Internet Call Manager (ICM) Easter Egg - Smoke Me a Kipper, I'm Trying to Answer the Phone

ICM is a program that combines infointeractive.com's (the publisher's) program with an ICM service from your phone company.

ICM service is a version of Call Waiting / Caller ID. When you have your phone line tied up (usually because you are dialed up to your ISP), the call is forwarded to an ICM server. The ICM server checks to see if you have logged on via the ICM program, and if so, displays a window on your computer screen showing the caller ID information.

Normally, the ICM program sits in your windows system tray (lower right corner of start menu bar), whowing green light for logged in to ICM server, red for not logged in.

--- How to see the easter egg ---

Leave the ICM window closed, with the ICM icon remaining in the system tray. Right click the icon to bring up a menu (Open caller log, Clear caller log, About ICM, Close). Without clicking any menu item, hit Alt-Spacebar. This will bring up the standard "windows system menu." Click on MAXIMIZE. An empty white window will appear, with a single menu item (Help), and a title of "Smoke me a kipper; I'll be back for breakfast. 10"

I have no idea what the personal signifigance of this was to the programmer, maybe he was just looking for a title, and this struck him as funny (funny what too much caffeine does?).

There is no way to close the "kipper" window without closing ICM. So, just close it, answer yes when prompted for comfirmation, then restart ICM. (You will probably find it under Start->Programs->Startup->Internet call manager).

I discovered this quite by accident. I'm a keyboard kind of guy (avoid the mouse when I can), and was just looking to close the ICM window that popped up over something important. Most programs respond to Alt-Spacebar by opening the system menu, which also appears in you click on the icon in the upper-left corner of most program windows.

The ICM window is not "standard," it has no title bar or system menu icon. But I figured, I could try Alt-Spacebar to get at a system menu if one was hidden.

Apparently, the architecture of the program is to have a real, normal window (if smoked kipper windows can be considered normal), but to hide that window, and have the hidden window pop up the separate caller ID display. But, the programmer either did not bother to cover up the hidden window completely, or wanted some way of popping it up on purpose, so this lies somewhere between Easter Egg and slipup.

When I tried to re-create the window, the above instructions are what I came up with. I think I did something slightly different, but this definitely works.

User Rating:
7.5
  7.5/10 with 10 votes
Contributed By: Dovid Gross on 10-19-2002
Reviewed By: Webmaster
Special Requirements: ICM v8.10.0.6, might be others
Please correct this Egg if you see errors.

Pictures and Videos

None posted yet. Send us yours and be the first!

Comments

Casull writes:
It's a reference to Red Dwarf! More precisely to the episode Dimension Jump. "Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast" was the immortal line spoken by "Ace" Rimmer in this classic episode. I love that episode!
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Ked writes:
As far as I know, the programmer must be a Red Dwarf fan. That's the catch-phrase (so to speak) of Arnold Rimmer's other-dimensional alter-ego, Ace Rimmer. It's supposed to be a fighter-jock phrase, reminicent of the WW2 flying aces banter. I don't know if it's an actual phrase anywhere else, but it's definitely prominent in Red Dwarf.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Superplonker writes:
The term "Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast." is a reference to the TV series 'Red Dwarf, in which Rimmer's alter-ego, Ace Rimmer, uses the phrase as a light-hearted send off message.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Ben_is_skill writes:
"Smoke me a kipper ill be back for breakfast" is the catchphrase of Ace Rimmer, from Red Dwarf, (Series 4, episode 5,"Dimension Jump")
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
quincymd writes:
"Smoke me a kipper, i'll be back for breakfast" is a quote from a UK comedy/sci-fi show called Red Dwarf. Just search for that quote on the web and you'll find a whole lot more about it.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
seanriddle writes:
That message is smegging significant; just type it into a search engine and you'll see.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
JDave writes:
"smoke me a Kipper, I'll be back for breakfast" is a quote of Ace Rimmer in Red Dwarf's "Dimension Jump" episode.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Parlyne writes:
The line "Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast." comes from the ever popular British sci-fi sit-com Red Dwarf. The line is spoken by Ace Rimmer, a sort of all around incredible guy who does absolutely unbelievable deeds at all hours of every day. It also happens that Ace Rimmer is an alternate reality version of Arnold Rimmer (one of the main characters of the show) who is a complete waste of human being, although he happens to think very highly of himself. I would assume that the programmer was a Red Dwarf fan, and put this line in as a shout out to the show.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Jamie Madge writes:
The message 'Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast is from the British Sci-Fi comedy series Red Dwarf, spoken by the character Ace Rimmer. The programmer must have been a fan. Just to let you know.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Dreyfuss writes:
"Smoke me a kipper,I'll be back for breakfast" is a line from the British sci-fi comedy series Red Dwarf. The character Arnold Rimmer (a holographic twit) has an alternate-universe double who is a major stud, hero of the republic, etc. (all the things that Arnold wishes he was). This guy's favorite parting line is, you guessed it, "Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast"
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
lochii writes:
I believe the phrase "Smoke me a Kipper, I'll be back for Breakfast" is taken from an old UK Comedy Series called "Red Dwarf". The scene is where a "weedy" character called "Rimmer" (Who happens to be a hologram - Don't ask!) meets his alter ego, from a parallel universe, whom is exactly the opposite of himself, daring, corageous and charismatic. Rimmer's alter ego is the captain of a space ship and respected by everybody from his universe. His catchphrase before going out on a "Daring Mission" was always "Smoke me a Kipper, I'll be back for Breakfast".
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Brad Spencer writes:
Aha! One of the programmers (*ahem*) most certainly is a Red Dwarf fan and the window title is definately one of Rimmer's most memorable lines. Originally from the "Dimension Jump" episode, it's also repeated occasionally in the later seasons. There is no purpose to popping up the hidden window; but the title string has shown up in some bizarre places. We never expected to see it listed as an Easter Egg! Cool. As for Captain A. J. Rimmer, Space Adventurer . . . "What a guy!" :)
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No
Ken W writes:
I was an ICM user back then, and I got the message when I was trying to see why my computer was acting funny. When I went looking for what it meant, it turned out that the same expression was used in a computer virus. I was convinced that my computer was infected and spent considerable effort removing the virus. Of course, it turned out to be just an ICM programmer lark. I called the president of ICM and tore him a new one.
21 of 39 people found this comment helpful. Did you? Yes No


Related Pages
All Internet Call Manager (ICM) Easter Eggs
More Other Software Easter Eggs
Top 25 Other Software Easter Eggs
Site Friends
Slipups.com
Cocktails and Drink Recipes at Drinkswap.com
Register - Privacy Policy - About Us - Contact Us