Talk:Computer prank

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[edit] External links

(Moved from User talk:Aaron Brenneman)
Re: your deletion of the external links section: I believe all the links except for the third and the last fall under the third category of "What should be linked to": "An article about a book, a musical score, a webcomic, a web site, or some other media, should link to the actual book, musical score, etc. if possible." Since the article deals directly with all these websites, it seems prudent to include links to them. They could be in-text ([1]) links, but having a separate external links section seems more professional.

The first link (Prank Flash and Scary Flash collection at Albino Blacksheep) is basically a "explore further" link. It contains most of the notable prank flashes on the internet. When spammers come along trying to add links to their own sites, we can say "Sorry, if you're not already in the definitive collection, you're not notable".

The last link (Victim of a sabotage flash) was added a little while back. It's harmless, funny, and a good documentation of the effects of a prank flash.

Finally, if you're concerned about the prevalence of Albino Blacksheep links, I simply chose to link to that site whenever possible because it is both well-known (most linkspammers aren't from well-known sites) and almost entirely ad-free. Λυδαcιτγ 15:33, 15 July 2006 (UTC)

I'm at a very slow IP right now, so I can't re-examine the links straight away. Without recourse to that, when I looked at them previously, I had Wikipedia:External links open in another tab and simply felt that none of these provided a "unique resource." Since this is not a list of prank cites but instead a more general discussion of them, links to particular sites were right off my list. I'll have a second look and a good think about the points raised above. - brenneman {L} 05:54, 17 July 2006 (UTC)
In the meanwhile, I reverted this addition, but not this one. The first one is of little use, and is filled with popups. The second one I mentioned above. Λυδαcιτγ 03:48, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

Great, I got two trojans/malware from youareanidiot-link (now I truly feel like an idiot). Never thought this would be possible when pressing external links in Wikipedia, but I guess I was wrong. 62.78.227.229 09:42, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Toy Story Secrets

I added the screamer "Toy Story Secrets" but it was removed. When I passed by it, I thought it was going to be one of those annoying videos about Disney subliminal messages. I clicked on it. It had images from Toy Story with the words "Subliminal Messages" over it and "You've Got a Friend in Me" playing. Suddenly a scary face pops up with a shrill scream. P.S. Please don't send me a link, I'm too scared. 68.164.88.205 (talk) 01:42, 15 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] O Mai Gah!

What happened to all the posts?!? They're...they're...gone!

Archived - see the link at the top of the page. Λυδαcιτγ 03:26, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

Why is it archived?

See Wikipedia:How to archive a talk page. Λυδαcιτγ 03:02, 24 July 2006 (UTC)

Ahem. That doesn't quite explain why you did it.

"It is customary to periodically archive a talk page when it becomes too large. Bulky talk pages are difficult to navigate and usually contain obsolete discussion. Additionally, large talk pages are a burden for users with slow Internet connections, and some users may not be able to edit pages larger than 32 kB because of browser page size limits." Λυδαcιτγ 17:45, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

I get your point now.

[edit] Another screamer reaction video

[2]

Description: A 12 year old kid (My guess of his age) got freaked out by LG's "Optical Illusions" sabotage. His reaction is funny.

To see Optical Illusions for yourself, click here.

It's a fake; the kid's acting. Look how he reacts instantaneously, as soon as it pops up on the screen, before he would have recognized anything. Λυδαcιτγ 03:41, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

I've seen that before. It's too stupid and unrealistic. -Shinobi101

It's not even that scary of an image. It's just a wee mouse. --Stevefarrell 01:08, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

A famous reaction video is of the maze . Shouldent these reaction videos be listed on the artical ?

I agree that the maze version of screamers should be included on this page. It's also a great screamer, although it's self triggered unknowingly by moving the cursor through a difficult part of the maze. I've fallen from one of these, and they're quite effective.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.48.161.4 (talk) 23:12, 7 February 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Joke program page

I felt a need for a page more about computer prank "software" rather than websites, so I started a new page called Joke program. It focuses more on the software kind of pranks.—Preceding unsigned comment added by Destin (talk • contribs)

Great work. Can I merge that article into this one? I agree that this article is heavy on online pranks, but if we add your content, it'll become a better overview of both types of pranks. Λυδαcιτγ

Hey, BlooWilt here. I just noticed the joke program part of the article is gone.

