Sky writing is pretty cool. I've never understood how the pilot manages to join up his 'o's - or how he knows where to start the next letter.

My idea will obviate the needs for specially trained (and expensive) pilots. It works sort of like an ink jet printer. Except instead of ink being shot on to a page of paper it shoots smoke up in to the air. The print head is mounted on top of a high rise building, and instead of the print head moving it relies on wind to move the 'paper' to the side.

Of course, you'd have to measure the wind speed and print faster on blustery days. On calm days you might just get a message that reads 'mmmfff'. Someone would have to come up with glow in the dark smoke for night times, and water proof smoke for rainy days. Coloured smoke would help on overcast days too.
-- MikeyTheBikey, May 10 2005

Skytyping https://www.google....al&client=firefox-a
A form of this is done by airplanes. Nifty idea to put it on a roof [+] [Sunstone, Jan 28 2013]

+, but, 'water proof smoke'?
-- Ling, May 10 2005


(+) I like the idea. What about some drone balloon?

I think that any sort of wind near to ground level would dissolve your message pretty quickly as air mixes around a lot near the ground, I`m sure.

A balloon could write in three d even on the stillest of days.
-- goatfaceKilla, May 10 2005


For the Vatican - "Habemus Papem" [+] - it would save trying to decide if the smoke was black or white.
-- coprocephalous, May 10 2005


The AOL scyscraper could write "AOL" in the air, and the building next door could puff out "Sucks" right behind it :)

Then, when it rained, the smoke would somehow combine with the air and water to rain down AOL CD's.
-- sophocles, May 10 2005


"What are you so upset about?"

"The IT guy screwed up and mapped my printer to the rooftop smoke jet..... I was printing my homework for my erotic poetry class, and....."
-- normzone, May 10 2005


I imagine you'd have to use some seriously toxic smoke in order to make this work. therefore:[+].
-- SpocksEyebrow, May 10 2005


You have the backwards. Since the wind is scrolling it, the "sucks" building would have to print before the "AOL was printed.
-- Voice, Apr 22 2008


Maybe a grid of balloons, filled with RGB smoke. Then use a huge shotgun to pop them all at the same time...
-- Ling, Jan 29 2013



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