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Big Berlin Blinkenlichten 143

Posted by Hemos from the looking-pretty dept.
karm13 writes "The Chaos Computer Club has made a huge display using the 8 top floors of a house in Berlin with 18 windows each as a present to themselves and Berlin for their 20th birthday. You can submit animations on the Blinkenlights project page, and even play pong with a mobile phone!"
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Big Berlin Blinkenlichten More

Big Berlin Blinkenlichten

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  • And the article says you can display custom messages on the building... Cool way to propose to your girlfriend / boyfriend... ;-)
    • Let's see someone do that in the US, eh?

      Then it could flash the ultimate symbol of our culture: ©

      If they tried it in California, no doubt someone would winge about the energy crisis, though maybe elsewhere it could be just the shot in the arm Enron needs. ;)

  • That´s a damn large CRT! (Score:4, Funny)

    by uncl_bob ( 529354 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @08:40AM (#2681700) Journal
    Everyone closer than 2 kilometers from the display will get cancer right away. Cheezes.
    • No Cancer! They have regular light bulbs switching on and off in each window of the empty building. So all the windows are the matrix.
      • Gee, you think so?

        ("Captain, my readings indicate this form of life does not understand sarcasm or humor")
        • Yes, I'm positive. It's on my way to work.
          • HAHAHAHA! OMG! ROTFL!
            Faber, you slay me with your subtle wit. The subtlest wit I have ever seen. So subtle in fact, that I am having a hard time finding it...

            The conversation thus far:
            > [uncl_bob] Everyone closer than 2 kilometers from the display will get cancer right away. Cheezes.
            > [faber] No Cancer! They have regular light bulbs switching on and off in each window of the empty building. So all the windows are the matrix
            > [me,hoggoth] Gee, you think so? ("Captain, my readings indicate this form of life does not understand sarcasm or humor")
            > [faber] Yes, I'm positive. It's on my way to work.

            I am predicting that Faber will reply to this with a devastatingly clever retort such as, "No really I am serious. It's just normal light bulbs, not a 14 story CRT."

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Informative)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @08:40AM (#2681702)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Hmm... (Score:5, Funny)

    by svara ( 467664 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @08:41AM (#2681705)
    That's great for displaying ASCII-porn! I wonder how long it would take until the german government passes a law that forbids "Blinkenlights before 10PM or after 6 AM"...

    But anyway, that's not news at all, it's been around for at least three weeks...
    • But anyway, that's not news at all, it's been around for at least three weeks...

      Actually, it's been there for months. According to the site, that thing started in September this year. And I do remember having heard of it many times in the last few months.

  • Cool, but ...been there, done that (Score:2, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    12 years ago in Sausalito...used 36 homes on the hillside. Not nearly as high-tech, however.

    Nice to see the spirit lives on.
    • The janitors at Ithaca college (New York State) use twin, 11 story (I think) dormitories to display the last two date digits during new year's. For a week before the new year they display the old year, then quickly display the new date on new year's. I'm don't think that it is computer controlled. They may have people actually flipping switches, or maybe control them all from a breaker box. Not sure.
  • So IP over Avian Carriers now has competition for hack of the year. Nice one guys.

  • Blinkenpaint (Score:5, Interesting)

    by YKnot ( 181580 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @08:42AM (#2681710)
    Be sure to check out Blinkenpaint. While other projects like this have turned houses into displays before, this one is much more interactive. You can create animations of your own and they will be added to the rotation, if the ccc-folks like them. Or you can have them added to a "loveletter" database from which you can invoke the animation by a telephone call.

  • This is in the very heart of Berlin, ubercool! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by bkw ( 19412 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @08:42AM (#2681711)
    I drive by this thing every day and it is just too cool to see those geeks showing off their skills in the very heart of Berlin. Alexanderplatz is a very busy public place in Berlin, everybody knows the Blinkenlights.

    You just gotta love the CCC.

  • Blinkenlights (Score:2, Funny)

    by DeadSea ( 69598 )
    This is a sign [netfunny.com] I have had in my computer room for some time now. It's a laminated xerox and I'm not sure where it came from, but I think it's pretty funny. Some people actually ask what language it is in. Have fun :-)

    Achtung!

    ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS

    Das computenmachine is nicht fur gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Is easy schnappen der springwerk, blownfusen, und poppenoorken mit spittzensparken. Ist nicht fur gewerken by das dummkopfen.

    Das rubbernecken signtseeren keepen hands in das pockets--relaxen und watch das blinkenlights.

