Amsterdam-Noord LED’ing the way!

In more news from Why Amerika Can’t Have Nice Things, the Dutch are leading the way with this new sports hall. You’re probably thinking, “Huh? We build such crap all the time in the States! High schools and universities are constantly constructing new stadiums while the arts and education continue to rot away!” This is one is more revolutionary in that it will have LED lighting incorporated into the flooring. Not for illuminating the space but to adjust itself for sports! So if there’s a basketball game, boom, LEDs turn on for the half court line, the free-throw lines, etc. Track, boom, changes up for the turns and lanes. The article here explains it in English and mentions handball, which is the weird European version of soccer we only see at the Olympics, not the hand-driven variation of racquetball or squash. I do remember playing something similar in high school but the gym teacher called it flicker ball. I think it’s only a matter of time before they can perfect such a system for hockey because currently there’s a lot of nasty chemicals (paint namely) involved with setting up seasonal sheet of ice.

The incredible element is how quickly the Dutch will have this ready. They hope to be done by early 2023. HA! Something this ambitious in the States would be late 2025 due to all the local political palms to grease followed by all the accusations of Communism for using LED tech instead of traditional paint and removable floor pieces.