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Track a Soda Can with GPS?
I am Kobayashi writes "According to the Indianapolis Star Online, next summer Coca-cola will feature a promotion in which winners will be located by satellites tracking GPS devices implanted in the winning cans.... Hopefully they track you fast before you throw-away (or recycle) your winning can...." And in another bit of Coke news, they've got a new high-tech billboard: jhkoh writes "Reuters/Yahoo is reporting that Coca-Cola has unveiled an 'intelligent' billboard in London's Piccadilly Circus -- at 99 feet wide, the world's biggest -- that supposedly will respond to weather, movement, and SMS text messages. The billboard itself is 52 square meters of LED display. How soon before someone hacks it?"
As if RFID tags weren't enough, now I can be found just out of pure thirst...
Business \Busi"ness\, n.;
A scam in which all people involved perceive as beneficial...
Tracking my Coke is one thing, but please don't track my beer
"When it's raining, big drops will appear on the screen and when it's breezy, the Coke sign can ripple as if it's being blown by the wind," a spokeswoman for the company said.
Well, it sure is good to see technology used for the benefit of humanity, and not just a stupid gimmick.
Mmm, 52 square meters of full goatse glory! Remind me to avoid London...
Hate me!
How long till someone hacks it
Well, since it was supposed to be a Pepsi billboard, I'd say not long at all
ha, ha me make funny
I like my beverages with warning labels!
Even easier: just look for the can with the antenna!
Build boards not bombs
Summer 2004: Anusol Win-a-Hawaii-Vacation contest
(8h on the subway)
Anusol guy: Congratulations!
Joe: For what?
Anusol guy: You won our Win-a-Hawaii-Vacation contest!!!
Joe: How did you find me?
Anusol: YOU GOT A GPS UP YOUR ASS!!!
winners will be located by satellites tracking GPS devices
Why? Because when people opened their old cokes and it said "you win a car!", they were too lazy to go to the redemption office?
Last night after smoking a lil pot I stopped in the local mini-mart and bought a coke. As I was sipping it on the drive home I noticed a van with two guys trying to get me to pull over! They were pointing at my can of coke and yelling at me, motioning for me to pull over ...I stepped on the gas and tore away as fast as I could running a red light and nearly causing a multi-car pile up ...I wonder if I might have been a winner and not the victim of road rage like I thought.
Try my new smokable Sig,
Does this mean that the first person who hacks the transmitter's signal to track down the winning can gets to claim the prize? I don't think this will ever work because most cans are stored in places that don't get good GPS reception (buildings, steel machines, trucks, etc...) and the transmit out (presumably a cell connection?) is another matter entirely.
plus it's a little creepy having Coke track down the winners like that. What's next? A tiny transmitter in the cola itself that the "winner" swallows so Coke can track them even if they put the can down?
I read the internet for the articles.
If you start glowing green, people call in and report your location via the GPS units in their cell phones.
You can't judge a book by the way it wears its hair.
Now I'll need to buy some more tin foil. A lot more.
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
I've got obese family members who code in little to no clothing. I'm sure they wouldn't mind...
tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
Number of time "GPS" appears in this story: ZERO!!! Not all satelite tracking uses the US Government's GPS system!
ATLANTA -- Here's a way to really target a consumer.
Next summer, Coca-Cola plans to use satellites to find U.S. buyers who happen to purchase special cans of Coke products.
They will be winners in a giveaway that will feature Hummer H2 sport-utility vehicles. The giant vehicles will be presented in person, using satellites to locate the recipients. And in a promotion tied to the Summer Olympics, Coke's prize is likely to be $1 million in gold, again awarded on the spot.
The promotions, described in a proposal that has been circulated within the Coke system, are a twist for the beverage maker, because of both the technology involved and the splashy prizes.
Coke spokesman Mart Martin declined to provide details about the promotions, which remain months away. "We are still in the process of finalizing our plans," he said.
But U.S. Coke bottlers have learned quite a bit about them. Last week in Australia, Coke unveiled a similar plan. Dubbed Thrill Seeker, it is tied to the Rugby World Cup finals, scheduled for October and November.
Thrill Seeker uses satellite tracking to locate winners. The prizes are Peugeot cars and $10,000.
Summertime prizes are common in the soft-drink world, given that they help stir interest during an important selling season. This year's summer promotion from Pepsi, for example, touted a potential prize of $1 billion. (It wasn't won, by the way.)
The oddity of Coke's promotion revolves around how winners will get their prizes. The cans used will be equipped with Global Positioning System transponders.
In Canada, Coors used a "Tracker Bottle" in Quebec in 2001 and 2002. The program spread to all of Canada last summer.
That experience should indicate the tracking system will work. Coke doesn't want a repeat of 1990, when the much-touted "Magic Can" promotion turned out to be a mess. In that case, Coke put cash in cans, but many malfunctioned.
wow, he's a good troll!
previous post by this idiot.
Oh wait, that's a different subject entirely.
Approximately 30 seconds before "Breaking News: Tony is GAY" appears on the screen and the entire high school soccer team falls over laughing.
Unless constantly flooding it with references to RANDOM CRAP(tm) is considered hacking...
No, no, that's not hacking... that's Slashdot!
Avoid London.
-kgj
Once again, the English system proves superior. 560 square feet sounds way more impressive than a mere 52 square meters.
From the Coke site...
"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech."--Benjamin Franklin
Don't worry.
One thing I can guarantee that you will NEVER be, is a winner.
Hopefully they track you fast before you throw-away (or recycle) your winning can....
Maybe they would just award the prize to the trash can. But, how would a trash can spend a million dollars?
I'd imagine he would just waste it.
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It's the Coke can with a Pringles can attached to it.
Tuus crepidae innexilis sunt.
Well, either the unit is built into the can, or it is in the beverage itself. If it is in the can, you don't have to worry (once you wipe down the can). If it is in the beverage, then they've got you.
"I'm not impatient. I just hate waiting." - My Dad
If I found a can with a GPS in it, I'd take it to Hippie Hollow (a local nude beach in Austin), open it, and wait for them naked.
No problem signing the piece of paper typical in such contests giving them authorization to use my image in their promotional materials.
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
In very small print, at the bottom of every can, it will say 'No purchase neccessary, steal can to enter contest'.
Once I figure out the system, I'll know EXACTLY where to find that "lucky" million-dollar winner...
How clever: Get people to be excited about being "tracked" with technology!
Check out this site for more information on how your privacy is being invaded today...
... will be *overjoyed* when Coke pulls up in an H2 with $1M in gold to give him in exchange for a Coke can in the pile in his shopping cart...
The world won't end in darkness, it'll end in family fun, with Coca-cola clouds behind a Big Mac sun.
I havnt looked at the cans, but The current Thrillseeker competition in Australia is in the bottles. These are definately big enough for a cell-phone like device and arent made of metal. From the label:
Look under the cap and if you've won, you'll find "Winner" and instructions on how to activate your winning Thrillseeker bottle. Once activated, we'll be able to find you using the latest satelite technology, so our Thrilseeker Squad can deliver your prize to you in hours
There is also a disclaimer, which includes:
Subject to satelite reception and
You must keep all parts of your winning bottle to claim your prize
Hope this helps all the pedants debating the satelite tracking angle. *grin*
Personally, when I go to the store, Im gonna keep a look-out for the bottle which has a satelite dish and a hefty power pack attached.
"If I could only live my life with my threshold at 4... " -- Wil Wheaton
Coca-cola will feature a promotion in which winners will be located by satellites tracking GPS devices implanted in the winning cans....
You'll never look at the guy picking pop cans out of the trash the same way ever again...