If you look at this image, and read the text below it, you will shit bricks:
Btw, those of you who follow /dev/random have probably seen this image last weekend. You might have found it amusing, disturbing or anything in between. I find it an awesome reference to David Langford’s work.
If you are confused as to the contents of the image read the two short texts by Langford available online: BLIT and comp.basilisk FAQ or pick up his book Different Kinds of Darkness.
Langford came up with an idea of a basilisk – a kind of image, which when viewed will “crash” human brain by provoking thoughts that are physically and logically impossible to think. The image above seems to be artists rendition of The Parrot – Langford’s very first basilisk he labeled B-1 in his stories. You have to admit it seems a bit creepy to look at. 
I have no clue who made this and I would love to give the author full credit. Let me know if you find the source.
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/dev/random
$ fsck /dev/brain
You do realize this image isn’t really what it claims to be right? It won’t “reboot” your brain, or anything. I guess to be clearer, “Langford Basilisks” are an invention in a science fiction short story, as such they don’t exist – even when featured on /x/ at 4chan.
Of course I do. This is why I posted links to Langford’s short story, and his mockup comp.basilisk FAQ page.
Come on!
I read his short story “Different Kinds Of Darkness” few months ago in a SF magazine and then forgot about it, and forgot Langford’s name. I liked it, but I didn’t know that this was a recurring theme in his stories. Then I found this image on one of those radom LJ image pages and though it was a really cool idea.
It just seemed a really interesting idea. I mean if something like that existed we would all be fucked. So I decided to look up some of the terms in that writeup to see if I can find some more info about it – like if it’s based on some real science. Within first two hits I got references back to that short story and went “doh”!
When I read the story, I couldn’t really imagine how that damn thing would look. I think whoever created this image did a really good job – it does in fact look a bit like a parrot, and it is kinda creepy to look at.
Hmm… So you’re saying that it surfaced at /x/? I’m wondering what is the actual original source.
This — thanks to the magic of Google Alerts, still watching for mentions of Different Kinds of Darkness — is the first I knew of the “real” Parrot. Thanks. I feel as though I have become folklore….
Welcome Mr. Langford! I can take no credit for that pic – I found it on a random image site. But I think it’s actually better than what I imagined when reading your stories.
Yeah sorry, I should give you more credit : )
I do think I saw it on /x/ – doesn’t everything eventually trace back to 4chan?
[quote comment="6479"]I do think I saw it on /x/ – doesn’t everything eventually trace back to 4chan?[/quote]
Well, I think everything eventually ends up at 4chan so yeah.
So since this image was posted on /x/ I must ask a question: would rule 34 on “The Parrot” be more or less deadly? Also, how long until said rule is posted on /b/?
Lets hope there is never rule 34 on “the parrot.” In fact, the fewer rule 34s the better.
That said, I’m sure it exists on 4chan already, though I’ll be it gets threaded in the /x/ thread rather than a new one in /b/ where people won’t know what the heck “the parrot” is.
I want a cracker! Right Now! (But I don’t even like crackers..) still, I want a cracker! (No, I don’t..) Yes, yes I do.. I want a cracker! What’s happening to me?
I dunno where it was created, but I found it on that asshole of the internet, 4chan. On /x/. Of course it’s bullshit, but bricks were shat anyway.
I find most of my creepy/funny/misc. images on the *chans, where most of the content seeps in from other sites. The melting pot of image folders.
Those short creepy stories are known as “creepypasta”, and there are a lot of them floating around.
@Flameviper – most of creepypasta is crappy. That said, few did freak me out when I read them at 4am in the morning, alone in the house with all the lights off save my desk lamp an the computer monitor. lol
Looking at that picture actually gave me a headache…
Adam – me too. Maybe it’s not entirely a load of ****?
Even weirder, a few days later, I felt mentally drained for no reason whatsoever and ever since my sight has been going weird now and again, like I can see things but not pick up on them…
OMG Adam! You gonna die! LOL
You’ll be fine. I posted this in October and I’m still around, doing great.
Yeah I feel fine now, probably a negative placebo effect or somthing (nocebo effect?)
BTW, why the hell am I the only Opera user? I’m surprised no-one else uses it…
There are more Opera users on this blog. Just not in this thread it seems.
Because we like good browsers?
[quote post="1992"]Because we like good browsers?[/quote]
Don’t be so quick to dismiss Opera. It’s rendering engine is actually faster than gecko, and it is the only browser on the market right now which passes the Acid2 test.
A few things:
1) I wasn’t aware ANY broweser passed the ACID2 test. So I guess kudos are in order.
2) Opera has a extension feature (i think they call them widgets?) but nothing with the vast numbers of addons you can get with Firefox
3) Firefox is an open source project and has lots of cool offspring (hello flock, and songbird)
4) Firefox doesn’t charge for advanced support
5) People don’t code their websites to the ACID2 standards, they code them to the firefox standards (to be honest)
6) If you want to get a “non firefox browser” get Safari, which while it has issues with some javascript, its wicked fast and clean.
More to come if need be
[quote post="1992"]5) People don’t code their websites to the ACID2 standards, they code them to the firefox standards (to be honest)[/quote]
There is no such thing as “Firefox standards” – they only exist in an imaginary universe that exists solely in the head of Joel Spolsky. Anything that does not conform to w3c is not standard by default.
Anyways, whatever website works in Firefox should work in Opera, but not vice versa.
You are right on all the other counts. No other browser has the community or the plugin library comparable to what we have in Firefox.
Oh, and imho Opera > Safari but then again to each its’ own.
I saw the image and I’m mildly shitting myself, and I did feel a little dazed after I saw it…
Hopefully I will be fine, but I hate this sort of thing
I’m fine, you don’t see me slumped dead over the keybo-
But how did you post it if you died in mid sentence. This kind of stuff only happens when Candlejack kidnaps you, because he actually clicks the “post” button after h-
Who said that you had to be alive to post, eh?
Cursor was on the post button, nose fell on my mouse.
By the way, who’s c-
Candlejack is a meme. If you say his name, he will kidnap you and hit post on whatever you were writing at the time just for shits and gig-
I viewed the image, and I’m still alive. Maybe I’ll print a few of these out, and leave them lying around just to freak people out a bit.
I’m a professional web developer for a US National Lab. I
LOL. I guess KaisRar died before he could finish the sentence, and in his death throes managed to hit the “post” button.
Woo! Another Opera user!
Wait… They’re dead…
Guys, Candlejack’s an old tired meme that stopped being funny a long ti
BTW wtf happened to /b/? Was Candlejack responsi
You guys are doing it wrong, there’s no dash after saying Candlejack’s na
[...] still scares me The Parrot « Terminally Incoherent Look at the picture then read the text or the effect is spoiled. It is NOT a screamer. [...]