There's a small feature in the San Jose Mercury News about the MINI Motorboard on I80 at 4th St. in San Francisco.

I think the link requires registration.

 

I heard about this on NPR this morning - good PR for Mini.... Of course, they don't allow billboards here in the OC.

 

I feel your pain man But don't take it personally, it's not that MINI doesn't recognize the state in which we live... I'm sure that MINI cares about you just as much as an individual in NY, SFO, MIA, ORD but the problem is... there are more of them than us On one hand, it is good. We are not surrounded by millions of mini's... so it is special when we see one... don't worry, this billboard thing will come to us soon enough as long as the other cities make it worth while

 

And here's a link to the KPIX video news story with a brief interview with John Butler (B in BSSP)

 

It's funny how scared these people seem about this. Obviously there are ways RFID can be used to track people, but we are nowhere near those days yet. At this point, it's a new, fun, technology... and as mentioned in this post, it's completely optional. If you don't want everyone on the highway around you knowing your name then don't bring it with you. It's only meant to put a smile on our faces though and keep us happy with the brand so that when the next purchase comes, we only want another MINI, and nothing else. Smart people at MINI and BSSP.

Drew

 

Well said, HPUdrew. I was totally psyched about getting my key fob (it still hasn't arrived), and mentioned it to a co-worker. He immediately knocked the idea, and went on a privacy rant. While I absolutely see his point, I see it as a fun thing rather than an invasion of privacy. So what if the messages that appear might actually mention my name? It's more like a fun amusement park photo as you go down that huge dip on the roller coaster. It's fleeting, momentary, and in the spirit of fun. I'll draw the line the moment these billboards start posting up my credit card number.

 

Got the invite and thought it was the goofiest thing I ever heard of. Interesting, but goofy.

 

Waiting for mine in the mail:

Waiting, waiting, waiting , waiting.................................

It's funny I work for the Merc and received many e-mails on this yesturday.
Yet they can't talk to me because I work there

 

Buck up SB, I live 3 states away from my nearest dealer.

 

Here's the NYT story:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/29/business/media/29cooper.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

TD

 

It was on the Today show today...first time I heard about it. Maybe I don't spend as much time on this forum as I thought.

 

http://www.onikaverse.com/2007/01/th...ly_future.html







http://news.com.com/Via%2BRFID,%2Bth...3-6154185.html

 

Aw man, it would've been so nice to have some here in Madison. I see MINIs here and there and I'm sure they as well would love to get a personalized message from a talking billboard. Of course, who wouldn't?

Still though, this should be something national and in all the big name cities and capitols as well.

 

Its very cool to see one in action . Just as the billboard says, Motor On

 

Out of curiosity, has anyone here been PM'd by a woman asking for an interview about this program? I was, went back and forth a couple times, and when she realized I didn't have the transponder keychain thingy yet, she just disappeared. The rudeness! ; )

Ken

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-ham...d_b_40085.html

Can we write to this guy in complete disgust? We should all rise agst this guy.. What a complete ***.

 

Hey Jim cool pics! I think the messege really meant, "Hey Jim, don't stop on the road!" LOL

Yeah about that article, obviously this boring guy doesn't have a clue what he is talking about...and out of touch of reality. He probably thinks that EVERY mini owner has this new keyfob whether they like it or not. Do I detect a hint of jealousy? Hmmm
I wonder what car he drives! Ha!

 

anyone actually recieved the fob yet? ... signed up literally the first day of the invite ...

 

On top of sharing many unfounded opinions, he doesn't seem to understand how the program works. Maybe posting a buch of negative comments on the Huffington post is exactly the kind of attention he wants though.

 

Regarding the article, the writer is totally out of touch. His article had a cranky tone...perhaps a fellow MINI driver cut him off on the freeway? Did you notice that he said if he wanted to have fun, he'd get a Corvette? Um, yeah buddy, you do that. Keep in mind that these cars are at totally different price points and aren't even in the same class. Apparently he knows nothing about cars. And nothing screams over the hill more than a guy that looks like him driving an over-the-top sports car; he should complete his image by wearing a leisure suit and a gold chain. Just my humble opinion.

On a brighter note, the picture of "Jim" above is actually the VP of MINI USA, Jim McDowell. The caption for the AP pic is as follows:

"In this handout photo released by Mini Usa, Jim McDowell, vice president of MINI USA, holds a RFID tag used to communicate with the MINI billboard behind him in New York on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007. MINI USA is the first to use the RFID technology to communicate directly with consumers through interactive billboards, which read the special tags as they drive by and then display a personalized message to the driver."

Godzilla, you don't happen to be the VP of MINI USA, are you?

 

And I agree with your humble opinion. What he said about getting a Corvette instead of a MINI, he completely missed the point like you said. Instead of a Corvette, I'd get a Morgan Plus 8 for the same price. It may not as fast as the Vette, but there's more to cars than just speed and how much HP it has, it's the experience when driving it. And a car such as the MINI proves that very point.

 

Did anybody else read this guys bio? Here's the ful text:

"Ed Hamilton has lived at the Chelsea Hotel for over 10 years.
His fiction has appeared in Modern Drunkard, The River Walk Journal, SoMa Literary Review, The Journal of Kentucky Studies, Exquisite Corpse, Southern Ocean Review, Lumpen Times, Limestone , and No Umbrella.

Ed contributes the weekly "Slice of Life" column to Living with
Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog ( www.hotelchelseablog.com).

Ed was born in Atlanta, Georgia and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky. He holds a BA in Psychology and an MA in Philosophy. He studied toward a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he also taught logic, ethics, and philosophy. "


He has lived in a Chelsea Hotel for 10 years? Has a bunch of useless degrees that he is obviously putting to work blogging about billboards?! Please, what on earth qualifies this guy to make statements about anything car related?

I guess that’s what makes the internet great, anybody can comment on anything, no matter what their expertise. What would some over degreed, hotel bound, writer know about cars? Any anybody living at the Chelsea is probably so utterly completely full of themselves, thinking that they are some sort of too-good-for-the-rest-of-society artist for the ages. This guy is most definitely throwing rocks from inside his glass house.

Of course, he is used to writing fiction. This would explain the pathetic inaccuracies in the article. But, hey at least I know he is so put off by MINIs that if he were to see me with mine, he wouldn't speak to me.

 

THis is the totaly coolist silliest miniest funist thing ive ever seen!
I Want a key-boble doohiki too!
Baltimore has lots of fun billboards- come to maryland!

 

I could jump off of a building (not really). I got on invite on Jan 10, but it went into my junkmail box. I did not notice it until yesterday. When I signed on to the MINI owners lounge the link to the motorby website was no where to be found. I emailed MINI USA and have my fingers crossed. Live in the SF Bay area and will actually be going by the sign tommorrow. I am just sick over this.

 

Has anyone received their key fob yet?