Having fun with project managers! (or: why you should lock your desktop)

Have you ever left your computer unattended? (I do hope that!) Do you lock your desktop when this occurs? (I hope so either!) Not locking your desktop can be a risk. Your data might get stolen, someone might install a trojan, ...

My project manager is one of those people who do not lock their computer when away. After having explained that this is a very simple thing he still seems to forget it everytime. Since a few weeks, we are using some more persuasive manners to teach him to press the Windows-key + L whenever he leaves his computer. Some practical jokes...

1. Are those icons?

• Create a screenshot of the user's desktop
• Set this screenshot as the desktop background
• Remove all real icons from the user's desktop (copy them somewhere to cause no real harm!)
• Wait till the user gets back and starts clicking on his desktop "icons"... NOT

2. Cake for everyone!

• Open the user's e-mail client
• Send a message to the entire team saying "I'm treating everyone with cake!" (other option: "I'm buying a beer for everyone!")
• Keep reminding the user of his nice e-mail

3. Right-click here...

Here's a simple one: switch the user's mouse buttons (control panel - mouse properties - buttons). Also press the CTRL + ALT + Down-arrow. If you're lucky and the user has an Intl graphics card, his desktop will also be upside down.

4. www.website.com...

• If you have administrative rights on the user's PC, find and edit his host file (c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts)
• Add a new entry which map his favourite website to something completely different. For example, map www.google.com to the IP address 208.77.188.166.

5. Other funny things

We've tried the above pranks, but no luck yet... Locking his desktop remains something that's not important to him (probably because he always has to laugh with practical jokes). Here's a list of some other jokes we might try in the near future...

• http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000997.html (remember Clippy, that annoying Office assistant?)
• http://www.rjlsoftware.com/software/entertainment/fakestart/default.shtml (fake the start menu)
• http://www.rjlsoftware.com/software/entertainment/open_cd/default.shtml (randomly open and close his CD drive)

Any other suggestions, preferrably not harmful? Please let me know!

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