a cell phone can be used as a remote control to change the world around us: a number of projects reveal the potential of an SMS universal remote. IDEO built this interactive cube for vodafone in 2002 – it sits in the middle of a pond surrounded by offices, and in addition to playing news and entertainment on its 4 LED screens, onlookers can send SMS messages to the illuminated cube to display to their co-workers.
project blinkenlights has taken this idea into the city: by wiring up the lights in a building at night, they are able to create dot matrix displays from entire facades that can be designed by passersby with their SMS or through a handy open-source app that accepts animations. they have made simple graphics, buildings you can play pong on, and even grayscale videos.
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[…] hackers at MIT have installed super-bright luxeon LEDs in windows of simmons hall behind my house to make a bright blue text display that ties back to text-a-buildings and kendall roses – here’s a video of their display. it’s the first time stephen holl’s ridiculously small windows serve a human purpose. via MAKE […]