[vox] Times Square Ball (off-topic)

[Gandalf Parker]

On Mon, 31 Dec 2007, Jeffrey Nonken wrote:

> (Nothing to do with *nix)
>
> This year is the 100th anniversary of the Times Square Ball. This year's 
> Times Square Ball uses over 9500 ultra-bright LEDs instead of the 
> incandescents of past years. It's brighter, more efficient, and allows for 
> finer control (you can even play video on the ball, though it'll be pretty 
> low resolution).
>
> It consists of 168 triangles, each with 12 red, 12 green, 12 blue, and 12 
> white Philips K2 LEDs, plus 9 white Nichia Rigels that light the interstices.

Very interesting.
In the white-hat hacker newsgroup Im in we started a 
discussion about creating a home-made full-wall monitor. We talked about 
the old CGA and EGA video formats, drilling holes in a big sheet of 
plywood, putting in R,G,B,w LEDs, covering with a sanded plexiglass cover.

Adequate to display the pretty-good graphics of the EGA days. Not photo 
quality but it would make a great display for the holidays. Show some Code 
Monkeys stuff. :)  Or maybe a dance floor for my kids birthday party.

Im thinking that some of the old graphics were simple x,y locations and an 
r,g,b,w setting. Converting to a graphic like that would simplify 
programming an interface.

Gandalf  Parker
--      Hacking is a tool and a method.
Its like "the Force". Not everyone is pulled to the Dark Side.