Virtual Spider

September 12, 2008 12:03 PM

Ever wanted a pet spider but didn't want to bother with all the messy upkeep? Try a customizable tarantula in your browser! (flash) (NSF Arachnophobes)
posted by lekvar (34 comments total)

What a great pet! Much fun. Too bad it can't be fed.
posted by binturong at 12:10 PM on September 12, 2008

My GOD that's incredible. And yes, it can be fed! Space drops a fly!
posted by Shepherd at 12:15 PM on September 12, 2008

I wanna squish it. but it won't let me.
posted by Debaser626 at 12:33 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

That was fun for about two seconds.
posted by greta simone at 12:34 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

My spider seems to have been drinking
posted by mannequito at 12:36 PM on September 12, 2008

That's actually a hell of a lot more interactive than our pet tarantula which usually sits completely motionless for hours or even days. As a pet it's about as much fun as a house plant.
posted by octothorpe at 12:40 PM on September 12, 2008

AAAAAAAGGGHHHGETITOFFAMEEEEEEEEEEE
posted by Pallas Athena at 12:44 PM on September 12, 2008 [2 favorites]

whoa, I love that! It's way cool.
posted by nickyskye at 12:46 PM on September 12, 2008

He is our hero!
posted by JBennett at 12:49 PM on September 12, 2008 [4 favorites]

This is nifty, but I'm somewhat afraid it'll waltz off the edge of my screen.
posted by nat at 12:52 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

If this was on my iPhone it would still be pointless.
posted by teabag at 12:53 PM on September 12, 2008

What a great pet! Much fun. Too bad it can't be fed.

Ah, but it can. Press the space bar to add insects. The spider then eats them.
posted by WaterSprite at 12:56 PM on September 12, 2008

I used to be terrified of spiders. I still squeal like a schoolgirl when I see one, although I've become much more accepting lately. There were two big, ugly, striped spiders living outside my door in big, beautiful webs a couple of weeks ago. I named them Joel and Seth Spiderman. They were brothers. My girlfriend kept trying to get me to kill them--I actually tried to kill Joel one night when I'd had a few, and thankfully I failed--but I contended that they kept the flies, crickets, and other undesirables at bay.

Sadly, we had some rather rough weather last weekend, and I have seen neither Joel nor Seth since. RIP, my eight-legged bouncers. May your hereafter be filled with overfed and underwitted prey.
posted by uncleozzy at 1:04 PM on September 12, 2008 [5 favorites]

Stupid bug. You go squish now!
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 1:14 PM on September 12, 2008

If this was on your iPhone I would squish it.
posted by LordSludge at 1:14 PM on September 12, 2008

Wow! It reacts differently to your mouse depending on how fast you move it (and other factors?)
posted by archagon at 1:15 PM on September 12, 2008

Or does it just follow it around? I'm not sure. Still, nice find!
posted by archagon at 1:16 PM on September 12, 2008

I'm enjoying grabbing the spider by one leg and whipping it around violently.
posted by flod logic at 1:19 PM on September 12, 2008

Today, I dropped a giant angry spider on Hungary.

My life is now complete.
posted by MrVisible at 1:27 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

I will admit, I loaded this up the other day for no reason other than to freak my girlfriend out. Mission accomplished!

That being said, it's cute, and I actually found it oddly diverting for longer than i really should have.
posted by Aversion Therapy at 1:34 PM on September 12, 2008

eeeep
posted by signal at 1:56 PM on September 12, 2008

"I will admit, I loaded this up the other day for no reason other than to freak my girlfriend out."

Me too, but I wish I hadn't. Her scream was funny as fuck. My laptop flying across the room wasn't.
posted by pinkbuttonanus at 1:57 PM on September 12, 2008

These people will not be clicking your link.
posted by Xurando at 2:11 PM on September 12, 2008

bite me... BITE ME!,

God damn it, what do I have to do to get you to bite me?

*shakes spider more*

Shit. if I could prove I got bit by a spider at work, I probably could have gone home early.
posted by quin at 2:15 PM on September 12, 2008

Watch the youtube video.

I want a three monitor setup like that dud's got.
posted by cjorgensen at 2:36 PM on September 12, 2008 [1 favorite]

creepy
posted by camcgee at 2:58 PM on September 12, 2008

Totally cool.
posted by rtha at 3:10 PM on September 12, 2008

Nifty.
“Customizable tarantula” was the name of my band in college.
Sounds better in Spanish - “La araña adaptada”
posted by Smedleyman at 4:20 PM on September 12, 2008

With this website comes great responsibility.
posted by The Bellman at 4:21 PM on September 12, 2008

Aww! Spiders can give me the heebie jeebies but that little guy is kinda cute.

It would be much worse if, after tabbing to another window and then returning, the spider was gone.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 4:41 PM on September 12, 2008 [4 favorites]

The thing, for most people about spiders... someone did a poll on people's worst fears and found that people feared spiders more than public speaking. Death came in third.
posted by Huplescat at 5:14 PM on September 12, 2008

What's with the size of 15th Century Lithuania on that map? It looks huge...
posted by speug at 7:14 PM on September 12, 2008

Yeah, who'd have guessed they were such a powerhouse? That map is way cool.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 7:58 AM on September 14, 2008

SPIDER!
posted by a lot is two words at 8:04 AM on September 14, 2008 [1 favorite]