Once I'm through with my midlife crisis I'll be the dictator of my own little country and militarize it to rival the combined might of US, Russia, and China.
It won't short it out because it's just connecting the battery to the node that's its meant to connect to. It might get warm though, depending on how resistive the aluminum is.
Why the duck? Also, I usually have a surplus of AA and lack AAA, so there is no reverse procedure. I would not use this for long term, as the resistance introduced by the aluminum will probably cause the battery to drain quicker. Speaking of battery hacks, if you have a remote that uses more than one battery, you can "play musical chairs" and switch their positions to get more life out of them (if you take a voltmeter to them and pair the highest voltage with the lowest, it works best).
I'm not looking to start a life in terrorism just yet.