This discussion revolves around a piece of software called "FartScrollLid" for MacBooks, which plays a fart sound when the lid is opened or closed. The sentiment is overwhelmingly positive and playful, with users sharing their enthusiasm for the prank, discussing its origins, and suggesting further creative applications.
The Prank's Potential and Target Audience
Many users immediately saw the comedic potential of the software, envisioning it as a tool for pranks. The idea of installing it on unsuspecting individuals, particularly those in professional settings or easily embarrassing situations, was a recurring theme.
- andersco suggested: "For this to truly be funny, it needs to be installed on on an unsuspecting user’s laptop, preferably some C-level type about to join an in-person board meeting."
- Angostura playfully offered their daughter's laptop: "I don't have a C-level to hand. My daughter's university laptop, however is just here..."
- lotsofpulp chimed in with: "Child-level works, too."
- ElCapitanMarkla stated: "Fantastic, my kids are going to love this."
- vaenaes humorously predicted: "Tesla IT will be deploying this to all employee MacBooks tonight."
- sonofhans extended this idea: "They should deploy it to all Teslas tonight :D"
- cluckindan added another prank scenario: "And use it whenever they detect someone sitting down"
However, one user expressed a note of caution regarding the "forced" nature of such pranks on children:
- N2yhWNXQN3k9 commented: "Probably you are going to love introducing your kids to this and witnessing their reaction, but, isn't it more likely they won't remember what you forced upon them in the long run? They might not even give a fuck, ever? Just speaking from experience."
The Humor and Nuance of the Fart Sound
Users found the sound itself to be inherently amusing, especially when subtly contextualized. The pitch variation with lid angle was particularly noted as a source of delight and enhanced humor.
- spectralglitch elaborated on the audio's subtlety: "Its actually quite a bit funnier then that in practice, due to the alignment of fart pitch to lid angle, it creates a range of... you know just try it :D"
- shawn_w simply and effectively summarized it: "The modern whoopie cushion."
The Need for a Demo and Technical Details
A common request was for a video demonstration, as many users were too lazy or lacked the immediate means to install the software themselves to experience it. There were also discussions about the technical implementation and potential issues.
- VladVladikoff directly asked: "The GitHub needs a video demo. I’m too lazy to install this just to see it in action."
- ElCapitanMarkla also "Seconding the call for a video." and noted a technical hurdle: "Also the instructions to remove the quarantine attr don't work."
- The issue with the
xattrcommand was then clarified by ElCapitanMarkla: "edit: that should bexattr -d FartScrollLid.app" - A4ET8a8uTh0_v2 inquired about the sound's behavior: "But does it change tune depending on the angle ( how tight is the opening )?" and upon checking confirmed: "edit: clicked link. ofcourse it does"
Origins and Comparisons to Other Projects
The discussion quickly delved into the origins of the project, with users tracing it back to a previous lid-angle sensor project and drawing parallels to earlier internet humor and viral applications.
- kirb identified the project's roots: "Note: This appears to be a fork of Sam Henri Gold’s recent lid-angle sensor project, with the wav file changed. The readme does give credit, though the license has been changed from Apache to MIT for some reason."
- bertman appreciated the original project's readme: "Sam Henri Gold's readme is really funny, especially in comparison to Fartscroll-Lid's soulless AI emoji slopfest of a readme."
- Tade0 drew a connection to another humorous JavaScript library: "What a glorious homage to fartscroll.js: https://theonion.github.io/fartscroll.js/" and mused: "In other words: if something is less popular than a joke library that makes fart sounds, can it really be considered as having the momentum to go mainstream?"
- random3 evoked nostalgia for early iPhone app trends: "— remember iFart? https://www.wired.com/2008/12/iphone-fart-app/ It got #1 in App Store and made $10k/day"
- grugagag agreed: "Yes, that’s what came to my moind as well. I guess those were the golden era for Iphone app devs."