ComputerPranks.comhas a BUNCH of joke programs. --Invader TAK 18:56, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Picture

Maybe I'm just faint of heart, but upon loading the page, the image for the Screamer section of the article scared the shit out of me. Can we get a warning or something? Or at least not have the link to the article via screamer (disamiguation) link directly to that particular section..

My fault. I wanted to better illustrate the concept of 'screamers' with a picture taken from an actual screamer (in this case, Kikia, the one that started it all, and one most people will already have seen). Apologies if it scared you, but the image it replaced wasn't much tamer. --Stevefarrell 02:08, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
A warning isn't effective, since your eyes will be drawn to the picture before the text. I don't see a major need to prevent people from being slightly startled. And if you're searching for screamers, you're probably expecting scary stuff. Λυδαcιτγ 02:38, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
It did feel somewhat odd adding a warning there. I expected it would be reverted, and to be honest I'm quite glad it was. The picture isn't even that scary if you look at it for long enough. She looks slightly surprised, rather than evil. That's computer graphics for you, though. --Stevefarrell 16:09, 7 September 2006 (UTC)
Aahh! That picture! Well, it may be late at night and I'm tired, but it still freaked the hell out of me. Can we put it at the bottom of the page or something? Actually, wait. Maybe not. Do whatever you want to do. Psychade 14:34, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

That also managed to scare the guts out of me, since I've got some nice underlying traumas about the infamous whatswrong.swf. But that's only me, I s'pose. (I did be stupid and listen to it with my headphones on FULL volume...) But so, I'd vote to move it more to the bottom. -- Shadikka 19:36, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

I agree that the picture should be removed. In it's stead, we could use a screenshot of what you see before the face, subtitling it as such. Examples could be added at the bottom of the page under "External Links."

Another possibility would be keeping the image, but replacing the preview on the article page with a text link -- something like "Click here for an example of a typical screamer image." I don't know if that would be difficult to code, as I'm somewhat new here, but if it's possible, it's worth considering. It would be a good substitute for something like what this page does (scroll to the bottom).
By the way, Aucadity's assumption above -- that people who come to this page are necessarily "expecting scary stuff" -- is in error. This page is about computer pranks in general, and non-obvious links will sometimes lead to it. I got redirected from You Are An Idiot, for exa-- DAMMIT, I just paged back to check that and the stupid image got me again. Can we do something? Please? ~ CZeke 06:16, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Yes, please do get rid of it, get that other picture that isnt zoomed in so much. And what the hell by "You should expect something scary"? Wiki is used to be informative, not to be scary.

I agreee. The other picture was better. It isn't scary anymore. In fact, if you view it a lot of times, it looks cool. --BlooWilt 18:12, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

Graphic or overly startling pictures should not be used in an encyclopedic article. Being an unfortunate "victim" of one of the most disturbing and graphic screamers ever, I can attest that such images are not needed to convey the point. That is why there is an external links section. The current image from Fatal Frame is fine, but controversial/graphic images should not be used (they should be put in the external link section). It would be inappropriate and quite childish to include such images on Wikipedia, especially considering Wikipedia's already controversial status in many people's eyes. I have been with Wikipedia for quite a while and know its value to the community, and such images would be an affront to its purpose and would only attarct negative attention. The great kawa 21:45, 7 October 2006 (UTC)

"The current image from Fatal Frame" is the one we're talking about, or I was anyway. Does anyone know how to do what I suggested above, i.e. a text link in an the image box (or otherwise set off from the article) leading to the image for those who want to see it? ~ CZeke 03:41, 8 October 2006 (UTC)

Holy crap! The new picture is a lot creepier then the last one.

