An amazing story where LED graffiti (placed by the Graffiti Research Lab) of Mooninite from ATHF placed around Boston essentially shut it down because the flashing LED’s were interprited as some kind of terrorist device. Damn Boston when did you become so uncool, two words, Adult Swim.
I heard about this early today as someone was telling me about a T-Shirt on ebay that said ATHF Is The Bomb, as it turns out the actual LED devices are going for a shit load on ebay, $3,000+.
You might remember the Graffiti Research Lab from RocketBoom.
Update: Brilliant segment from ABC news
Basically, get serious Boston, lighten the fuck up.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree, boston has become uncool…however I think that yu got the name of the marketing shop wrong. It was Interference Inc who posted the signs.
I think poor project management (the marketing company should have gotten permits or called to see if there were any zoning issues), added with main stream media’s big disconnect of what is really going with the American culture, multiplied by a mass audience who has been conditioned by our own government to fear the unknown, equaled a mess. See more facts at http://joannapenabickley.typepad.com/on/
Hey, hey. Give Boston a break. This is the city where the 2 of the 9/11 flights originated, remember? I think you can forgive us for being ever so slightly sensitive to terrorist-like activities.
The “marketing” devices were spotted during the day, so all people saw was batteries, wires and duct tape. The Lite Brites weren’t visibly lit at the time. And let’s face it. This was not the most well thought-out of campaigns.
Hey Scott, I lived in Boston for 4 years and I was there on 9/11 so I distinctly remember the shock and realization that those flights had originated from Logan. Not only that as I was working as a consultant at the time and flying regularly it was conceivable for family members of mine in the UK to think I might have been flying out. Anyway, i don’t think it excuses Boston, I feel the blame lies at the feet of the administration. I grew up in the UK and terrorism was a reality in the UK for about 20 years, the one thing that I think they did right in the UK was take the attitude that the best defense against terrorism is an informed public, not a terrorized public. Believe me there were lots of bomb scares in London and sometimes peoples luggage got blown up by bomb squads but nothing in comparison with this blame game and media circus that the Boston Police and political establishment is taking part in right now.
I still love Boston though, some of my best friends are from there
You can come visit us any time, Karl!