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?"

Comments

Geocaching

[Davak]

What an odd bastardization of Geocaching!
Geocaching is exploring for objects other people have hidden using GPS. It's a blast and very addictive.

However, GPS does not send signals... it only receives... How are they going to track people?

Davak

GPS Reception

[c_oflynn]

Hmm... GPS reception inside aluminum cans? Seems a bit sketchy if you ask me.

AND it will have to transmit as well, thats going to be a nice piece of technology.

But seems you could possibly cheat - there are devices to detect semiconductor material (used to detect "bugs"), so with a bit of tweaking you could possibly figure out which can has something inside.

Re:GPS Reception

[PD]

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.

Ugh.

[CGP314]

"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.

Re:Ugh.

[Em Ellel]

"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.

Take my geek membership away, but would not a plain cloth sign do the same?

-Em

Re:Ugh.

[uberdave]

I saw a special weather string on my recent trip to the caribbean. The device is mounted so that the weather string hangs vertically. If the string is wet, that means it's raining. If the string is hanging on an angle, that means it's windy. If the string is horizontal, that means it's really windy. If the string is gone, that means it's a hurricane.

Hackage!

[Dark Lord Seth]

The billboard itself is 52 square meters of LED display. How soon before someone hacks it?

Mmm, 52 square meters of full goatse glory! Remind me to avoid London...

Re:Just GPS?

[Dstrct0]

Even easier: just look for the can with the antenna!

radioactive tracers

[SHEENmaster]

If you start glowing green, people call in and report your location via the GPS units in their cell phones.

Oh no

[dr_dank]

Now I'll need to buy some more tin foil. A lot more.

Something not quite right here...

[WeirdKid]

I didn't read the article, but, generally speaking, GPS receivers don't transmit, and GPS satellites don't track.

i have the answer

[kurosawdust]

How soon before someone hacks it?"

Approximately 30 seconds before "Breaking News: Tony is GAY" appears on the screen and the entire high school soccer team falls over laughing.

Re:NOT GPS!!!

[stratjakt]

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

Don't feel bad, I'm sure you didn't know what GPS stood for, thinking it was just another hip sounding acronymn you saw on slashdot.

I wonder how they will get around the legal issues

[hchaos]

In general, in the US, it is illegal to have a sweepstakes-style contest that requires a purchase for entry (because it is technically gambling).

Reminder

[handy_vandal]

Avoid London.

Meters vs. feet

[micromoog]

The billboard itself is 52 square meters of LED display.

Once again, the English system proves superior. 560 square feet sounds way more impressive than a mere 52 square meters.

This begs the question...

[travdaddy]

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.

Easy way to spot the winning can:

[Greedo]

It's the Coke can with a Pringles can attached to it.

Let's not forget the fiasco of the Magic Can...

[LostCluster]

Here's a simular Coca-Cola promotion that went horribly wrong:

The idea was called "Magic Can", you'd open up your Coca-Cola can and real spendable US dollars just might pop out. Of course, the cans with the money in them wouldn't have cola, but instead a device powered by chlorinated water that would propel the bill.

However, the device often got damaged in shipping, and this lead to several cases where a "winner" didn't look before they drank, and ended up digesting the chlorinated water before realizing that their can didn't really have any cola. Their $100 bill would end up getting spent in the emergency room...

Coca-Cola found itself reduced to putting out ads that instructed "winners" how to safely extract the bill in the event of a failed device....