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posted by takyon on Saturday January 19 2019, @03:39PM   Printer-friendly
from the Eat-at-Joe's dept.

Submitted via IRC for Sulla

Source: https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/glowing-space-billboards-could-light-up-the-night-sky-in-2020/

Look up at the night sky in 2020 and you might see an ad for McDonald's floating among the stars. A startup is planning to use a constellation of tiny satellites to create glowing ads. The satellites would light up different messages for up to six minutes at a time at about 250 miles above Earth.

Also at Futurism.

Related: Company Will Create an "Artificial Meteor Shower" Over Hiroshima, Japan in 2019
Japanese Company Could Put "Billboard" on the Moon
Japanese Company ispace Plans Two Missions to the Moon
Another Highly Reflective Art Object Will be Launched Into Orbit in November
First Artificial Meteor Shower Might Outshine Nature


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by sjames on Saturday January 19 2019, @04:49PM (12 children)

    by sjames (2882) on Saturday January 19 2019, @04:49PM (#788683) Journal

    A cannot urge strongly enough, somebody please burn their headquarters down now.

    Advertisers have already shit upon every man made surface in every city, and upon the landscape along the highway. The night sky belongs to everyone and as part of everyone, I do NOT grant these jack asses permission to despoil it with their trash.

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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by el_oscuro on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:10PM (1 child)

    by el_oscuro (1711) on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:10PM (#788690)

    Nuke it from orbit, just to be sure?

    --
    SoylentNews is Bacon! [nueskes.com]
    • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:11PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:11PM (#788766)

      AdBlock Nuclear (EMP addon), the pinnacle of early 20th privacy apps.

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:29PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:29PM (#788697)

    If I see any advert (or blipvert for that matter) that invades my eyesight... I go out of my way NOT to buy any of whatever they're trying to shit on me. BTW... /. sucks donkey wang.

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by crafoo on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:54PM (4 children)

    by crafoo (6639) on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:54PM (#788706)

    looking up into the night sky from a remote desert or the ocean is wondrous and awe-inspiring. the pure, rage-inducing arrogance to even consider taking this from humanity.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:48PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:48PM (#788780)

      I would not worry too much about it.

      Think about this. How big is the international space station? hint: it is NOT small, about the size of an American football field. https://www.nasa.gov/content/international-space-station-length-and-width/ [nasa.gov]

      That is state of the art neato in size currently with what we can launch. That is in low earth orbit. To most people IF you can find the thing it is about the size of a pinhead when going over. If you get out binoculars you can sort of see the shape. Now to get something as big as a billboard in a major city would be quite the technical achievement all by itself. http://www.meadowoutdoor.com/billboard-design/good-vs-bad/font-size [meadowoutdoor.com] Think about the moon. When it is out you can hold up your thumb and cover most if not all of it. That thing is about 2200 miles across. Now the closer you are to the earth the smaller you can make the thing. But like I said that will still be HUGE.

      Also keep in mind the space station is always falling. They continuously boost it up higher into orbit so it does not crash into the earth. Getting that fuel into orbit costs money, lots of it. Most billboards run on very thin margins. So even if they manage this amazing technical feat of engineering (which would cost a lot), then con someone into paying for it, then find someone crazy enough to orbit this thing, then assuming any of the worlds govs green light it (more money/campaign contributions), then manage to keep it in orbit (more money). Then MAYBE it would be annoying.

      I do however have 0 doubt if an advertising exec could manage it they would.

      • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday January 20 2019, @12:38AM

        by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday January 20 2019, @12:38AM (#788832) Homepage

        What about the light-pollution considerations from the perspective of terrestrial observers? Serious ones, not just the casual douchebags with their 2-footers who probably think it would be awesome to see more closely an airborne ad for crap.

        The idea would be a lot better if we could do disco-like shit in the skies for tourist attractions, like when you used to use those Playstation 1 and Winamp visualizations while high on pot to enhance your experience. Of course, somebody has to pay for that somehow, and even if such an awesome idea were implemented, there would still be "commercial breaks" on a regular basis.

      • (Score: 2) by crafoo on Sunday January 20 2019, @03:14AM

        by crafoo (6639) on Sunday January 20 2019, @03:14AM (#788882)

        Could we unfold enormous reflective mylar sheets with a painted mask? catch the sun with the Pepsi logo?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 22 2019, @04:44AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 22 2019, @04:44AM (#789965)

      So what you're saying, is they're doing it wrong.

      Instead of blowing their power budget on a 6 minute flash, they should slowly add stars and form new constellations ... conveniently shaped like recognizable logos.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by edIII on Saturday January 19 2019, @08:06PM (1 child)

    by edIII (791) on Saturday January 19 2019, @08:06PM (#788747)

    No. Wait till they launch it, hack into them, and then bring the whole thing burning down back to Earth. That way, they lose millions of dollars. Rinse and Repeat.

    If it gets really serious, then you burn down the houses of the executives and shareholders themselves. Rinse and Repeat that till they understand that space is sacrosanct and we won't put up with that shit.

    A little stunt to put up a glittering disco ball is one thing, but an actual advertisement is fucking adhorrent.

    --
    Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 20 2019, @12:20AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 20 2019, @12:20AM (#788823)

      Make it spew anti-government propaganda as it orbits above each country in turn.

      Wait for all the governments to knock it in a singular show of unity :)

  • (Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday January 20 2019, @01:14AM (1 child)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Sunday January 20 2019, @01:14AM (#788843) Homepage Journal

    You're worried about nothing. It's an idiotic idea that will only lose every penny invested in it. Light pollution ensures that if there are enough people to bother advertising to, they'll never see the ads.

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
    • (Score: 2) by sjames on Sunday January 20 2019, @05:35AM

      by sjames (2882) on Sunday January 20 2019, @05:35AM (#788933) Journal

      I'm certain it will eventually fail (one might say go down in flames), I just hope it happens before they strap a JATO on the pig.