NewtonVirus
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The Mac virus that isn't
We at TUAW have a pretty healthy collective sense of humor. Bearing that in mind, we'd like to take a moment and address the recent attention to the "Newton Virus," a playful piece of software with an unfortunate moniker. The "virus" was created – and named – by Troika, a multi-disciplinary art and design practice in the UK. We have no bones to pick with Troika, we just take issue with calling the program by a name with malicious implications. It is, in fact, a piece of interactive artwork designed with a non-destructive disruption of reality in mind. The first definition of a virus is a program that can replicate and infect a computer without permission or knowledge. The second, more flexible definition is a program falling into the category of malware. The Newton Virus is a mild – albeit visually interesting – disruption, and given that it was designed for manual installation and incapable of replication, not really a virus at all. Ergo, the ensuing headlines seen around the 'net are based on a sensationalistic misnomer. That being said, the piece is a fascinating little experiment (leveraging the Sudden Motion Sensor in Mac portables) that fits nicely with Troikart's typical fare, and it's earned a spot in the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition at the MoMA. So, next time someone tells you they heard about a virus for Macs, tell them not to sweat it: it's probably just modern art.
The Newton Virus spreads joy
Remember back in the old days, when men were men, dogs ran free, and computers were the size of small countries? It was a time when viruses weren't malicious, rather, they delivered cherry popsicles, unicorns, and nuclear joy-beams. Well, now you can return to a simple time of laughter and love thanks to the Newton Virus and related dongle, created by the design collective Troika. Instead of gnashing your files, spamming your address book, or giving you "The Finger" repeatedly, this virus engages just once, and creates a playful desktop mishap that will undoubtedly inspire the victim to hug the nearest person. Though the virus was coded way back in 2005, it's now being shown at the MoMA's Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition. Watch it all go down, literally, in the video after the break.[Thanks, H&M]
