A Haunting Live Soap Opera: A Surveillance ScreenSaver

Politics and Culture — Slorker on February 23, 2008 at 7:55 pm

SurveillanceSaver is a screensaver which shows live images of over 400 network surveillance cameras worldwide. Yep, when your computer is idle you’ll get to see a live feed of what’s going on in other parts of the world. It’s quite fascinating because of the voyeuristic element involved but also surreal because it compresses time-space.

Something is happening right at the moment elsewhere and you are a witness to it. It is real but since it’s only an image, you tend to question its verity a little more than what you see with your eyes. Sometimes I can’t bear to look away from the screen because I’m always expecting something to happen just that moment, maybe a car accident or a cute girl would enter into the frame.

It’s these thoughts that make this screensaver (and surveillance) quite an intriguing process.

Download Links

1. OS X version

2. Windows Version

Since I’m running a Windows setup, I installed the screensaver for a test. Ran a check and there weren’t any spyware or viruses. Everytime the screensaver runs, it shows a different image. It cycles through the cameras so you can actually sit down at your desk and look at multiple cities/locations at once.

I really like that fact that city, location and longitude/latitude is included in the bottom of the screensaver. The images aren’t very clear and some of them are difficult to see in the night but most of them are rather interesting. You’ll get to see traffic stops, shopping malls, residences, playgrounds, pools, churches and backyards.

It’s definitely a lot more interesting than the usual screensavers, especially when you get to see people walking around and doing stuff.

Here are some examples of images you’ll see through the cameras:

20 Comments »

  1. […] slorker.com SurveillanceSaver is a screensaver which shows live images of over 400 network surveillance cameras […]

    Pingback by The Edge of I-Hacked » Surveillance ScreenSaver — February 24, 2008 @ 3:19 am
  2. […] a crazy idea: create a screensaver that tunes into random surveillance cameras and shows you what they see. SurveillanceSaver does just that, tapping into over 650 network […]

    Pingback by Screensaver For The Voyeur In You — February 24, 2008 @ 5:16 pm
  3. what countries are the various scenes located in

    It would be great to know the cities

    Comment by * Miss Universe — February 24, 2008 @ 5:56 pm
  4. […] a crazy idea: create a screensaver that tunes into random surveillance cameras and shows you what they see. SurveillanceSaver does just that, tapping into over 650 network […]

  5. […] If the previously-mentioned FlickrSpy wasn’t enough to whet your voyeuristic appetites, then here is something else you can try out - SurveillanceSaver. […]

    Pingback by SurveillanceSaver - another one for the voyeurs — February 24, 2008 @ 7:10 pm
  6. […] [via Slorker] […]

  7. […] camera images from around the world. They are supposed to be live images. Via Slorker.  Highly addictive (if I could get it to work). No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS […]

  8. […] a crazy idea: create a screensaver that tunes into random surveillance cameras and shows you what they see. SurveillanceSaver does just that, tapping into over 650 network […]

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  10. this is really addictive.. I have groups of folks around my machine taking bets on what city or country is coming up next. and the camera has to be active for the bet to validate. love this, going to try and add my own cameras, or find a site that can add cameras.

    Comment by Don — February 28, 2008 @ 5:44 pm
  11. […] Imagem: autoria desconhecida […]

    Pingback by Vigiar « Panóptico — February 28, 2008 @ 6:54 pm
  12. Surveillance ScreenSaver…

    SurveillanceSaver is a screensaver which shows live images of over 400 network surveillance cameras worldwide. Yep, when your computer is idle you’ll get to see a live feed of what’s going on in other parts of the world. It’s quite fascinating be…

    Trackback by disinfo.com — February 28, 2008 @ 7:16 pm
  13. […] The Sweetest Screensaver Ever Stuff White People Like Pandora Radio Make A Bacon Cup New M. Night Shayamalan Movie // […]

  14. […] And just for some coolness to finish on: screensaver that connects you to one of 400 surveillance cameras somewhere in the world in realtime […]

  15. There are few things i love more than this. My girlfriend watch this on our plasma for hours. Bravo.

    Can only hope more feeds will be added.

    It is not about voyeurism to me - it is just so interesting to see time zones, weather conditions and what is really going in the world in real time.

    Much more like watching 16 lanes of trafic at the I5 405 merge in LA and knowing that every car is a life, story… universe.

    Thank you!

    Comment by greg — March 1, 2008 @ 7:03 pm
  16. […] Speaking of survelliance, survelliance camera screensaver here […]

    Pingback by » Blog Archive » Fusilade of Terror — March 2, 2008 @ 3:15 am
  17. i have a mac. i downloaded and installed as per the instructions and it doesnt work for me. the screensaver test just keeps saying there are no pictures in the folder. :( what am i doing wrong?

    Comment by megan — March 21, 2008 @ 4:54 pm
  18. […] Fuente: Slorker […]

  19. Same problem here on the Mac front. Downloaded, copied to screen saver library and then activated in System Preferences. Screen stays black. What’s up?

    I am running Mac OS 10.5.2 on a 1.6G Intel Core Duo MacBook Air.

    Comment by Adam — April 4, 2008 @ 4:16 pm
  20. sa marche pas

    Comment by deldique corentin — April 7, 2008 @ 9:26 am

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