Telectroscope lets Londoners and New Yorkers gaze at one another in real-time

Don't get too excited -- that image you see to the right isn't actually a transatlantic telescope. Rather, it's a transatlantic broadband network "rounded off on each end with HD cameras." Still, the 11.2- x 3.3-meter Telectroscope is a real marvel to look at, and it actually does enable viewers in New York and London to peer at each other in real-time. The creation will be on display and open to the public around the clock in both cities until June 15th, so if you've been meaning to ask for that dame's hand in marriage but couldn't afford the JFK - LHR ticket, why not set up a surprise meeting at the 'scope?

[E71 @ May 23rd 2008 11:11AM]

There are no "dames" in Limey-town -- only fuggoes...

[AJ @ May 23rd 2008 11:17AM]

Googled "fuggoes".
Saw headline of first search result - "Penis theft panic hits city".
Cracked up.

[Maurik @ May 23rd 2008 12:17PM]

true dat

[Ray @ May 23rd 2008 2:43PM]

How "real-time" is "real-time"?
I want to be able to play rock-paper-scissors with strangers an ocean away.

[JenCiv @ May 23rd 2008 4:37PM]

"so if you've been meaning to ask for that dame's hand in marriage but couldn't afford the JFK - LHR ticket, why not set up a surprise meeting at the 'scope?"

Wow. If the poor bloke can't afford a plane ticket, how the hell is he gonna take care of his new lady?

[Cahlito @ May 23rd 2008 11:12AM]

cooooool.
i think I'm gonna go try it out

[martin @ May 23rd 2008 11:15AM]

maybe you could mention where it actually is... london i rather large

[fourzeroseven @ May 23rd 2008 11:17AM]

The building behind it kinda looks like City Hall, Im guessing there.

[Ray-- @ May 23rd 2008 12:00PM]

in the linked article they say. near London bridge & Brooklynn Bridge

[melissa @ May 23rd 2008 12:32PM]

Yes, it is outside the mayor's office. I ran past it this morning and a bunch of lackeys were polishing the glass but it wasn't open yet.

[r3loaded @ May 23rd 2008 12:56PM]

Ooh, just a 5 minute walk for me. Might pop round to look at the big apple this weekend :p

[Miker @ May 23rd 2008 11:16AM]

I'll give it 10 minutes before someone moons someone at the other end!

[JJV @ May 23rd 2008 11:29AM]

LOL

[Tyson @ May 23rd 2008 12:47PM]

Beat me to typing it, I was think that of just flipping them off

[OneLove @ May 23rd 2008 11:16AM]

People are starving it the world and they are drilling tunnels?

[Drew Scott @ May 23rd 2008 11:19AM]

did you even read the article?

[Ian Flemming @ May 23rd 2008 11:22AM]

STFU

[Arnob @ May 23rd 2008 11:21AM]

people are starving in the world and you're here commenting on engadget?!?

[OneLove @ May 23rd 2008 11:36AM]

I really appreciate and respect your opinions! (...and they did drill a tunnel ass clowns) :P

[The 3rd Hot Dog @ May 23rd 2008 11:42AM]

There's a picture of a drill...

Unless you're being funny?

[RobWest @ May 23rd 2008 11:52AM]

You really are a tosser if you think they drilled a tunnel under the atlantic without there being a rather bigger headline than this. Now who's the ass clown?

[Ray-- @ May 23rd 2008 11:57AM]

"In all its optical brilliance and brass and wood, there stood the Telectroscope: an 11.2-meter-(37 feet) long by 3.3-meter-(11 feet) tall dream of a device allowing people on one side of the Atlantic to look into its person-size lens and, in real time, see those on the other side via a recently completed tunnel running under the ocean. (Think 19th-century Webcam. Or maybe Victorian-age video phone.)"

[illegible @ May 23rd 2008 12:09PM]

Some of the posters here are truly sarcasm challenged.

[Syd @ May 23rd 2008 12:23PM]

@OneLove
@Ray

Read the story dumbasses, when someone says "did you even read the article?" then you go and read the first paragraph you havent really read the story now have you. I think you will find later down, and I quote *ahem*, verbatim,
"the trans-Atlantic tunnel is really a trans-Atlantic broadband network rounded off on each end with HD cameras, according to Tiscali, an Italian Internet provider handling the technical side of the project."

