Subway "parasite" uses a Mac mini to project art

Some Berlin artists have created a subway "parasite" by loading a Mac mini, a projector, and a battery power supply into a suction-cup equipped suitcase that they then slapped on the side of a subway train. The system projects video of an imaginary world onto the tunnel wall as the train races along, playing off the idea of subway tunnels being sort of magical, unexplored places to most passengers. It all sounds very nice and artsy, but if we see some shadester trying to stick some non-descript box on the side of one of our subway trains, we're not even going to think twice about testing out that new Taser gun of ours on his sorry artistic ass.

[Via TUAW]

[Rhys @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Look closely at the video; when the guy's standing at the station you get to clearly see both sides of the box - there's no suckers, and you would've thought you could see the projector lens through the hole. Looks like it's just been painted black to me. Also, look carefully at the two frames when the train moves - the box stays in the same place but the train definitely moves. Just a thought.

[Jason Stewart @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Yeah, my first thought: "Not here in NYC". We see a weird box on the side of a train, the entire subway system gets shut down for 5 hours.

Screw the high tech, go back to spray paint graffiti. Less panic.

[ty @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Anyone stupid enough to try to pull this off deserves to get shot .. this is incredibly stupid .

[mike @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Yeah, my first thought: "Not here in NYC". We see a weird box on the side of a train, the entire subway system gets shut down for 5 hours.

--

Huh?? Why??? Was there an attack there or sth??

[kingston @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

I cant people are getting so upset by this its obviously as the first post points out a publicility stunt. I think its cool and i applaude them for their idea. Not in NYC, who have you to blame for that? I welcome the fact that this can happen in Europe without a SWAT crackdown.

[Robert @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

I'm all for this idea. Free mac-minis with projectors just sitting there on the side of subway trains waiting to be picked up. Almost worth a trip to Europe.

[JimK @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

"I welcome the fact that this can happen in Europe without a SWAT crackdown."

Try it in London and see what happens. Or did you forget about the terrorists bombing, oh, I dunno...THE SUBWAY?

[Lesbian Ham @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Erm, dunno if you guys in the states heard about this, but a few months ago, this guy got shot in the face multiple times at point-blank range on the tube (subway) by police because they suspected him of being a terrorist. Now imagine the same scene, but with someone having just fixed on a large, suspicous box to the side of a train

[Lesbian Ham @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Wont work in the UK.
7th of July - look it up.

[Tim Howland @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Hello, I am Gunter. Would you like to touch my Monkey? Now is the time on shprockets where we dance.

May I attach a nondescript box on your subway car? I would like to transport the subway passengers into a magical world far far away, because the tunnels are so mystical.

No? I may not? Perhaps you would like to read with me my stories about Roy Orbison wrapped up in cling film?

[n8 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

That's the risk they take for art, I suppose.

I agree that the film's a little suspect, but putting that aside for the moment, I like this concept. The shark swimming next to the train is inspired.

How long until someone makes a few of these boxes to mount on NYC taxis, projecting ads on the street and buildings?

[kingston @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

I'm from N Ireland I know more than most about the dangers of that happening so yeah I have considered what I said.

[2285 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Hey nerds, I know you're all debating this from a terrorism point of view but no one has noted that this is not an act of clever multimedia trickery to be analyzed and picked apart- "look carefully at the two frames when the train moves - the box stays in the same place but the train definitely moves"

Obviously, it is a concept, a proposal! The project doesn't involve ACTUALLY DOING THIS (yet) but the IDEA of doing it. The component images are stock pictures, for example. Sheesh. Maybe I noticed this because I went to art school.

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

#13, it's not only because you went to art school. I figured it out too and i'm in high school. The rest of these people are just idiots.

[downit @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

I agree, it's just a concept, heh, a concept of how to get yourself shot by the 5-0, heck he even gets on his cellphone after the train leaves to "conceptualize" a detonation sequence.

[js @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

People with macs are so weird.... heh.

[fish @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

really nice!

[Sebhelyesfarku @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

I am a troll: [e-mail]

[LD @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

i ve seen that in tokyo 8 monthes ago. engadget seems to be late on this news ..... these germans just copy some existing stuffs

[Bible and Apologetics Teacher @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

In the San Francisco metro where I live, the cops would probably say they're not afraid of arresting people who try stuff like that.

On the other hand, they probably did have a permit.... I wouldn't risk my laptop on a mission like that if I thought it might get confiscated.

[Stephen @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

we're practically _handing_ advertisers new ideas to rot our brains.

[petro @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Aside from all the paranoia going on here... I really like this concept. Would like to experience it for myself.

[ryecob @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

i'm more interested in who their mobile service provider is. my cell phone never works in the subway. bleh!

[Jason Stewart @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

I dunno...Sure it may be a concept/idea, but it's a dangerous one in certain places. You can call us "paranoid" (which I'm not), but I travel and work in a city where the police are checking bags and there's military people carrying M16's standing around.

