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Subliminal Surfactants

Bob Loblaw's piece on Windows 95's subliminal messages sure generated a lot of interest. Some comments were serious, but most people liked the tongue-in-cheek spirit in which the article was written. Bob even grabbed the attention of Spencer F. Katt, witty columnist for PC Week magazine, who pointed to TCP's web page where the subliminal article was also found. Here are some comments. (Updated Sept 17, 2001. New items at the bottom of the page.)

Katt's Scan

Well, your home page made it to Spencer F. Katt's Rumor Central. Congratulations! I just read the article and I have to admit I haven't had time to shut my office door, boot up Windows 95 and stare at it, but I got a kick out of reading your interpretation of the startup screen. Just keep it fun and don't get the Justice Department even more p-ed off at us. <grin>

Darek Mihocka, via Internet

He Should Know What's There

Bravo! -- but what about the mysterious Laguna Sisters and their frolicsome sheep?
Just a quick note to say I enjoyed your Win95 page -- subliminal messages et al. Of course, there are some cloud formations I think you've missed...
Lead UI designer of the Cairo (and by indirection, the Chicago) shell,

Mark Malamud, via Internet

Computer Enhancement Reveals Scary Truth . . .

One of our readers ran an enhancement program on the clouds bitmap. Look at the scary face that shows up in the center-top. Doesn't it bear a striking resemblance to those traditional Balinese ceremonial masks?

Read TCP. Read TCP. Read . . .

I have been running Windows 95 for several months and I just read your article on subliminal messages in the OS. I don't think Microsoft hides any of its attempts to conquer the world. Maybe it is an attempt by your staff to put messages into our heads . . . I don't know, but I don't have time to think about it -- I have to go pick up lots of copies of The Computer Paper . . . must find copies of The Computer Paper . . .

Royce Macrae, via Internet

On The Other Hand

I think it's all a hoax. Bob Loblaw's need to spell out every feature of the images suggests that you have to concentrate very hard to see anything (and therefore it's just part of Bob's imagination.)

Combined with the tiny out-of-context b&w picture of some obscure picture of clouds (and no windows logo to reference Jimmy Hendrix' head), the whole thing is totally implausible. Bah, humbug!

Stephen Forsyth, via Internet

Draw Me a Picture

In regard to Bob Loblaw's assertions that there are subliminals in the Win95 startup screen, it would be far more convincing if someone, maybe him, would use PaintBrush to outline them with a colored pen. Since your Web page goes to all the trouble of putting the clouds everywhere, it would be even better to edit it. Without this, one would have to believe you're with the Warp Police.

Rodd Johnson, via Internet

BL replies: Sorry about the tiny B&W pics in the paper. Print sucks, we know. The Web page at http://tcp.ca/gsb/PC/Win95-subliminals.html actually has full-size, full-color pics that are much clearer.

Mo Monee

Does Microsoft seriously expect to sell those millions of copies of Windows 95, at the ridiculous prices they're asking? After reading the interview with Frank Clegg (General Manager of Microsoft Canada) in the August issue of The Computer Paper, I was dismayed to discover what the "suggested" retail prices were in Canada.

I was planning to buy the CD-ROM version of the full retail edition shortly after it was released, but unless retailers sell for a lot less than the suggested $289, there's no way! I can buy OS/2 Warp on CD today for about $70. Even when it first came out, Warp didn't cost much more than $100.

If Microsoft is trying to attract an even larger market than Windows 3.1, targeting homes and families, they're certainly going about it the wrong way.

On a happier note, I want to thank you for producing such a great publication. I eagerly look forward to your paper every month.

Rod Rehn, via Internet

DT Replies: If it's any consolation, we've noticed that south of the border, Windows 95 has a suggested retail price of US$209, which works out to be about the same as here, wild fluctuations of the Canadian dollar notwithstanding. A US mail-order house sent us a catalog recently, and it is selling the full version of Windows 95 for US$179.98. (Price listed for upgrade product is US$89.98.) Based on that, we'd estimate stores in Canada will initially be selling the products for about 15 percent off suggested retail. But as always, it's best to shop around.

