ScanMon 1.06f
Author: Jason Rainbows
Freeware
http://www.q-net.net/~rainbow
Jason is the fine chap who created the My Mac icon and whom we also interviewed in the January 1997 issue https://www.mymac.com/best_of/columns/interviews/jan_97.htm
Every now and then I pop over to Jason’s Web site to see what other goodies he has available, and that’s how I found this program. It’s a great “joke” program you can use to fool your friends. In essence, ScanMon makes it look like your monitor can actually function as a scanner. Now, while we all know this to be untrue, some people may be fooled if you throw out enough technical jargon. I wanted to test this out on someone I knew should know better, just to see if I could fool someone with ScanMon or not.
The program is simple. You double-click the program, and a “Scanner” type of interface appears. Also included in the ScanMon download is a .pict file that is the picture of the graphic you will be “Scanning”.
So one day, while “Bill” was here, I told him about how my monitor can actually double as a scanner. He, of course, didn’t believe me. So I set out to prove it to him verbally, using all the false technical gibberish I could muster. When that didn’t work, I said “Look, I’ll show you!”
Opening a cabinet drawer next to my desk, I withdrew the picture that ScanMon comes with. I showed him the picture, a coupon of some sort I said I was saving. Then I launched ScanMon.
The interface does indeed look like a scanner. So I help the paper up to my monitor, pretending to align it just right, and clicked the “Scan” button. Sure enough, a screeching scanner sound ensued, and as predicted, there on the screen was a copy of the paper I had been holding to the monitor.
“No way!” Bill exclaimed loudly in an exited voice. “How much does that monitor cost?!” He was clearly ready to pony up the big bucks for one of these babies!
“Oh, it’s not the monitor. Actually, any monitor will work. You just have to have the right software.” I said, pointing to the ScanMon icon on my desktop.
“Can I get a copy of it?” he asked, his mind clearly trying to comprehend that which he just saw.
“Sure! Let me show you how it works, or you could destroy your monitor beyond repair otherwise” I replied.
Now, the really fun thing about ScanMon is that, when you run it the second time, the program pretends your monitor is being fried. Blue/white electricity runs all over the screen, and a horrible noise is heard. It really does sound like you just fried your monitor.
“Oh, man! I think my monitor is toast!” I cried, quickly pulling the paper away from the screen. Bill just sat there, looking back and forth from my screen to me, a vacant look on his face. One that said he could relate, and that my luck was indeed sour. “Tough break…” was all he could muster.
“Still want a copy of ScanMon?” I asked.
“Nahh, that’s okay.” Bill said. Then I filled him in on the joke and he really loved it. He couldn’t believe he had fallen for such an obvious fake but said my passion to convince him overwhelmed his better sense of judgement.
Kudos, Jason Rainbows, for creating such a neat program.
Download ScanMon 1.0.6f
Tim Robertson
publisher@mymac.com
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