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ELECTRONIC BUMPER STICKER

Have you ever wanted to tell that annoying guy behind you in the big pick-up or semi truck something?

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Some times road rage can be dangerous. Maybe all you wanted to do was say something pithy to the guy or gal behind you tailgating you. I mean you don't want to flip them off. Maybe you could just say something helpful to them on your interactive bumper sticker. Or not...

TIRED OF THE JERKS ON THE HIGHWAYS IN USA THESE DAYS?

You don't want to mount a PC monitor on your bumper. But your back window could take a small EDDIE BAUER, AUDIOVOX, or UNIDEN TV monitor. All you need is a A/V jack on your laptop or tablet and a 9-12V hookup for the monitor (or a VGA to AV convertor). The LCD monitor has it's own back-light and you could display large characters in a HTML marquee (times square scroller) or big images the driver behind you can see easily. Even when his high-beams are in your rear view mirror. blinding you

The police probably won't stop you just as long as you don't FLASH it off and on constantly, or use it and be distracted from your safely driving, or using road rage inspiring colorful epithets to piss-off truck drivers (or lorie drivers in UK). Use it for polite humor, or your "tame" political views. Don't use it to get into a fight with some jerk please. Use the smallest video monitor you can find. Not so tiny that the driver behind you can't see it.

You can also rig up a speech to text program and just put your words on it. However, don't use it while angry! :-)

Always mount it BEHIND the driver (you) so as not to block your rear view. Use preset menu buttons or drop-down menu so you are not distracted while driving. Each menu selection sends a different canned message without you driving and typing. Always remember that it's a small screen in rear window so the image and text will have to be BIG.

Run all cables under carpets and seats so as not to get passengers feet entangled in them. Secure the monitor so it does not fall over on turns and inertia. Hide it when you get out so bad guys don't break-in to steal laptop AND the video monitor. Put a black cloth over it or something.

The best message is SUNDAY DRIVER GO AROUND Watch the muscle cars and Harley's ROAR around you in disgust with that one! They may flip you off and call you some choice names while laying on the horn. Being PC is just not "in" today in USA.

P.S. - Using a small VGA monitor is too problematic as they usually don't all have 12 VDC jacks, are way too big for your rear car window, and are difficult to electronically split off the laptop or run long cable runs to rear window. Video monitors are low resolution but will work well with LARGE letters and images at a distance. This is no different than mounting a rear seat mounted DVD player for the kids. Except it's further back in the rear window facing other drivers behind you. It won't work well in direct sunlight though. Only at night is best.


To use a E-INK display to overcome bright lights you will need an old NOOK SIMPLE turned sideways and linked to your laptop via a portable WIFI hot spot. It can remain on batteries or mini-usb car lighter power supply. You'd just set the NOOK browser to your local web server running on your local car hot spot. Have your web pag reload every minute to update any changes you made to it. However, there is no way to make the NOOK SIMPLE refresh it's browser screen automatically. It has to be done manually.

The Secret NOOK Simple Touch Web Browser

  • 1
    Step 1

    How to make a HTML Times Square Scroller

    <H1><MARQUEE BGCOLOR=YELLOW>☺ SUNDAY DRIVER GO AROUND ☺</MARQUEE></H1>
    
    <font face ="Courier" size="7" color="yellow"><b>
    <MARQUEE bgcolor="green">☺ S U N D A Y -  D R I V E R ☺</MARQUEE></b></font>

  • 2
    Step 2

    To show images do this:

    <code> 
    
    <img src="http://www.signspecialist.com/decals/popular2/images/1156.jpg"></img> 
    
    </code>
    
    
  • 3
    Step 3

    To say STOP TEXTING!:

    <H1><MARQUEE BGCOLOR=YELLOW>STOP TEXTING!</MARQUEE></H1>
     <font face ="Courier" size="7" color="yellow"><b>
    <MARQUEE bgcolor="green">S T O P  T E X T I N G !</MARQUEE></b></font>

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chris jones wrote 10/14/2016 at 17:17 point

Steven Gann - I'm afraid you and Greg would get into a bit of road rage (LOL)

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chris jones wrote 10/14/2016 at 06:30 point

Greg Kennedy - with the VIDEO MONITOR version, you could have that built-into the menu selection. You'd have to play with different background foreground color selections to see what works in daylight and in bright-head lights at night. The E-INK method involves manually refreshing screen for any new images. And E-Ink images are stationary (don't move).

The really hard part about this invention is the dirty looks and the hot-heads who will want to punch your nose! You'd have to be very brave to use this gadget as people are just not that cordial to advice on American highways. Especially if it's something they don't agree witth. Expect a lot of people stopping you asking how to get one of their own.

Use a cell-phone or tablet suction cup mount for rear window (turned backwards). Expect thieves to want to steal it when you leave the vehicle.

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chris jones wrote 10/14/2016 at 06:20 point

Benchoff - Yes. The VIDEO Monitor could resolve a JPEG of this easily but you can animate it. and update it automatically, if you want to change it while driving. Only need a RCA video cable (no audio needed): 

However, E-INK Barnes and Noble E-Reader is more of a challenge but at least will work in bright sun light and high-beams at night shining on it. You'd have to use the built-in web browser via your mobile wi-fi to 3G dongle on your notebook. Then put his JPEG on your website, browse to it, and put the E-READER in your rear window on a suction cup cell-phone mount. facing backward. Battery power should last 8 hours, but you could wire up a cigarette lighter extension cord to it. You can't animate it on a E-READER (E-INK). Or you could setup a mobile local web server and forget the 3G/4G part. In any event with E-Ink, you'll have to stop your car/truck get out, get the e-reader and refresh the screen or navigate to a new image.

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Benchoff wrote 10/14/2016 at 06:02 point

Is this graphical? I need Calvin peeing on a lot of stuff for this.

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Greg Kennedy wrote 10/14/2016 at 01:29 point

I want one that says "STOP TEXTING" that I can flash any time I spot someone using their phone in the rear-view mirror.

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Steven Gann wrote 10/14/2016 at 11:01 point

I want one for my windshield that says "STOP TEXTING" when I see someone typing "STOP TEXTING".

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