Fakes, hoaxes, spoofs, and scams: Technology enthusiasts love a good joke. Cheap digital video production, video sharing sites such as YouTube, and relatively easy digital manipulation with Photoshop and other tools have created a perfect storm for online tricksters who want to pay homage to their favorite gadgets, make fun of overhyped tech, or simply fool people into thinking that a new scientific (and occasionally alien) breakthrough has occurred.

The ZunePhone

What might Microsoft's eventual response to the iPhone look like? Enter the ZunePhone, a clever parody of Apple's iPhone TV commercials that hit 300,000 views in its first six days on YouTube.

Old-school Windows users will giggle over the faux ZunePhone's spam load and the touch screen that allows for rotary-phone dialing, but it's the clock perpetually flashing 12:00 that seals the comic deal. ZunePhone spoofs are legion online, of course. Don't miss this more obvious fanboy gag if you can spare another minute.

World of Warcraft and Leeroy Jenkins

You don't have to play World of Warcraft to dig some of its more laughable moments, but none is as famous and as outright hysterical as the ballad of Leeroy Jenkins, a diminutive member of the Pals for Life clan.

Pity the Pals, who meticulously plan the mechanics of a dungeon raid only to have it spoiled by Leeroy, who abruptly yells, "Let's do this!" He then bellows his own name and runs into the dragon-filled room alone. The ensuing mayhem, which results in the death of the entire party, offered enough comedy value to merit becoming a $1000 question on last year's Jeopardy College Championship. (It stumped all three brainiacs.)

Alas, Leeroy's antics aren't entirely legit. Though the player behind Leeroy was cagey in an interview, most observers have concluded that the en masse suicide was staged. But at least we have chicken.