Project Blinkenlights presents "Stereoscope," and you're invited
A massive spectacle is brewing in Canada. From the 4th of October through the 12th, the two towers of Toronto's city hall will become grandiose pixel displays with the help of Project Blinkenlights. Dubbed "Stereoscope," the installation will use wirelessly-controlled lights placed behind the windows of the building to generate the pixel art. This project adds to the growing list of large-scale interactive light installations executed by Project Blinkenlights... it also happens to be as Mac-friendly as they come, thanks to some help from our friends at The Coding Monkeys.
When we talked to Martin and Dominik at WWDC, they hinted at their involvement in this project. They stayed pretty tight-lipped about it, stating only that it would be "big." Now they've unveiled a simulator for Leopard and a mobile version for the iPhone [iTunes link] which allow users around the world to watch in realtime as the exhibition unfolds. Beyond that, they had a hand in creating some of the tools which allow users from all over the globe to generate and contribute their own animations for the event.
I've been playing with both the desktop and iPhone simulators, and I'm duly impressed. The iPhone version -- with smooth, touch-based navigation and amazing 3D rendering -- is definitely not to be missed (especially since it's free). This event would be big enough if it stayed in Toronto, but Project Blinkenlights and The Coding Monkeys have made it possible for users around the world to take part in the spectacle. Check out the gallery for more shots of the iPhone version of the simulator in action.
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A massive spectacle is brewing in Canada. From the 4th of October through the 12th, the two towers of Toronto's city hall will become...
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The os x simulator is really nice, I'm kinda disappointed, because I can't see the real thing.
Oh and that's one clever rickroll they have going on in there.
I live directly behind this building and unless they are planning something bigger they started this like a week ago. Friends and i go watch it all the time late at night. Its pretty cool! They played snake on it the other night haha
October 04 2008 at 2:01 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplySweet! I'm going to see this at Nuit Blanche tomorrow night; it should be great.
October 03 2008 at 11:03 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI don't understand. It says you can "watch in real time" but the link leads to a simulator? WTF?
October 03 2008 at 7:39 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI was in Toronto this last week on a conference. My hotel window's view was of city hall. I was trying to figure out what was going on. It was creepy opening the blinds to have a giant face looking back but was cool watching a mock game of Pong. I left last night, so disappointed I am going to miss the festivities.
October 03 2008 at 4:03 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyTopleftpixel has a nice pic of this too: http://wvs.topleftpixel.com/08/10/03/
October 03 2008 at 12:53 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyFucking sweet. I wonder if you can do the "matrix" screen saver with that ...
October 03 2008 at 12:19 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI'll do my best to nip into TO this weekend and write up a review or something.
btw, I like the new TUAW layout for iPhone.
hmmm. I like the new iPhone version of the site better than the old one, but PLEASE don't force me to use it! I still prefer the option to look at the full site on my phone.
October 03 2008 at 8:24 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replygeekmorgan, we know that the 'full experience' link isn't working -- fix in progress...
October 03 2008 at 8:32 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot Apps on TUAW
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