A memo to the internet:

We get it. You are concentrating on something, reading something, listening to something and YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH blares over your speakers while the image of the girl from the Exorcist, Chucky, Hellraiser, or something similar pops up on your screen.

Yes, we've all been freaked out by them. My favorite is the one that starts with a promo poster for the Exorcist, with the girl staring straight at you... it's kinda uneasy...

And the BOOM a picture of a nice relaxing beach flies onto the screen. Yes, it still scares the crap out of you.

So please internet, I've been falling victim to these horrible things for the better part of a decade since they first came out. I've been pinched by three very clever ones this year - one with a scrolldown story of a guy who killed the world's largest bear. Apparently not even regular scrolldown emails are safe anymore. Also I was nailed by a video of a girl getting freaked out by the maze (which got me last year) and crying and nearly having a heart attack. Apparently they are getting sophisticated enough so that even if you scroll forward to "test" the video, it's still hidden until you actually watch it.

The third one was me simply falling prey to an early Halloween email prank by our very own Tann'Talas. At least that one was original and live action (a bicyclist drew your attention while a guy in a suit and mask jumped up from below the camera.)

When will this perverse pastime find it's end? Will our iphones soon deliver Tazer shocks? Software secretly implant itself only to deliver the jump scare when we next boot our computer up? I admit I was caught once about 8 years ago when I downloaded a Diablo (the original) screen saver and icon pack and installed it.

Guess what? The last thing you see as you power down is the ugly mug of Diablo himself giving a laugh and the words "See you next time." Touche Blizzard...

As if that wasn't enough, I'm treated to the exact same thing upon powering back UP! I truly do fear for the future. Somewhere someone is going to actually die because of these things. At least some people are nice enough to put up warnings that people with heart trouble and kids shouldn't watch. Of course that sort of ruins the scare, so not many people are being nice.

Until then, always remember to read your youtube comments first, test scroll it if possible, and never, EVER turn your speakers to max when prompted to. Oh, and don't trust anyone, ESPECIALLY around Halloween and Valentine's day, where all the particularly cruel and mushy ones seem to arise.

This PSA has been brought to you by Bobbo, your friendly neighborhood scaremaster.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Coool.......

To hardcode one of them into the post is way to tempting.

I'll refrain.

Or will I?














































Yeah I guess I will.

That reflection in the window... that's me!

hehe

Geez, Almerin. Don't scare me like that.

A ghostly Dutchman is haunting my thread!!!

*runs*

You're right. I never noticed that.