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Soofa's Sign is a 21st century smart bulletin board
Smart cities of tomorrow will run on information, with various pieces of connected urban infrastructure all sharing data amongst themselves. But what sharing information amongst the citizenry? That's where the Soofa Sign, a community bulletin board for the 21st century, comes in.
You can confuse self-driving cars by altering street signs
While car makers and regulators are mostly worried about the possibility of self-driving car hacks, University of Washington researchers are concerned about a more practical threat: defacing street signs. They've learned that it's relatively easy to throw off an autonomous vehicle's image recognition system by strategically using stickers to alter street signs. If attackers know how a car classifies the objects it sees (such as target photos of signs), they can generate stickers that can trick the car into believing a sign really means something else. For instance, the "love/hate" graphics above made a computer vision algorithm believe a stop sign was really a speed limit notice.
South Korea hopes traffic signs will cut phone distractions
Cities have tried a number of exotic solutions to get phone-toting pedestrians to focus on where they're going (or at least, out of the way). However, Seoul thinks there's a simpler answer: traffic signs. The South Korean capital is testing signs that warn smartphone owners in five accident-prone areas (such as City Hall or Gangnam Station) about the perils of distracted walking. In theory, those periodic reminders will have you looking up more often and spare you from smacking into a car.
Blizzard's street rename could have used some more PTR testing
According to Nick Carpenter on Twitter, Blizzard has finally gotten the street that runs between their buildings renamed... but it looks like there's a minor bug in the implementation. @AdamHolisky @CM_Zarhym Sign just went up today, assuming they will hotfix it ASAP. PTR testing would have helped. - Mumper (@mumper) February 10, 2014 Here's to hoping they manage to hotfix it soon... or we may be stuck with Bizzard Entertainment for a while.
Moving 'for rent' sign uses camera, motorized mount to track pedestrians (video)
Even in prime locations, vacant stores can go tenantless for months or years, costing landlords quite a bit in uncollected rent. One real estate owner in Sherbrooke, Quebec is hoping to move a property a bit more quickly, though, using a creative hack to attract attention to an otherwise ordinary "for rent" (à louer, in this case) sign. A standard red placard is mounted to a motorized horizontal track, with a camera keeping tabs on passersby. As pedestrians walk down the sidewalk, the sign slides to match their position. It's a clever trick for sure, but with "many abandoned shop fronts" in the area, according to Niklas Roy, the project's lead, it may be entertaining tourists for some time to come.
Points connected sign can show any place you need to go, what's up online (video)
Most street signs aren't especially street-savvy when they can't change with the passing weeks, let alone the moment. Breakfast NY's new Points sign is much, much smarter. As long as it has an Ethernet or WiFi connection, it can spin its arrows toward locations on demand or as they become relevant, whether it's the local bar at night or a concert stage in the afternoon. The signage is also aware of what's happening, not just where: Points can tap into Foursquare, RSS feeds, Twitter and other sources to display trending hotspots, sports scores and other live updates. The curious can experiment with internet-connected demo signs today; Breakfast NY is taking rental requests now, with expectations that Points signs can deploy from July 1st onwards. As for pricing? You'll have to get a quote. While the company tells us that a days-long rental will likely involve a lower five-digit sum, it expects each order to be at least somewhat unique.
Adobe Mobile Reader 10.2 adds signature, form support
For years, you've been eager to dump that aging landline-tethered fax machine, but those occasional signature requirements have forced you to delay the disposal, time and time again. Well it might just finally be time to kick that beige beast to the curb. The latest version of Adobe Mobile Reader for Android and iOS effectively negates that need for scanning signatures, delivering that functionality through an in-app Ink Signature tool instead. You'll also want to take Note of the free-hand drawing option, text markup feature, sticky notes, EchoSign integration, intra-document link and form support, search tool and thumbnail navigation -- all available in Mobile Reader 10.2. There's also an update to the desktop app, Adobe Reader X (10.1.3), which includes the same Ink Signature Tool and EchoSign integration available in the mobile version. Click through to our source link for all the juicy deets.