  • yeah, but... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 10, 2001 @08:43AM (#2681716)
    yeah, but can they play tetris on it????

  • Mmm. Low res activism. (Score:5, Funny)

    by citricacid ( 521482 ) <citricacid.hotmail@com> on Monday December 10, 2001 @08:47AM (#2681728) Homepage
    This is a pretty awesome project. I noticed their group is concerned about censorship. Now they should combine their uber-display with the German porn restrictions [slashdot.org] and fight the man with a few extremely low-res women!

    Oh turn me on Helga. Turn me on.

  • ... to see who is the first to come up with a recognizable 8x18 rendition of you-know-who.

  • The best part... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by illusion_2K ( 187951 )

    Is that they ported pong [blinkenlights.de] to it.

    Damn these guys are cool (in an ultra-geeky way).

  • It should have won the Turner Prize. (Score:5, Funny)

    by ayjay29 ( 144994 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @08:49AM (#2681736)
    Madonna presented the £20,000 ($30,000) Turner prize to Martin Creed for a work of 'art' entitled "The Lights Going On and Off" which basically consists of an empty gallery, and two lights that do indeed go on and off. Other winners have included dirty underwear and an unmade bed.

    Read about it here... [bbc.co.uk]

    Shame us Nerds never enter these competitions, my exhibit "Servers in Various States of Disrepair" is surly a strong contender.

    • Do you mean a strong, surly contender? :-)
    • Sadly, this is _not_ funny. It is a searing indictment of the modern art community. The turner should be reawarded to CCC immediately.

      What _is_ funny is how this story hits /. the day after the turner is awarded. Timing, as ever, is the essence of comedy
      • Somebody disagrees with the winner, and that's a "searing indictment"!? You must live someplace very gentle.

        If it will help, though, I'd be willing to chime in with, "Hell, my kid could've done that!" or "But it's not a picture of anything!"

        • This falls under the "I just don't get it" category -- but to question it is to somehow admit that you are uncultured? Like the 1.8 million dollar red stripe [carleton.ca] purchased by the National Gallery a few years ago. (I've seen this painting in person. It's big. Otherwise, much the same as the picture. I'm not sure why it's worth so much more than "Yellow Edge," which is.... a blank black canvas with one edge painted yellow.)

          Who can honestly tell me why something like this is so brilliant? And why, say, an exhibit consisting of two telephones ringing (an idea I just came up with this moment, believe it or not) wouldn't be worthy of a cash prize?

          My best guess is that everyone says "oh, yes, it's brilliant" just so they look like a fine art connaisseur. After all, someone thought it was brilliant, and that person is obviously more qualified to judge art than I am... so to question it would be to appear ignorant.
    • Since the Turner Prize is for a British artist, I'm assuming you mean that we should finish the job we started in 1945.

  • Similar projects (Score:5, Informative)

    by YKnot ( 181580 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @08:52AM (#2681741)
    Tetris for big-thinking people:
    La Bastille: A Tech House Art Installation [techhouse.org]
    That installation was up only a few days, though.
  • They did it at a 20 something story building at my university a while ago. IIRC they used it to play tetris.

  • Colour version in Brussels for the millenium. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by fingal ( 49160 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @09:04AM (#2681772) Homepage
    I have a vague memory (aided and abetted by a fine bottle of Lagavullin) of new year 2000 seeing a similar thing in Brussels that was put into place on one of the bank headquarters there. This used two or three chunky colour changers per window and gave a resolution of about 50x20 if my memory serves me. Looked very pretty as well in full colour, but the choice of content wasn't nearly as cool as the Chaos lot.

  • The hard part... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by ch-chuck ( 9622 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @09:05AM (#2681777) Homepage
    it would seem to me, is getting permission from the bldg owners/occupants - otherwise you just wire a big relay panel by the breakers and drive them with an output port, nothing extremely new or anything, just takes some effort, time, and of course, euro's. Getting past the liability lawyers and insurance agents...

    You want to WHAT?? WHY????

  • MIT Hack (Score:3, Redundant)

    by spiny ( 87740 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @09:07AM (#2681782) Homepage Journal
    didn't the MIT guys do this already?

    link: http://hacks.mit.edu/Hacks/by_year/1993/green_bldg _vu_meter/

    and quite a while ago too ....

  • Color Blinkenlights (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Enigmia Man ( 320896 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @09:17AM (#2681812)
    Too bad they didn't use three lamps per window; red, green, and blue. Each controlled by a digital dimmer with 256 levels. The resolution would be even greater than the icons in your favorites folers.
  • ...pay for the replacement lightbulbs..

