May 23 2008Telectroscope Connects New York & London
The Telectroscope was built by artist/inventor Paul St. George and connects New York and London via a massive tunnel you can look through and see out the other end.
"The Telectroscope started off as a totally unintentional hoax in the 1870s," explains St George, who is the leading expert on this forgotten backwater of Victorian technology. "It came about through an error. A French editor misread a report about the invention of a thing called the Electroscope - which is all to do with static electricity - and called it a Telectroscope. He also misinterpreted its purpose. "The fascinating thing is that his misunderstanding of what it did - to communicate face to face over a vast distance - really caught fire.
Needless to say there is no such massive tunnel. The end portals were just made to look like they're heading through the earth. In actuality, they're connected via "fiber optic cabling, and an HD camera and projector on either end provide live streaming video. But who really cares, you can still look in one end of this device in New York and see out the other in London. You'll find one end next to the Brooklyn Bridge, and the other across the pond, next to Tower Bridge."
I've got to admit, it's a pretty neat art piece. I could get my girlfriend to stand on one end in England and show me her boobs, and then I could stand on the New York end with all my friends and make fun of how small they are.
So yeah, HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND EVERYONE! Have fun and be safe. But not too safe (the firework war is still a go).
A couple more pictures of the thing after the jump.
Official Website
via
Steampunk Telelectrscope Uses Secret Tunnel To See London From New York [ohgizmo]
Thanks Shawn and Chris, now get over here immediately so we can get this party started right -- with some female Jello wrestling. Say, you two know any girls?
Reader Comments
1. Joey - May 23, 2008 6:49 PM
Sweet! They've found a new way for people to flip each other off over vast distances. Except all the yanks will stand dumbfounded wondering what the backward "peace sign" means. :)
2. nikeforces - May 23, 2008 6:50 PM
looks odd
3. Joey - May 23, 2008 6:50 PM
Oh, and FIRST!
I always wanted to say that. :)
4. Aaron - May 23, 2008 7:17 PM
Wouldn't it be cooler if they'd found a way to do it without electronics?
This thing's probably going to be blue screened half the time.
5. Sgt Vash - May 23, 2008 10:26 PM
So in theory If this thing was built like it was supposed to be and not with cameras and TV's. I could have flown form here at the west coast to New York. Taxi'ed to the Brooklyn Bridge and stick my unfortunately small third leg in it and set a Guinness Record for the man with the longest sausage in the world? At least until the next guy come and pushes me away and does it too. Hey at least I had the title at one time. What's your claim to fame? Loser.
6. Joel Rifkin - May 24, 2008 6:21 AM
I'd love to check this out, but it's in Brooklyn. I don't go to Brooklyn.
7. Emily - May 24, 2008 8:06 PM
I checked it out today - it's totally cool, but not quite as cool as I expected. I guess I wanted Steampunks to crawl out of it, or Stallone to start fighting Snipes near it, but, I'll admit, waving and miming at a bunch of British people is vaguely entertaining...
8. COS - May 25, 2008 5:39 PM
1. Joey, I went down to this silly machine today and gave you brits the finger, but apparently you thought i was telling you your #1. Silly f***ers
2. Joel - we dont want punk-ass bitches in Brooklyn, so that all works out.
9. Steve - May 26, 2008 9:22 AM
Why the hell do they think we want to see more of the Yanks? Well at least they're all so fat you can only fit one on screen at any one time. Thank god for small mercies.
10. Matt - May 26, 2008 4:33 PM
Is it just me, or is this thing... kinda penis-ey looking?
11. joecool - May 26, 2008 6:50 PM
Quit taking days off you sob!
12. BlightedArt - May 26, 2008 11:56 PM
^ Give the geekologie guy a break D:
13. kathy - May 27, 2008 8:12 AM
So glad you posted this! I was just in London yesterday and saw it. Its open 24 hours a day. When I was there a mom visitng London timed it so that she could see her kids in new york. Cute! Now that I'm back in the states it'll be neat to see the ny one as well.
14. Elmo - May 27, 2008 7:44 PM
HEY! That's what i see when I look down my toilet! All the screaming people with tiney boobies...
15. Zira - May 27, 2008 11:39 PM
.......Its a boob tube?
16. Zira - May 27, 2008 11:40 PM
.......Its a boob tube?
17. Brittney - May 28, 2008 12:41 AM
Great. Another way for people to fall in "love" via technological advances. First chat rooms, then eHarmony, now W.O.W. and this. *shakes head*
18. S. - June 5, 2008 9:35 AM
I covered the telectroscope on the Brooklyn end. I thought it was cool for the most part except it was raining in London (go figure) so the screen was a little wet
www.traveltattoo.blogspot.com
19. Hotels in London - March 1, 2010 7:13 AM
London looks great.