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Slashdot Discussions Now Include Roulette Video Chat

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the let's-keep-this-rated-pg dept.

It's been a long time coming, but we're pleased to announce the latest updates to our discussion software. We've been paying a lot of attention to what other websites have been doing in the space, and as we are only too happy to steal good ideas, from now on all Slashdot stories will now be accompanied by a Roulette-style webcam video chat. In testing, we've discovered that Slashdot users are amazingly likely to engage in informative, troll-free discussion when presented with the video image of one of their peers. This new addition to Slashdot nicely rounds out and improves the discussion experience for all users.

6 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. Pretty Funny Videos by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Informative

    Watch them, it's worth it. I think I see pudge playing guitar, Rob Malda playing guitar singing about short shorts. Crazy dog lady (pretty much straight out of Best in Show) actually a lot of dog related videos. Funny notebook writings like "If you click next, I root your computer" *flip* "Don't make your computer sad." Or "If you turn your head, I win!" A pan of a desk with the nerdiest things you can conjure and then a note that says "Proud to be a nerd." There's a recurring bass player that likes to read you books and sneeze. There's a lot of older folks and women in here ... they probably got their wives and parents to make short videos so it "seemed" like a random demographic.

    Sound seems broken on half of them though.

    Well played, Slashdot, but the quality of these videos are too high and entertaining for this to be a real chat roulette :-)

    --
    My work here is dung.
    1. Re:Pretty Funny Videos by Ihmhi · · Score: 4, Informative

      Agreed. It's especially annoying for me as I'm the sort who opens a half-dozen or so /. stories from the RSS feed, so I have six of these videos going off.

      By the way, if you want to block the source of the vid in an adblocker, hosts file, etc., the link is:

      http://s.fsdn.com/aprilfools/flowplayer-3.1.5.swf

      --
      Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
    2. Re:Pretty Funny Videos by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/dex_Faraday.m4v
      Dog licking camera

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/dex_Movie1.m4v
      Handwritten sign "Your ad here" with spoken ad for marketing to "not just shut-ins"

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/dex_Movie4.m4v
      Almost black screen. Apology to a couple of moms for agreeing to the Chatroulette thing.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/dex_r1.m4v
      Doll doing the SNL Natalie Portman Gangsta Rap

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/dex_Video1.flv
      Silent. Video feedback of camera filming its own output on top of a Slashdot page

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/dex_Video2.flv
      Handwritten note: "If you turn your head, I win!!" Audio, but no voice.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/dex_Video3.flv
      Pan across nerd paraphernalia with handwritten note "Proud to be a nerd." Audio, no voice.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/dex_Video4.flv
      Paranoid guy with tinfoil hat and face cover, worried that "THEY could be watching."

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/dex_Video5.flv
      "Before we get started, I'd just like to thank you on behalf of Slashdot [bla bla] Alright, let's do this thing." Stands up, prepares to unzip pants.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/lee_1.mp4
      Silent. Guy pointing and laughing at camera.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/lee_2.mp4
      Silent. Guy holding dog in front of camera.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/leefriend_1.mp4
      Silent. Girl acting surprised/embarrassed by what she sees, turning away, then looking again.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/leefriend_2.mp4
      Silent. Bearded dude waiting and talking.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/leefriend_3.mp4
      Silent. Dude with yellow tie moving camera to correct lighting situation. Talking to the camera and someone off camera.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/leefriend_4.mp4
      Silent. Dude in red polo shirt badly acting like he's laughing.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/leefriend_5.mp4
      Silent. Doll held in front of camera, hardly any movement.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/pudge_bad_hair.m4v
      Guy with guitar playing a song about the bad hair of his supposed chat partner.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/pudge_my_mic_is_off.m4v
      Silent. Guy with guitar playing a song, possibly about his turned off microphone.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/pudge_nerdier_than_me.m4v
      Guy with guitar playing a song repeating the line "You look nerdier than me", ending with "but stay the way that you are."

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/pudge_should_be_working.m4v
      Guy with guitar playing a song, musing that the viewer should be working, but in the end admits that he's glad the viewer isn't working.

      http://a.fsdn.com/aprilfools/m/pudge_tune.m4v
      Guy tuning his gu

  2. Flashblock by tepples · · Score: 2, Informative

    Okay I admit it - The videos were funny at first, but now I'd like to be able to turn them off, and nobody seems to have included that ability.

    What web browser are you using? I have my Mozilla Firefox set up so that whenever I reload a page, the SWFs turn off until I click them.

  3. Re:Somebody think of our CPU cycles by m.ducharme · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you can't figure out how to disable it, you need to turn your geek card in at the door.

    --
    Rule of Slashdot #0: You and people like you are not representative of the larger population. - A.C.
  4. Re:Forgot your meds, did you? by whizzard · · Score: 3, Informative

    AND I see no way to turn it off.

    If you have adblock plus installed (and you should, really), this filter will take care of the problem:

    slashdot.org##div.chatter