MIT Student Gets Artistic With LED Art

Gibbs-Duhem writes "An MIT graduate student has up a page showcasing a standout art project. He's designed custom LED light fixtures which are seven times brighter than the closest similar commercial models, and include colors which can't be reproduced by a normal RGB cluster (including two ridiculously bright UV LEDs). The result: some beautiful mixed media artwork. The author's goal is to eventually publish a guide to make getting into creating such artwork more accessible to the general public. The site includes lots of great photos and a movie of the art in action. It also has in depth descriptions of the theory involved in this relatively new form of art, an explanation of how the paints were chosen, and an in depth technical discussion of how such lights are designed with schematics and board layouts for those who might wish to build their own lights."

Comments

Re:damnit

[Anonymous Coward]

Although, if the reporting is accurate and she did indeed try to walk through a security checkpoint, wearing a bundle of wires and circuitry on her chest without responding to security personnel when they asked what the thing on her shirt was, the blame for that incident lies squarely on the MIT student's shoulders. While the reporting was heinously distortive, it was never quite as wrong as you got it.

Not even faux news said she tried to walk through a "security checkpoint" - all she did was ask a question of the person at the info desk.

The person at the info desk - NOT EVEN VAGUELY SECURITY PERSONNEL - asked her what the LEDS were, she said "art" and then continued about her business.

The blame lies solely on stupid CYA security policies that require a "response no matter what" -- that's escalation without application of rational thinking. You've got one dumb cluck of a info-desk clerk, who probably doesn't even have a high school diploma, causing a major incident that could have been easily avoided if anyone at any step of the way had applied a degree of critical thought to the issue. What's next? Exvacutation because someone dreams about a bomb?

Don't think for a minute that any of this anti-terrorism "security" is about protecting anyone from actual threats. They might as well name them the Department of the CYA because their sole purpose is to protect the asses of the people in charge. If they react completely out of proportion to any perceived threat, then when an actual threat slips through they can point at all of their over-the-top reactions in the past as proof of 'diligence' thus insuring their asses are well covered, and may even get increased funding...

This institutionalized cowardice is destroying our country, it has got to stop or we will never be able to maintain our status as the largest superpower.