Engadget takes over Times Square, courtesy of TS2 (video)
Remember when we took over Times Square last month? Contrary to comments-based speculation, we didn't drop several years' salary to see our names and faces (and pets) up in lights. We were actually shooting a segment for the Engadget Show about a new service from Times Square2 (TS2). The NASDAQ / Thomson Reuters alliance is working to increase engagement on the giant electronic billboards it controls in one of the most heavily trafficked spots in the US. The organization has designed a free API for developers, making it possible to create applications for its giant ad spaces on the side of the Thomson Reuters and NASDAQ buildings, and it showed us some of the fruits of its labor in the video clip that you'll find after the break.%Gallery-130286%
Motorola Atrix root found to be signed, hacking might not be so easy
That the Atrix got itself rooted before it was even available made us wonder just how... receptive it would be to the caresses of the hacker community at large. Sadly we're finding it's perhaps a bit more frigid than its friendly demeanor might have lead us to believe. User adlx.xda over at the xda-developers forums has found that the phone's system files are not encrypted, but they are signed. This will make the process of replacing them and loading custom builds and the like rather more complicated -- but surely not impossible. [Thanks, chaoslimits]
NTT's next-gen digital kiosk selects appropriate content with webcam, razzmatazz
We've seen plenty of digital signage on these pages, but nothing quite like this. Currently making the scene at an NTT show room in Japan, this intelligent kiosk interacts with advertisers and customers (via a ceiling mounted camera) in real time. One demo that appeals to us has two people approaching the display to find something to eat. Upon noticing that there are two hungry consumers, it offers a selection of restaurants with enough open seats for the pair. Maybe we're just hungry, but with a little artificial intelligence (Minority Report-style) this could be pretty cool -- or pretty dangerous. Video after the break.
BlizzCon 2009: It begins
Our man in Anaheim right now is none other than the Turpster (apparently the Deadliest Catch boat he grabbed a ride with arrived a bit early), and, jet sealagged as he may be, he found the strength to walk over to the convention center and get you the first pics of what this year's BlizzCon looks like. Hit the gallery below to see what's going on, from the Illidan statue setup to the Dippin' Dots booth.No major spoilers yet (there are no Cataclysm posters lying around, disappointing as that may be), but it's a great look at the calm before the storm of Blizzard fans that will descend on the area in just a few days' time. Stay tuned for lots more coverage (and we mean lots more coverage) of what's going on in Anaheim. BlizzCon 2009 is almost upon us!Update: Blizzard has asked us to remove three images from this gallery that showed portions of the interior of the convention hall. As these were blurry, through-the-window shots that didn't clearly show anything of excitement, we don't feel anyone is missing out by not having them available. We'll be sure to update you with plenty of high-quality shots when the convention floor officially opens on Friday. %Gallery-70480% BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there's some great looking costumes.
Anokimobi's solar-powered electroluminescent signs light up your eco-friendly bar crawls
Okay, so that solar-powered electroluminescent wallpaper never caught on, and neither did the EL sports jerseys that stood poised to make the most boring of events at least look exciting. But, this latest application of the tech seems bound to succeed -- if only because it caters to drinking establishments and their affinity for blinking lights. Anokimobi has released a sign that charges during the day, giving it power for up to 14 hours of light pollution at night. It's totally waterproof and can even be powered by an auxiliary power source should a cloudy spell interrupt a week of drunken debauchery. No prices are advertised, but we're sure the company would be happy to send you a quote.
Humongous LED display at Walgreens in Times Square gets detailed
For those who've found themselves strolling through Times Square the past few days, you've probably seen the absolutely impossible-to-miss LED display board that was just recently lit up. The folks over at DailyDOOH were able to go check out the official launch, and it also did us the favor of hosting up a few pictures and providing all the juicy details behind the monolithic board. It sits 15 feet off of the ground and rises some 340 feet into the air, and within the sign are 13 interconnected plasma screens showing off coordinated content. Check the read link for even more amazing specs / images.
