You might have seen this elsewhere, but for those who haven’t I’ve posted this wonderful example of subversive activity, using technology that the ‘establishment’ would rather seen turned into, as Richard Burton puts it, ‘‘authorized instruments of murder.’ (See that movie)
The effect was produced using a 60MW laser, a laptop, some software and a random building. Takes tagging to a whole new level, only it’s better as it isn’t permanent. Saying that, there’s no-one who would see this and forget it in a hurry.
Apparently, the laser is extremely powerful and therefore extremely illegal in many places, which is a great shame because it would be cool to see more of this going on. The fun factor aside, its mobility gives it a valuable application as a powerful communication tool to spread information that you might not see on your TV.
Be careful though, some people might think that it’s a terrorist device and close down most of the city, as they did in Boston when flickering Aqua Teen Hunger Force signs were placed around major roads. I mean, who wouldn’t confuse battery powered L.E.D. placards depicting cartoon characters with ‘improvised explosive devices’. The marketing campaign, headed by Turner Broadcasting Corp, owners of Comedy Central, to promote the latest season of ATHF placed these placemat sized boards, which look similar to Hasbro’s Lite-Brite, throughout several major cities. The fallout was biggest in Boston where counter-terrorism teams shut a dozen entire sections of highway, transit stations and other locations throughout the city, resulting in Turner Corp paying $2 million in fines to both the Boston Police and Homeland Security (like they need any more money).
What is even funnier:
-The light-boards were in place for two weeks before anyone noticed, a fact supported by several newscasts earlier than the police response
-If they’d asked any student in the country they could have told them that it depicted a Mooninite, one of the characters from the cartoon
-Most news reports at the time actually accepted that there was no way that the boards looked like I.E.D.’s
-Incredibly, a couple of devices were actually exploded (with what I wonder? The boards only used size D batteries, not Semtex)
It’s wonderful to see the full power of fear and paranoia coursing through the veins of cities and communities in this country. I think this quote from one article comment sums it up best:
“Do we need to invade the moon to protect our freedoms? The answer is clearly yes. This moon terrorism must be stopped.”
Fourteen Twenty 
while the mooninites are a danger to the earth they are in no way an actual threat to anything but our microwavable foods and the women of this planet… also it’s amazing how people will now say that the unknown is terrorism when it used to be god
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Whats also interesting is that in a pre-911 world, anyone looking at the mooninites and this type of ad ploy would assume first and foremost that its a teenage prank.
they would see it for what it is, a cartoon character lit up by batteries.
now in our post 911 world. some patriotic nut sees this and the first thing that comes to mind is that a terrorist must have gone to the trouble to make a little picture so that people will turn their heads in confusion just before they explode in a fiery terrorist attack…
it really saddens me to see peoples perceptions so warped. if it were a bomb, especially an IED, you wouldnt have time to look at it, and think about what it might be. it just explodes.
if people took the time to think about things we wouldnt have mass paranoia and a pissing away of money and resources.
Logan
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this country would be a much different place if people actually stopped to think about things.
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I read in ‘Gullivers Travels’ that the tradition before speaking to someone was to wait three seconds so you could think about what it was you were about to say.
There’s a suggestion.
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