What the hell are we gonna do with all the remaining phone booths and public payphones once cell phones have reached ubiquity? Karaoke them! They'd enjoy a second life, especially around culturally active downtown areas (an oxymoron anymore , but there's always hope). Instant and versatile sidewalk art. I can see groups gathering in spontaneous karaoke on the walk back from the bar, or business types belting out some Sinatra on the corner just to let off some steam during lunch. The phones would still be functional - for luddites like myself who still shun cell phones - and the take from karaoke would subsidize their use so we wouldn't lose them entirely sooner than later.
-- JungFrankenstein, Jan 19 2005

Speakers Corner West http://www.thenewvi..._speakersCorner.asp
Situated on the West Coast of Canada [Canuck, Jan 23 2005]

Speakers Corner East http://toronto.city...rs_corner/index.asp
From the Centre of the Universe [Canuck, Jan 23 2005]

Conjugation of the verb "to karaoke" http://www.verbix.c...d.y=11&D1=20&H1=120
[calum, Jan 23 2005]

This is a really cool and fun idea.
-- Machiavelli, Jan 19 2005


me and mach use our cars...

sing FLAT------
-- po, Jan 19 2005


<giggle>
-- Machiavelli, Jan 19 2005


+ "I just called...to say...I love you.."
-- robinism, Jan 20 2005


No, the radiation isn't sufficient to penetrate my tinfoil cap. I just think I'm ahead of the revolutionary curve on this one. It hasn't even peaked yet, but once people get over the absurdly misplaced sense of whiz-kid, jet-setter chic conferred on them by these things, they're gonna realize just how much privacy they've lost to their bosses and mothers-in-law, ex-partners, and etc, 24/7. "Grandpa, you mean you could take a walk in the woods without ANYONE knowing where you were? And noone ringing you up? Cool!" Actually, I know I'll have to have one eventually. I've been lucky not to have been compelled by my career or too insistent friends. It's only a matter of time, and I'm savoring my freedom while I can.
-- JungFrankenstein, Jan 23 2005


These are kind of in the beginning process of being baked. If you check out the links you will see there is a means for street-corner karaoke being provided by various television stations. I know people use their local "speakers corner" for more than karaoke, but it's a start. In fact the Barenaked Ladies first music video was done on a Speakers Corner in Toronto.
-- Canuck, Jan 23 2005


How about if you had a choice of singing through the speakers of the booth you're in, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, call a random available booth elsewhere in the city and sing through its speakers. That way you might feel less self conscious about getting into a glass booth and singing Crazy Train in front of a bunch of strangers.

[+] btw, welcome Jung.
-- jaksplat, Jan 23 2005



random, halfbakery