Kaleidoscope drawing software9/9/2023 ![]() ![]() Please remember that this is software for classic Mac OS, so it won’t work on most computers. Big thanks to Internet Archive’s Jason Scott for letting me contribute. iso of The Groove Thing to the Internet Archive’s CD-ROM Software Library collection. In the interest of preservation, I’ve uploaded an. My disc might be one of the last surviving copies. This is an unusually difficult-to-find program, and as best as I can tell, it is nearly undocumented online. ![]() I don’t usually offer downloads for the games and software I write about, but I’ve made an exception for The Groove Thing. Sara Frucht is still working with kaleidoscopic art her recent Flash applet reVERB is The Groove Thing‘s spiritual successor. The program uses algorithms by Kaleidoscapes artist Sara Frucht, and the developers separately sold a screensaver set based on this code called “Sara’s Geometric Dreams.” The Groove Thing began as a non-verbal software toy for schools, but Big Top Productions chose to market it publicly after positive responses from a wider audience. Watch the pretty lights with it for a while. The Groove Thing is not quite the life-changing, sensual experience it promises. Simple or otherwise, it does go further with its premise than any kaleidoscope program rightfully should try, and its naked enthusiasm rubs off. That’s still a lot of pomp for a program that draws rainbow squiggles everywhere. Where others might have produced a kaleidoscope widget, Big Top Productions made a kaleidoscopic art object. And although it’s not part of the software, The Groove Thing comes in a striking three-dimensional pentagon-shaped box. Every pixel and sound screams “alternative 90s pop art,” a fun of-the-moment stylistic quality. The interface is impractically vibrant, with neon spirals, curves, and triangles substituted for any buttons or straight lines that a conventional program might use. The Groove Thing justifies existing as a full application entirely through flair. For hardware reasons, I was not able to try these features, but they likely add interactivity that’s more engrossing.)īecause of its limited functionality and plaything nature, this would probably be a disposable browser toy if released today. You can also play thematic sound effects with your keyboard. (The program also includes an audio feature that moves the kaleidoscope in time with music you play and noises that come through your microphone. You can always enlarge it too if you want to turn your computer into an art display for… your choice of activity. Luckily, you can shrink the window to fit on the side of the screen, making it a nice companion if you had some word-processing to do. The effect is mesmerizing for a bit, but it works best as background noise rather than as a main attraction. Should you want to sit back and watch, you can also toggle a mode that automatically changes these setting every few seconds.Īll these preferences are dramatically oversold the packaging calls line thickness “chang the cosmic weight of your lines.” Suffice to say, your options don’t match that hyperbole, but the kaleidoscope patterns at least have some variety.ĭrawings in The Groove Thing constantly change and cycle colors, so screenshots don’t quite capture the program’s full look and feel. You can select one of base styles, as well has a handful of size and symmetry options and color schemes. It continually draws hypnotic shapes on the screen based on settings you choose from a psychedelic toolbar at the bottom of the screen. The Groove Thing is mostly a hands-off program. It’s here to put you in a trance with the only tools in its bag, colors and patterns. ![]() This kaleidoscopic art-and-music software would probably pair well with any sort of substance enhancement but is too earnest for that. Like a naive kid’s version of the back of Spencer’s, The Groove Thing is an in-your-face light show for its own sake. ![]() In retrospect, it was clearly intended for stoners, but I was too innocent to get that. Among their usual fart-related T-shirts, the store always kept the back aisle dimly lit and well-stocked with plasma balls, blacklights, lava lamps, strobes, and other trippy decor. When visiting the mall as a kid, I’d usually stop by Spencer’s, a novelty store that specialized in crass and raunchy joke gifts. ![]()
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