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The LCD Panel vs. The Crossbow

Ev!LOnE was one of several readers to point out an interesting LCD stress test: "ASUS recently came out with Asus LS201 — a TFT monitor with a protective panel made of crystal-sapphire. What I didn't imagine was the amount of punishment that thing can take. Apparently some Ukrainians shared the same concern and went for a test." Translation not necessary, but some clues about the narration would be appreciated in comments.

48 of 324 comments (clear)

  1. DANGER! by TheMiddleRoad · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do not use this monitor when you are frustrated. Banging your fist against the screen will result in broken fingers.

    1. Re:DANGER! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Somewhere in Redmond...
      Steve Ballmer clicks "Buy"

    2. Re:DANGER! by noidentity · · Score: 4, Funny

      WARNING: Do not pound on screen with remaining hand.

  2. Re:lets see.... by ScrewMaster · · Score: 5, Funny

    You do realize that, sooner or later, one of us is going to find you and kill you, don't you?

    --
    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  3. Blendtec by werdnapk · · Score: 5, Funny

    Will it blend?

    1. Re:Blendtec by wizardforce · · Score: 3, Funny

      in former soviet ukraine, monitor blends you

      --
      Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
    2. Re:Blendtec by calebt3 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Too big for the blender.

  4. hmmmm.... by DMoylan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    well if he can cock the crossbow with just his hand then it's not a very powerful crossbow. try a 90lb long bow and get back to me.

    like that monitor though. wonder if it would survive a sledge hammer to the screen. i've seen monitors taking a few punches from angry windows users.

    1. Re:hmmmm.... by KillerCow · · Score: 5, Funny

      well if he can cock the crossbow with just his hand then it's not a very powerful crossbow. try a 90lb long bow and get back to me.


      You must have pretty tough working conditions. We've never felt the need to put "ability to withstand 90lb long bow attack" on any of our purchasing forms.
  5. if only... by MarkRose · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm sure Big Blue would have love it!

    --
    Be relentless!
  6. I am in AWE by retiredtwice · · Score: 5, Interesting

    While that left me agape, I keep having visions of police with these things strapped on the front and back flashing subliminal messages and doubling as bulletproof vests.

    I do wonder how they do against a bullet (slow bullet like an ordinary 38), maybe you need to double them ...

    --
    I get it now. If you disagree with the majority on /., you are a troll.
    1. Re:I am in AWE by kypper · · Score: 4, Interesting

      It would be cooler to have mini video cameras on the back of the cop routed to the chest monitor so that it looked like you were looking right through him. In dark lighting that could be really interesting.

  7. Re:Crossbow Strength by wizardforce · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That crossbow seemed pretty weak.
    even so, you probably wouldn't want this to happen your your flat screen monitor and that's the point, by the looks of it, this monitor is *better* at withstanding abuse in comparison to the average one most people would be buying.
    --
    Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
  8. smarter monitor by ILuvRamen · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm gonna build one with a built in crossbow so the user knows if they shoot at it, it'll return fire. That will prevent the user from damaging it in the first place. Don't build tough, build smart lol.

    --
    Google's Super Secret Search Algorithm: SELECT @search_results FROM internet WHERE @search_results = 'good'
    1. Re:smarter monitor by Burning+Plastic · · Score: 5, Funny

      No need to build - Shop smart - Shop S-Mart.

      --
      [All Your Fish Are Belong To Us]
  9. Re:Crossbow Strength by dvice_null · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah. You only need to get attacked by a crossbow about 5 times and that monitor has paid itself off.

  10. Re:Weeeeee..... by pushing-robot · · Score: 5, Funny

    These displays should have a sticker:

    Warning: Rebounding Wiimotes may cause severe injury.

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  11. Hard core! by fedx · · Score: 5, Funny

    In most offices I've worked in your monitor just has to withstand NERF darts and the occasional hacky-sack attack. I take it Ukranian office wars are a little bit more serious with their choice of weapons.

  12. Good but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's no titanium. Or is it? :)

  13. I don't get it by dangitman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They make a nice monitor, with expensive materials, and then they put it on a shoddy non-tilting stand? WTF? What an insane world we live in. Why the hell does anybody even make non-tilting display stands?

    --
    ... and then they built the supercollider.
    1. Re:I don't get it by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Because most of us don't use a stand if you get a high end monitor. I use monitor arms, I could not even imagine wasting desk space with the stands let alone having to suffer with looking at them that low.

      People blow $599.00 on a "premium" LCD monitor and then bitch about paying $199.00 for a decent arm that will outlast 12 monitors and give you real freedom. Hell get decent LCD arm and the speakers are even off the desk mounted off the arms as well.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:I don't get it by dangitman · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Because most of us don't use a stand if you get a high end monitor. I use monitor arms,

      I think you're kidding yourself if you think that most people do this, even most purchasers of a "high end" monitor. It is a distinctly minority item, even among high-end purchases. Personally, I do use a monitor arm in my office, but I'm one of the very few. And there are plenty of situations where a monitor arm isn't feasible or practical.

