Well, I'm just being cheeky, but the inevitable result of giving people reasons to bring their iPhones to the playa is more people on the playa staring down at their iPhones.
I had this fantasy a few years ago to create and release schematics for a simple locative device that you could buy as a kit for around $100. We'd set up a few towers around the playa and the device could find itself and communicate the location to a server. Each device could have a dipswitch id, and you could code in other device's ids, and then make a query "find me device 4A3B". The device would have a compass and 5 red LEDs on it, you would turn around and when you were pointing the device in the direction of the other device, the LEDs would light up. Some reasons I liked this: - every device would look different. It would be a great opportunity for creativity. - there was no communication, you still had to wonder some unknown distance through the playa to find your friends and keep checking the direction, making it more of an adventure. - camps, the man and art cars could promote their device ids making them easier to find. Btw, I didn't know much about the technologies involved, but when I talked to people more knowledgeable of the necessary circuit design, they all said the cost would be way over $100, not to mention the towers, so I never really worked on this. I guess my concern with an iPhone app is that it will lead to more playa-oriented iPhone apps. Eventually someone will find a way to get most of the city on reliable wifi, and people will be face down all over the city IMing. I'd probably do it myself. I just find that depressing. And with the ability to know exactly where people are, you lose some of the randomness that makes BM fun. But you know, go for it, someone's going to do it eventually I guess. But I encourage you to think of ways to design in things that preserve the beneficial limitations of the playa. Sincerely, Cranky old man p.s. hey you kids, get out of my yard! On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 5:14 PM, Rich Gibson <[email protected]> wrote: > you are bringing babylon into the temple, ja. > > On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 5:10 PM, Jeffrey Johnson <[email protected]> > wrote: > > I wrote it, that's Danger Ranger (Burning Man BOD member) pimping it. > > > > Hastening the demise? Hows that? > > > > On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 4:50 PM, Dav Yaginuma <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> > >> Ok, so which ones of you are pimping GPS iPhone apps on the Playa? > >> > >> http://www.flickr.com/photos/10111/3324385784/ > >> > >> -- > >> Dav Yaginuma > >> http://AkuAku.org/ > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Geowanking mailing list > >> [email protected] > >> http://geowanking.org/mailman/listinfo/geowanking_geowanking.org > >> > >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Geowanking mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://geowanking.org/mailman/listinfo/geowanking_geowanking.org > > > -- Dav Yaginuma http://AkuAku.org/
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