Google Gets Into the Spirit

Google continued a time-honored tradition of April Fools’ Day pranks today with foolish new email features and a mission to Mars, cNet reports. Gmail users found a new feature, “Custom Time,” which would allow emails to be sent back in time. And not to worry in case of problems, the site said—an “e-flux capacitor is on hand to resolve issues of causality.”

Meanwhile, Google’s homepage invited users to “enjoy a rosier future as a Virgle Pioneer.” Virgle, a collaboration with Virgin Galactic, billed itself as a Mars colonization project, since, as the page puts it, “Earth has issues, and it's time humanity got started on a Plan B.” And YouTube visitors found themselves “Rickrolled” after clicking on any of the site’s featured videos. (More Rickroll stories.)