Cruel blue screen of death prank with revolting ASCII goatse

Make contributor Joe Grand (aka "Kingpin") shows his BSODomizer (www.bsodomizer.com) prank gadget in action. Complete plans are available or you can buy an assembled unit for $79.

What is BSODomizer?

BSODomizer is a small, battery-powered, mischievous electronic gadget that interfaces between a laptop or desktop and VGA monitor and flashes images onto the monitor at random time intervals or when triggered by an infrared remote control. When used to display a fake BSOD (Blue Screen of Death), the user will become confused and turn off his or her machine. Over and over again. Legitimate uses of the BSODomizer include monitor/projector/video calibration or a simple timer to remind the user to take a break from sitting in front of the computer. Various configuration settings are selected via on-board DIP switches. Created by Joe Grand (aka Kingpin) and Zoz.

If you have any video or pictures of BSODomy in action, be sure to let us know and we can post things on this page or link to your site. Have fun!

Welcome to BSODomizer

[#1 posted by Mackenzie , November 1, 2008 11:47 AM]

I give this film a 6.

The storyline was cliche. Also the SF element of the film could also be achieved by installing Windows NT 4.0 Workstation from 3 floppies and a CD. This is actually a D- movie.

[#2 posted by Anonymous , November 1, 2008 11:57 AM]

Why a battery? You can get enought power over the VGA cable.

[#3 posted by obeyken , November 1, 2008 12:21 PM]

That was a very mean joke they played on Ze Frank.

[#4 posted by Sijay , November 1, 2008 1:07 PM]

Shouldn't BB have a GOATSE tag by now?

[#5 posted by bcsizemo , November 1, 2008 1:13 PM]

I love the line: "And then I was being brown holed by some ascii art..."

That's a classic.

[#6 posted by Adam C , November 1, 2008 1:29 PM]

Why don't they show this great prototype on "Prototype This"?

[#7 posted by Boxthor , November 1, 2008 2:38 PM]

So it's like installing a prank software, except it leaves $80 physical evidence.

I like it though.

[#8 posted by Pipenta , November 1, 2008 3:24 PM]

I couldn't make it to the prank. Couldn't endure the endless bad camera work.

[#9 posted by seanfish , November 1, 2008 4:01 PM]

That one guy's geek laugh had me cringing so much.

[#10 posted by ed_g , November 1, 2008 4:37 PM]

poor hair.

[#11 posted by Jack , November 1, 2008 4:54 PM]

I thought the dot-com-boom culled our ranks of their ilk.

[#12 posted by OM , November 1, 2008 7:34 PM]

...BSOD jokes are old. What you do to *REALLY* frack with the victim and their IT g00bers is to produce a RED Screen of Death. That conbefuddles the hell out of them, and they're lost for hours trying to track down what it means!

[#13 posted by Anonymous , November 2, 2008 8:24 AM]

meh. I'm still trying to remember where that music is from!!

[#14 posted by Anonymous , November 2, 2008 8:28 AM]

Computers, power tools, and an view of the lake... I wouldn't mind being BSODimized every day if it meant I could work there.

[#15 posted by Adam C , November 2, 2008 10:29 AM]

Not a lake, San Francisco Bay.

[#16 posted by adamnvillani , November 2, 2008 1:52 PM]

The music is from "Frogger."

The humor is from junior high.

[#17 posted by zikman , November 2, 2008 8:40 PM]

those two guys got so much pleasure out of such a lame joke

[#18 posted by Cool Products , November 3, 2008 6:58 AM]

Who would pay $80 in order to pull off a mildly amusing prank? That name is great though.

[#19 posted by jplkeekif , November 3, 2008 3:48 PM]

A revolting ASCII image? Bah. This prank was pretty lame, and sadly could have been easily achieved with the old BSOD screen saver