For a few months now, I have been experiencing something very odd with my computer. I use a mac laptop and it has been talking to me. Talking might not be the right word actually; shouting out would be more appropriate. When I least expected it, a very desperate, scary voice would come out of the speakers yelling in the most terrifying way; "Oh my god, no way!"To begin with, I ignored it. I even thought at first that I imagined it. It used to happen only a couple of times a week at first, but then it started to happen almost every day. That strange sentence gave me the chills. Finally I decided to investigate.
There could be several possibilities explaining the source. The worst one would be that my computer has been infected with a virus or spy-ware. That thought was definitely a very unpleasant one. Another possibility could be some strange adds that would pop up in the windows opened in my browser. Those "interactive" ones, that so often startle me. Those that will start talking or playing music, as soon as the mouse cursor runs over them. I have even experienced one that was truly surreal; each time my cursor passed the add, a slapping sound could be heard and the face of a man shown in the add looked as if it has been beaten up. Although it amused me to begin with, I found it quiet quickly terribly distasteful. It was an add for a car dealership; I guess they must be getting desperate with the decline in their sales.
But back to the scary voice. Finally, last week, I did one sensible thing left to do: a google search. And behold, many out there have been experiencing the exact problems with the computers shouting out this odd sentence. And the culprit is a "Smiley Add". A pop up add that appears on my webmail, advertising for a site where one can download animated smileys. The funny thing is that the voice is not triggered by the cursor, so how it comes on remains a mystery to me. One, which I have to accept and live with, as well as the annoying sound. Or the alternative is to stop checking my email.
15 comments:
I have had this annoying "smiley" pop-up on my own computer, too. It is so loud when it sneaks(you chose the perfect word-"startle") up on you, but luckily, it isn't too often that I have to encounter it.
Who unleashed this creepy and annoying thing on the world, anyway?
Thankfully I haven't experienced this "smiley" pop-up yet - but I will certainly be aware of it from now on.
Why does everything in the media have to be so load and shouty - very annoying.
x
That would irritate me too after a while! Hopefully another bigger, but quieter pop up will mysteriously come along and gobble it up.
Haha! Ive experienced the same thing before and it wasnt very nice. I had on my headphones and was listening to music when that annoying voice came on! I seriously thought it was some kind of subliminal message from the song I was listening to.. haha..
ps
Thank you very much for the encouraging words you left on my blog about the line Im designing..
About the earrings, I shall send another pair.. aptly concealed this time. hehe.
xoxo
V
good thing i dont have a smiley in any way in my laptop.
btw thank you so much for you comment. so sweet,
have a lovely day!
That's hysterical! I hear that all the time, but it's from Ryan and not my computer. I keep my sound off all the time, unless I'm listening to a news report or something, as I've gotten shocks before when someone IM's me loudly. I hate that.
Oh no, how annoying! I think I'd keep my sound off.
Hugs,
Donna
Oh, thank goodness it hasn't appeared on my side yet. I think I heard it on a website once, but never got transferred into my computer. Who does this things?!
That's hilarious! I don't know that I've ever had that happen to me, but I usually have the sound down unless I'm listening to something. It might scare a little piddle out of me if it did happen, though!
That is very weird! I'm a little scared to click on the little 3 second video...I don't want it latching on to my computer!
That would scare the crap out of me!! I'm glad you figured it out :)
=Tina,
yes, I so agree, it is annoying and scary and it makes me upset. I have no idea who likes this or even likes it enough to actually visit the site and download the smileys; all I get is annoyed to the degree, that I would never visit the site.;)
Btw, I love your current profile picture, it has always been my favorite one.;))
=Jeanne,
so right you are; I hate when I am forced to listen to sounds or viewing pictures or clips without choosing it.I enjoy watching the world in my own pace.;))
=Reasons to be Cheerful...,
I hope that it will happen, what a funny image indeed.;))
=Valentine,
glad to find someone who shares this somewhat scary experience.;) Yes, I can just imagine how you must have thought it was a part of the song.;)) Stupid adds.;)
I am so sorry about the earrings; I guess they were so beautiful someone along the way kept them.
Again good luck with the designing and thank yo so much for always finding the time to stop by.;))
xo
=Denise,
yes stay away from downloading smileys.;)) Likewise thank you for stopping by.;))
=Diane,
hehe, from Ryan, yes I can imagine that it must be her favorite sentence right now.;)))
I also hate when the IM makes those loud sounds and I so dislike those droplets sounds the yahoo messenger makes every time you type something. When in the IM I turn my sound down as well.;))
=Donna,
yes, sometimes it is better with the sounds of nature instead; singing birds and buzzing of insects. Like the one you posted not so long time ago from your garden; now that is my kind of sound.;))
=Claus,
yes, who indeed does this.;) You should not worry about the transfer to your computer; luckily it will not happen unless you actively download it.;))
=Mel,
yes, in a way it is hilarious , I thought so too once I figured out what it was and that it was harmless.;) You can imagine how scary it was when it came on.;))
=Betsy,
no worries, you can watch the video safely. The voice is a part of an add, so it will only play the voice when the add is displayed, as it will be when my web-email is open.;) This will not infect your computer and will not play unless you actively download the smiley.;) And even then I think you have to have it in a particular software, like an IM.;))
=Hazel,
it also did scare me.;)) I decided to post it in case someone else was wondering what in the world that desperate voice was.;))
You mean that voice wasn't in my head? ... ;)
Oh that smiley sounds so irritating! I can imagine that thing popping out! good thing I haven't experienced this yellow smiley in my computer. hehe :)
=Hilary,
hehe, that made me laugh, love your sense of humour dear friend.;)) Hehe.;))
=Noelle,
the smiley is funny, the voice is irritating. But now when I know where it comes from, the whole things is just hilarious.;)
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