      --
      ... and then they built the supercollider.
  14. cNet UK review. We scratched it. by caferace · · Score: 5, Informative
    http://crave.cnet.co.uk/monitors/0,39029456,49290999,00.htm

    One such product is the Asus LS201 -- a TFT monitor with a protective panel made of crystal-sapphire. Our Asus rep says not only is it scratch-proof, but it's also 'punch-proof'. We were dared to hit it as hard as we could and told it wouldn't break.

    Never ones to shirk from a challenge, we formed an orderly queue and gleefully punched the hell out of our first LS201 sample. Unfortunately one of our punchers was wearing a ring, and the offending jewellery left a 2cm scratch on the supposedly scratch-proof monitor.

    Asus sent us a replacement and politely asked us to remove any jewellery before we let rip. We duly obliged, but instead of emerging unscathed, the LS201 developed a small, unidentifiable blemish below the protective panel. It wasn't a scratch or a dent -- it looked more like a small piece of fluff.

    Our verdict: the LS201 will not shatter into a million pieces when punched (don't try this at home). It's therefore ideal if you're the type of person who likes to attack inanimate objects, or just drop blameless pieces of technology. But it's most definitely not scratch-proof -- we don't care what the stickers say.

    1. Re:cNet UK review. We scratched it. by rolfwind · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sapphire Crystal has a hardness of 9 on the mohs scale -- it's hard to scratch. I assume that the piece of jewelry of had a diamond -- the hardest natural substance known. They may be other stones, that scratched it, but not many.

    2. Re:cNet UK review. We scratched it. by MMC+Monster · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Reminds me of the commercial about the detergent that would get any stain out of carpeting, or your money back. Someone sent in a swatch of carpet "stained" by battery acid. They made a print add out of it about a decade ago. (Sorry, I can't remember the name of the product.)

      --
      Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
  15. Not too surprising by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    During the Vietnam war some US helicopters were using synthetic sapphire crystals for bullet-proof windows.

    It's nice they have gotten the process cheap enough for LCD screens. Definitely won't scratch when you clean it with ordinary cleaners.

  16. Re:Crossbow Strength by John+Miles · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That looked a lot like the handmade crossbows fabricated by "Iolo the Bard," a well-known SCA figure in Austin circa 1990 (and inspiration for the character of Iolo in the Ultima games.)

    Iolo's bows weren't made to be competitive with modern polonium-doped nanocrystalline bolt launchers or whatever, but to recall the craft of medieval weaponsmiths. Still more than enough to shoot your eye out with.

    I agree with the other poster who suggested that these LCDs are coming to police riot shields near you. That's just too cool an idea to pass up. Shove enough images of flowers and frolicking puppies in their faces, and the Black Bloc crowd will surrender without a fight, right?

    --
    Dahlmann tightly grips the knife, which he may have no idea how to use, and steps out into the plain.
  17. Re:Cleavage by rts008 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yeah, I see cleavage on my monitor all the time, but it never seems to harm the screen.

    --
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  18. Mason Williams's Classical Gas by mosel-saar-ruwer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    can claim prior art

    The Ukrainians' background music was Mason Williams's Classical Gas:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/clipserve/B000000ED3001001/0/

    I wonder if they have to pay these things called "royalties" in the Ukraine?

  19. Why doesn't the iPhone have this? by Animats · · Score: 5, Interesting

    That kind of toughness makes real sense in expensive mobile devices. I was surprised that the iPhone didn't come with a sapphire or diamond screen.

    This isn't exotic technology today. The typical supermarket checkout scanner uses sapphire or diamond coating on the glass. That's why it can survive years of canned goods (and, for Home Depot, hand tools) being scraped across the scanner. In the checkout scanner world, plain glass lasts 2-4 weeks. For diamond, the makers claim 9 years. The sapphire vendor offers a lifetime warranty.

  20. This monitor is for pussies! by TheMiddleRoad · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah! What kind of weak-ass monitor can only take a couple hits from a 90lb pull crossbow? Shit, I hit my LCD with a 280b pull all the time. Just the other day, I put ten rounds with my 9mm into it. It's still standing! I put a youtube up of it. 50,000,000 hits in two hours. SUCK IT DOWN!

  21. Translation by Strange+Quark+Star · · Score: 5, Informative

    First, it's Russian he is speaking, despite the commercial being Ukrainian. The only thing worth translating he says at about 1:00 : "The thing is, that the coating of the monitor is out of the ordinary. In theory, it should withstand extreme stress, some even say it is bullet-proof. That's exactly what we wanted to check. The monitor has survived the shoot, but since the manufacturer gave it to us for tearing apart, we decided to literally kill it. For this we have a crossbow and crossbow arrows." In the end he concludes that this is probably the most resilient monitor in the world.

