Opera to Put User's Face in Times Square 216
An anonymous reader writes "Opera has announced that they will be putting one lucky user's face up in Times Square during the New Year's Eve celebrations. The ABC SuperSign will display the winner of of Opera's most recent contest that only requires a submission of your picture and the reason why you should be chosen as their New Year's mascot. Nearly one million partygoers will witness the super sized fan tribute with the Opera browser logo on the 585 square foot (that's 54 square meters!) screen."
Screen Resolution (Score:4, Interesting)
By the way, does anyone know the screen resolution of this thing? I checked here [abcsupersign.com] but it didn't say much, and Wiki [wikipedia.org] says it's often very low resolution.
Re:Screen Resolution (Score:3, Informative)
You'd actually be pretty amazed how good something can look at such a low res.
Whoever wins... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Whoever wins... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Whoever wins... (Score:2)
Re:Whoever wins... (Score:2)
It wouldn't be so bad if he was actually providing a service to slashdot users if he provided good submissions, but we get 2/3 year old stuff about how fingerprint scanners can be fooled..
In the meantime, REAL submissions get hosed. That is what pisses us off.
1) Losing good stories to crappy ones
2) Obvious link whoring
Re:Whoever wins... (Score:3, Funny)
We still encourage other users to submit their photos. This will allow us to focus on improving our product, because it lowers costs on our next ad campaign.
I.M.Moral
PR Department
Opera
if she's got to be cute... (Score:4)
Melissa Theuriau [melissa-theuriau.fr]
with other photos here [fresh99.com] and a GIS will turn up enough to keep you happy.
Currently a Fark cliche, but one of the most pleasant to look at.
the AC
Re:if she's got to be cute... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Whoever wins... (Score:2)
That chick from accounting... (Score:5, Funny)
Hot Babe?!? (Score:3, Funny)
As apposed to a pasty male, "Afraid of the evil daystar!", person.
Winning quote: "I love Opera, especially when the fat lady sings."
Post Picture (Score:2, Funny)
to arrange a date, please call this number:
There is a hotness threshold... (Score:2)
Re:There is a hotness threshold... (Score:2)
They'll just look like dead pixels...
and then what? they'll usurp firefox? (Score:2, Insightful)
Mod Parent Up (Score:2)
Re:and then what? they'll usurp firefox? (Score:5, Informative)
They don't like to brag, so this marketing campaign is really unlike Opera to begin with, so my guess is that they'll choose someone who looks decent enough, but probably not someone who could have been a model anyway. Just an average person who doesn't make Opera look really bad.
Basically, this is meant as a "thanks" to the community that's been supporting Opera through all these years. Opera just turned 10, remember.
Oh well, this probably won't get through since bashing Opera seems to be the popular thing to do these days...
Re:and then what? they'll usurp firefox? (Score:2)
Ah, but you see, Opera has put themselves in a slight bind. They promote themselves as a real grass roots company who's completely down to earth and real. So now they do this big press event, and people are skeptical that they
Re:and then what? they'll usurp firefox? (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course opening your eyes, smiling, and focusing the camera would have helped . . .
Example 1 [opera.com] Example 2 [opera.com] Example 3 [opera.com]
Re:and then what? they'll usurp firefox? (Score:3, Insightful)
With what, exactly?
You are assuming that Opera is looking for the "perfect person". This isn't a huge corporation we are ta
Re:and then what? they'll usurp firefox? (Score:5, Interesting)
But closer examination of their strategic intent indicates that they have bigger plans. Big jumbotron on New Year's Eve smells a lot like Monster.com buying commercial airtime during the superbowl. They are looking to kickstart an infective marketing campaign through a very prominent ad on a very prominent medium at a very prominent time.
Where is Opera compared with the other browsers? A niche player that serves as a focused differentiator (Read up on Classical Strategy (Michael Porter's five forces)). How can a niche player increase its market share? Only by becoming a differentiator or low cost leader . . . It's quite apparent that this marketing campaign is testing the waters to see how easy (or hard) it would be for Opera to shift gears.