Bowing to the delicate sensibilities of the people on this talk page, I have hidden the image. You can now surf Wikipedia without having to be worried about shocking greyscale images of women with their mouths open. Λυδαcιτγ 00:57, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. I appreciate your doing it despite clearly finding our concerns laughable; I would have done it myself if I'd known how. ~ CZeke 01:59, 17 October 2006 (UTC)

I agree that these are silly concerns. True, if one was faint of heart or not expecting the image to be there, it would be a little bit startling, but I will say this: 1)Wikipedia is not censored. Maybe when one is adding an image to an article, they should adhere to the fact that some people may be scared shitless of a truly frightening image (not like the mildly startling one on the above referenced page),and 2)The image on this page is not even remotely as frightening as the image appearing at the top of the page in the Rubber Johnny article. In my opinion, if you want to complain about startling images, that article's talk page is a much more fitting place to do so.Schprunkel 22:40, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

P.S. I totally agree with The Great Kawa that overly frightening or disturbing images should not be used in articles, but only in talk pages or external links with warnings. Those kinds of things can put someone in therapy for years.Schprunkel 22:51, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Hey i remember that image,the grayscale picture of a girls face or something? scared me to death! it was definitely a good idea to take it down, but i've since been looking for it everywhere, if anyone has a link i'd love it if you could hook me up with it -liamjoneill@aol.com cheers!

Click "show" under "screamers". Λυδαcιτγ 20:00, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

Aaron Pepin December 7, 2006 I saw the subliminal screamer! Holy shit! But I saw it a year ago, in 8th grade. I woke up at 5, getting ready for school, and I decided to look up subliminal stuff. So I clicked on the WWW. starterupsteve.com/swf/subliminal.html I was tired, I was unaware, It was dark out, and my headphones were turned up REALLY LOUD. The first few seconds of the lords prayer I turned back, because my instincts told me not to view much more, it will be bad for you. I then wanted to see what it was. THAT SCARED THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ME! GOD DAMN! THE GUY WHO MADE THAT'S A FUCKING GENIUS. I also agree to not adding images to this page. I want to read about them, not get the shit scared out of me. Even though that picture you had at the top wasn't scary, it was startling all the same. Evey time I go to a article on wikipedia about subliminal or scary stuff, I usualy shrink the page a little, and move the page so only a quarter is seen, and scroll down to see if there is any unsettling, disturbing images that I wont enjoy.

Personally, when I saw "Click here for an example", I expected it to somehow turn Wikipedia into a screamer, and that was what made me jump. Just showing that picture is not scary. Here's a tip: six years ago, a friend of mine got me with the Where's Waldo screamer. Ever since then, unless I actually have something to listen to, I travel the interweb with the sound off. Master Deusoma 03:30, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Where can I find a link to this picture? I am dying to see it! - homerdudeasd

It can be found on youtube. Wikipedia does not do request for pointless shit.YVNP 18:13, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] A lots of links

I've roamed just about all about Wikipedia. I've noticed that lots of articles link to this one.--70.16.172.61 02:44, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

17. Λυδαcιτγ 22:55, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

Whoops. Forgot to log in. --BlooWilt 02:45, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

So? What's your point? Tskhali 17:05, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Just telling you so. --BlooWilt 16:56, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] List of Flash Pranks Page

I remember a while ago there was a page with a list of flash screamers and a description and links to the pranks. What happened to it? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 70.117.22.13 (talk) 16:14, 13 February 2007 (UTC).

Deleted: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/List of computer pranks (2nd nomination). Λυδαcιτγ 23:42, 13 February 2007 (UTC)

WHY DID IT HAD TO BE DELETED!!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.116.86.196 (talk) 05:48, 12 December 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Microsoft Windows test prank

I removed the "Microsoft Windows test prank" info, as it needs a citation per Wikipedia:Attribution. Λυδαcιτγ 19:49, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

Oh yeah. I remember seeing that prank. I was at school one day in the computer lab and I saw my friend Zach and one of my teachers, Ms. Collins laughing. I went over to see what it was. The prank reset, and I fell victim for it. Though once it told me that there was an error because I had looked at it the wrong way. --BlooWilt 00:52, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "You Are An Idiot"

I've heard various things about that prank, but nothing conclusive. The description page says it contains a hard-drive-eating Trojan horse, but that is uncited. Someone on the SiteAdvisor page for Albino Blacksheep claims he went on that site's version of the prank (the one I visited on a friend's computer) and nothing has happened to his PC.

