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This Weekend's Road Sign Hacks Part of National Fad
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 17, 2009
Modified Mar 17, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 17, 2009
Modified Mar 17, 2009
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As you know, unidentified pranksters recently hacked three electronic road signs downtown, offering, "NEW YORK IS DYING," and the cryptic, "SHIT BIRD ORL." While New York may indeed be dying, it's not special in this regard, nor particularly creative: For months now, E-vandals across America have personalized these signs with their own messages. Last month, traffic signs in Illinois, Texas, and Indiana were altered with messages like "DAILY LANE CLOSURES DUE TO ZOMBIES" and "RAPTORS AHEAD - CAUTION". Here in New York, all we got was "PARTY AT JULIE'S"—without even any info on Julie's address or whether there would be hotties there. Of course, the city isn't amused; one official tells the Post this "could pose a dangerous distraction for drivers, for pedestrians, for everyone." And while we're certainly not advocating distractions, surely New York deserves better hackers: If you had the chance to reprogram one of these signs, what would you say to the world? (Besides "GO BACK TO JERSEY.") And would you buy the T-shirt?
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nyc
road sign hack
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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