Biggest Drawing in the World?
[UPDATE May 29, 2008] The "artist" has conceded that the "drawing" is fake, i.e., no GPS unit traveled around the world. Adena Schutzberg offers her analysis here.
Last week The All Points Blog, and today Kottke posted about a supposed art project, in which an art/marketing student drew a self-portrait by sending a GPS device in a suitcase (?) in a pre-planned route. The routes were allegedly traveled in 55 days by DHL.
I wrote both Adena and Jason (rather his guest blogger, Cliff Kuang) to share my sentiment that the naval "routes" make no sense, and no mariner, DHL or other, would follow such routes. This in addition to the very legitimate concern that GPS would hardly work in a suitcase, inside the carrier's trunk.
What do you think?
Its probably viral marketing for DHL.
I agree.
I can see a black box with wires, batteries and a glowing red light not turning ANY heads at customs.
It does look like a DHL ad, but even DHL would know that the routes shown are some of the most fuel consuming. And why would he need to send a package with a GPS in it, if he was going a long as well?? Just keep the GPS on you then. Same as I can't see DHL even allowing him to come along.
So I vote for fake and viral.
Check out the very bottom of the "artist's" website -- "This is fictional work. DHL did not transport the GPS at any time"
Good catch Kevin. What really got me is that it wasn't even a drawing, unless he printed it on the world's biggest plotter.
Atanas,
Yes, it's a hoax. The Telegraph got confirmation today.
http://apb.directionsmag.com/archives/4327-Update-Biggest-Drawing-in-the-World-using-GPS-and-DHL.html
I cannot help but wonder how believable this must be to even modest techies. People want to believe that GIS can do anything, I hope we allow these minds to continue to question us and lead us down the path of practical solutions.
Thanks M@. I'm guessing that the page didn't have that bit of text until shortly before I visited the site -- a LOT of people seem to have been fooled. Heh, I couldn't be one of the first to catch it, lol.
I am surprised that the same people that are calling "hoax" and "fraud" don't get upset when they see a Spiderman movie and think that there is really someone swinging from web, or a James Bond flying car is really flying.
Holy Carp, it is advertising! It is supposed to catch your eye, but boys and girls, it is ADVERTISING. This is almost as idiotic as the Absolut furor a month ago.
The sad part is that there are geo-buffs that were 1) "taken" by this, 2) prefessed their naivete, and 3) publicly tried to eat there way out of their duped-ness.
Sort of like splashing on a bottle of Hai-Karate and being publicly upset when 3,000 people don't start chasing after you. Hoax! Fraud!
android: I think there is more to this story than just "it is ADVERTISING." Honest advertising is supposed to self-identify as such.
When Apple airs the PC-Mac TV commercials, it is clear that John Hodgman is not really a PC, he is an actor playing one. On the other hand, when Microsoft pays Om Malik to use the phrase "people-ready" in his blog posts, and this only becomes known after Valleywag uncovers it and writes about it, this is not cool.