It doesn't matter what you think about the "art". It's dangerous in my current reality. Period. Airports get shutdown over the most minor questionable weirdness. That's our reality. Have the terrorists won? Maybe. But it doesn't change the fact that strapping a strange electronic box to the side of a subway train in a city that got attacked on 9-11 is simply not wise.

In a more utopian existence, the idea would be cool (or at least interesting).

[petro @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Like several other people pointed out - it's pretty obvious these people had permits to do this. So stop freaking out and check out the cool video documentation.

[ho to the mo @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

This idea will work if the hardware can be built into the train chassis, say, as a modular retrofitted media kit. The liability of some innocent bystander being smacked by this device if it were mounted as they showed in the video would prevent any public transpo company from allowing it. Just think if the same technology could be installed in NYC cabs and buses for after dark advertising.

[Grandpa @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Geezus, just write it up as a grant and the Guvment will PAY you to install the damn thing. Oh, but then you wouldn't be a guerilla artsy. Dang for you.

[Stealth43 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Sven,
Right on. "...whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.!" Al-queada has accomplised their mission, just listen to yourselves people. We need to face these bastards. If we live in fear of what will happen when we step outside we will have failed our forefathers.

"...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself�nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

[Simon @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

USA - Land of the Scared

[Doc. @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Heh. Wow. Thats some pretty expensiove art. Battery + LCD Projector + Mac Mini = one hella expensive piece of public art. I'd taze 'em THEN take the mini et l'accoutrements. Then again, I am a heartless thief. But, yippie for free Macs!

[fogd00d @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Its not fear, idiots, and its not just America -- you goof around with public transportation with mysterious boxes, prepare to be man-handled.

Engadget wrote it well the first time.

Plus, what can-barely-pay rent art dinks are going to be able to afford to risk the cost of a Mini, projector, etc. thats likely to fall or blow off or, more likely, just get lifted by someone who is tired of so-called avant-garde urban art.

*yawn* ... yoink. See ya, Hans and thanks for the free Mac. Try harder next time or just stay on the backpacking trip next time, jah?

[Paul @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

How about this: everyone quit freaking out over the concept of someone sticking a nondescript box on the side of the subway and think for a minute that this might actually be something that the subway systems could incorporate voluntarily as an art exhibit. It could easily be proposed to a city and safely carried out just like any other art exhibit (like The Gates, for instance). Why all the "hey let's kill the artists" speak?

[kingston @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

fogd00d as i said i've had 35 years of living in "fear" so stop lecturing me on something which is new to you, i really do pity your perspective on things. The point of this is that it was obviously staged therefore stop worrying about it and just enjoy the video, it is pretty cool with sharks etc...

Also free mac mini boxes would be sweet I must look out for them.

[Simon @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Ooops, Sorry, I got that wrong ...

USA - Land of the homocidial art-hating Paranoics

[Simon @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

But, on topic:

I realy like that idea ... but if it gets commercialised, and it will, it will be used to display even more ads ... so, yuck, in the long term ...

[Eli @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

Interesting idea, but I'd think it might be more practical to use something like, oh, I don't know, a $99 PMP with TV-out, rather than a $500 power-hungry Mac Mini.

But then, since it's art I suppose anything other than a Mac would be sacrilege.

[Simon @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

I sure can't see this happening in London for more than just the terrorism point of view. The deep level 'tube' tunnels are way too small, i don't know how well it'd work with this much space either side of the train.

Have a look at the width between the tunnel & train:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Why_London_Underground_is_nicknamed_The_Tube.jpg

[JimK @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

"USA - Land of the homocidial art-hating Paranoics"

Oh screw you. Like I said...try this in London. WHERE THEY BOMBED SUBWAYS.

[Doug @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

You are all so uptight.

One can see with this whole thing that the way terrorism is advertised these days has ruined the whole world.

Nothing is innocent anymore. Not even art.

Sad really. I love the idea, and this is just a concept! The actual implementation would not be such a suspicious box on the train ... probably something a little more "permanent" and non-stealable :)

Quote : "Oh screw you. Like I said...try this in London. WHERE THEY BOMBED SUBWAYS"

- Calm the hell down!? What like terrorism just started yesterday? Terror - anyway, is war. Not terror. These people are fighting "their" war. Why? Oh I don't know, how about the way the western world is continuing to f*ck the eastern world year for year, decade for decade, for their natural resources.

Of course many "normal" people died. Which is a damned shame, but many "normal" americans, iraqis, and other nationalities die everyday in Iraq.

There was terror in the 60's, 70's, 80's 90's and now. What changed? nothing. But the media sure as hell goes crazy about it nowadays, oh and the government....

I almost can't be bothered, half of you havn't even realised that there is a big picture outside of the 4 walls of your TV.

[furtim @ Dec 19th 2005 2:31AM]

This is retarded.

And by "this" I mean not only the subject of the article, but all of the comments and all of the commenters related to it. Yes, even me.

[Matt @ Dec 30th 2005 2:32PM]

#16 and #18. First of all, I'm glad you've found something your good at in stereotyping people. But how exactly can you justify what your saying? I guess its just me seeing those comments as being rather stupid, but I guess thats just me as a linux user.