As we slam headlong into the chaos of our future, and embrace whatever stupid idea someone has for new media or a smart phone, we also have the opportunity to recall some pretty wonderful "old media", or "receding media technology".
One of my favorites of old media, was
something called a "Solari sign", or a (don't blame me)
split-flap sign, so named because the letters were on metal plates
that were split down the middle. The sign would use an actuator to
pick which letter was visible, and as it moved through the different
letters, it made a very distinctive "chattering" sound.
You would see these signs in about 100
places in the world, mostly train stations in places like Paris, New
York, Milan, London, Frankfurt and so forth. The signs were made by
an Italian company called "Solari". Solari has no presence
on the Internet. Stop the presses, we have found them. Ok, so this will be more interesting.
See http://www.solari.it/.
The Wikipedia page on "split flap" displays:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split-flap_display
The Museum of Modern Art in NYC on "Hacking the Solari"
http://wp.moma.org/talk_to_me/2011/09/hacking-the-solari/
A Youtube video of a real Solari sign (for Amtrak)
See http://www.solari.it/.
The Wikipedia page on "split flap" displays:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split-flap_display
The Museum of Modern Art in NYC on "Hacking the Solari"
http://wp.moma.org/talk_to_me/2011/09/hacking-the-solari/
A Youtube video of a real Solari sign (for Amtrak)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1SAjGfYPI0
And finally, my simulation of the Solari sign, written without any documentation or operating guide of the sign itself. Clearly my simulation has a ways to go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLjdEeGq8HA
And finally, my simulation of the Solari sign, written without any documentation or operating guide of the sign itself. Clearly my simulation has a ways to go.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLjdEeGq8HA
I am trying to find someone to use this simulation (suitably art directed) for some public sign, maybe a render farm queue display or something.
Farsi.
English.
The zither music is just for atmosphere
and was ripped from the sountrack of The Third Man (1949).
VERY cool! We are in a Solari/Flap-Sign craze here in San Francisco as they just installed a new sign at the Ferry Building!
ReplyDeleteFerry Building splt-flap sign:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9dsWaJTpz4#t=130