How to generate most obnoxious recurring email ever?

May 1, 2015 5:40 PM

Is there a way to set something up today that will email them until the end of time on Wednesdays at 9am? Bonus: obnoxious graphics, trumpet sounds, neon colors, dancing hamsters, the works.

I work with a few jerks.

I'm a girl, they're guys, and apparently they can't be bothered to remember that I need them to turn on a light switch every Friday at 1pm. Apparently I have to send them an email on Wednesday so they might remember to turn on that switch. Unfortunately, I can't turn the switch on myself.

Is there a way to set something up today that will email them until the end of time on Wednesdays at 9am?

Bonus: obnoxious graphics, sound, bright colors, dancing hamsters, the works.

posted by ashtabula to opelika to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

Install a timer? Get your switch turned on with no harassment.
posted by zachlipton at 5:49 PM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

IFTTT should be able to do this. I'm not sure how well it can handle the bells and whistles, but it'll hit the schedule (within 15 minutes). The advantage of this is that it's all web-based so you don't have to have computer on.

However, if you do have a computer that you have access to and is on, there's task schedulers built into Windows, Mac and Unix systems. If you let us know what you have, I'm sure someone here can help
posted by neilbert at 5:51 PM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

You can also use IFTTT to send them a text at the right time.

I suspect this will shortly become incredibly tiresome and your coworkers will succumb to alert fatigue. It's funny to send a silly email, for a while, but actually in real life just prodding somebody every week forever is not going to work.

A much better use of time would be to think of a way to automate flipping the switch (like a timer), or examine why you cannot be allowed to activate whatever it is yourself. If we are literally talking about a light, how about a smartbulb which you can turn on over the internet from your phone (like lifx)
posted by tracert at 6:14 PM on May 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

You'll pardon my opinion, but this sounds like a really good way to get fired.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 6:42 PM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Maybe I misunderstand you, but it seems likely if you remind people on Wednesday to do a small task on Friday, that they’re unlikely to remember it two days later.
posted by zadcat at 7:01 PM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: There are union rules preventing me from flipping the switch myself.

I work in an environment where this will not get me fired. Most likely, it will get me accolades.

I agree that this is totally dumb and probably won't work, hence the dancing hamsters.

Thanks - I'll start looking at IFTTT.
posted by ashtabula to opelika at 7:18 PM on May 1, 2015

If you use gmail there's a tool called boomerang which will do this.

Content is up to you its whatever Gmail will let you stick in an email.
posted by bitdamaged at 9:47 PM on May 1, 2015

Send them a weekly recurring calendar invitation titled "reminder: flip switch!"
posted by samthemander at 11:23 PM on May 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

If you were all using Outlook, and if the gentlemen cooperated, it would be a simple the to set up a recurring event that would cause a reminder to pop up at the time you choose.

Any decent organization-wide email system should do the same.
posted by SemiSalt at 1:56 PM on May 2, 2015

This timer will do what you want (automatically).
posted by H21 at 5:31 PM on May 2, 2015