We offer QuickTip projects as a token of appreciation to our
investors, and in the interest of increasing the overall level
of subversive activity in English-reading (and now Spanish!) cultures.
QuickTips require no capital investment, and can be accomplished
with relative ease. This is a no-load fund that's loads of fun for the whole
family.
To workshop a project in QuickTips Forum, click on its JOIN button.
"Dub this hilarious filmstrip about the racism of US drug laws over the previews of rented movies before returning the tapes to the store. To get filmstrip for dubbing, download and output file from above URL or order tape."
to "alter ordinary supermarket greeting card displays to reflect concerns that are never reflected in such displays, e.g. the virtues of eating free-range pork meat, the marriage of one's non-native boyfriend (for a man), or the execution of one's soulmate. Amount offered will depend upon specific project. Cards may also simply be added to displays rather than altered in manufacturing." Here are several examples received so far, including thumbnails and higher-resolution images ready for printing.
"Add honest labels to food products in supermarkets across the country, stating 'Genetically altered to be tastier,' 'Genetically modified to be redder,' etc."
"Glass etching cream may be screenprinted onto glass, leaving behind an image that cannot be removed. Design a small device that contains a screen, a squeegee, and glass etching cream, then print intricate and beautiful anti-corporate messages on expensive plate glass windows. Owner will have to decide whether to spend huge to replace glass, or leave message up." (Sample design here.)
"Use the Tagamatic developed in project ETCH to permanently etch the words 'void where prohibited by law' on that glass case that holds the United States' most sacred document."
"Put 'high water markers' up in exclusive seaside resort communities to show where effects of global warming will increase sea level in 10/15/20 years time." (Note: The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates sea-level rises of between 6 and 37.5 inches in the next 20 years.)
"Chick Tracts are those funny little comic books that Christian evangelizers hand out on street corners. The Jack Chick Museum of Fine Art has all of the Chick Tracts online, as well as links to parody sites. Alter chick tracts to make them anti-corporate, and hand out at street corners."
"Buy a number of cellphone blockers such as these. Line both sides of the busiest section of wall street. At a designated time turn on devices and block all cell phone communications."
"Blockbuster edits the content of many of the videos they rent. Rent edited tapes and record the original versions onto them--the object being to get caught, so that Blockbuster presses charges (perhaps for vandalism)."
"Host and publicize a competition for the largest number of price tags collected from certain clothing labels engaged in heinous practices (tentative list: Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Calvin Klein, GAP). The goal is to generate large number of non-buying visitors to these retail outlets, who would then try to tear off the price tag from merchandise without being caught. (Note that it is not necessary to cut the hard-to-break plastic tie to achieve the goal; price tags are made of cardstock and could be easily torn off, with no effort or noise. In addition, they are extremely easy to hide by folding them in one's palm.) Some suggested venues for publicizing such competition: tagger magazines, indie punk rock magazines, college radios, skate shops."
"Create hilarious or stupid/offensive ad-banners for corporate websites. Try to place them in link-exchange or likewise. ('I've never gotten fucked like in the new Audi TT!') One strategy might be to first create some nice average homepage banner and after a while change the motif and the destination."
"Any time there is an anti-globalization protest, participate locally in breaking the press blackouts about these events (or poor coverage of them) by monitoring Indymedia, printing out the best stories, and inserting them into newspaper dispensers and newsstands in your area."
"Distribute a large number of 'Out of Order' signs signed by something like the 'Aesthetics maintenance division,' for posting on ridiculously ugly objects, including clothing, cars, people, buildings.... Seeking suggestions for the text, and volunteers to print and distribute the signs widely."
"Practice paintball on billboards for big corporations. Also practice your giant slingshot skills with paint balloons. Oil-based paintballs that don't wash off are available here."
"Corrupt the supermarket's database of personal shopping habits! Register at your local supermarket for a club card. Trade them with your friends! Register for as many as you'd like using different names! Collect them like trading cards, pass them out to people you don't know!"
"Export strong encryption software to as many non-NATO countries as possible, concentrating especially on the Middle East, China, and the former USSR. Strong encryption (especially above 128-bit) is classified by the United States military as a munition; therefore, this act constitutes treason under US law."
"In the tradition of stamping money with 'GAY MONEY' (as a way to show how much purchasing power gays have) stamp money with 'CORPORATE MONEY' or some other more apropos slogan." (See also Dollarhack.)
"Go to a site that has been staked out for a strip mall, bank or McDonald's. Carefully move ALL of the stakes the same distance in the same direction--preferably toward a street or sidewalk, thereby increasing the chances that the building will violate public ordinances."
"Subvert chemical lawn maintenance services such as 'Chemlawn'. If you see a truck for such a service, follow it and see where it goes. In the middle of the night, do a stealth 'follow-up treatment' with Roundup. Everything will die and the chemical lawn maintenance company will have to explain how their treatment killed their customers' plants. Report to the media as an irate customer."
"Spray-paint bicycle lanes on major and minor metropolitan streets where biking to work is an option. Spray paint stencilled words inside these lanes: 'BIKE LANE', 'CYCLISTS ONLY' and 'NO CARS THIS LANE', for example. A stick depiction of a cyclist would work well too."
"Make a video segment about how copyrights protect the rich and record it over the anti-piracy message at the start of videos." (This image was sent in and could be used for such taping.)
