LED Webcam

August 6, 2003 7:22 PM

This Webcamfeatures a live feed to a LED sign. You get to input the text it shows and then you can see it in real time via the webcam. This is one of the coolest things I have seen in a long time.
posted by thebwit (26 comments total)

Everything old is new again. The famous Netscape Engineering Sign featured an oversized LED from a retired bus, rigged up to an SGI with a cam pointed to it, and this was back in 1998 or 1999. It was cool when it worked, people used to hang out and bad mouth or cheer for things put up on the sign.
posted by mathowie at 7:25 PM on August 6, 2003

I love the fact that shortly after I posted this thread, I went to the site and saw Mmm. Pancakes! on the sign. Only from mefi.
posted by thebwit at 7:27 PM on August 6, 2003

The estimated wait time went from 30 seconds to 13 minutes in a snap. We've MeFi'ed the poor LEDs.
posted by samuelad at 7:29 PM on August 6, 2003

"Fuck 111 hard" appeared while I was watching it. This is great.
posted by interrobang at 7:40 PM on August 6, 2003

You'll have to wait 55 minutes from now for my "I welcome our webcam overlords".
posted by yhbc at 7:42 PM on August 6, 2003

EVERYONE LOVES QUONSAR!

And me, but that's because I'm being autofellatic.
posted by WolfDaddy at 7:42 PM on August 6, 2003

Everything old is new again.

No kidding. My alma mater's computer geeks had the same thing hooked up ~1996-97.
posted by gyc at 7:42 PM on August 6, 2003

posted by WolfDaddy at 7:47 PM on August 6, 2003

no offense, but if this is the coolest thing you've seen, I have to say, you haven't been paying attention.
posted by crunchland at 7:50 PM on August 6, 2003

It's only cool because of Homestar. Sheesh.
posted by WolfDaddy at 7:50 PM on August 6, 2003

I am proud to be the source of an image posted on metafilter.
posted by interrobang at 7:51 PM on August 6, 2003

no offense, but if this is the coolest thing you've seen, I have to say, you haven't been paying attention.

Sure, I haven't. But this is still a great way to waste away a Wednesday night.
posted by interrobang at 7:53 PM on August 6, 2003

Hey WolfDaddy, I just saw your name on the sign!

*hops up and down*
posted by boredomjockey at 7:58 PM on August 6, 2003

So did I.

I really need something approximating a life.
posted by WolfDaddy at 8:01 PM on August 6, 2003

I really need something approximating a life.

You? Shit, I'm hopping up and down and it's not even my name.
posted by boredomjockey at 8:08 PM on August 6, 2003

hmmm 2 hours to wait..... *twiddles thumbs*
posted by carfilhiot at 8:57 PM on August 6, 2003

Seen so far... "Mefi Mefi Mefi", "Hello Matt" (may not be related, hmmm) and "METAFILTER.COM".

Two hour wait still though. A lot of monkeys-with-typewriters thoughts come to mind; give people a platform to shout at the world and you get a lot of random "Bite me's" and "X rulez".

Fun, though.
posted by jokeefe at 10:17 PM on August 6, 2003

For those too busy or too lazy to watch the sign for hours, try scrolling through today's history...not quite as dramatic as seeing it live, but hey.
posted by madamjujujive at 10:29 PM on August 6, 2003

i captured a few topical messages as i was waiting for mine to flash up.
posted by quonsar at 10:47 PM on August 6, 2003

MetaFilter has definitely left its mark on the sign today.

i*heart*poop
Time is terrible
Jonson, why do you hate America so much?
Behold the Power of FARK.
arnold sucks!
bush = terror
Dean 2004!!
You have been metafiltered
mefi lurkers unite!
this broom, it vibrates!
dean2004!
PepsiBlue
midasmuligan == turd fondler
111 likes balls and cock
DeanForAmerica.com
vibrating pancake
Metafilter: where ponies make me happy
I for one welcome our led overlords
Plastic vs MeFi? Who wins?
quonsar for pr3zid3nt
Miguel has no penis. Quonsor eats children. Matt is a commie.
roses are red violets are blue quonsor eats cowpies and so do you
Quonsar, Marry Me?

Best tag: x^n + y^n != z^n for n>2. Have wonderful proof, too big for this sign. :(

But what's up with displaying each poster's IP address?
posted by turbodog at 11:06 PM on August 6, 2003

I counted 9 pancakes on that history, and i'm proud to say I spammed two of those on to that poor led.

(Vibrating pancakes? Thank's alot to whoever put that on, now I've got something new to be scared about in my nightmares...first it was brooms chasing me...now this!)
posted by phyrewerx at 11:44 PM on August 6, 2003

31 minutes? I don't have 31 minutes to wait for my message to come up! Oh, wait, yes I do :-(
posted by dg at 12:27 AM on August 7, 2003

Even better, I think, is the big LED sign on the outside of the Media Centre in the centre of Huddersfield, which accepts messages by SMS, or though the website. 'Speakers Corner', indeed.
posted by riviera at 1:29 AM on August 7, 2003

I like this impassioned plea:

"why isnt MeFi allowing new users?!"
posted by iamck at 2:02 AM on August 7, 2003

"Here's why MeFi isn't allowing new users..." Matt remembered.

oops, wrong thread.
posted by wendell at 4:23 AM on August 7, 2003

News just in....

In another marvellous and ingeneous use of an old technology, a man in South Carolina writes his name on a piece of paper, and then looks at it.

"I thought it would be cool," said unemployed Mike Travis, 26, "but it really took off when I let other people write their names on the paper, and then look at it too. They thought it was neat."

Authorities believe lead poisoning in the water supply is to blame.
posted by Blue Stone at 4:46 AM on August 7, 2003