Posted on 01/28/2009 10:29:13 AM PST by Domandred
Transportation officials in Texas are scrambling to prevent hackers from changing messages on digital road signs after one sign in Austin was altered to read, "Zombies Ahead."
Chris Lippincott, director of media relations for the Texas Department of Transportation, confirmed that a portable traffic sign at Lamar Boulevard and West 15th Street, near the University of Texas at Austin, was hacked into during the early hours of Jan. 19.
"It was clever, kind of cute, but not what it was intended for," said Lippincott, who saw the sign during his morning commute. "Those signs are deployed for a reason — to improve traffic conditions, let folks know there's a road closure."
"It's sort of amusing, but not at all helpful," he told FOXNews.com.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
She died of old age, comfortably in her burrow.
My wife used to have Gerbils when we first met.
Each time one died it was tramatic for her. (She loved those fuzz balls) Now our daughter has repeatedly asked for Gerbils and Hamsters but Mom just won't allow it.
She doesn't want to go through it all again.
This was our 4th gerbil (two sets of two); the one that had lived with her died several months ago. If you’re going to have pets with a short life span, you can’t get too attached! Maybe we’ll get some more in the spring, since we have the cage and food supplies. On the other hand, some of the children are agitating for more reptiles!
Anoreth put her out in the woods with the three previously-deceased gerbils and the old cat.
Awww. I’m sorry, Pat. It went to Gerbil Heaven and is young again.
*snif-snif*
She’s in good company, then.
Pat thanks you for your sympathy. He and James are off to the playground; it’s a balmy 32 degrees! Pat learned first aid at Cub Scouts last night, and now he’s waiting for James to hurt himself so he can fix him up. James should be okay for now, since he’s wearing long pants and his coat ;-).
They’re back already, uninjured. They realized it’s cold out. You’d think, after three months of winter, that they’d realize it’s not necessarily warm outside just because the sun is shining. The snow still on the ground would be a clue, today!
Boys always have to check the weather on their own, and make up their minds. The trick is to make them think it was their idea to come in out of the rain/snow/cold!
We have 51, but it’s very windy, with lots of rain on the way. I don’t want to go out in it, but I have to. I tried to print up a mailing label for a package, and all my printer would do was give me a “sample” that was unreadable, while taking my money four times.
I fiddled with the printer program and the label program, but to no avail.
I’m going to need to go the P.O. too. I need to mail some packages to that are too big to fit into any of the boxes that have come through our house lately. Maybe I’ll go to the “UPS Store”; they usually have boxes available, and UPS Ground Delivery isn’t much more expensive than 4th Class USPS.
OK...I’m back. No lines at the PO, and only one thing in the mailbox ~ a card from a really neat friend!
Well, TYG! At least it wasn’t the tax bill!
I don’t need no steenkin’ tax bill!
LOL!
We got one yesterday from the Town of Indian Trail. At least it pays for the police! (Well, they’re deputy sheriffs rented from the county, but I still don’t mind paying for them.)
Several years ago, when the rich newcomers moved into Henderson, they didn’t want to pay for a bond for more police and fire units. The bond was voted down.
The mayor got on one of the local stations right after the election and said, in effect, that if you pretend to pay us, we’ll pretend to work, and will only take the direst of emergency calls. The rest, well, you’ll just have to work out your own security the best you can.
Within six months, they had their money. I love it when it works! We have very little crime where I live. Which is why I like it so much!
Crime is pretty modest hereabouts - lots of armed citizens, for one thing. There’s always discussion about starting our own police department, but we could rent a dozen more deputies just for the start-up costs. Stallings, the next town up the road, has its own police department, and they spend at least 75% of their time dealing with traffic and accidents on US74. And the police chief has a new high-end red Mustang!
Whoa!
Folks around here are not afraid to buy and use guns. I suspect burglaries and car jackings will begin to drop when word gets around that folks are arming themselves.
At least once a week, there is something on the news about a homeowner or business owner shooting an assailant. It used to be almost every day. Of course, some areas of Vegas are worse than others....
It’s naptime here! Wednesday just arrived and told me “Quarp!” with great hostility ;-). We’ll go to Walmart later, when it’s a little warmer.
LOL!
I keep looking at the clock and wondering why it’s still morning, when it feels like it should be almost time for bed.
C&H just give me some really disturbing looks and shun me, if I don’t go to bed when they want me to.
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