Balloon Messages

[Trekker4747]

Say you're hanging around outside and you see up in a tree some deflated balloons or see some partly deflating balloons falling from the sky.

These are helium balloons released by someone several, possibly hundreds, of miles away and have attached to them a note with someone's name on them and an address of some sort (either email or snail mail).

Would you contact them?

 

[Jadzia]

If it's email, yes. That is the whole point. I would expect others to do that for me if I released balloons.

But I wouldn't write letter and pay for postage to say "your balloon landed in my garden" to some random person I don't know.

I might first check to see if the balloon contains a small child, but then again, what
are the chances of that happening?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

"It's not a balloon! It's an AIR! SHIP!"


Me, if I was in the position of the "balloon-fancier" then I wouldn't put my name and address on the things in the first place. I mean, who wants their address (email or postal service) all over the place where people can simply add to spam distribution lists and the like? (Not that I would do the same, of course...)

But that's just my paranoid side there. If I was the recipient of said balloon then I'd be a little curious as to who would want to do this sort of thing.

 

[Kestra]

I would totally contact them! How cool would it be to find a new penpal, miles away? Connecting with people is great.

 

[Jadzia]

"It's not a balloon! It's an AIR! SHIP!"

"Ve must ring zee government."

"This is zee government!"

 

[Ruaidhri]

I probably would. I once found a sick pigeon and called the number on its leg band to get it back to the owner. He told me to keep it for a couple hours until it seemed better and that it would then fly home on its own. And that's exactly what happened.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

If racing pigeons were involved, however, would anyone do a Speckled Jim on the unfortunate carrier?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

We used to release balloons with letters attached in elementary school, but back in the olden days before email. We'd usually get a few responses back each time, but I'd imagine now with the simplicity of email the number of returned messages would be higher.

I'd definitely reply if I found one, whether by snail mail or email.

 

[sidious618]

I'd absolutely reply!

 

[judge alba]

I'd reply if it was an e mail address

 

[nevermore]

Say you're hanging around outside and you see up in a tree some deflated balloons or see some partly deflating balloons falling from the sky.

These are helium balloons released by someone several, possibly hundreds, of miles away and have attached to them a note with someone's name on them and an address of some sort (either email or snail mail).

Would you contact them?

My primary school used to do this every year, as did many others. We always got a decent number of replies, and it was really awesome when your note came back, which only happened to me once in 4 years. I'm under the impression though that it's been outlawed or simply fallen out of popularity because birds and sea creatures eat the balloons.

But yeah, I'd respond, especially if it had traveled far enough to give the kid at the other end a bit of a thrill. I would also respond to a message in a bottle, and yeah I would forward a chain package (like in that episode of Northern Exposure) or some such, just for the hell of it. I'll spend a few bucks on whimsy.

 

[Mallory]

I'd definitely reply if I found one, whether by snail mail or email.

Same here. Email is free and stamps aren't exactly a budget breaker.

 

[Jadzia]

I wonder if a person could be charged with littering, if a balloon with traceable details (their name and address) settles in a public area?

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I wonder if a person could be charged with littering, if a balloon with traceable details (their name and address) settles in a public area?

What if the balloons, strings, etc. were all biodegradable? Is such a material capable of being used as a viable lighter-than-air balloon?

 

[Jadzia]

I've heard of a person being charged with littering for leaving a wooden chip fork in a public seating area in a park. So I don't think biodegradable matters. Even if it's a thin bit of wood in a place where lots of wood is lying around decaying naturally.

 

[thestrangequark]

I remember watching a touching "news" story several years ago about a little American girl who wrote a letter to her recently deceased father and tied it to a "Little Mermaid" balloon. The balloon drifted to Canada where a couple found and read the letter. They contacted the little girl and sent her a copy of Hans Christian Andersen's original story, which, of course, was very appropriate as it, unlike the movie, deals with the subject of death.

 

[Jadzia]

I remember watching a touching "news" story several years ago about a little American girl who wrote a letter to her recently deceased father and tied it to a "Little Mermaid" balloon. The balloon drifted to Canada where a couple found and read the letter. They contacted the little girl and sent her a copy of Hans Christian Andersen's original story, which, of course, was very appropriate as it, unlike the movie, deals with the subject of death.

I've never seen the "Little Mermaid" film, nor do I know the story, but a few years ago I did see a lovely family film that dealt with a troubled young girl (Desi) and her balloon message, that was called just 'Mermaid'. I don't know if that's the news story you mean? But it sounds very similar.

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0239625/

Worth watching if you've never seen it.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

A note on a balloon? How quaint! I would reply to a note if I happened to find one.

Here's what a local High School applied physisc class did recently:

They stuffed a couple of lightweight cameras and a GPS reciever into a styrofoam icebox and lofted it with a weather balloon. The balloon got to nearly 50,000 feet and travelled almost 50 miles.

Web site here:
http://www.mattshields.com/?p=929

Video highlights:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c89tvAjzPw&feature=player_embedded[/yt]

Best still pics in a vid:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH_j9i6anEE&feature=player_embedded[/yt]

 

[thestrangequark]

I remember watching a touching "news" story several years ago about a little American girl who wrote a letter to her recently deceased father and tied it to a "Little Mermaid" balloon. The balloon drifted to Canada where a couple found and read the letter. They contacted the little girl and sent her a copy of Hans Christian Andersen's original story, which, of course, was very appropriate as it, unlike the movie, deals with the subject of death.

I've never seen the "Little Mermaid" film, nor do I know the story,

Seriously? I'm kind of shocked! The story is simple. A little mermaid falls in love with a human and wishes desperately for legs so that she can be with him. She trades her voice for the chance to have legs and to make him love her, but she only gets a few days to do so, before she loses her life. In the Disney version (which is a very good animated film with excellent music), the evil witch is defeated and the little mermaid gets her voice back and gets to remain human and marry her prince. In the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, she fails and he falls in love with another woman. The little mermaid dies and becomes the foam on the sea.

but a few years ago I did see a lovely family film that dealt with a troubled young girl (Desi) and her balloon message, that was called just 'Mermaid'. I don't know if that's the news story you mean? But it sounds very similar.

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0239625/

Worth watching if you've never seen it.

It sounds like they made that story into a movie, alright.

 

[Jan]

Message in a balloon, message in a bottle, I'd absolutely reply! Schools have done experiments like that for years and I wouldn't want to disappoint some kid waiting to hear from far-off places.

Jan