Case Study No. 0384: Columbia University librarian

Prangstgrup Powerbook Start up Sound Prank!!
2:32
How long does the startup sound of a powerbook really last?

Apparently for the people in this library...a little too long!
Tags: powerbook start up sound startup mac macintosh prank funny library computer punkd school college pranks ebaums jokes
Added: 5 years ago
From: Prangstgrup
Views: 1,164,306

[scene opens inside the Columbia University library, as the camera focuses on two male students sitting at a table ... one of them has a laptop, which plays the Windows XP startup chime for a couple of seconds (causing a few of the nearby students to raise their heads, before returning to their studies)]
["Startup Sound" appears on screen, then the other student reaches into his backpack and pulls out another laptop ... He turns it on, and a different (much louder) orchestral chime starts up and doesn't stop]
STUDENT: Just a second ...
[the other students begin staring at him (as the music continues and becomes more elaborate), but he tries to wave them off]
STUDENT: Sorry, it's just my computer starting up. It'll be over in just a second ...
[the music continues, then cut to various shots of students with confused/annoyed looks on their faces]
STUDENT: Well, it's just my startup sound. It's ... my computer's just starting up.
[cut to a young female librarian standing over the student, trying to help him turn the volume down (the music continues unabated)]
[cut to more shots of the nearby students (including one getting up and leaving), as the music hits a crescendo before finally fading out]
[cut to the librarian walking away, as the camera zooms in on the student before the scene fades to black]

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From wikicu.com:

Prangstgrup was a group of students that staged pranks or performances around Columbia University, recording videos of them, between around 2001 and 2005. The group is now inactive, but its videos have become famous on YouTube and College Humor.

[...]

Powerbook Startup Sound/Noise

This prank is set in a library. A guy turns on his Powerbook. The standard startup noise crescendoes into an entire symphony, and goes on, and on, and on. Most students look on aghast or startled. Others try to continue studying as if nothing is happening. Someone comes to the Powerbook student's aide, but no one protests. Eventually, the noise comes to an end, and everyone returns to their business.