Judging by its $300 million plus take at the box office, you’ve probably already seen The Dark Knight. Remember that part where Batman tries to track down the Joker with that crazy cell phone contraption? Well, if you thought Wayne Industries’ secret project was shockingly original you’d be sorely mistaken. It looks to be derived from Listening Post, an art installation created by Mark Hansen and Ben Rubin of Ear Studio. The exhibit featured pieces of text gathered from public forums, bulletin board, as well as thousands of unrestricted Internet chat rooms in real time, which are then spoken by a voice synthesizer and plastered across a grid of over 200 tiny electronic displays. The installation had been shown around the country in various locations from 2002 to 2007 — plenty of time for Christopher Nolan to rip it off … and frankly we don’t blame him.

via mikearauz.com