A Few Good Links
July 30, 2005
It's been a while since I last dumped a bunch of links on me olde blogge, so I thought now would be a good time to share. Here are a few things I've come across:
- Virtual Street Reality: Impossibly cool 3D effects with sidewalk chalk.
- Photo Fakery from OE Magazine: "Identifying falsified images can be straightforward if you know a few tricks."
- Google Moon: The lunatics at Google have mapped the moon. Zoom in all the way for a little chuckle.
- Pedestrian Hacker Group Releases Crosswalk Button Hacks: "A shadowy group of pedestrian hackers called Cross Anytime announced their discovery of several back doors or 'cheats' using crosswalk buttons at many intersections.… The most popular hack, which works on most models, is the 'Instant Walk.' Three short clicks, followed by two long, one short, two long, and three short; turn any crosswalk signal from 'don't walk' to 'walk' with a matching change in the traffic signals." I don't know if this is for real or not, and I'm too lazy to find out for myself, so if anyone else wants to see if any of these hacks work and post a comment, I'd appreciate it. But then, why should I believe you any more than the person who put together that site? Hmmm.
- Phone Spell: "What does your phone number spell?" Find out.
- I Park Like An Idiot: "You suck at parking! Let the world know it!" Very funny bumper stickers, though I don't necessarily condone putting them on vehicles that don't belong to you.
Comments (6)
I tried the crosswalk hack (as best I remembered it) in Eastown yesterday, while crossing over to Argos. I think it may have worked. At least, the light switched to "walk" almost immediately but changed back again very quickly....
I guess I'll have to try a few more times to see if it works reliably (sorry in advance to all those limited to driving everywhere!)
Aug 1, 2005 ; 3:05 PM
Thanks for checking out the crosswalk hack for the rest of us, James! I look forward to hearing how your subsequent attempts go.
On a related note, Phillip Torrone linked to a site that offers this elevator hack: "the designers of some elevators include a hidden feature that is very handy if you're in a hurry or it's a busy time in the building (like check-out time in a hotel). While some elevators require a key, others can be put into "Express" mode by pressing the "Door Close" and "Floor" buttons at the same time. This sweeps the car to the floor of your choice and avoids stops at any other floor."
Anyone want to try that one out?
Aug 3, 2005 ; 12:51 PM
I can verify that the elevator cheat does, in fact, work. Or, at least it did at a fairly swanky hotel I was at recently. The crosswalk cheat is a potential gold mine. I can't wait to try that one out. What does it say about our culture that we've gotten to the point where we use a videogame term ("cheat") to describe a method of hacking everyday meatspace devices to serve our needs and that we actually use these? Unbelievable really.
Aug 6, 2005 ; 12:18 AM
That bumper sticker is the way I park my truck in parking lots, for example at Home Depot. My truck takes up two parking spaces anyway because it is that long. I'll get to the other things later.
Aug 7, 2005 ; 7:48 PM
Dean, when you take up two parking spaces, are you parked as close as you can get to the store, or do you make sure there are a few closer spots for more reasonably sized vehicles? I don't think doubling up is a problem if it doesn't inconvenience others. Still, would you mind if I put one of those bumper stickers on your truck? It would look really stylish!
Aug 8, 2005 ; 10:12 AM
Wow! I love those links. Especially the chalk art one. I had seen some of those before - but they just blow your mind! I also tried the phone number link, but my numbers had nothing good. The best was 98-golf-a...
Jul 31, 2005 ; 1:31 AM