Image screensavers are nice, but eventually they use up all the images in the file and cycle. BORING!

I propose that the Google image function be used to make a screensaver. The image search would be passed a string of random characters between 3 and 6 characters long. One of the images produced will be selected an displayed in full screen mode. Perhaps there could be criteria for selection such as a certain size, so tiny images would not be used. The choice image will stay for a few seconds then disappear, never to be seen again. In case the strings passed to google do not produce an image, the current image will stay up a little longer while a second search goes on.

The google image searcher finds an amazing variety of images. The bold will allow the screen to display whatever is turned up. The timid may opt to use google's filter to screen out more lurid images.
-- bungston, Jan 11 2005

Google Image Searcher http://www.google.c...ghp?hl=en&tab=wi&q=
[bungston, Jan 11 2005]

I put 110,000 miles on one of these...... http://www.google.c...itesearch=&safe=off
.......boy, that sure was a lot of fun. [normzone, Jan 11 2005]

Here's a start http://diddly.com/random/
Warning: you can lose hours here if you aren't careful. [Worldgineer, Jan 11 2005]

Baked http://www.software...-Mz/Randomsaver.xml
Or, was baked. Couldn't download - web site says "REMOVED DUE TO COMPLAINTS FROM GOOGLE" [Worldgineer, Jan 11 2005]

Random google image on blogs http://douweosinga....s/googlerandomimage
Something I came across randomly. [tiromancer, Jan 16 2005]

WebCollage http://www.jwz.org/webcollage/
A hack (module) that comes with the popular unix xscreensaver package. Beware: this sometimes shows porn. [joee, Feb 07 2005]

I really enjoy that search tool, and I'd love to have this. Perhaps allow the image search to use words you select on a periodic basis.

"Hmmmmmm, my boss is going to be in the office today. De-select [compound curves] + [outdoor] and select [moto guzzi] + [eldorado]".
-- normzone, Jan 11 2005


You could incorporate a keystroke detector to capture things that are typed, then later use this as feed for the image searcher.
-- bungston, Jan 11 2005


I suspect that Randomsaver makes itself a file of images on your computer then displays them with a conventional screensaver. But I am not willing to pay $10 to find out.
-- bungston, Jan 11 2005


I found somewhere that still had the program cached, and installed it. The screen saver comes on with the message "Please wait... caching images", and never changes. My guess is that Google is blocking anything that this program tries to grab.
-- Worldgineer, Jan 11 2005


So unbaked? I wonder why Google would care about that.
-- bungston, Jan 11 2005


If a lot of people were to use the Randomsaver program all at once, that would bog down the search engine with no benefit to Google. (Google benefits when real people, with real eyes, view the ads on their pages.)

Still a great idea, though.
-- robinism, Jan 12 2005


Damn your diddly.com hide [Worldgineer] - that little sidetrack cost me a few hours - almost as addictive as the HB.
-- ConsulFlaminicus, Jan 12 2005


I warned you. It's only as addictive as your fascination with people. If people bore you, you'll be fine.
-- Worldgineer, Jan 12 2005


Surely it wouldn't be too hard to create a piece of software that would trawl the web itself pulling up random images? You wouldn't have the advantages of google's SafeSearch (which isn't exactly pornproof itself) but it would be fun nonetheless. How about a VB plug-in for powerpoint - anyone fancy having a go?
-- wagster, Jan 17 2005


I am sad that the random people finder at diddly.com is gone. I cannot seem to find anything else like it.
-- bungston, Sep 07 2005


I was thinking about this idea again, and wondering why Explorer is the only MS Office application for which you cannot write macros. It looks like Internet macros are available as stand alone applications. I wonder if this "screensaver" could actually just be a macro probing away at Google Image.

A google image search of a random number should be a fine way of getting lots of varying images. Easier to generate than a word and less predictable.
-- bungston, Dec 13 2005


Internet Explorer is not part of the MS Office suite, and does not include the VBA macro system used in the MSOffice modules. There are many internet-based scripting languages, however...
-- Minimal, Dec 14 2005



random, halfbakery