# Google Custom Time E-Mails -- What's the Point? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 1, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584 "2008-04-01T20:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/1 "2008-04-01T20:45:05Z")
Apparently you can go back and make it look like you sent an email six hours ago or how ever long ago if you forgot. But if people know about Custom Time, then won’t they suspect when they didn’t get an email and suddenly a predated one shows up in their inbox? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/2 "2008-04-01T20:50:40Z")
Is that true? You can put a _past_ date on an email from google? That seems dodgy to me… it was once a tactic of spammers to ensure that their message was always at the top (by putting that it was sent five years ago) I know in outlook you can put a future date on an email, so outlook actually sends the email in the future (but it would only work on an exchange server and/or a computer that is on at the time the email is due to be sent) Are you sure the google feature isn’t just for sending emails inthe future? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/3 "2008-04-01T20:53:06Z")
_cranes neck upwards at the barely audible ‘wooosh’ sound_ Huh. Thought I heard something for a moment… nah. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/4 "2008-04-01T20:54:15Z")
I say Tuba changes their member titles just for the day…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Surok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@Surok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surok)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/5 "2008-04-01T20:54:33Z")
nvm ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/6 "2008-04-01T20:57:22Z")
Gee, did they custom change the date on that page so it wasn’t obvious they put it up today (1/4)? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/7 "2008-04-01T21:00:57Z")
[QUOTE=Morbo] I say Tuba changes their member titles just for the day…🙂 [/QUOTE] what what? ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/8 "2008-04-01T21:08:00Z")
Obviously, this is a joke, but it’s trivially easy to send an email with an older time stamp. At the very easiest, send it from a host-based client (ie, not webmail) and set your system time back to whatever you want the timestamp to say. The headers will give you away, but who checks the headers? ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/9 "2008-04-01T21:09:59Z")
I sent an email to myself ten years ago, telling me to buy shares of Yahoo!, now I’m rich! Rich, I tell ya! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/10 "2008-04-01T21:13:11Z")
[QUOTE=iamthewalrus(:3=] Obviously, this is a joke, but it’s trivially easy to send an email with an older time stamp. At the very easiest, send it from a host-based client (ie, not webmail) and set your system time back to whatever you want the timestamp to say. The headers will give you away, but who checks the headers? [/QUOTE] Well… My excuse is I missed that trick because it’s so obivious… (Clever people like me tend to see past the really freakin obvious and look for the clever answer) ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/11 "2008-04-01T21:18:40Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] Well… My excuse is I missed that trick because it’s so obivious… (Clever people like me tend to see past the really freakin obvious and look for the clever answer) [/QUOTE] Does this mean I’m not rich? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/12 "2008-04-01T21:31:08Z")
Oh. ☹ It was a joke. I feel so stupid… ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/13 "2008-04-01T21:33:20Z")
[QUOTE=Noone Special] Gee, did they custom change the date on that page so it wasn’t obvious they put it up today (1/4)? 😃 [/QUOTE] January Fourth? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/14 "2008-04-01T21:37:17Z")
You think that’s cool? Google also lets you [search the future](http://www.google.com.au/intl/en/gday/index.html)! ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/15 "2008-04-01T21:47:25Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] You think that’s cool? Google also lets you [search the future](http://www.google.com.au/intl/en/gday/index.html)! [/QUOTE] I wonder if that link’ll still exist tomorrow? ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/16 "2008-04-01T22:02:20Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] January Fourth? 😉 [/QUOTE] Furriners write the date in opposite order that we do. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/17 "2008-04-01T23:28:50Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] Furriners write the date in opposite order that we do. 😉 [/QUOTE] Yeah, they do it the logical way…we are such rebels here. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/18 "2008-04-02T09:22:01Z")
[QUOTE=Freudian Slit] Apparently you can go back and make it look like you sent an email six hours ago or how ever long ago if you forgot. But if people know about Custom Time, then won’t they suspect when they didn’t get an email and suddenly a predated one shows up in their inbox? [/QUOTE] Have you never heard of [Jiffy Express](http://snltranscripts.jt.org/92/92djiffy.phtml)? ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/19 "2008-04-02T17:57:44Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] I wonder if that link’ll still exist tomorrow? [/QUOTE] I checked. It will. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584/20 "2008-04-02T19:54:04Z")
[QUOTE=iamthewalrus(:3=] Obviously, this is a joke, but it’s trivially easy to send an email with an older time stamp. At the very easiest, send it from a host-based client (ie, not webmail) and set your system time back to whatever you want the timestamp to say. The headers will give you away, but who checks the headers? [/QUOTE] This sort of thing was the bane of my existence for a while in a previous job as a sysadmin. Within one month, we had one machine sending emails from 1956 (I think, I’m not sure on the exact year any more) and one sending emails from 2020. When I got the email from 2020, I called a co-worker over to confirm that it was, in fact, still 2000… I was afraid of getting in a car accident and being asked “what year is it”, and not being sure… (I’m never quite sure what year it is, but I usually have it to plus or minus one, at least) As far as we could tell, though, the owners of the machines were not doing it deliberately- they wanted us to fix the problem. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-custom-time-e-mails-whats-the-point/443584.md?page=2)