[Slack64-cur] xscreensaver "Lament" weird effect: viewer (me) being sucked into cube!
 

Heh, I wasn't sure if I should post this in [Slackware] or [Linux-Desktop] or [Linux-Software] so here it is:

I have been using the "Lament" OpenGL screensaver more than any other, ever since I have been using Linux (couple years now..)

This is the xscreensaver which shows the 'Hellraiser Puzzle-Cube' in the center of the screen, slowly rotating randomly, and opening & closing its various hatches & mechanical parts. I like it-- it's simple, yet cool.

Anyhow, a few days ago, out of the corner of my eye while I wasn't paying attention, I thought I saw some weird flash on the screen, and it struck me as something that wasn't normal, either with this screensaver or just in general. As I wasn't really paying attention, so didn't really catch it, I didn't identify it as anything in particular.

Now, a few minutes ago, it happened again! And I managed to detect it and LQQK at the screen fast enough to see it:

The side of the cube showing towards me, was the side where the 4 flaps open, like 4 envelope flaps opening, to form a square hole in the box; each side of the hole has a triangular flap opened up, and it's dark inside. When the flaps close, their tips meet in the center of the panel, and the hole is gone.

But this time, the flaps opened, and... They didn't close! The darned cube started zooming, slowly at first, then faster, directly outwards towards me, as though I were falling downwards, into the open cube!?!?! Then there was no cube on that screen.

As I said, I've been using this screensaver a LONG time, and this is not, AFAIK, part of its routine. :scratch:

After this bizarre episode, there is no longer a cube on the screen (the other cube is still running as normal on the second monitor) until I jiggle the mouse or something, at which point a password box appears; if I let the password box expire, the screensaver starts fresh & normal again.

That I know of, this has only ever happened twice to me, both times are those which I explain here.

Anyone else ever seen this?

System relevants:
Slack64-current, up to date.
2x nVidia 7200/7300GS PCI-E cards
nVidia binary driver; 185.18.31

Sasha

That sounds... really, really mindfucky. I'm watching your screensaver in xscreensaver-demo with the framerate slider turned up all the way (1300-2300 FPS... hehehe), and not seeing the effect you describe. We're talking about it doing something coherent, right, not just bugging out? If it were vertices ending up miles away from where they should be, I'd suggest bad VRAM, but if it just did something different... maybe the programmer threw in a little something special to mess with you. :) There's an email address if you want to ask him/her (it's a Jamie) whether it ever does that.

Nope, there's no video corruption, no vertexes screwed up, nothing like that.. Just, as though the cube decided to come towards me as though it were going to swallow me up!! :O

Thanks for the tip about the email address; I hadn't though of that. Will do :)

Sasha

PS - they sure did put in ample time between events, if it's a 'special something'

Emailed the Author...

I'm curious now; if s/he gets back to you, post it here.

Nintendo did something in this vein with the download screens for DLC for the Wii. Yeah, it's a long time, but that's the point. If I were making screensavers, I could see myself making something unusual happen every 10,000,000 frames or something - then I could entertain myself Googling for people confused about it. :)

We're waiting for you, Sasha...
http://images1.fanpop.com/images/pho...9-1024-768.jpg

Wicked ;) looks like wallpaper material! Must investigate its usability.

Had it running a few times, not seen that effect. But man lament says:
So that could be it. Be careful!!!

http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian...utterball.html

Humm, lol... Could be! Are you implying I'm one of these hellish theologians, and I've been admitted to the inner realm?!? :D

Sasha

PS - Haven't heard back from the author yet.

Oh no, you're far too nice to be a hellish theologian. But are they any worse than LQ Mods? :D

Got this from your link:

I use that screen saver on a regular basis as well. I've never seen that happen, but I wasn't looking for it either. I'll have to stare at my monitor for a while. :)

Yeah, get every member of LQ to run it for 12 hours at least and never take their eyes off the monitor for a second. :)

That sounds painful but we can give it a shot. Are you the first volunteer? :D

Yeah, I got that too, when I first tried to go to the site directly from a Google search. I have safebrowsing totally disabled, both in-browser, AND on Google preferences, and it still threw that crap at me.

I just put the URL in directly and went there anyways. It's a neat site.

