Assuming even the most aggressive people will still care what their mother thinks, this somewhat slapstick police baton is designed to send a message to the user’s mom when it is violently deployed in (or out) of the line of duty.

Russian artist Dmitry Morozov claims he is not an activist but did create this prototype, dubbed Antenna, in response to increasing reports of police brutality around the world.

It shoots of an SMS saying “Mom, I hit a man” using piezoelectric power generated by the swinging back and forth of the club. While the device is currently external, it could be shrunk and stuck in the stick itself. Open-sourced hardware and software determines when the truncheon is being swung hard rather than just swaying by the officer’s side, then sends the text.

It seems unlikely that this project will have a next step, though perhaps an ultra-progressive police department somewhere on the planet will want to give it a go or protesters will at least lobby for its potential. “As the standard methods of control are ineffective, this project suggests maternity as the last stronghold of human kindness and responsibility. I do think art could help to stop it, or even just raise awareness through irony.”

The post Tattle Truncheon: Police Club Texts Cop’s Mom When Used first appeared on Gajitz.

How many times have you heard the phrase “turn off your TV?” It is usually used as a call to action for couch potatoes who need to reform, but Bath-based designer Jack Archer took it as an inspiration to create this fantastic alphabet. It consists of 15 small televisions housed in a custom-built cabinet. Archer changes the letters by turning various TVs on or off.

The resulting typeface is oddly (and charmingly) low-tech-looking for having been constructed with machines. The time lapse video above shows the entire project from start to finish, including the set-up and tear-down of the TV cabinet. We would love to see a video of the setup spelling out scrolling messages one letter at a time.

The post Easy as A-B-C: Bitmap Typeface Made Entirely of TVs first appeared on Gajitz.