"Gas station employees: hike gas prices at the pump to at least $10 a gallon. Modify the receipt thank you message to provide a statement like: 'This is a fraction of the cleanup costs created by your car.'"
"Study the dress code at your workplace and dress outrageously, but within the dress code limits. If you are reprimanded, politely explain that you are within the dress code. If you are fired or encounter other difficulties, most states will allow you to sue; there are examples of large settlements in California."
"Go into a store or fast-food chain, and attempt to barter for goods/services. Offer to trade livestock--best if you actually bring something like a live chicken into the store."
"Enter a large corporate organization such as a department store or bank, and require management of this organization to fill out a form. Refuse to leave until the form is properly filled out."
"Write and distribute an e-mail message containing real recent quotes about the global economic crisis from major financial publications, selected to horrify individual investors. Examples: 'I have never seen anything like this in my entire life!' (Alan Greenspan) 'Today, there are 60 trillion dollars of borrowed funds invested in world markets. Even in 1929, markets were not this leveraged.' (Financial Times) The message must be shocking, convincing, and easy to understand, and it must reach at least 100,000 people and be noticed by mainstream financial media."
"'Warning: Cars destroy your planet.' Produce a series of stickers similar to the warnings on cigarette packages, but the size of car windshields, and place them on parked cars in any large city. The stickers should be non-removable."
"We use cash every day; why not use this special green paper as propaganda? Create stamps that make it easy to add to dollar bills various facts about the amount of money involved in government subsidies to corporations, and in corporate lobbying of government."
"Make and send out accurate college literature to the entire prospective student list of any university. For example, in the case of SUNY Albany, the literature could explain why athletic facilities have Key Bank before the name, why the book store is run by Barnes & Noble and why food service concessions go to the highest bidder rather than the one with the healthiest food."
"Visit the Rudolph Giuliani campaign site (or other campaign sites of aggressive gentrifiers/privatizers) and sign up promising to volunteer and make contributions--using assumed names and e-mails, of course. Alternately, create and distribute a software robot that will do this."
"It is possible to disable security cameras by affixing in front of them photographs that are indiscernable from their normal scene. Invent an easy way to affix such photographs in a very short time (five seconds) as you pass by the camera, and widely distribute the idea."
"Help defeat the corporate stranglehold on the 'root zone' of the Internet by switching your Domain Name Service over from Network Solutions or other corporate giants to independent namespaces. More info here."
"Collect several tons of plastic cases and CDs from AOL's promotional mailers and dump the load on their front lawn. Televise. This could be repeated with any major junk mailer dealer."
"In museums and wherever 'audiotours' are available, borrow cassettes, record new text with interesting social messages, and return the cassettes to their players. Do this all over the world; eventually, it will be noticed."
"Grab some spiffy blue vests and start straightening up the isles at your local Wal-Mart (or other megastore). Aggressively help customers by pushing their carts for them, selecting products for them, and telling them the dangers of shopping without such assistance."
"Pick some dastardly person or corporation, and then start a campaign to turn their trademarked names into vulgar expressions. Internet usage and one lawsuit for slander should spread the word well enough."
"Copy and switch bar codes of products. Choose targets appropriate to your desired social commentary. At the checkstand, hamburger shows up as dog food, condoms as eggs... whatever you think will be the most enlightening for the end-user."
"These labels will be pasted in great numbers in various inappropriate places (toilets, etc.). Donors are being sought to print many copies, or to fund such printing. If you wish to help by printing, simply download the labels and begin. Do post them as well."
"Take old filthy clothes you are going to throw away, affix price tags of $100 or more, and place them on hangers on the racks of your local GAP, Abercrombie and Fitch, etc."
"Participate in microsabotage in your corporate job- examples: Lock file cabinets and lose the keys, creatively file key documents, carelessly download viruses..."
"Make a rubber stamp with the words 'SAMPLE. NOT VALID' Stamp these words in red ink over $20 notes (or your local currency) Obviously the notes are valid and you can use them to pay in automatic ticket machines like the ones found in tube stations, etc. Your money is accepted by the machine. The company owner of the machine will face several problems when trying to use that money, basically people will refuse to accept it (who would accept it, even if it is a real note...would you take the risk?) Summary: you'll be causing a great disrupt (change the notes, get new ones, etc.) with a minimum investment in money and/or time."
to "take the book of any major pulp writer and, keeping the jacket the same, replace the entire inside text with the Koran or the Zohar. This might be accomplished by some skilled bookbinders and a cadre of volunteers in different cities."
"Find construction or logging sites that are known deer habitats (bonus points if site is part of a highly visible suburb expansion). Apply 'Buck Lure' ('Guaranteed to bring them in aroused'), available in any hunting section of any well known superstore, to all construction equipment. Film interactions between construction workers, supervisors, and horny deer. Submit to local news media."
"Subvert the whole meaning and concept of money whilst using it in its true sense. In UK, bank notes carry a promise that who ever owns that note will be paid that amount in sterling at the head bank. Get as many people as possible to demand this sterling and then send them out to high street shops to try and purchase items with the sterling. Would need high press coverage (perhaps a comedy show) and if you got an exceptional amount of people could pose financial problems for banks to lose so much sterling. May have interesting outcomes in that selling back £5 of sterling may only get you £1.70 in return cash."