The Parrot
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.
Related Posts:
October 7th, 2007 at 3:13 pm (6455) [Quote]
$ fsck /dev/brain
Posted usingOctober 8th, 2007 at 12:07 pm (6462) [Quote]
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.
Posted usingOctober 8th, 2007 at 12:49 pm (6463) [Quote]
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.
Posted usingOctober 8th, 2007 at 3:43 pm (6465) [Quote]
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….
Posted usingOctober 8th, 2007 at 6:46 pm (6467) [Quote]
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.
Posted usingOctober 9th, 2007 at 9:45 am (6479) [Quote]
Yeah sorry, I should give you more credit : )
I do think I saw it on /x/ - doesn’t everything eventually trace back to 4chan?
Posted usingOctober 9th, 2007 at 10:27 am (6481) [Quote]
jambarama said:
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/?
Posted usingOctober 9th, 2007 at 11:35 am (6485) [Quote]
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.
Posted usingOctober 11th, 2007 at 1:33 am (6517) [Quote]
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?
Posted usingJanuary 13th, 2008 at 2:53 pm (7705) [Quote]
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.
Posted usingJanuary 13th, 2008 at 3:44 pm (7706) [Quote]
@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
Posted usingMarch 26th, 2008 at 8:52 am (8604) [Quote]
Looking at that picture actually gave me a headache…
Posted usingApril 4th, 2008 at 11:41 pm (8680) [Quote]
Adam - me too. Maybe it’s not entirely a load of ****?
Posted usingApril 5th, 2008 at 11:41 am (8681) [Quote]
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…
Posted usingApril 5th, 2008 at 5:20 pm (8682) [Quote]
OMG Adam! You gonna die! LOL
You’ll be fine. I posted this in October and I’m still around, doing great.
Posted usingApril 6th, 2008 at 6:42 am (8687) [Quote]
Yeah I feel fine now, probably a negative placebo effect or somthing (nocebo effect?)
Posted usingBTW, why the hell am I the only Opera user? I’m surprised no-one else uses it…
April 6th, 2008 at 3:51 pm (8688) [Quote]
There are more Opera users on this blog. Just not in this thread it seems.
Posted usingApril 7th, 2008 at 12:17 am (8692) [Quote]
Because we like good browsers?
Posted usingApril 7th, 2008 at 12:25 am (8693) [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.
Posted usingApril 7th, 2008 at 12:37 am (8694) [Quote]
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
Posted usingApril 7th, 2008 at 12:55 am (8698) [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.
Posted usingMay 28th, 2008 at 10:31 am (9163) [Quote]
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
Posted usingMay 30th, 2008 at 9:29 am (9175) [Quote]
I’m fine, you don’t see me slumped dead over the keybo-
Posted usingMay 30th, 2008 at 10:13 am (9176) [Quote]
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-
Posted usingMay 30th, 2008 at 11:10 am (9181) [Quote]
Who said that you had to be alive to post, eh?
Cursor was on the post button, nose fell on my mouse.
Posted usingBy the way, who’s c-
May 30th, 2008 at 11:15 am (9182) [Quote]
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-
Posted usingJune 18th, 2008 at 2:50 am (9399) [Quote]
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.
Posted usingJuly 25th, 2008 at 8:56 pm (9705) [Quote]
I’m a professional web developer for a US National Lab. I
Posted usingJuly 25th, 2008 at 11:03 pm (9706) [Quote]
LOL. I guess KaisRar died before he could finish the sentence, and in his death throes managed to hit the “post” button.
Posted usingJuly 26th, 2008 at 6:00 am (9707) [Quote]
Woo! Another Opera user!
Posted usingWait… They’re dead…
July 30th, 2008 at 8:54 pm (9738) [Quote]
Guys, Candlejack’s an old tired meme that stopped being funny a long ti
Posted usingAugust 6th, 2008 at 1:54 am (9786) [Quote]
BTW wtf happened to /b/? Was Candlejack responsi
Posted usingAugust 19th, 2008 at 11:46 am (9913) [Quote]
You guys are doing it wrong, there’s no dash after saying Candlejack’s na
Posted using