    And I wonder how much it costs to play pong?

    This could be largest arcade machine in the world!

  • TU-Delft (Score:3, Informative)

    by Fuzzums ( 250400 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @09:30AM (#2681850) Homepage
    The TU-Delft did the same thing in feb. this year as a stunt. Only they used a 23 floor building to display messages and to play snake :)
    Sorry, I coundn't find pictures and the text is in dutch
    http://etv.its.tudelft.nl/commissies/lustrum/stu nt .php
    • Currently the new KPN building in Rotterdam is doing this, and this is permanent. They also play snake on the building, and show falling leaves and other art.
      I found this page in dutch http://www.kopvanzuid.rotterdam.nl/2202.htm [rotterdam.nl]

      They use almost 1000 !! green lights on a 94 * 40 meter side of the building. The lights are 1.8 M apart and are computer controlled.

      Rigolo
    • About 5 years (maybe even more) a few students created Tetris on this building, the faculty of electronics.
      This year other students displayed SMS-messages on scrolling display and did some graphic things.
      I could see it from my bedroom window ;->

  • Better than what I did. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by slim ( 1652 ) <john@@@hartnup...net> on Monday December 10, 2001 @09:31AM (#2681854) Homepage
    When I was at Aston University [aston.ac.uk] in (um) 1994, I lived in one of three neighbouring 20 storey tower blocks, all student residences.
    Prompted by tales of this having happened in the past, I created a poster consisting of a picture of a desk lamp, a date and time, and the words "watch and copy", one of which I placed in the foyer of each building.


    At the allotted time, I turned off my main room light, and began flashing my desklamp on and off. Within 5 minutes all three towers were shimmering, including, I'm told, the faces not visible from my window.


    It was a neat, if not original, social hack, and a lot of fun... This thing in Berlin is much cooler technically of course.

    • We used to do that in the 80's at Michigan Tech also, but we didn't need the sign.

      Actually, I remember doing it when I was up there for summer youth program as a high schooler in the 70's too. And I bet they were doing it in the 40's as well :-)

  • Canary Wharf (Score:1, Interesting)

    by PhatAir ( 468678 )
    I seem to remember Canary Wharf (London's tallest building with 100+ floors) doing something like this in the early 90's. They were having trouble selling some of the space so organised the office lights to blink on and off in patterns as a giant advert!

  • This reminds me of the various hacks done on the Green Building [mit.edu] at MIT, my favourite being the VU metre [mit.edu].

  • It seems to me that it would have been alot easier to maintain and control if they had used X-10 controllers with wireless modules to span any splits in the power lines. The others reader's idea of colored lamps would be neat as well.

    I don't know if there are X-10 modules available in Germany though. Seems like an awful lot of work to run all that power around the building when you could just plug the lamp into a control modules and run it all with a firecracker X-10 serial controller.

    Brian
  • here [astercity.net] poli-uni students dorm in Warsaw.

  • how it is done... (Score:5, Informative)

    by psych031337 ( 449156 ) <psych0@nosPaM.wtnet.de> on Monday December 10, 2001 @11:01AM (#2682213)
    Here is a quick summary of the tech behing the buzz for all those who don`t want dig through "fishy" translations:

    8 stories with 18 windows each

    each windows is illuminated by a pretty standard contruction lamp with 150W

    each lamp is connected to a relais (sp?)

    the "Blinkenlights Chaos Control Center" is located in the top story

    each relais is connected to the control machine with a simple amplifying circuit

    5000m of cable were used (about 5500yards)

    3 networked machines are used for central switching control, playing console and remote control

    to ensure even illumination all windows have been covered with white paint

    The entire setup took less than 4 weeks from idea to realization

  • Entirely Relevant (Score:2, Interesting)

    by jaavaaguru ( 261551 )
    The BBC Reported A student group at Brown University converted their Science Library into a giant video game screen by installing over 10,000 Christmas lights in the windows. [bbc.co.uk] on Wednesday, 19 April, 2000. Someone said this was "Off Topic", but as it also appeals to people who get excited about using large non-comkputer-oriented objects as video displays, then it is entirely relevant. I like the idea of both this and the CCC Blinkenlights. Talking of blinkenlights, try telnetting to here [blinkenlights.nl] and see a starwars movie via telnet. I think this has been around for about as long as the CCC's Blinkenlights page has.

  • blinking lights! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Marcus Brody ( 320463 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @11:18AM (#2682313) Homepage
    I posted my loveletter to the CCC, took my sweetheart to the restaurant across the road, and sat down at the prime wndow table. Staring romantically towards the glowing lights, framed by the shimmering stars and a huge moon, my message appeared....

