Mini projectors spark worries about "visual pollution"

Texas Instruments and others have been touting mini (or pico) projectors without hesitation as of late, but it seems that not everyone is quite so excited about them, with some folks now even warning about a number of potential dangers. One of those naysayers is Future Laboratory founder Martin Raymond, who told the BBC that while the projectors (likely to be used primarily in cellphones) are "appealing initially," he has concerns about the devices causing "visual pollution," adding that there could be "inappropriate showing of things that maybe other people shouldn't be seeing." Needless to say, he also foresees new laws and legislation controlling the use of the technology. No matter how things shake out, however, the one thing that seems clear is that the humble laser pointer will soon be about as antiquated as the spitball when it comes to juvenile means of public embarrassment.

[Via About Projectors]

[Whoa @ Feb 27th 2008 8:38PM]

Gimme a freaking break. Is this really news? What no HD-DVD bashing this afternoon?

[Limezor @ Feb 27th 2008 8:38PM]

Let the teacher harassment begin!

[Tim @ Feb 27th 2008 8:39PM]

"does it play doom?"

"yes, yes it does. Here, let me show you on the back of this big lady's coat..."

[E71 @ Feb 27th 2008 8:38PM]

*deletes the porn-to-share folder from his cellphone*

[Sean @ Feb 27th 2008 8:42PM]

laser pointer to the crotch to the principal just doesnt compare to shining a video of some dude getting plowed in the ass onto his presentation lol wish i could go back to jr high with one of these

[Tiptup300 @ Feb 27th 2008 10:32PM]

wow, now that would make a great last day at school. Showing everyone the "epicness" that is 2girls1finger.

[Abuzar @ Feb 27th 2008 10:48PM]

2 girls one cup.

screw that, I would show everyone Hatchet vs Genitals and watch them scream.

[Tiptup300 @ Feb 28th 2008 12:14AM]

theres two...

2girls1cup AND 2girls1finger...

theres also tubgirl, goatse, BME Pain Olympics Soft/Hard, Kids in Sandbox, Chocolate Rain, etc. etc.

[Joey Villarreal @ Feb 28th 2008 2:39AM]

don't forget 2guys1cup!!! Youtube it!

[Boynamedsue @ Feb 27th 2008 8:46PM]

"inappropriate showing of things that maybe other people shouldn't be seeing."

yeah because porn is absolutely rampant on pdas, ipods and psp screens across america already. Rarely a day goes by i don't see someone watching a double penetration scene on the bart train.

Lets stunt technological development over the few random instances that are sure to happen.

[FRZ @ Feb 27th 2008 8:50PM]

Porn on the go is always good. Why do they make technology for?

[FRZ @ Feb 27th 2008 8:51PM]

Porn on the go is always good. Why else do we need technology for?

[mushrooshi @ Feb 27th 2008 9:44PM]

I actually tattle on this kid jacking off to some porn in Engineering Principals.

He got suspended for like 2 weeks.

[mushrooshi @ Feb 27th 2008 9:45PM]

Darn, I forgot to ad:

(lol, not an advertisment)

I also got him suspended for a week for "hustling" 5 dollars witht he AskJud fake tarot website.

[Tiptup300 @ Feb 27th 2008 10:30PM]

Hmm, if peewee herman owned a psp....

[Reader @ Feb 27th 2008 10:45PM]

Err could he not wait til he got home or is he really that horny of a bastard?

[boynamedsue @ Feb 28th 2008 10:32AM]

if you're gonna be commenting under my joke, show Paul Reubens some respect.

let those of you who have not wanked cast the first load.

[Tiptup300 @ Feb 28th 2008 12:16AM]

"On July 26, 1991, Reubens was arrested in Sarasota, Florida for masturbating publicly in an adult theater."

From wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peewee_Herman#Arrests

[Spyvie @ Feb 27th 2008 9:02PM]

When I was a kid, I used to shine an old Kodak Carousel slide projector out my bedroom window at a big tree across the street. Black and white face shots worked best, the ghostly images were barley perceptible. I got quite a reaction out of a few of my neighbors.

[Zorque @ Feb 27th 2008 10:04PM]

I can't wait to Goatse a movie theater.

[Zorque @ Feb 27th 2008 10:05PM]

Dammit, comment system. Sorry, that was just meant to be a reply to the article.

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Feb 27th 2008 10:05PM]

wow thats great, I used to set up mirrors as a child all over my local neighborhood and then shine laser pointers on them and have them reflect like some weird grid in the night. worked great in winter at the beginning of snow storms and in fog( we gt more than anyone else, 210 days per year). However I didn't use your run of the mill laser pointer, as they weren't available in 1982. I used a high power visual effects laser. A nice beryllium one. I did it until a visit from the pigs. I'm talking a 6 block radius with mirrors in trees and such. This will be fun to use. ghostly apparitions anyone? Welcome back to your youth. Mr. Unibomber guy

[macona @ Feb 28th 2008 12:54PM]

@SOOPERGOOMAN

Beryllium laser? No such thing, at least commercially. Some argon lasers use laser tubes manufactured from Beryllium Oxide ceramic.

[Chris K @ Feb 27th 2008 9:03PM]

To steal an idea from Tyler Durden, I can't wait to have the ability to shine an image of a cock (the bird, of course) onto a presenter's face. I only regret that by the time this technology is in my hands, we will have a new administration. :)

[JCA @ Feb 27th 2008 9:04PM]

Oh please STFU Martin Raymond...we've suffered from visual polution for over 50 years. Ever heard of highway billboards or television?

How bout those fucktard boxers who paint goldenpalace.com on their backs.

Don't kid yourself...we've been FUBAR for a long time.

