. Eye for an eye your justification, probably. A hypocrite with irony, you make me laugh.
These guy are lucky they didn't get nabbed by NSA or something. With the suitcases and monitors and monitors and things. Sweet prank though. Good on 'em!
Hilarious!!!
@Josh and James M:
I've also seen an iMac at a coffee shop, here in NYC. Obviously, not nearly as outlandish as the old school desktops you see in this video, but it was still out of place enough to do a double take.
Nevertheless, it is a testament to the quality of the iMac's design that you can just throw it back into its box, hit the road, and setup wherever you need to setup!
There is not a more self righteous group than the people that take their notebooks into starbucks and are sitting there for hours. Don't know who ever told them it looked cool. Everyone is wondering "can't you just surf the internet and check email at home?"
Around here Tim Hortons is the big coffee chain, and people go there all the time to study and such (fewer laptops, because most locations don't have wifi). Some people just like having a place to get away from home and get some work done. Sometimes a different environment is all it takes.
I have a wifi enabled desktop laying around. It would ahve been funnier with a UPS so they didn't have to plug it into a wall.
Or an inverter hooked to a car battery.
A car battery would be cause to get kicked out though, as I believe they put off fumes that aren't conducive to indoor atmospheres.
I like the the girl that has the monitor on her lap. Now that would be hilarious if they all tried to use it like a laptop while sitting on a starbucks couch.
I can just imagine the looks as they would be... why are you here? What is it plugged into?
Better if the case is modded into a coffee maker.
This would be more interesting id they had wheeled a tumble dryer and dried their clothes while supping a frappicino!
Wow, that was absolutely not funny at all! Engadget, cmon!
i can't wait until apple fanboys use this to compare how much more advanced the macbook air is compared to PCs.
I'd like to have seen a "toaster" 128k Macintosh in the mix.
It would have been funnier if they used typewriters that would have been peed my pants funny. They had a great opp to do that.
for maximum comic relief, i look at the prices people pay for coffee, but this ranks pretty highly nonetheless.
This is tame compared to the person i personally call the "Bryant Park Scientist-Dude". Anyone who's around the Bryant Park area (in NYC) would probably have seen this dude who sits in a Chrysler Sebring Convertible equipped with a tower and CRT monitor and leeching off Bryant Park's free WiFi. He's one of those weird crazy-scientist-looking-types, usually dressed in a plaid suit with a bow-tie (??), parks his Sebring on the 40th St side across from FedEx/Kinkos/Bryant Park Hotel and looks like he's furiously attempting to disprove Coulons 3rd Law of self-fornication or something.
I always wondered...........why...the...heck... Funny as hell to see though.
You guys get my kudos
(Starbucks, you too)
Reminds me of this guy:
http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/8987/portabledesktophu8.jpg
So what's the point?
very original!
very original!
this is funny. This is something that I would do just to make people mad.