boing.cgi to generate the
images. The program boing.cgi returns
a redirection request to an image whose pathname was
encoded in its URL.
The image serves as normal decoration in the page.
But before it prints out the redirection,
boing.cgi sends a datagram containing your host name,
part of the PATH_INFO
environment variable, and the whole QUERY_STRING
environment variable to a server (the boingd) that I
run while I'm logged in on my workstation.
/dev/audio, which means
that I hear it, usually via a pair of two loudspeakers that I
keep plugged in. (It also checks to make sure that
the path doesn't leave the directory - don't even think of cat'ting
/vmunix.) As a net result, my workstation
makes ``boing''
whenever someone reads my hotlist,
``gong'' whenever
someone reads the C page,
``blueeep''
whenever someone reads the page on the GSM 06.10 speech compression
algorithm, etc: I can hear what's going on in my
document subtree. (In addition, the text after the # is
printed on the server's standard error output.)
The whole project was inspired by Chuck Musciano's simpler suggestions for generating Audio Feedback From Your HTTP Daemon.