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Comment by roenxi | Hacker News Reader

1. It is rapidly becoming clear that drones are a historically effective technology for winning wars, killing people & destroying stuff. "The display was flown over land, from neighboring New Jersey, so as not to violate New York City airspace restrictions and laws prohibiting drones within city limits." is enough to warrant taking them out with force.

2. There is also a risk that they fall out of the sky and kill people.

This sort of display is a very bad idea.

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Sorry, the fact that it complied with local laws is warrant enough to take them out? Is that what you meant to write?

On the safety issue, they got specific permission to fly the display, and did it over land with safety controls in place.

I’m not saying this was a good idea, but if so they shouldn’t have been given a permit. The safety issue is a red herring, it seems to have been done perfectly safely, for humans anyway. Not sure about birds, but again that should have been considered by the authority that granted permission.

A few comments here seem to be assuming this was done sort of unlicensed guerilla marketing caper. It wasn’t, it was done perfectly legally as far as the article reports.

Driving like an asshole can also be legal, depending on what you’re doing and in which state. Doesn’t mean it is social acceptable. So now we need to change permitting laws because of asshole companies with advertising campaigns that ignore what is socially acceptable? And before you claim this is socially acceptable behavior, tell me another company who’s done this without backlash?

I’m not aware of another company that’s done it at all. We’re in uncharted territory. I just think it’s odd, right in the middle of fireworks season here in the UK, for outrage at someone putting coloured lights in the sky.

You didn’t read the end of the article which said:

> The company obtained a special permit to stage the display.

There's three international airports within the area, one of which is in NJ right across from NYC.

Newark is hardly right across from NYC - it's a fairly long drive (or train ride) through Jersey City and a few suburbs to get there. There is plenty of available low-altitude airspace between EWR and Manhattan.

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