[Jerome @ Feb 27th 2008 9:07PM]

What they think is true, but who cares!:P

there is always a other side to the coin!

Let's have fun with technology!
That pico projector can be so useful at school in team project.

[Eric @ Feb 27th 2008 9:10PM]

Way back when laser pointers were new, I went to a stripclub and had a conversation with one of the talent. Seems the Japanese clients used the pointers to accent the more interesting parts. Can't wait for the mini projector to become commonplace.

[Bill @ Feb 27th 2008 9:15PM]

My God yes, pass legislation about these small devil spawn projectors!! In the meantime, let London become Londistan, prosecute poor vegetable sellers for daring to sell in English units instead of Metric, and deny the common man the ability to defend his house and family, his kith and kin from burglers and assailants.

England = The New France.

Memo to EnglishMEN - get out while you still can.

London will be burning within 10 years. Count on it.

[ace_spades @ Feb 27th 2008 9:22PM]

no, london will be flooding & in a nuclear war (ever heard london calling by the clash?)

[Jesse S @ Feb 27th 2008 10:05PM]

I don't know what you're talking about, France actually has civil liberties and allows gun ownership.

[m @ Feb 28th 2008 12:54AM]

@bill: racist much? here's an idea: you can get out of england by enlisting, and reenacting the good ol' days in kabul right now! asshat. keep your xenophobic anti-immigrant insanity on the BBC's "have your say," where it belongs.

[Carbonize @ Feb 28th 2008 12:29AM]

And France doesn't let immigrants claim anything until they have been there and paying taxes for at least 2 years. So I am reliably informed anyway. Unlike here in the UK where the second you get off the boat we will offer you a house to live in, unemployment benefit and treatment on the NHS.

Still it beats living in America.

[w00t @ Feb 28th 2008 4:20AM]

Metric IS English units... We've been officially on the metric system for long long time.

In fact, there's only 3 nations still in the dark ages of measurement: Liberia, Burma and the United States.

[Bernhard @ Feb 27th 2008 9:32PM]

A new target for mobile phone virus writers.

[Skorpius @ Feb 27th 2008 9:45PM]

What about all the light pollution in ever major city which blots out the night sky? I'd rather see something done about that so I could actually see a star or two.

[Backlin @ Feb 27th 2008 9:46PM]

In order to add 3D to a 2D game, point projector directly at a lady's bosom.

[brandon_r87 @ Feb 27th 2008 9:54PM]

Wow, guess I'm the only one here agreeing with them judging by the comments. I hadn't really though about this kind of thing. I'm less concerned about what I might see, but more about what kids could see. A parent has the right to at least try to keep their kids from seeing these kinds of things. The kid probably will, but public places should be a place where they're reasonably safe from seeing it.

Do I think it's going to be as big of a problem as this makes it to be though? No, but you never know. There are some sick people out there, and I can definitely see juvenile kids (and adults) using these. The one thing I would have to compare it to though is Counter-Strike sprays, but IRL.

[AlexL @ Feb 27th 2008 9:53PM]

I think the greatest potential for these is to project fake public advisory messages, like "Elevator Out of Service" or "Subway Station Closed".

[TheKillerDynamo @ Feb 27th 2008 10:05PM]

All I can think of is...
Best. Rick roll. Ever.

[Taylor @ Feb 28th 2008 2:00AM]

Oh man, I'd be so pissed if someone rickrolled me while I was on the bus or something.

Perhaps a giant "I JUST LOST THE GAME" will do?

[ace_spades @ Feb 28th 2008 6:33PM]

I lost.

[mcatrage @ Feb 27th 2008 10:05PM]

Well the general population will soon be introduced to goatse and other wonders of the internet.

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Feb 27th 2008 10:13PM]

What about movies and the do not publicly show them law? How is that going to fit into this? Did anyone think about the repercussions of this tech? I just want to be able to hook up my psp slim to it and play outside at night or to look at the funky visualizer while tripping my ballz off on some heightened sense of reality chemicals. If'n you know what I mean. Party kids( ravers) will love this also. I can see many applications for this. Vehicle in dash heads up on windshield gps, broadcasted virtual concerts. A nice summer outdoor scenery movie projected in a fake window in that drab grey cubicle you call werk.
Uber advertising on the bottom of taxis( on the road). Let teh intrusions begin!

[ryan @ Feb 27th 2008 10:22PM]

this is almost like saying that speakers in phones add to noise pollution. Sure, every now and then someone has an inappropriate ringtone, but there's no epidemic, and there probably won't be one with projectors either.

[Josh L @ Feb 27th 2008 10:24PM]

There are already laws against (for example) displaying images of goatse in public. Why is this news, and why would we need additional laws forbidding what is already forbidden?

Maybe I could foresee changing the already existing laws to include harsher penalties if this sort of thing does indeed become a problem.

[Wwhat @ Feb 28th 2008 3:28AM]

But what if you display part of a viacom production tv show TO SEVERAL PEOPLE that would be worse than anything that has ever done before, according to sumner redstone at least.

[Motoken @ Feb 27th 2008 10:30PM]

holy smokes batman, its the bat signal! naranarana!

[James Cameron @ Feb 27th 2008 10:40PM]

...and we thought teenagers/people yapping on their cellphone was annoying. Wait until this come out...

[BigD145 @ Feb 27th 2008 10:53PM]

You mean I can go around and kill people and then tag their bodies with a mini projector? I'd better not get ticketed for tagging or loitering or "pollution" as I stand there showing off my awesome 8-ball.

[farfisa @ Feb 27th 2008 11:19PM]

Well, there's already noise pollution from people talking on the damned things, might as well complete the package!