    "Linda, Will you mar"

    Unfortunately, I had forgotten it was only 18 x 8 pixels. Darn. Then there was a powercut.
  • Yes it's cool and yes it's chaos computer club but this is way cooler: http://marnix2001.bbl.be
  • http://berlin.ccc.de/~hans/cam2.jpg [berlin.ccc.de]

    Also see the site dedicated to the event here. [blinkenlights.de]
  • From http://www.blinkenlights.de/: "... by arranging 144 lamps behind each of the windows." (emphasis mine.)

  • This has been asked before, but... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by cr0sh ( 43134 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @12:54PM (#2682835) Homepage
    ...I have to ask it again:

    How are they really able to do this?

    I don't mean the technical part (that part is relatively easy, from a hardware standpoint). I mean the legal/economic part?

    Perhaps they got a grant for artistic reasons - but I tend to doubt that because they did it in four weeks.

    The building seems to be pretty large - how did they:

    a) Obtain an entire building for use for several months, and
    b) Were allowed to paint 144 windows, and
    c) Get the money to pay for bandwidth and electricity (somebody is paying it!), and
    d) Do all of this inside of four weeks

    ???

    The building can't be vacant - though it kinda looks that way from the pictures. Still, somebody owns it, and has to pay electricity and other costs, and would thus have to pass that along to the CCC (unless they have a "rich" member of the CCC who owns the building, which is quite possible), right?

    Furthermore, wouldn't there be permits and such for such large public displays that would have to be procurred from the city government? Maybe things are radically different over there, and such legal stuff is easy to obtain in a very short amount of time, or not needed at all.

    Maybe I am misunderstanding what CCC is? What function do they perform (I don't think they are a hacker group, right? Wasn't that something called the Kaos Komputer Klub?). I am just curious how they managed to pull off such a large display without running into financial or legal issues.

    • > a) Obtain an entire building for use for several months, and
      > b) Were allowed to paint 144 windows, and

      The building is scheduled to be torn down in a couple of months, so I guess this answers questions a) and b)

      > c) Get the money to pay for bandwidth and electricity (somebody is paying it!)

      The main cost factor AFAIK is actually replacing burnt-out bulbs.
      Playing Pong there and similar actions require calling a rather high-cost telephone number where the CCC will receive a share of the income, and taking the huge (press and otherwise) echo of this project into account, it should be able to cover the costs completely.
    • Hey,

      a) Obtain an entire building for use for several months

      They would only have needed to aim lights at the front windows... thehy wouldn't need the building, just to point lights at the windows.

      b) Were allowed to paint 144 windows

      Around christmas, stores stock that spray-on snow, which is consistent and white, but which cleans off. It wouldn't be too hard to get hold of some, I'm sure...

      c) Get the money to pay for bandwidth and electricity (somebody is paying it!)

      From the site: "Use your mobile phone to play the arcade classic Pong right on the house. Just dial the number 0190-987654 (DM 2.42/min)". It's the same rate for love messages.

      d) Do all of this inside of four weeks

      The electronics would be fairly simple... just repetitive. Good software would be harder, but the CCC have pleanty of capable programmers.

      Michael

  • Lasers in Davos (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Aztech ( 240868 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @02:07PM (#2683266)
    This reminds me of the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) last January, the town sits within a valley with snow covered mountains each side, they used a high powered laser [wired.com] to project words onto the snowy hill [wired.com] above the town, you could submit messages through the web [hellomrpresident.com] or via SMS (GSM text).
  • Also, when Blinkenlights are taken down (hopefully not to soon, but hey!, I just live ten minutes away), you can always enjoy part of the performance in the new video by the Toten Hosen, a German punk-band (from Hamburg, that is).

  • I have a picture!! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Telek ( 410366 ) on Monday December 10, 2001 @02:55PM (#2683523) Homepage
    I was there from Nov 28 to Dec 02 just wandering around Berlin, and I saw this and took a picture. you can find it here [ohmygodmyarmfelloff.com] (take a note of the uptime, that's a W2K machine!)

    In any case, it was pretty cool and I was watching it for a while, but that really doesn't look like a house, it's an office building in downtown Berlin... well "downtown" Berlin...
  • Assuming every room/window has a computer on a network is there an easier way to do this?

    Is anything available similar to this Serial Power Controller (RPC100S) [microenergeticscorp.com] at at least 1/10th the cost?

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