SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Submitted via IRC for Sulla
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
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
Glowing Space Billboards Could Show Ads in the Night Sky
|
Log In/Create an Account
| Top
| 48 comments
| Search Discussion
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
(1)
(1)
The game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words
return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by isostatic on Saturday January 19 2019, @03:43PM (1 child)
In cities they won't be bright enough, half the planet is covered in clouds anyway. The number of people looking at the night sky in a given 6 minute window is tiny.
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Saturday January 19 2019, @08:12PM
I dunno. Never underestimate the ability of a marketing exec to be a dick. They would happily do it even if it doesn't make a lick of sense.
On the other hand I have seen plenty of advertising methods come and go. A few years back when it was trendy, the Walmart here put up video displays everywhere spewing obnoxious dizzying looping advertisements. Apparently they were too hard to maintain, and at least some people made a point to avoid areas where these were. Eventually they just started looping music or got turned off. Most of those are gone now.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday January 19 2019, @03:44PM (2 children)
When I get up 250 miles above the earth, there will be a Mickey D's waiting to serve me. Unfortunately, there probably won't be any restaurants.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday January 19 2019, @04:11PM (1 child)
I'd go with Milliways instead if you're already leaving the planet.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Funny) by BsAtHome on Saturday January 19 2019, @04:45PM
Did you make reservations and deposited a penny long long ago?
(Score: 4, Informative) by zocalo on Saturday January 19 2019, @03:50PM (1 child)
A constellation of the dozens, or even hundreds, of cubesats necessary to support this simply isn't going to fly. I'm sure they'll have a fine time spending all that money from VCs and dumb advertisers though.
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ikanreed on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:40PM
On the other hand, the visceral hatred advertisers have for ad-free spaces will overcome any obstacle to make our lives a little more monetized.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @04:36PM
I do feel sorry for them. Still, billboards are outlawed in a lot of countries and this would be another billboard uping the obnoxious level by 10. Space spam.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by sjames on Saturday January 19 2019, @04:49PM (12 children)
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.
(Score: 4, Informative) by el_oscuro on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:10PM (1 child)
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
AdBlock Nuclear (EMP addon), the pinnacle of early 20th privacy apps.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:29PM
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)
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)
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
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
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
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)
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
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)
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
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.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by drussell on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:00PM (3 children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPGgTy5YJ-g [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by opinionated_science on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:31PM (2 children)
See Red Dwarf book "Infinity welcomes careful drivers": it was achieved with timed supernovae spelling "Coke adds life!"
(Score: 2) by Dr Spin on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:51PM
I fondly remember a DOS FPS which had a billboard announcing "Dodge City Cemetery welcomes bad drivers" which was visible as each hearse climbed the hill to a funeral dirge after someone was shot.
Probably in genuine IBM "panoramic" 320x240 CGA (Crap Graphic Adaptor) resolution. (Ie marginally worse than VHS) and monophonic sound - as in only one note at a time - think Rolf Harris Stylophone.
Yes, there were computer games before Commander Keene - its just that they were not any good.
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday January 19 2019, @10:43PM
https://vimeo.com/39756246 [vimeo.com]
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Nuke on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:33PM (7 children)
I just watched their promotional video and the sky display is pathetically small. You could hardly make out what they were supposed to advertising. So why out in space? - don't these clowns realise that the further away something is the smaller it looks?
It was similar in effect to those banner ads towed by slow bi-planes that were a fad in the 1930's. I did once see one like that (in recent times!) and after a glance I lost interest, I could not even read what it said and I don't have bad eyesight. An aircraft banner would be orders of magnitude cheaper than this dumb idea. It's going no-where.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:50PM (3 children)
Let's wait and see. I presume the swarm is programmable so that multiple companies can have their reputations ruined.
And if it does work... maybe it can be hacked. Now that would be some fun.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by fyngyrz on Saturday January 19 2019, @07:27PM (2 children)
The best hack would be to instruct the cubesats to immediately begin a steep re-entry. Now that would both be an illuminated display worth seeing and a message with appropriate content.
--
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
(Score: 2) by fido_dogstoyevsky on Saturday January 19 2019, @10:41PM
An appropriate message being this one [youtube.com]?