Gigantic LED display board goes live at Walgreens in Times Square
Remember that LED display board that was scheduled to be lit up at Walgreens in Times Square? You know, that 17,000-square foot one touting 12 million LEDs? Sure you do. The board, which was designed by D3 LED, was finally activated in the heart of New York City, and its creators are asserting that it's one of the most complex in existence. If you're wondering if this is worth a trip up (along with having a peek at the giant tree in Rockefeller Center), you might want to hit the read link first, but you should probably understand that almost nothing in NYC can hold a candle in terms of magnitude to downtown Dubai.
World of WarCrafts: Banner of brutality
Every Thursday, Shelbi Roach of The Bronze Kettle guides you in creating WoW-inspired crafts using real world mats with World of WarCrafts.Show the world where your loyalties lie with this horde-riffic signage. The bold red backdrop is guaranteed to garner attention while the blood spatter technique would make even Thrall proud. Here is what you will need: Wooden Frame (I used a Make Me Frameous frame from Michaels) Wooden Letters (I used Provo Craft Carved Letters from Michaels) Acrylic Paint (deep red, black) Fine Red Glitter Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Spray Paint Brush Click on the images below to view a gallery of step-by-step instructions. %Gallery-26732%
Nintendo neon sign up for auction, DS Fanboy contemplates purchase
Perhaps it's the bright lights, but something about neon signs just interests us. No, it's not the science of it all (it's actually gas in there!), but the ... yeah, bright lights. Hey, look, a bright sign!If the neon Nintendo sign doesn't interest you, then there are other Nintendo-related auctions today. There's a Mario statue and some test cartridges up for grabs, as well.[Via Gamesniped]
Walgreens to erect largest sign in Times Square, use just 12 million LEDs
You know that impossible-to-miss NASDAQ sign on Broadway at 43rd Street in New York City? Yeah, the one that's 11,000-square feet in size. The Walgreen Company has set out to make that look like child's play, as it aims to erect a 250,000-pound sign at a three-level emporium in Times Square. Said display will reportedly be used to "raise [the drugstore's] visibility in New York," while doubling as a "focal point for it nationally." This beast will be covered in 12 million LEDs -- 17,000 square feet of them, to be exact -- and you can only imagine the hardware that will be required behind the scenes to keep this thing up and running. If you just can't wait until next fall to peep this in person, head southward to the read link and dig in.[Thanks, Brock]
OMDM's movable E-K50 II LED display is Big Brother's best friend
Just like a George Orwell flick gone awry, OMDM's movable E-K50 II LED display is downright frightening. The gargantuan display is basically one with a car, and it comes complete with built-in speakers to really get the message across. We can hear it now: "Please deposit your mobile communication devices here, telepathy is the new unlimited plan." Yikes.
Samsung's 82-inch SyncMaster 820DXn sports a built-in computer
There's displays made for digital signage, and then there's Samsung's SyncMaster 820DXn. Put simply, there's no commercial screen we'd rather have sitting in our living room, and while we doubt many would go for it, the specs here are pretty impressive. Outside of the expansive 82-inch 1,920 x 1,080 resolution S-PVA panel, you'll find 178-degree viewing angles, a 5,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, "ultra-high" brightness levels, eight-millisecond response time and the firm's own DNIe PRO image enhancement technology. It also includes built-in fans for extended usage along with an integrated PC consisting of an 1.8GHz Athlon64 X2 3400+ CPU, 4GB of flash storage, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, an ATI graphics set and Windows XP to boot. Granted, this thing was designed with luring customers in mind, and given the lofty $76,999 price tag, we don't expect it to do much else.
A year of Promotional Consideration
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.The titling of this post is a bit of a misnomer, as we didn't start this column until early July, so it's more of a "half-year of" piece. No, you jerks, the humor in us beginning our Promotional Consideration retrospective on a disappointing note isn't lost on us.Still, with 26 articles now behind us, one every week since this feature's inception, we've written enough of these to develop a few that are actually worth reading. We've picked out our five favorite Promotional Consideration posts of 2007, carefully hiding them after the post break, that magical realm where anything seems possible.