I would like to know, is it that...

  1. ...some versions are geniunely malicious and destructive, but others aren't?
  2. ...all versions are malicious and destructive?

or

3. ...the whole thing is just a rumour/set-up? The trojan is merely fake/only mildly malicious?

My guess is either 1 or 2. However, it's been on my mind a while and I would like it cleared up. Thanks. --Anotherpongo 11:18, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

I think that the trojans it contains simply execute the prank (making tons of windows pop up), so I'd say 3. But I can't be sure. Λυδαcιτγ 14:41, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
Thinking about it, whoever wrote the description may have just been confusing "hard drive" with "CPU", meaning it will eat your processing power/RAM until there's nothing left. Any trojans may just be exploits used to execute the prank and make windows continuously pop up (and freeze your pointer). --Anotherpongo 15:20, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
According to those folks at McAfee (or, rather, their reviewers), youareanidiot-dot-org contains the trojans JS/Winbomb and JS/Offiz. --Anotherpongo 16:07, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
Apparently, JS/Winbomb continuously opens browser windows, as is described in the article. There is no mention of JS/Offiz by McAfee, however. See http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_98753.htm. --Anotherpongo 16:16, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
Ah — JS/Offiz is mentioned by Symantec. It seems very like to JS/Winbomb, but more similar to the YAAI website. It also repetitively launches browser windows, but rather than with a jpeg image in them, an swf file, probably the YAAI one. See http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2004-051713-3434-99. --Anotherpongo 16:22, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
By the way, both trojans are both listed as very low risk, so they (probably) won't erase your hard drive. It seems they are merely malicious JavaScript programs designed to attempt to crash your computer by eating up system resources when you visit one of the YAAI mirrors. --Anotherpongo 16:26, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
youareanidiot.org (the one listed on the article) when accessed via the address bar triggered my virus checker, which said it found a 'JS/Winbomb', located within a javascript file. I've also heard of a 'JS/Offiz' that this site also deploys. As is mentioned in a comment in a URL given above, "Simply a prank website, attempts to utilize exploits in IE and other browsers to successfully execute pranks such as Winbomb and Offiz. Both of these are an extremely low threat and leave no file traces on the target PC. To explain both viruses simply, trojan.offiz locks the ctrl, alt and del keys as well as creating a moving swf format image which possesses the ability to move to any point on the screen. Js/Winbomb trojan simply creates an unlimited number of browser windows with the set URL of the Netscape domain and the <title>CRASH</title>. The idea behind this is it uses up system resources and RAM. This however will not cause notable damage to the PC/OS and should not be a cause for concern." This user is somewhat wrong however; Offiz also locks F4 and gives an error message stating 'You are an idiot' whenever you press any of the locked keys. My advice? Take the link off the page, not everyone is protected. On the AlbinoBlackSheep user not being effected, I assume the viruses are deployed by the page itself, not the swf. Here are a few resources for you to check out: youareanidiot.org info JS/Winbomb info JS/Offiz info Yadaman (talk) 01:24, 11 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Anybody have a list of screamers?

I fell victim too one of these things when I was eight, I am still scared to go on the computer without friends XD. So if there was a list without any scary images could somebody post a link so I can stay Screamer Safe? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Penfoldtheshouter (talk • contribs) 23:29, 18 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] A noteable change

I removed some nonsense from the article that claimed the originators of several 'screamers' were being killed for real. Lots42 (talk) 14:34, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Ghost Car

"A popular commercial mistaken as a screamer is called 'Ghost Car'…" In what way is this video not a screamer? Just because it isn't Flash? --MQDuck 14:17, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

My guess here would be that a screamer is designed only to scare the viewer. But the Ghost Car is actually a real commercial for a corporation called K-fee. Since it serves another purpose than just scaring the viewer (in this case, selling a product), it can't be counted as a pure screamer. --Archer 90 (talk) 20:03, 21 May 2008 (UTC)