The screensaver modifies the users screen and sets the background to the appropriate homeland security level color with helpful information about the security level.
Additional news information and warnings sent from the US Department of Homeland Security flash on the screen to inform the user of pending risks as well as appropriate levels of preparation to each homeland security level change so that people can purchase appropriate supplies like duct tape, bottled water, etc.
(The screen saver tool could also issue AMBER alerts by flashing amber).-- dhousman, Jan 20 2005 Homeland Security software http://www.hewgill.com/threat/No screensaver, but you can have a little duck tape icon that changes colors. [Worldgineer, Jan 20 2005] at the third stroke... http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/...the Current Level of Terror in America will be...in the top right-hand corner [zen_tom, Jan 21 2005] ..and with a usb connected percodan dispenser to counter each threat with an appropriate dose, we might even come to love danger!-- JungFrankenstein, Jan 20 2005 I thought we countered danger with plastic wrap and duct tape?-- gardnertoo, Jan 20 2005 ...with a little counter showing the number of 'insurgents' killed? I wanna know where my tax dollars are going! 15,360 and counting... Yay!-- not_only_but_also, Jan 21 2005 I was going to suggest the terror alert dancing banana, but I see it's been taken down. Shame.-- waugsqueke, Jan 21 2005 Even better, we can have it keep a couple ports open ready to zip a note off to the nsa or the fbi whenever you type the words 'gun' 'president' or 'wayne gretzky' at anypoint within your day.. It could even share this data p2p network and calculate this to dynamicly update everyone elses threat alert.-- photojunkie, Jan 21 2005 [UB] your government doesn't have to keep an eye on when your fellow citizens can do it so much better and report any 'suspicious activities' you might be engaging in.-- zen_tom, Jan 21 2005 [Note to self: the target knows too much.]-- Detly, Jan 21 2005 I've never really understood the homeland security colo(u)r code of fear thing. I mean what are you supposed to do, hide under the table if it all goes mauve. Help me out here my transatlantic compadres.-- etherman, Jan 21 2005 Thanks for posting this on inauguration day. Croissant!-- luxlucet, Jan 21 2005 [etherman] It's to condition people to become accustomed to a permanent state of war and low-level fear and panic.-- hippo, Jan 21 2005 But what are you supposed to do? Stay in the house and freak out?-- etherman, Jan 21 2005 I guess you are supposed to flick your curtains or do that thing you can only do with venetian blinds (does that action have a name?) and keep an eye on any swarthy or otherwise unAmerican looking neighbours - and then stay in and freak out.-- zen_tom, Jan 21 2005 Ah right. You know the crazy woman that lived in your street/village/block. You know the one, smelt funny, stayed in all the time, twitched the curtains/blinds etc. Is the US gonna become an entire nation of such curtain twitching weirdo's?-- etherman, Jan 21 2005 Salem witch hunt redux?-- FarmerJohn, Jan 21 2005 This idea should be expanded into an entire "terror dashboard." I'm talking terrorism 24/7. It would fly off the shelves.
Among the things the program would include would be live updates on news, live casualty and death toll reporting, animated battle scenarios, on the ground footage, you name it.
The opening sequence will be Bush, Condi Rice, and Rumsfeld doing the pose from Charlie's Angels.-- Blumster, Jan 21 2005 Sounds a lot like Sky News 24.-- wagster, Jan 21 2005 //But what are you supposed to do? Stay in the house and freak out?//
Staying in the house is a good idea. Freaking out is not. Originally I was dead set against this gauge for a couple reasons; One being that it comes with no general course of action. The military knows exactly what to do when levels change. Also, it was suggested at one point that it be used to concatenate military defense conditions. Fortunately, that idea was fishboned. It took me a while to see the value of this public indicator for what it is, which is as hippo says, but it makes sense. As for wanting it as a screensaver... I’d say that’s sufficiently paranoid enough to say that you are a victim of terrorism. It changes very infrequently.-- Shz, Jan 22 2005 While unemployed, and now mostly homebound, at times I'm frightened enough, (that old free floating anxiety thing); I really would not like this.
I would trust the Easter Bunny to do a better job alerting the American public of a possible homeland security breach, since 9/11.
For the levels, I'm leaning more towards pastels. Decided by Captain Kangaroo, Ronald McDonald, my mom, and any random player from the New England Patriots. My guess is, their guess is, as good as "their" guess is.-- blissmiss, Jan 22 2005 If the homeland security level changed alot in 10 minutes, going from safe to danger then back to safe then back to danger and the colors changed accordingly, would their be any danger of epilepsy with this screensaver?-- MrDaliLlama, Jan 22 2005 (Angel falsetto choir), Everything's gonna be alright.
Everything's gonna be alright.
I believe how it's done is by way of listening to intuitive people on the fringe; discordant voices like mine; we'll be the first know, like last time. What a feeling it was that week before 9/11. I sent e-mails to Canadian politicians of my fears of an attack months before it happened, I didn't know where. I wanted the gatling gun emplacements/Exocet knockout technology around the large Canadian city I was living in at the time. Go figure.
Now that I know how to get a hold of all you next time, I'll let you know.-- mensmaximus, Jan 22 2005 I like the Amber Alert part of the idea.-- ellens, Oct 19 2005 Yes! because more senseless fear is a good thing!-- Voice, Apr 21 2008 Probably only [Ian Tindale] will know what I'm talking about when I say "Mac OS X Dashboard". But anyway, there was a Dashboard Widget that did basically this. It didn't change the background, but it provided an indicator on your Dashboard.-- notexactly, Apr 19 2018 random, halfbakery