If we consider the Boston consulting Group Matrix (BCG matrix), we can plot FireFox as a question mark (upper right quadrant) making moves to the upper left quadrant (star). It's logical to assume that Opera may be wondering if it can do the same thing . . . becuase it is likely that Opera currently hovers somewhere betweeb dog and star (between upper right and lower right quadrants).
In other words, Firefox has successfully broken Microsoft's stranglehold on the browser. Because customer's are now more likely to believe alternative browsers do possess adequate levels of Garvin's eight dimension of quality (Performance, Features, Conformance, Reliability, Durability, Serviceability, Aesthetics, and Perceived Quality), it is likely that this creates an opportune time for another browser to test the waters to see if it can go mainstream. It is quite apparent to the casual observer with elementary understanding of classical business strategy that this is a marketing stunt to gain data on the receptiveness of the marketplace.
To think otherwise is to have bought into Opera's marketing agenda, to not uderstand classical strategic theory (I have intentionally ignored resource based systemic, and processual frameworks for strategies because I do not have the data to comment), or to simply be naive.
Re:and then what? they'll usurp firefox? (Score:2)
IOW, most of what you said is correct but it'
Re:and then what? they'll usurp firefox? (Score:2)
There really should be another category added to the slashdot scoring: Self-important Twit. You rate a 5.
You don't get it. (Score:2)
The point is that there's nothing sinister about this. They want to keep in touch with the user base, and they want to do something "crazy". Giving one user the chance to get his face on Times Square.
You are insinuating that they are actually misleading their fans, which just proves that you simply don't know anything about the company. This is not IB
Re:and then what? they'll usurp firefox? (Score:2)
Re:and then what? they'll usurp firefox? (Score:2)
The real question (Score:5, Funny)
Meh.
Re:The real question (Score:3, Interesting)
But there's no indication that this stunt is a joke.
Re:The real question (Score:2)
Re:The real question (Score:2)
dear god (Score:3, Funny)
Re:dear god (Score:2)
Re:dear god (Score:5, Funny)
I already submitted (Score:5, Funny)
Something about competition and being human or something...
Re:I already submitted (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I already submitted (Score:2)
Lord knows it's going to be something that I'll regret, and I don't particularly want that on the company web proxy.
Re:I already submitted (Score:2)
Thanks for playing the game kids
Or... (Score:2)
Re:I already submitted (Score:2)
Re:I already submitted (Score:2)
What about... (Score:2)
Shocking winner! (Score:2, Funny)
Bullseye (Score:2)
Will Both.... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Will Both.... (Score:2)
Will FireFox have a similar event forcing both those Opera users to become really noisy on Slashdot?"
Re:Will Both.... (Score:2)
I'll be signing up as soon as I have a picture!
Why? (Score:2, Insightful)
I don't want millions of people telling me how funny looking I am. It's not like I'd get a high paying job out of it or my own TV show on ABC.
Doesn't sound appealing to me, but I guess I'm not vain enough.
Re:Why? (Score:2)
Here's the resolution... (Score:5, Interesting)
There are a total of 2,300,000 LEDS at 122x48 feet. That equates roughly to a resolution of 2418x951 give or take a few :)
http://religiousfreaks.com/ [religiousfreaks.com]Re:Here's the resolution... (Score:5, Funny)
Since it's in times square, does that make it a new year's resolution?
Re:Here's the resolution... (Score:2)
No, it makes it 5846724 x 904401
Re:Here's the resolution... (Score:2)
However, those LEDs are probably just the one color. Presumably they're using 4 LEDs per pixel - one red, one blue, two green; just like the colors in LCD/TFT displays. Which would then yield a resolution of 1209x475.5
Since 475 is eerily close to the number of scanlines in an NTSC picture (480), I'd go with NTSC resolution, perhaps stretched out a bit faux-widescreen, or with some sideba
Re:Here's the resolution... (Score:2)
The screen itself is supposed to take a Betacam SP feed which would mean roughly 453x340 if I remember correctly.
