kasia in a nutshell

MIT hack?

God knows NYC colleges would just use spray paint to get a message out :)

I am not surprised. If you drove the Massachusetts Turnpike [around Boston] everyday like I do you would see similar "messages". "Cowboy Up", "Go Sox" I am so glad my $56.00 in monthly tolls goes to messages instead of actually improving the road.

I am not surprised. If you drove the Massachusetts Turnpike [around Boston] everyday like I do you would see similar "messages". "Cowboy Up", "Go Sox" I am so glad my $56.00 in monthly tolls goes to messages instead of actually improving the road.

Would that be owned signage or sign ownage ?!

Yeah, its tempting sometimes to change those signs on the sides of roads... However, I think I'd put something a little more PSA oriented liked:

"Get of that cars ass!" (to combat tailgating)

:)

My favorite was one I saw locally in Pittsburgh during LOTR popularity last year.

CLEVELAND FANS
WELCOME TO MORDOR

http://www.rusiczki.net/junkdrawer/creamed.jpg

I don't know if this is Photoshopped or not but it's funny. :)

As a non-onnaisseur I ask, how do these things work? How can they hack them?

2600 Magazine did a story about how to hack these things about a year or so ago. IIRC, it was fairly straight-forward to do if you are willing to take the risk to open the thing up and mess with it in a very public environment (the side of a highway). Unfortunately, 2600 does not publish their content online.

The article read like this:
Open orange box.
Find little keyboard with 4-line LCD display.
Log in using some silly default password that's probably written on the side of the sign anyway.
Find an empty slot (the first 40 or 50 are usually reserved & have pre-programmed messages).
Type your message.
Save it, make it hot.

With access to one 10 minutes of time is all you'll need. Wear a yellow hard hat to look 'officical'.

Try not to kill anyone.