A Large Black Foot in the Sky is a giant, foot shaped dirigible, which is permanently anchored above any city that signs up to its underlying awareness initiative.
It is a way of saying: "This is a symbol of our carbon footprint and we would all benefit if it could be reduced."
The balloon would be linked to a corresponding website, full of information about man-made global warming, and the achievable ways of reducing it.-- xenzag, Aug 22 2007 carbon footprint http://en.wikipedia...ki/Carbon_footprinthow big is yours? [xenzag, Aug 22 2007] a nice image of carbon dioxide. http://www.sciencec...uesc_02_img0110.jpg [po, Aug 23 2007] Big Black Solar Balloons http://www.solar-balloons.com/How to make your own solar balloons out of thin trash bags. [baconbrain, Aug 23 2007] This idea has legs.-- jurist, Aug 22 2007 Monty Python?-- skinflaps, Aug 22 2007 is carbon sticky? UK advert for carbon footprint rather implies that it is of a substance similar to black dogshit. this annoys me as I imagine carbon to be a kinda dry stuff...-- po, Aug 22 2007 +1 sorta pythonesque.-- po, Aug 22 2007 Fetishists rejoice!-- phundug, Aug 22 2007 po - carbon is a basic element of the universe which exists in several forms that can be described as allotropes: i.e. graphite, diamond.
Carbon as referred to in "A Carbon Footprint" is of the carbon-dioxide variety, where the carbon has combined with oxygen to form a gaseous molecule. Those who's chemisty and physics are superior to mine will correct me.
The Foot may be attractive to high flying birds to use as a resting spot..... all are welcome, especially large flocks of defecating sea gulls over Exxon/ Mobil/Bush offices.-- xenzag, Aug 22 2007 Could we inflate / deflate it according to a relative increase / decrease in footprint?-- RayfordSteele, Aug 22 2007 //Could we inflate / deflate...// If it inflates, then more lights get turned on to counter the dark shadow cast, so that is self defeating.... It could become more transparent though.
//Reminds me of the clock in Times Square.// That clock needs a cuckoo.-- xenzag, Aug 22 2007 They can swarm out like bats from its nyamming beak.-- xenzag, Aug 22 2007 xen, I think I already knew that but carbon dioxide aint gooey.-- po, Aug 23 2007 + I think increasing awareness is a good thing, even if it has to be done by BigFoot.-- xandram, Aug 23 2007 Pedantry first: "Dirigible" means "directible" in French, so it properly applies to powered airships that can be directed, not to tethered balloons.
Google for "solar balloon", and you'll find instructions on how to make solar hot-air balloons out of thin black plastic sheet. They ARE solar powered--the air inside absorbs heat from the black plastic in the sun--so there is no carbon footprint (except the thin plastic sheet). You can make a foot shape very easily, and send it up on any calm sunny day. Well, people aren't going to see it at night, anyhow.
I've bought and flown a few of the "Solar UFO"s that some kite shops sell. It's a tube of light black plastic, but they put big white letters on it for some reason. Still, it works.-- baconbrain, Aug 23 2007 Beware the Natives may become restless, but the southern rock band will certainly be happy.-- jhomrighaus, Aug 23 2007 random, halfbakery