Goatse anyone? (Score:5, Funny)
Ouch! (Score:2)
Re:Goatse anyone? (Score:2)
Ok, everyone submit this picture (Score:2, Funny)
In other news .. (Score:2)
what are the ftp details? (Score:3, Interesting)
Where is the IP address or the ftp domain?
Username and password for login?
Re:what are the ftp details? (Score:2)
oh boy (Score:3, Funny)
IT WILL BE: (Score:2)
A very pretty, but not extremely beautiful girl. I guarantee it.
Hot, but attainable, about 20 years old.
I've already submitted mine... (Score:2)
PS - I'm actually using Opera right now, at work even.
Easier way to get on a billboard in Times Square (Score:2)
Seriously, Time Magazine is posting submitted pictures on a billboard until they announce the Person of the Year. If they use your picture, they send you an email with a link to the photo of the billboard with your picture on it. It took a day for her picture to make it up.
Why? (Score:2)
Because I never, never want to get laid again.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Huh? (Score:4, Funny)
Huh? What is a 'meter'? While your "square feet" reference sounds familiar, could you please provide a useful measurement of comparison, like percentage of a football field (no, not a soccer field), the number of the number of Big Macs that could fit on it, or the number of 54" widescreen TVs would be needed to make this giant TV. Also, how many Libraries of Congress does it
Thanks!
Obligatory Simpson's Reference (Score:2)
If you try it you'll find (Score:2)
I'm glad I downloaded Opera, and I now have both Opera and Firefox running simultaneously, and I will adapt my use of both to my own tastes and needs.
It's good for users to have competition in the browser marketplace.
T
"Opera to Put User's Face in Times Square" (Score:2)
From TFA: "We didn't think anyone would actually download it," said Project Lead Jim Feuerfuchs. "It was mostly a joke to see which one of us could code the most bugs per square foot of code. I use IE, myself."
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
On other OSen. I use Firefox. OSS, works really well, and has everything I want.
I just don't get Opera. It doesn't come with anything. It's harder to install than Firefox on Linux and OpenBSD. Not as good as Safari on OS X and on windows well I just don't get why I'd want to trade one fully closed browser for another. Also I've yet to have anybody tell me wha
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
What do you mean doesn't come with anything? "Isn't bundled with any OSes", or "doesn't have any features"? Opera has loads of useful features, if that's what you are talking about. And the good thing is that they don't get in the way if you don't want them/need them.
Opera is available for FreeBSD, not OpenBSD, and on Linux the installation depends on your
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
Bundled with OSes.
Neither install is as easy as FF on Debian or OpenBSD.
Of course that's a matter of taste. I don't see "smaller and faster" as a reason to go to a closed browser.
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
emerge opera
It doesn't have weird requirements (it uses QT, but on the default package it's compiled statically) and works right away from a clean install. What i'm trying to say, it's not more difficult to install than any other binary package. And this is on a source-based distro...
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
Re:Here's my entry (Score:5, Informative)
If you actually want to know what features Opera brings, visit http://opera.com/features/ [opera.com] and look around a bit. Nobody really cares enough (I hope) to waste their time recompiling a list for you.
For me, it really just boils down to the philosophies behind them. Use Firefox if you really care that much about everything being open source or fiddling with your browser. Use Opera if you really don't care and just want something that works with advanced features.
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
apt-get install firefox
or pkg_add ftp://ftp.openbsd.org/pub/OpenBSD/3.8/packages/amd 64/mozilla-thunderbird-1.0.6.tgz [openbsd.org]
Also didn't mean that it didn't have any features. I mean that it didn't come bundled with any OSes. Now by my own admission I haven't used Opera but I have yet to have somebody point me to a kiler feature. It may very well have such things. I just haven't heard of them.
Having said that I use pretty much a plain FF everyp
It's just your mindset (Score:2)
And Firefox users said the same as you say. "Tabbed browsing, I've tried and it's awful". Until firefox got tabs. And now everybody swears by the tabs, even IE 7 will have tabs.
Back in the day Opera was the only one with mouse gestures.
And Firefox users said the same as you say. But now they have an awful imitation in a plugin.