    --
    There is no sig.
  22. Listen up, Lenovo! by n1hilist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    .. and put this tech into the next Thinkpad! .. with LED backlighting, kthnx

  23. A far more rigorous test by Blancmange · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ship it across the United States and back using FedEx, in a cardboard box marked "Fragile."

    --
    Blancmange
  24. Re:Crossbow Strength by Ian+Alexander · · Score: 5, Funny

    I agree with the other poster who suggested that these LCDs are coming to police riot shields near you. That's just too cool an idea to pass up. Shove enough images of flowers and frolicking puppies in their faces, and the Black Bloc crowd will surrender without a fight, right? Why show puppies and flowers when you can sell that space for advertising?
  25. Translations. by UncHellMatt · · Score: 5, Funny

    I found a book of simple Russian phrases to try and figure out that video. It seems that the announcer's record is scratched, and his hovercraft is full of eels. ...bouncy bouncy.

    1. Re:Translations. by dysfunct · · Score: 5, Funny

      Your geek card is hereby revoked

      --
      :/- spoon(_).
  26. Re:lets see.... by novakyu · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I just have fohooCOWtville.myminicity.com (remove herbivore) blocked in my Privoxy setup. It certainly reduces fear of these nasty links.

    And, oh yes, if there's a fund setup to catch and kill these bastards, I fully support it.

    Or just DDOS ripway.com (or is it h1.ripway.com), I guess.

  27. The Obvious Question by dynamo · · Score: 3, Funny

    I just have to know -- Will It Blend?

  28. Re:Crossbow Strength by Bandman · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think that you are, somehow, missing the point.

    I don't give a damn how strong the crossbow is. He shot it at the monitor and it bounced off

  29. Re:Crossbow Strength by Frnknstn · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I totally agree with your post, except for the general sentiment of it, your implied conclusions, and almost every single point you tried to make.

    I guess that means I didn't really agree with you much.

    Well, why not take your best crossbows and your superior bows and fire them at your own LCD screens and compare your results? You can use any background color you like.

    You may need someone to help you aim, as your vision might not be as good as you think, otherwise you may have noticed some other things in that video. Things like the part where the marker is removed from a part of the screen that was displaying white, not red. Or perhaps the part where the same bolts that were able to disable the screen penetrate a half-inch into a sheet of wood. Or perhaps the part where the screen is struck with a hammer.

    According to you, this screen fared poorly as "the deep red background that the screen displayed, for example, will tend to hide scratches". Seriously, try these tests yourself. See if any color except black will hide the scratches on your monitors.

    --
    If it's in you sig, it's in your post.
  30. Re:I need to get this for an old customer. by Carnildo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    CRTs are pretty durable. A typical CRT screen is already holding back a few thousand pounds of atmospheric force; a mere punch or two isn't going to bother it.

    --
    "They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.
  31. Re:Crossbow Strength by ozmanjusri · · Score: 4, Funny
    Shove enough images of flowers and frolicking puppies in their faces, and the Black Bloc crowd will surrender without a fight, right?

    ...and if that doesn't work, there's always goatse, tubgirl and lemonparty?

    --
    "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
  32. crossbow+1 by bumby · · Score: 3, Funny

    Resisting a normal arrow from a crossbow is nice and all, but how does it handle a fire arrow from a crassbow+1?

    --
    Hey! That's my sig you're smoking there!
  33. Re:OK, you win. by lorenlal · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ahem - Vista *capable*

  34. Wii Have A Solution by 0rionx · · Score: 4, Funny

    Forget fists...

    Finally we have a display that's safe for Wii-users!

  35. Re:Crossbow Strength by Descalzo · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Call Mike Maloney, Bail Bonds. 555-FREE"

    --
    I cried real tears when Li Mu Bai died.
  36. Here is a translation by Zeinfeld · · Score: 5, Funny
    Been a long time since I used my Russian, here is a (very rough) translation

    Welcome to TechnoDay. Is your monitor possessed? How can you tell and if so what can you do about it?

    We took a standard LCD monitor that had become possessed after an all night LAN-party playing oblivion. (some discussion about exorcism I could not make out)

    We tried writing (the exorcism?) on the screen in permanent marker. But the state of demonic possession prevented the ink from sticking, it just wiped off with a small amount of holy water.

    We tried smashing the monitor with a hammer.

    Research on Wikipedia told us that the only way to undo the demonic possession was with a silver tipped arrow. Fortunately I was able to win a crossbow on EBay, but the arrows supplied are steel, not silver.

    You can see the power of the crossbow shooting into wood. Now lets try against the monitor. One! Two!

    As you can see Wikipedia was right, if you are faced with demonic possession you have to go with the silver, steel simply does not work. We will try that next week.

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