A new project collects artistic renderings of computer viruses:
Inspired by the “dark side of computing,” Amsterdam-based designer Bas van de Poel has launched an illustrated online guide to some of the world’s most destructive computer viruses.
The Computer Virus Catalog charts twenty viruses dating from the 1960s to the present day. Some are fairly harmless – from an animated worm wishing users Happy New Year and one which triggers lichen-inspired visuals when keyboards are inactive – while others have wiped out entire hard drives and caused billions of dollars in damage.
Fernando Alfonso III offers more context:
“Luckily, I never got infected by any of these viruses myself,” de Poel told me. “However, I did got affected by the stories behind some of these viruses. The moment I found out that the disastrous Melissa virus is named after the author’s favorite exotic dancer, I knew I wanted to explore this dark side of computing creatively.”
(Image: LSD, illustrated by Clay Hickson, overwrites computer users files’ before displaying a hallucinogeic-inspired video)
The Dish 