However Opera tabs are much more useful than FF. And mouse gestures are more useful than firefox. After you have used the m
Re:It's just your mindset (Score:2)
Opera features tour (Score:2)
They are worthwhile because they are in my opinion, better done.
It's the little details Opera users are really used to, like the fact that I can switch between tabs with the mouse wheel (that's a really nice one), the useful notes panel, the fact that I can program not only the keyboard, but the mouse gestures from the opera GUI.
Now tabs. I like to have my tabs in the bottom of the screen. Opera lets me do it happily. The tabs in Op
Re:Here's my entry (Score:3, Insightful)
We'll see about that!
Opera features
Efficient surfing
Tabbed browsing: Surf the Web easier and faster by opening multiple Web pages within the same application window.
Integrated search: Search Google, eBay, Amazon and more with Opera's integrated search. You can also search directly in the address field using shortcuts (e.g. "g" for Google).
Pop-up blocking: Opera lets you control whether to block all pop-ups, or op
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
Exactly. I said it before and i'll say it again: Opera has, hands down, the best UI of any browser i've tried, and any software package as of lately for that matter. Firefox is an extremely nice browser aswell, but i keep gravitat
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
This is one of those "give me a break" complaints. Firefox users say Firefox is more customizable than Opera, and Opera users say Opera is more customizable than Firefox. And for some reason, they all believe it.
This criticism -- whichever direction it's being used -- needs to die a lonely death to make way for more valid complaints.
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
I use Opera because (Score:2, Interesting)
- mouse gestures are included in the standard install
- there are slightly less frequent updates/bugfixes to download for the core program, and since I don't use any plugins (again, mouse gestures are standard), a LOT fewer plugin updates
- I think Firefox does not have "sessions" (a bunch of URLs and their associated histories), that I can load automatically at startup, or at any time thereafter. I use that a lot: when i launch
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1 [slashdot.org]
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I do not know what ixtractor is, nor do I h
Re:Here's my entry (Score:2)
Opera's goal is to be the jack of all trades. It tries (and mostly succeeds) in being reliable (it's more reliable than Firefox or IE, anyway), standards compliant, and lightweight (much lighter than Firefox or IE). It also tries to be a complete Internet suite, comparable to the old Mozilla suite. However, these things can be turned off, so that it's just a fast, lightweight web browser.
Oh, and yes, you CAN turn mouse gestures completely off. That's one of the f
Re:Marketing Wars (Score:3, Interesting)
Opera is less than cool?
I don't know what you define as "cool", but I'd say that being smaller and faster [howtocreate.co.uk] than other browsers, and still having lots of useful features (that don't get in the way, by the way!) built in without the need to mess around with extensions is pretty darn cool.
Not to mention the new Opera Mini browser which works on just about all mobile phones and is available for free.
And of course the innovation
Re:Marketing Wars (Score:2)
Of course not. Opera has had to worry about the bottom line, being the only independent browser maker. They had to make money, and couldn't rely on donations. So they had to sell it, until they figured out that if they got a better deal with Google they could give it away for free.
Because Firefox came at the right time
Re:Just another shameless Opera plug... (Score:3, Insightful)
Firefox is great becuase it has had such excellent marketing and is diversifying the browser genepool away from IE; but as an acutal browser Opera tends to be the far more innovative, responsive, faster and generally a better program.
Re:Just another shameless Opera plug... (Score:2)
Re:Just another shameless Opera plug... (Score:2)
No. No No. No... Microsoft ripped off Apple.
Of course Apple ripped off Xerox.
Re:problem? (Score:3, Interesting)
So anyway, my question is this: does anyone know of any examples of such adverts (not just New Years, but stuff like the Super Bowl) that have ended up being good investments, besides beer and the like? In particular, c
Re:problem? (Score:2)
Re:Probability (Score:2)
I'm amazed Slashdot has such a short memory. Years ago, this joke about Mozilla was blasphemy.
Re:How is that a prize? (Score:2)
That said, I'm older and no longer crave the spotlight. When I was in my 20s? You bet I wanted to be in the spotlight.