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Mood Ring Party Finder

Are we there yet?
  (+4, -1)
(+4, -1)
  [vote for,
against]

Mood rings are pleasant, vague, analog devices. What fun might come of programming them?

How about a "find the party" service? Your host publicizes the date and time of the party, but not its location. Your task is to find the party using only a mood ring, which changes color to indicate how close you are. There's no directional advice, just "colder/warmer".

This might actually be quite cheap and easy using newer cell phones, which have (a) GPS receivers; (b) Bluetooth transmitters; and (c) the ability to run non-built-in applications. The distance-finding logic would reside in an app that runs on the phone and connects to a server to learn the event coordinates (kept secret from the user). The app would compare current location with desired location, probably do some logarithmic scaling, and broadcast a closeness value over Bluetooth. Your mood ring would be a cell phone accessory that required only two parts: a Bluetooth receiver (very cheap as I understand it) and a pair of LEDs of different colors that fade and blend. If the mood rings are cheap enough, the host could mail them out prior to the party, though I admit it's problematic that some guests might not have compatible phones.

The LED fader is already available as a raver accessory, and costs something like $1. But that kind just fades in a looping pattern. What if, once you reached your destination, the event location was broadcasting a Bluetooth signal that made all the mood rings at the party oscillate together, in time to the music?

Is this actually cool, or am I just a dork?

egads, Nov 25 2004

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       You're a dork but it's also a cool idea [+]. So how hot does it actually get when you've finally arrived at your destination?
Machiavelli, Nov 25 2004
  

       Of course you would.
Machiavelli, Nov 25 2004
  

       The heat is an interesting idea. I was originally thinking of just color, the "temperature" being metaphorical, and echoing a kids' game ("you're getting warmer..."). I like the idea of generating heat too... just not sure how much battery that'd chew up.
egads, Nov 25 2004
  

       "Party Amputator" does have a nice ring...
egads, Nov 25 2004
  

       It does? Um, perhaps you should just stick to the colors changing. Ooooh, ahhhhh!
Machiavelli, Nov 25 2004
  
      
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