As to your point about Warp, the product is indeed a bargain. The fullpack version includes a copy of Windows 3.1 called Win-OS2, so you can expect most Windows 3-based applications to work within Warp. (Notable exceptions are those that require Win32s 1.2.x, since WinOS2 supports only version 1.1.x.) Warp also comes with the BonusPak, which comprises the IBMWorks application suite similar in functionality and power to MSWorks or ClarisWorks, lite versions of communications and fax programs, a pretty slick Internet access setup and Internet tools, plus a few other utilities.

Get a Life

I was reading the July issue of your paper, when I chanced upon a small news item about a fledgling US consumer group who plans to file consumer fraud charges against Microsoft, claiming that MS's 4MB minimum RAM constitutes fraud. To these people I say, "Get a life!" Have you got nothing better to do than whine about minimum memory performance??

It is well known that minimum anything = minimum performance. I have not used any of the Win 95 betas, but I believe Microsoft when they say that performance in 4MB will be on par with that of Win 3.1. What I don't believe is that you'll get very good performance, but that's not what's being claimed.

Perhaps these zealots will target IBM next, for their OS/2 claims? IBM says Warp will work on 4MB, but I've heard lots of stories to the contrary. With memory so cheap nowadays, it borders on negligence not to have 8MB.

P.S. I really enjoy your magazine. Keep up the good work.

Carl Lum, via Internet

Your article asked, "Is Bill Gates Dead?" Well, try this: type "I'd like to see Bill Gates dead" into MS Word, then select the text and press Shift-F7.

mach...@geocities.com has done fans of Bob Loblaw's subliminal Windows 95 images the ultimate service: he's enhanced the images to make the images easier to see and outlined the key figures in red. Check them out at:

subliminal-win1.jpg (199K)
subliminal-win2.jpg (210K)
subliminal-key1.jpg (208K)
subliminal-key2.jpg (205K)

This is Why We Do This

I've noticed some pretty interesting subliminals in the forest bmp in win95. It takes a little longer to see them than most of the subliminals but if you stare at them long enough they almost look like photographs. If you enlarge the picture it will help.The picture is full of naked women and people having sex. I must have seen at least 50 images. I have atached a file pointing out some to get you started.I have noticed some numbers in the frame also but I haven't decifered [sic] it all yet.If you flip the image upsidedown some of the others are more clear. Also try messing with the gamma a little it will help.
-- "axis"

Making Faces

I found something in the Windows 95 "clouds.bmp" background. First you have to flip the image vertically, then it becomes very obvious. In the lower right hand corner I can see three silhouetted chubby faces stacked on top of each other looking down and to the right. The shading even gives the faces a three dimensional look. If instead of flipping the image you rotate it all lefts become rights.

Intricate Devices Required

I am a firm believer that every organization, big or small, government related or not - use subliminal messages. The scope of how far hypnosis and subliminal messages have advanced over time is probably comparable to the pace of advancements in computers. You have an unprecedented number of companies possibly researching subliminal messages for their own personal gains. It has advanced so far that it is very unlikely that you would actually "see" them. The use of intricate devices is only capable of detecting them. The images you see in the start-up screen are either co-incidence or a VERY primitive form of it.

Check out http://metalab.unc.edu/subgenius/subg-digest/ancient/0487.html to get the REAL scoop...

