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Eat my voltage.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by fo0bar, Jul 3, 2007.

  1. fo0bar

    fo0bar Junior Member

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    When I bought my 2002 Prius, I was lucky enough to be one of the few people to get a Prius with a factory-installed "eat my voltage" sticker:

    [​IMG]

    After getting my 2007 Prius, I found myself missing the pretentious sticker. So I decided to recreate it:

    [​IMG]

    FYI, the font I used was Century Gothic bold, a Futura derivative. It's not identical to the to the original sticker's font, but it's close enough.

    It looked OK, but the black color didn't work well. In my old Prius, the interior was light-colored, so the sticker showed up decently. In the new Prius, it's a dark interior. Inkjet printers assume they will be printing on a white/light background, so even printing a "lighter" color like green produces too dark a color. Too bad nobody sells consumer inkjet printers with "white" cartridges.

    I then talked to a coworker, who mentioned he got custom vinyl lettering done for his (non-Prius) car. I found buildasign.com and placed an order for a ~20" by 2.5" vinyl application sticker. About $19 shipped. Here it is installed:

    [​IMG]

    Forgive the noon sun, the decal actually stands out a lot more than that.

    [​IMG]

    Still waiting on the vanity plates...
     
  2. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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    Hehehe! I like it :)
     
  3. bobdavisnpf

    bobdavisnpf Member

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    Not sure I've ever seen a Prius that actually had that sticker on it. I chucked mine in pretty short order. Not just because it's, well, a little offensive, but also because it doesn't seem to make any sense to me. :unsure:

    "Eat my dust" I can understand - if I'm driving by on a dirt road or just driving in a polluted city, I'll trail a cloud of kicked-up particles (you don't usually see it in the city, so it's harder for the average bystander to grasp). I don't really expect you to *eat* my dust per se, but if you breathe in, I do expect you to take my dust in... so it's not too much of a stretch. :rolleyes:

    But when I am driving a Prius past you, the electricity I "feed" you the bystander cannot be readily perceived at any time. When I drive past a bystander I may induce some positive or negative charge on them if my Prius happens to have an imbalance on its outer surface, but this is just a rearrangement of existing electrons. I suppose if the bystander were to ground my Prius - or get close enough to receive a static shock - then this transfer of electrons could be considered a "feeding" of sorts. Still, unless the bystander were somehow advised by the sticker to use their tongue or lips as the contact medium, few would consider this actual "eating" of my voltage in any real sense. :blink:
     
  4. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    Y'know, the first thing I think of when looking at that is something
    VW might have done. Didn't the bugs or jettas have some slogan in
    about that same font in certain packages?
    .
    _H*
     
  5. fo0bar

    fo0bar Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hobbit @ Jul 3 2007, 04:12 PM) [snapback]472576[/snapback]</div>
    I think VW uses another similar Futura derivative font for its advertising.
     
  6. fo0bar

    fo0bar Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bobdavisnpf @ Jul 3 2007, 04:09 PM) [snapback]472572[/snapback]</div>
    I'll let you know, I seriously weighed all available options, and "eat my voltage" narrowly edged out Calvin peeing on a Hummer. :D
     
  7. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fo0bar @ Jul 3 2007, 09:17 PM) [snapback]472660[/snapback]</div>
    You don't want to pee on a Prius because of the voltage. :blink:

    Tom
     
  8. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    In this day and age, I'm not sure it's wise to carry hostile slogans.
     
  9. burritos

    burritos Senior Member

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    On the one hand I like it and that verbalizes how I feel. On the other hand, does it not perpetuate the hybrid smugness image?
     
  10. Stev0

    Stev0 Honorary Hong Kong Cavalier

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burritos @ Jul 4 2007, 12:35 PM) [snapback]472949[/snapback]</div>
    After I got my Prius, one of the first things I did was search Cafepress for a Prius shirt. And while I did see a few I thought were cool, I suddenly realized - no! I'd just be being a stereotype if I do that!
     
  11. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    At the fitness center yesterday I saw a Classic with "Eat My Voltage" in the back window.
     
  12. artie

    artie Member

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    Sorry, I feel it's a stupid and hostile sign...of no value other than to make the owner of the sign appear superior to others, not a good way to spread the message.
     
  13. diamondlarry

    diamondlarry EPA MPG #'s killer

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(artie @ Jul 4 2007, 02:16 PM) [snapback]472981[/snapback]</div>
    In some ways we are superior but, I agree it's not a good message to be spreading and it's not a type of sticker I would put on my car. In fact, I sometimes wonder if my CleanMPG.com sticker is too much. I don't have a Priuschat sticker yet. :(
     
  14. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(diamondlarry @ Jul 4 2007, 01:26 PM) [snapback]472991[/snapback]</div>
    So Larry I'm guessing that this based on Darrell's avatar will probably never appear on your Prius?
    [attachmentid=9422]
     

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  15. diamondlarry

    diamondlarry EPA MPG #'s killer

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jul 4 2007, 07:14 PM) [snapback]473187[/snapback]</div>
    I'm not sure I completely understand the picture. :unsure:
     
  16. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    It's a representation of an individual committing suicide with gasoline.

    I'm sure it would have made more sense had I included the words, "wake up you bunch of imbeciles and realize that your addiction and casual consumption of petroleum based products from gasoline (which you waste every day while complaining about the price) to plastics (which is easily recyclable though so many of you toss it into a landfill where it will sit for several thousand years) is killing us all through pollution, warfare and a destabilization of national security" but I ran out of window space.
     
  17. diamondlarry

    diamondlarry EPA MPG #'s killer

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    Now that you put it that way, it makes sense. I'm not sure that most people would get it. I like the bumper sticker i saw recently: "All those in favor of decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, please raise your right foot."
     
  18. fo0bar

    fo0bar Junior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jul 4 2007, 04:14 PM) [snapback]473187[/snapback]</div>
    Heh, I got it right away. While I personally wouldn't put that on my car, I would chuckle if I were driving behind you.
     
  19. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jul 4 2007, 04:14 PM) [snapback]473187[/snapback]</div>
    Makes more sense on an EV than on a car that runs entirely on gasoline. :rolleyes: