I've seen very helpful Flash visualizations on news websites that helped understand the story better.
For example, this interactive map of drug war related deaths in Mexico is very well done. It doesn't just clarify the conflict, but encourages the reader to analyze and research the topic independently in addition to linearly reading the text of an article.
Just reading an article, listening to the radio or watching a news program often gives the illusion of learning and understanding new information, whereas in reality very little is retained.
Innovative and interactive ways of presenting information solve this problem.
I run an ad-supported website, but I don't see a problem with ad blocking software.
The reason? I get paid for ad clicks, and people who block ads are very unlikely to click them even if they they weren't blocked.
The site visitor is not obliged to click or view my ads.
If the LCD panel is connected to a Mac, you may want to try using Quartz Composer.
It's a flow-based programming language included in the developer tools package. You can use it to make just about any kind of animation (music visualizations, image filters, screensavers, etc.), and hook it up to live data.
I've set it up for my office, but didn't have time to write a very complex program yet, just a flashy 3D RSS feed of Twitter posts mentioning our product.
Researchers at the University of Oxford have identified a gene that increases the likelihood of its carrier being left-handed.
Machines have less problems. I'd like to be a machine. -- Andy Warhol