Use of Laser Lights During Night Protests

[Alex Libman 14]

I was catching up on the "NTDTV Daily News" [WP] video podcast (RSS), which is by a Chinese anti-communist media group based in NYC (and somewhat associated with the Falun Gong movement), and one of their recent reports featured something that I thought was really cool.

The episode / report was called "[2009/05/22 AB 11] Taiwan Citizens Protest Against President Ma Ying-jeou" [blip.tv], and among other things it showed protesters using some sort of a laser lights display to project the Chinese characters for "incompetence" (see 1:27 into the 2:49 video) onto the presidential office building (their equivalent of the White House).

Wow!  Imagine doing that here!  Talk about high visibility at (what I imagine is) pretty reasonable cost!  Can they arrest you for just projecting light onto a government building?


(Note: this thread is not an endorsement of DPP, the Taiwan Independence movement, Falun Gong, or anything else - just this specific protest tactic of projecting laser lights onto government buildings or other surfaces.)

[jeffersonish]

Can they arrest you for just projecting light onto a government building?

If they can arrest you for shooting video in a public lobby, I think they could arrest you for projecting light onto a government building. Might be worth it though... get publicity 2 ways = more than 2x the publicity.

What symbol could we project? porcupine? NAP? "Say hello to the new President. Same as the old President." ?

[Alex Libman 14]

I agree about the need for some activists to be willing to get arrested.  It's not about how long the projected message stays visible on the government building - which is likely to only be a few minutes before the cops show up, arrest everybody, and "confiscate" the equipment (which hopefully would only be hundreds and not thousands of dollars).  It's about capturing good footage of the event and spreading it far and wide, which can be done if we make it a "first amendment" issue over which an activist is spending time in jail.  TV networks are more likely to run a story that comes with some cool visuals they can show. 

I'm not so sure about using the porcupine symbol - for people unfamiliar with what it stands for it'll be just one gang promoting itself.  It will only help unite our opposition against us without provoking any thought in our favor.  As for text, "TAXES = THEFT" is the briefest thing that comes to mind.


Hey, Photoshop people, got any ideas using actual photos? 

That's the darkest photo of the NH State House I've found so far.  Or maybe it would work better with another government building that's flatter and has fewer windows?

[anarchir]

I think the biggest problem would be the cost of the powerful laser/projector and replacing it if/when it gets "confiscated".

[Alex Libman 14]

Coincidentally, just now on top of Slashdot -- A Widescreen Laser Projector In Your Pocket --

Redmond based company Microvision [WP] is in the last stages of developing and releasing a portable, laser-based projector, code-named "Show WV".  The projector has a resolution of 848 by 400 pixels (WVGA) and, since it uses laser-scanning rather than LCD to form the images, it does not require a lens to focus, allowing it to display images virtually in any surface.  The device comes with its own user-replaceable battery, which means you could take it with you anywhere you want.  Although there is no pricing information on their website, according to this local news video [embedded below], it could cost at least $200.

(Some of the Slashdot comments are pretty interesting.)

[youtube=425,350]7UfarRM0BoM[/youtube]


Not exactly the same tech as them laser lights they have in some nightclubs, but could be just as good or even better.  The main point is that prices for projection tech are always dropping.

It might someday be possible to project an image from far enough away so they can't possibly catch you.  And that also raises the issue of being able to project an image onto a government building from within your own property lines. 

[rookie]

Not sure how it works, but I found it here:

http://graffitiresearchlab.com/

I was about to post the exact same video after reading the OP. 

[jeffersonish]

you can get 200 cheap red laser pointers for $130 on ebay, or 1000 for $500.

[Diogenes The Cynic]

I would suggest putting a skull and crossbones on an A_T*F building using laser lights. I think everyone would understand the connotation.

[Manuel_OKelly]

I had a similar idea. You could put videos up with a projector.

[Terror Australis]

This is how they did it

http://muonics.net/blog/index.php?postid=15

the projector looks expensive though...