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tridpt/calculator

14PythonAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5Setup · easy

TLDR

A Python desktop prank calculator that looks like a real Windows-style calculator but puts users through a long chain of fake obstacles before giving a deliberately wrong answer.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((calculator prank))
    Appearance
      Dark Windows theme
      Keyboard support
      Memory and history
    Obstacle chain
      Rigged prize wheel
      Fake license notice
      Login that rejects all
      Subscription countdown
      Credit card form
      One-time password
      6 random minigames
      Captcha and ad
      Rating survey
    Safety features
      Cancel 3 times to exit
      No data sent anywhere
      Real mode available
    Distribution
      PyInstaller exe
      No install needed
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Code map

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Share the packaged Windows executable with a friend as a prank calculator.

USE CASE 2

Study the prank UI sequence as a reference for building unconventional Python desktop apps.

USE CASE 3

Package it into a standalone Windows exe using PyInstaller so no Python installation is needed on the target machine.

Tech stack

PythonPyInstaller

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
License not specified in the explanation.

In plain English

This is a desktop calculator prank application written in Python, with a README in Vietnamese. It looks exactly like a normal calculator on the outside, with a dark theme similar to the Windows Calculator, keyboard support for entering numbers and operators, a memory system, and a history panel. The trick is what happens when you press the equals button. Instead of showing the result, pressing equals launches a long chain of fake obstacles designed to waste the time of whoever is using it. The sequence includes a rigged prize wheel that always loses, a fake license expiration notice, a login screen that rejects every password, a subscription plan selector with a countdown timer and a "Later" button that dodges the mouse cursor, a terms-of-service dialog that requires scrolling all the way down, a fake credit card entry form that refuses every card number on the first attempt, an absurd fee breakdown screen, a one-time password step with a 30-second cooldown, one of six minigames chosen at random, a nonsensical captcha, a video advertisement whose skip button keeps resetting, a five-star rating survey, and a social sharing step where every option reports failure. After going through all of that, the calculator gives a subtly wrong answer, with a small error introduced on purpose. If the session sits for about 90 seconds, it expires and the whole sequence starts over on the next press. The six minigames are all completable: charging a leaking battery bar by clicking fast, clicking a button that moves away five times, guessing a number between one and five, a whack-a-mole game, typing a displayed phrase, and pressing stop at the right moment on a moving bar. The README notes clearly that no real money is involved and no data is sent anywhere. Everything entered into the card form, OTP field, or password field is silently discarded. The project is described as a joke to play on friends. A safe exit is built in: canceling or closing popups three times in a row reveals a "this is a joke" screen with an option to switch to a real calculator mode that gives correct answers from that point on. The app can be packaged into a standalone Windows executable using PyInstaller for easy sharing.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
I want to add a new minigame to the tridpt/calculator prank app. Show me how to create a simple reaction-time minigame in Python using the same UI framework the existing six minigames use.
Prompt 2
The prank calculator gives a subtly wrong answer at the end. Show me how to change the error magnitude and which operations trigger the wrong result.
Prompt 3
How do I package the tridpt/calculator prank app into a standalone Windows executable with PyInstaller so I can share it without the recipient needing Python installed?
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