- void-star commented on the enduring appeal of such apps: "Fart noise apps were the first iPhone killer app for a good long stretch in the early days, dominating the app leaderboards for at least half a year."
Expanded Creative Applications and "Fart Culture"
Building on the core concept, users brainstormed a variety of creative extensions and applications, further embracing the "fart culture" that the software taps into.
- vunderba proposed a "NOM NOM" variation: "What you really want is two slightly different "NOM NOM" noshing sounds on open and close so you can feed it some flash drives and instantly wear out the hinge as you rapidly make your laptop mimic an eating motion."
- DonHopkins suggested a game idea: "As long as we're testing the warrantee, how about a Farty Bird game where you flap by opening and closing your MacBook screen really fast!"
- freedomben responded positively: "Brilliant variation on the clicking games! Love it"
- vunderba then added another game concept: "Nice. Or Pac-Man in a QWOP style movement system where the angle of the screen determines how open his mouth is. :)"
- hulitu made a more extreme suggestion (with a qualifier): "Diarrhea on the screen. /s"
Alternatives and Technical Implementations
Some users discussed alternative ways to achieve similar effects without relying on specific macOS features or Xcode.
- sien shared Python alternatives: "You can do this in Python now with : https://github.com/tcsenpai/pybooklid here is an example that plays a sound via Pygame https://github.com/Petess/MacLidPythonSound This avoids having to deal with Xcode."
Nostalgic Pranks and Sound Effects
The software also triggered memories of older digital pranks and sound effect cultures, highlighting the evolution of online mischief.
- onlinehost recalled a specific AIM prank: "I don't know why this reminded me of a really scumbag troll thing we would do on AIM/AOL. I guess because it involves sound and open/close. ... Now it checks "Allow everyone to see me online" and clicks apply. What does this do for everyone on your buddy list? They hear a constant rotation of WAV files like BuddyIn.wav BuddyOut.wav. Over and over."
- gdudeman shared a similar anecdote: "Even farther off topic, but this reminds me of the time my friends and I recorded a 3 minute long wav file that ended with a quiet “this is god. Can you hear me? I’d like to talk with you,” and set it to be the error sound on a friend’s PC. Much hilarity ensued."
- Fnoord reminisced about ICQ sounds: "Back in the late 90s, ICQ's "oh! oh!" (incoming message) has been used in media items (such as TV) about online threats such as malware, phishing, or just anything concerning children (such as online predators)."
- userbinator mentioned a telephony equivalent: "That reminds me of the Hook Flash in telephony for getting an operator's attention: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hook_flash#History"
Humorous Observations and Future Speculations
Finally, users made some self-aware and humorous observations about the nature of such projects and the tech landscape.
- qwertytyyuu expressed surprise at its popularity: "How did this get number one spot on hacker news feed XD"
- DimmieMan found it delightful: "There's something wonderful in only knowing that there's and entire lid angle sensor API in a macbook purely because someone reverse engineered it to make the laptop fart."
- mr-wendel commented on Apple's default sound: "I already think the power-on noise sounds like an obnoxious fart. I can never remember how to suppress it so I refuse to turn a macbook on around other people. I may as well install this to reaffirm that yes, this is an Apple product (in case you fail to see the prominent logo) and yes, I am better than everyone else for owning one (/sarc)."
- wombatpm recalled an older macOS prank: "Back in the days of OS7/OS8 there was a system extension called MacSniff. Your MacIntosh would randomly sniff like it had a runny nose and clear its throat. I put it on one of our group machines and within 24 hours someone turned it off with a note: machine sounds sick"
- kaptain posed a humorous hypothetical: "Imagine a Beowulf cluster running this."
- Tewboo summarized the overall sentiment: "I've seen some quirky apps, but this one takes the cake! Could be fun for a laugh, though I wonder about battery life."
- p0w3n3d found it to be exactly what they desired: "That's the software I've been needing for a long time"