It's NOT a conspiracy... it's a plot.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday January 19 2019, @10:47PM
The best hack would be to have it advertise Anonymous, THEN doing the re-entry.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @06:52PM
This seems even less practical than using blimps or skywriting for advertising. It sort of works, but only because it's not common. If it becomes common, then it probably won't work for long.
Then there's the issue of ever increasing crowds in both airspace and orbiting around the planet. The last thing we need is a new iteration of water rights that becomes grandfathered in and then impossible to properly address even as it causes massive problems later on.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Magic Oddball on Sunday January 20 2019, @03:52AM (1 child)
The bi-plane banner ads were fairly common where I grew up in the 1980s, but they were very different from the few I've seen in recent years... The old ones were just a string of huge red connected letters with no background (like in this article [nytimes.com]), so they were really easy to read; the newer type are multiple lines (thus far smaller letters) in black on a near-square white background pulled by a smaller/thinner single-winged plane, and are difficult at best for me to read, too.
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Sunday January 20 2019, @11:19AM
Not only is the plane-towed ad banner far, far cheaper, the noise the low-flying plane makes attracts attention upwards as well. I can't imagine many people even noticing these distant satellite glow-worms.
(Score: 2) by slap on Saturday January 19 2019, @05:58PM
I did a quick set of calculations. Assuming an altitude of 100 miles, anything that would be large enough to make out would have to cover around 10 miles. And that would have to be something relatively simple due to its small visible size, like the McDonalds golden arches. Or at most maybe flashing short, single words.
(Score: 2) by SubiculumHammer on Saturday January 19 2019, @06:01PM
Fuck them
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Pslytely Psycho on Saturday January 19 2019, @06:12PM (3 children)
When I get out of the city to stargaze, I want to see stars, planets or meteors. I definitely don't want to see the constellation McDonalds (or Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, etc.).
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @06:14PM (2 children)
All restaurants are Taco Bell.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @07:18PM (1 child)
Even the one at the end of the universe?
(Score: 2) by slap on Sunday January 20 2019, @12:43AM
At least the ones orbiting Uranus.
(Score: 2) by srobert on Saturday January 19 2019, @06:20PM (1 child)
Imagine living in a rural area where the only light on a moonless night is from the lightning bugs and a million stars. Now imagine an ad for erectile dysfunction pills in the midst of that sky. Oh, hell no!
There are limits to how much light pollution people will tolerate. I live in Las Vegas. We tolerate more of it than just about any place. Back in the 90's one of the hotel-casinos decided to fire a giant green laser onto the mountains to the west of the Las Vegas valley as part of their advertising light show. I saw it piercing through the dust in the night sky each evening from the strip where I worked. I imagined the desert dwellers west of town must be pretty miffed about a green beam cutting through the rural night sky every night. Eventually, pilots filed an FAA complaint that brought it to an end.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Farkus888 on Saturday January 19 2019, @07:08PM
I'd wager a fair amount the people who had this idea are from New York or LA and wouldn't be caught dead in actual nature. The kind of people write movies where every person who lives somewhere else is a deformed monster waiting for a chance to rape and murder and kind innocent city people who wander by.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @07:25PM
Will find a way to flip the bird, or something that looks like a condom filled with helium.
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Saturday January 19 2019, @08:35PM
Do Not Want.
Blinkenlights is cool.
Blinkensky is not.
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:31PM (1 child)
I'm going to ban every company that ever advertises in space. No matter who it is, I'll never buy anything from them again.
I realize that I'll be belonging to a boycotting minority, but fuck them.
(Score: 2) by Kalas on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:49PM
Yeah I considered posting something like that myself. I don't care if they're selling free blowjobs, they can go suck a dick instead. Err...
(Score: 2) by noneof_theabove on Saturday January 19 2019, @10:05PM
FUCK NO ! ! ! !
We already have already trash our "night darkness" enough AND the phones, internet, roads have enough AD-SLINGERS.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @10:07PM
Your food looks like and smells like fetid diarrhea and is only suitable for consumption by the mentally challenged. Keep your advertising out of my sky.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 20 2019, @01:20AM
If I ever see some billboard in space from where I am, I will put on hold all my projects and devote my time into making some home made rocket to shoot it down, I won't even care if there will be more debris because of it.