"ass clowns :p"

[Justin @ May 23rd 2008 12:30PM]

Just the VPN Tunnel...

[Andrew @ May 23rd 2008 12:33PM]

@Syd
You beat me to it.

@OneLove
@Ray
ass clowns.

[MARSHAK @ May 23rd 2008 2:22PM]

for the record, I'M STARVING!!! but I still wanna go look through this thing.

reason for starvation stems from north american college education.

[OneLove @ May 23rd 2008 2:22PM]

lol

[Revolutionary Idea @ May 23rd 2008 11:17AM]

Now we just need to answer the question:

>>> "Why do I want to look at Londoners?"

[OblatedSpheroid @ May 23rd 2008 11:23AM]

And why would we english folk like to look at you strange people?

[illegible @ May 23rd 2008 12:09PM]

OblatedSpheroid - 'cause we have nice teeth?

[Tom @ May 23rd 2008 12:34PM]

But only one person at a time would be able to fit in the field of view...

[riggs @ May 23rd 2008 12:49PM]

and only one tooth can be seen from ours....

[Justin Davis @ May 23rd 2008 11:39AM]

So they built the world's largest, most expensive webcam? What's the point? This might have been exciting in the 1980's. A telescope, on the other hand, would have been cool. I guess they'd need some kind of mirror trickery to account for the curvature of the Earth. I don't know how they could mount mirrors at various points over the ocean though. Probably impossible.

[andreykireev @ May 23rd 2008 11:46AM]

Well it is a telescope (tele - distance, scope - see), by definition doesn't need to be optical all the way.

[Wwhat @ May 23rd 2008 12:48PM]

HDTV webcam though, those are very rare, go ahead and find an online webcam that isn't fuzzy 320x240 pixels 5 FPS (and that isn't meant for the porn business).
Note that those specification are slightly exaggerated for effect, in reality it's 640x480@15fps that you are likely to find :)

[Reich @ May 23rd 2008 5:09PM]

Who says this one isn't for porn?

[Joe @ May 23rd 2008 5:51PM]

@Wwhat

Uh... ever heard of just a camcorder? I don't own a webcam- I use my camcorder hooked up via firewire to stream. It's probably just an HD cam hooked up to a fiber optic network... in effect, every video camera with firewire is technically webcam-ready.

[chuck @ May 23rd 2008 11:39AM]

this is the coolest thing i've ever seen!

[Wwhat @ May 23rd 2008 12:49PM]

Hmm, perhaps a bit overstated?

[Zal @ May 23rd 2008 1:07PM]

You should get out more.

[sepirioth @ May 23rd 2008 11:39AM]

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/telectroscope/cn/visit/index.php

From what I've read its a bit of a Indiana Jones promo... Still REALLY cool!

[PSM @ May 23rd 2008 11:43AM]

I think this is pretty cool. I know it's basically just an oversized webcam, but they way they're presenting it is fun. I may try to go down and see it, but I have a feeling it's going to be a tourist trap.

[bradwjensen @ May 23rd 2008 12:04PM]

I want to see what it looks like.. Is it just a small monitor in the scope? :/

[retro77 @ May 23rd 2008 12:09PM]

I saw this on CNN the other day and was hoping they or someone would show an example.

[TomD @ May 23rd 2008 12:10PM]

I've been there, and it's actually really cool.

And the point isn't whether it's true or not - it's just a wonderful idea to 'play along with'. Everybody extends the mythology together.

If anyone went to 'The Sultan's Elephant' in London two years ago, it's got that same sort of joyous vibe. (Hardly surprising as the same company, Artichoke, are responsible)

[PA @ May 23rd 2008 12:27PM]

Nice to see that again 13 years after I first saw that, les HD, in Montreal - Paris.

[krymson @ May 23rd 2008 12:35PM]

It's official, Steampunk is going mainstream.
Sweet.

[Wwhat @ May 23rd 2008 12:50PM]

I would not call it mainstream, but you got a point though

[Tyson @ May 23rd 2008 12:57PM]

out of curiosity what would be the difference if the just put a huge screen and hd camera and connected to the internet, like on the cisco commercial? You can put these all over the work and unit the work.


(republican thinking) or advise the terrorist of our city lay outs so they can terrorize.. boggy boogy.