Press the Panic buttons

May 11, 2016 4:25 PM

The Panic Sign - a brief story about a remote-controlled sign on top of a building in Portland, Oregon
posted by a lungful of dragon (22 comments total)

Yay! Saw this but couldn't post yet, so thanks.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:27 PM on May 11, 2016

... a strange, bright, sometimes-flashing colored light on the top of the Standard Plaza building

Whoa, I worked on the 8th floor of building right next door to that one for like 3 years, and never noticed that light! Now I feel like an idiot.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:43 PM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

Super cool, but wouldn't a Don't Panic light be more comforting?
posted by BungaDunga at 4:49 PM on May 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

I was a little disappointed that they didn't set it up with some kind of secret code meaning like the Standard Plaza building sign they reference, but this story made my day none the less. Thanks.
posted by ob1quixote at 4:49 PM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

Panic sold some very cool Katamari shirts back in the day. I have three of them. They're worth like a million dollars now, in my head.
posted by roger ackroyd at 4:57 PM on May 11, 2016 [3 favorites]

wouldn't a Don't Panic light be more comforting?

The letters are certainly large, but the font isn't friendly enough.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:58 PM on May 11, 2016 [5 favorites]

I appreciate that it's the logo sign that changes colors and not the name sign. As I was reading that I was imagining a big flashing red sign that said "PANIC", which seemed like not the best idea.
posted by ckape at 5:00 PM on May 11, 2016 [8 favorites]

how did I not know about these guys? It's stuff like this that when Portland has hit max twee and I want to leave it for a more grown up city that draws me back into our love affair.
posted by LuckyMonkey21 at 5:00 PM on May 11, 2016 [4 favorites]

If they sound familiar, load the rest of the blog and you'll see they're the ones behind the recently released Firewatch, which I can't say enough good things about. Not a long game, but wonderfully atmospheric, amazing voice-acting, and just gorgeous in its stylized way.
posted by los pantalones del muerte at 5:22 PM on May 11, 2016 [4 favorites]

Yay, Panic! Transmit is my favorite FTP app.
posted by xedrik at 5:43 PM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

One of the Panic guys posted some photos from the basement of Portland's Pittock building downtown--pretty cool.
posted by blueberry at 5:49 PM on May 11, 2016 [5 favorites]

load the rest of the blog and you'll see they're the ones behind the recently released Firewatch

Publisher. The game was developed by Campo Santo, who's not in Portland, Oregon, and may not even have an illuminated sign.
posted by effbot at 5:52 PM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'm sitting here fifteen blocks away punching the color buttons at random. Can anyone downtown tell me if you can see it?

Also I loved the way they solve problems: Airport Express doesn't work? Use ethernet cable! Don't want to keep calling someone on the roof during testing? Make the lights also show inside.

Brilliant!
posted by bendy at 6:20 PM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

This is almost too much like one of those never-past-idea art projects I've collected over the last couple decades. It's well past its sell-by date (might have been interesting in the 90s when I thought of it).

It would have been a huge neon sign which read DON'T PANIC, at the scale of the JESUS SAVES sign in LA. The DON'T part of the sign would be lit according to an algorithm that analyzed the aggregate sentiment of the headlines of major papers that day. I guess if I did it now, I'd use Twitter or something.

I didn't say it was a great idea, but with a bit of cash, at least it might have been interesting.
posted by chimaera at 6:33 PM on May 11, 2016 [4 favorites]

Why do I immediately want to hack the API to send out-of-palette colors?

Mind, I won't because I'm not in Portland and so I wouldn't even be able to enjoy the benefits of being a jerk. But it's tempting anyway.
posted by ardgedee at 6:41 PM on May 11, 2016 [2 favorites]

Whoa, I worked on the 8th floor of building right next door to that one for like 3 years, and never noticed that light! Now I feel like an idiot.

plus they drape lights from it during the holiday season so it looks like a Christmas tree. and unlike Big Pink it actually gets all the way set up before new years
posted by Dr. Twist at 7:16 PM on May 11, 2016

Tangentially related: The weather beacon on Boston's "Old" John Hancock building.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:16 PM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

plus they drape lights from it during the holiday season so it looks like a Christmas tree.

Thanks Dr. Twist, that makes me feel even better. :)
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:55 PM on May 11, 2016

Hey, Milwaukee also has a famous weather beacon!

I now want to read a giant, well-researched post on weather beacons. How does one summon Rhaomi or filthy light thief?
posted by blahblahblah at 8:48 PM on May 11, 2016

There is a light display on Portland's new bridge that is programmed to represent the temperature, speed, and height of the Willamette River.
posted by terooot at 9:26 PM on May 11, 2016 [4 favorites]

I remember when I realized that the Capitol Records tower (in Hollywood) was flashing Morse Code. (Spoiler.)
posted by anshuman at 10:09 PM on May 11, 2016 [1 favorite]

As I was reading that I was imagining a big flashing red sign that said "PANIC", which seemed like not the best idea.

That sign does exist, and I have one, and it's in my head.
posted by teponaztli at 12:32 AM on May 12, 2016 [3 favorites]