Maybe not a brilliant idea to visit from a Win machine ;) unless you're about to migrate to Lin :)

Sasha

Errr, no. I always try to avoid volunteering for anything. :)
Been running it again, but the four triangular flaps are never facing directly outwards. It must have to go through x cycles before that happens - then you get that effect, presumably. I suppose we could find out from the source code.

Y'all might be waiting a LONG, long, long, long time. It only happened for me after a few years of using the saver!

Well, I'm definitely not staying awake for years staring at my monitor. Even my craziness has limits. :D

Got a reply!! This is deeeep:
 

:confused: So, I heard back from the author of 'Lament' today, as follows:


From: Jamie Zawinski <--->
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:50:38 -0300
This message is not encrypted, and is not digitally signed.

Lol, whaddya make of that!?!? :scratch:
Sasha

Is it a quote from the film/book?

Yes, it is:
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0008734/quotes
From Hellraiser II.

Looks like a quote from Helraiser II.

http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0008734/quotes

edit: ahh, I see brian beat me to it. nevermind.

Haha, I'd say that means the author is a clever bastard and probably gets an email like this every month or so. Enjoy your Easter egg. :)

Slackraiser: Slackware 13 (2009)
 

Slackraiser: Slackware 13 (2009)

PatV: Your suffering will be legendary, even on LQ!

PatV: Ah, no more CD box-sets, Sasha?
BrianL: No more teasing, Sasha, it's time to play.
PatV: Time to play...
Sasha: Wait!
PatV: No more deals child, it is your flesh we want to experience, not your skill at bargaining.
Sasha: No deals, just information, just information!
PatV: Go on... but trick us again child, and your suffering will be legendary even on LQ!
PatV: [Sasha hands PatV a picture of Nylex] What's this?...
[looks at picture]
PatV: Someone else you think escaped us, like Sycamorex?
Sasha: He didn't escape, he's you!
PatV: [pauses] Nonsense, I...
Sasha: It is you! You weren't always this way, you were Sycamorex once. You were all human! Remember your fear, your confusion!
BrianL: Enough!
PatV: [to BrianL] Wait!... I remember...

PatV: Ah, Sasha. We thought we lost you.
BrianL: So sweet of you to come back.
PatV: How can Slackware 13 send us back, child? It's almost here... and so are you!
[PatV transforms Slackware 12.2 into Slackware 13]
Sasha: I didn't open the CD box-set!
BrianL: "Didn't open the box-set." And what was it last time, "Didn't know what the box-set was?" And yet, we do keep finding each other, don't we?
PatV: Oh, Sasha. So eager to play, so reluctant to admit it.
BrianL: Perhaps you're teasing us. Are you teasing us?
Sasha: I've come for my copy of Slackware 13!
[the Slackware developers laugh at that]
PatV: But it is in limbo, child, and quite unreachable.
Sasha: I don't believe you!
PatV: But it's true. It is in limbo, just as you are on LQ!
Sasha: And what about you?
PatV: We have no more surprises.
BrianL: We've always been here.
PatV: But please, feel free, explore. We have eternity to dangle Slackware 13 before you.

PatV: It is not hands that summon us. It is desire for Slackware 13!

Very good, Sasha. Clever stuff. :hattip:

Thank you :) -- does this mean I'm insane!??! Or just restless....

Possibly both. :)

Hey, Sasha, I've been looking at that quotes page again and just realised you've made me the female Cenobite. Cheeky!

LOL -- Cheeky indeed!
I couldn't figure out who (else) might be female here, and be so relevant to the "Big Fun Sweepstakes.." situation, so I figured you would fit the bill!! :)

I'll forgive you. I'd have to shave my beard off if I started cross-dressing.

Ehh, well depending on what part of town you live in, you may get away with keeping the beard ;)

Yeah. Anything goes, these days.
I haven't seen Hellraiser for ages, went looking for the DVD yesterday - no luck in Oldham, but all the sequels were available. Wasn't sure if they were any good, so didn't buy any. I'll try in Manchester tomorrow. I read the book it was based on years ago, too: "The Hellbound Heart", lent it someone and never got it back - so I bought that again. I'd already started rereading another of Clive Barker's: "The Damnation Game", which I recommend to anybody interested in that genre.

Some munchkins have too much time on their hands. ;)

True, Bruce, but what better way to fill the idle hours? That's what Slacking is all about. :)