WebCollageX

Name: WebCollageX
Rating: 3.5625 (5 reviews)

0.9

07 June 2004

Screen Saver that uses randomly chosen words.

Overview

WebcollageX is a screen saver that uses randomly chosen words to prime search engines. It composites the images it finds into a 'non-stop pop-culture brainbath' -- a cross-section of the entire web. In test runs I've seen doctored billboard ads, Marilyn Monroe, flooded midwestern towns, smiling and floodflash-lit second-place swim teams, people's diapered kids on tricycles, on and on.

This is a release for wider testing. I have a few feature additions scheduled, and please do send comments.

10 WebCollageX Reviews

Kudos to you for bringing this to the Mac! I just "discovered" this little gem on my (newly repurposed) Linux box and immediately came looking for it. 2 questions though.... 1) where and how long are the pictures stored? Will I have to worry about some folder slowly growing to gargantuan sizes? 2) I'm no programmer by any stretch of the imagination, but I love poking around. I did so in the original perl script on the Linux box. (Ok, I was reading the comments...) I see he had included some filtering based on number of keywords included on the pages scanned. (To cut down on sites that flood search engines, etc... mostly porn) I've noticed that much more porn comes though in your version, is it just luck? I'm not asking for porn filtering, a little here and there is ok, but I am getting a lot more on the Mac than I am on the Linux box. Did you include those keyword filters? Thanks again, awesome job so far!

Version 0.9

3 answer(s)

Anonymous

28 January 2005

It's identical! But I've found sometimes there is a ton of porn, and sometimes none at all. Very odd.

Version 0.9

Anonymous

28 January 2005

Oh, and re: 1 they are stored nowhere, except perhaps in Cocoa's network cache just like any other web images (and flushed automatically). So no worries there -- though I am thinking of adding a 'record' option.

Version 0.9

Madman459

24 September 2006

Oh NO!! Ok, I know you haven't updated this screensaver in forever, but it's time. I just installed it on my new MacBook and I get the following error: Can't Load Screensaver You cannot use the screen saver WebCollageX on this computer. Contact the developer of this software for a newer version. Dratit... my favorite screensaver shot down. Any chances we'll see an update for the MacIntel? Please? :-)

Version 0.9

Wondering why no one gives a comment on that charming peace of code? I love random things happening, so i do like this saver a lot...my desire for next version (if there will ever happen to be one): free choice of picture search terms and probably some kind of a pr0n filter. Nice One!

Version 0.9

The link is active again; sorry. As for the other comments re: scaling, distribution, etc: see my features-to-be-added list!

Version 0.9

Great screen saver, just a few things... One, i noticed if the password protect feature is used and, for whatever reason, a password isn't entered when the dialouge box pops up the screen saver stops displaying images... at least on my machine Two, Would really love some control over placement and scaling of the pictures.. half the time the image is half or more off screen and/or the image is scaled down to such a size that it's unrecognizable or unnoticable on appearance. These two issues together make it seem that for several minutes little to no change is taking place. A bound to screen and/or maximum/minimum scaling option in the saver options would be nice Other then those few nitpicks I love it. eerytime it runs some image pops up that makes me go "i've got to find that site." or "I wonder where that came from?"

Version 0.9

1 answer(s)

Anonymous

28 October 2004

Re: images half off the screen. I did this because otherwise the distribution doesn't 'look' right. I may move them a little more toward the center, but if I forced them to fit, it just looked imbalanced.

Version 0.9

Already-present features: - Multiple screens - Saves cache of image URLs it has found but not used. - filters ads (JWZ's code) Upcoming additions: - Save a screen grab at stop and put it up at start. - Expose option to use 'driftnet', which will eavesdrop on your local network and show images from what your co-workers are surfing unencrypted. Requires driftnet. - better scaling of images (still fine-tuning the distribution) - Option to create a 'log' of web pages with thumbnails linked to the original source of images. Not going to be added, methinks: - ability to restrict search to one site/to avoid porn/to favor porn (all requests I've gotten, thanks -- but feel free to modify it to do so yourself.) - Option to grab a screen shot (use Apple's built-in, or the fantastic Grab by Ambrosia SW.) - Option to grab the last image at a keypress (see above log)

Version 0.9

Hi - thanks for the reviews! Please do let me know of any issues that develop. Drop me an email and I'll let you know when the full version releases, which will be after a two-month hiatus. Re: filters: While I appreciate the requests of users, whether they are conserving fruit, fresh water, or the sanctity of Tommy and Janes' minds everwhere, I will not be adding any filters at all beyond the already extant ad filter; it's contrary to the point of the exercise. This product is not appropriate or intended for anyone who doesn't want to see porn, or worse, skinny guys in wifebeaters posing next to their IROCs. (shudder). If this matters to you, I'd suggest you not download the screen saver. Or make a filtered version yourself--which would be trivial to do. The source code is available on my site.

Version 0.9

Is it wrong to love this screen saver? I keep hoping against all hope that a picture from my website will appear. (I do agree with the poster below and suggest that the author add an option to enable the family filter.) I'd have to turn off the family filter for anything from my site to appear. ;)

Version 0.9

1 answer(s)

Joshua Marker

08 June 2004

I'm glad you like it. If you have any suggestions for features other than those outlined, drop me a line.

Version 0.9

this screensaver will generate x-rated photographs. not for families.

Version 0.9

2 answer(s)

Anonymous

08 June 2004

Sir/Madam; While I don't really care about the rating my software gets here, I think this is interesting and, IMO, a problem with prudishness/porn/lascivity (depending on how your perspective) frequently displayed by the conservative mindset. The software did what it claimed: showed you random swathes of the internet. You didn't like some of what you saw -- but that doesn't have anything to do with whether the software performed correctly. The mistake was not in the software, but in your failure to consider what would result from your use of it. I appreciate your explicit comment about the nature of the web -- and thank you; I should have been more clear, to prevent surprises from users who didn't think through just what would be on the web -- but your remark should have been just that, a simple remark.

Version 0.9

Anonymous

28 January 2005

PS - it doesn't _generate_ porn. The porn exists, just like books and the process of evolution. It displays porn that already exists (and is freely available).

Version 0.9