Looking at any office computer monitor we usually see leftover fingerprint marks on the physical screen, the result of proposed changes by colleagues, or instructions from superiors.

'Dirty Fingerprints', is a screensaver that gathers mouse-clicks from a variety of collaborating websites and renders them visible on the screen. The X-Y coordinates of web-surfers mouse clicks are retrieved by the screensaver and displayed as dirty fingerprints on the user's screen. The screensaver checks the web every five minutes to see if a new fingerprint has been placed. As a result of this missed human contact and we see the gradual buildup of residual markings.

The screensaver is in constant need of websurfer's clicks to render its fingerprints. You can help extend the network of collaborating sites by adding a simple line of code to one of your webpages, which will be invisible to your site visitors.

If you would like to see a prototype version of the screensaver before downloading then please click "View On-line prototype". The prototype checks for new fingerprints every five minutes, and new fingerprints can be added by clicking on this page. You must be using Netscape or Internet Explorer 4 or later to view the prototype.

The screensaver uses HTML, javascript, ASP and a compiled executable written in Delphi.

The screensaver is currently only available for PCs running Windows. You must have an active internet connection to run the screensaver. After downloading the screensaver please unzip the contents and then double- click setup.exe.