This Could Take a While

If you want to find subliminal messages, here are some suggestions: (I have not tried these myself)

Look at the windows 95 "regular" background... the one that is just a bluish screen - and open it with some kind of program that would actually give you the hex or binary codes for the image. (I am not sure how the BMP files work, whether (a) each individual pixel has it's own codes, or (b) if there is a string of a similar colour that it will send one code to go continuously until another one is told to be displayed)

for A: You will see a string of numbers, if it is binary, the ones and zero's, or HEX it will have 0-9,a-f. They should be 24 bit numbers to compensate for real colour mode, 24 bit Binary being a string of 24 1's n 0's, HEX being 6 different numbers... There may not be anything separating the different colours ( a comma or a semi-colon or something) but you should be able to identify the repetitive string, since it is one colour ( ie you will see 10011 10011 10011 10011, each being the same colour represented over and over again) and find out which individual colour is which.. Once you have found the repetitive numbers, seek through the file for numbers that do not match. IF there are any that don't match, replace those numbers with some other colour.. But be sure to use the same colour every time, preferably black. Once you have done that with the entire file, look at it with a viewer. You will see in big black colours whatever the subliminal message may be trying to convey, something like "Piracy is Bad" or "Buy Monster Truck Madness" or "Bill Gates is God" or something.

for B: Much like "A" except it would look kinda like this:

10011 (something to say for how long) 10010 (see previous) 10011 (previous) 10010 (previous) 10010 (previous) 10010 etc. If that's the case, do the same as above. This may be used if there is some kind of compression involved with the BMP, but this way is unlikely)

The theory behind this is two colours, when you have a very large selection of 16.8 million, can have a very subtle differences only picked up by the sub- conscious. By changing those subtle differences into extreme differences, it is easy to find the message (People with colour blindness may see these differences without changing it, but it may be too subtle for them as well.)

Another trick that *could* be used is some kind of flicker on the screen that would go black for a split second 45 - 60 times each minute (See the URL i gave you to better understand this) that would put you in "alpha" state, which makes you more susceptible to suggestion.
Some kind of hidden sound (repetitive beat) that would work the same as above
A sound with a persons voice hidden in Microsoft opening and closing sounds... (Have you ever felt reluctant to turn off the computer? I have!)

One other interesting note... I found myself hypnotized in a computer store one day, but it was not intentional. It was a room lit up by fluorescent lights... looked at a completely blank white shelf surface, and noticed a flicker. The flicker soon had me staring blankly at the surface. An employee asked me if I needed help and wondered what I was looking at. This brought me out of the trance, but as soon as I was out of the trance, I noticed that the employee had experience the same sensation as me! I coaxed him out of the trance, and he quickly and word-lessly understood what happened to me. We both kinda looked at each other in a kind of *whoa* way... This I found quite strange though, because there would usually be 120 flickers a second but I noticed that the city was doing some funny things with the power that day, so perhaps it was a bit slower, like 60 cycles a second.

-- Chris Fry.

I saw those pictures, and noticed the horse was one of the clearest images. But I have gone one better than a vague image. I can identify the horse in the picture and nearly prove there are subliminals in the wallpaper (of the horse at least).

If you can find a computer on which the bootup is pretty slow for Windows 95 then try this:

Start Windows 95.
Wait until you see the mouse cursor in the middle of a black screen.
Press in the following keys in this order (Do not type commas):

Ctrl, F6, Right shift, Delete, then click the right mouse button.

This should work if you can do it before the black screen is replaced by wallpaper

What does this prove? Well, if it works properly (I admit it is hard, I gave up after the first few attempts but a friend succeeded) you should be presented with a picture of a horse. This horse is Nugget, Bill Gate's horse! This is what is known as an easter egg (I'm sure you have heard of them) but the reason this among the many many others I know is important is because it can explain the horse in the clouds.bmp. If it doesn't work I am sorry, but I cannot really screen capture the image.

- Renton

More Subliminals and Secret Messages:

The Dark Side of the Rainbow - the famous Pink Floyd/Wizard of Oz experiment.
The Publius Enigma - Pink Floyd's greatest mystery.
Backward Masking (visual) - Can visual perception be affected BACKWARDS IN TIME?
Backward Masking (audio) - Hidden messages found in songs when you play them backwards.
Subliminals in Windows 98 - Bob strikes again.
Satan's face visible in WTC cloud?

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