This. Is. Awesome.

And I wish I'd thought of it.

Hackers Crack Into Texas Road Sign, Warn of Zombies Ahead

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.

Tampering with portable road signs is illegal and potentially dangerous to drivers. It is a misdemeanor in Texas, with penalties ranging from fines to potential jail time.

Lippincott said the hacked sign — manufactured by IMAGO — is owned and operated by the city of Austin. Texas Department of Transportation signs have not been affected, he said.

"It is always possible that it could occur, but we attempt to prevent hacking incidents," Lippincott wrote in an e-mail. He declined to comment on security measures to protect the state's signs from hackers.

Austin Public Works spokeswoman Sara Hartley said the incident was not initially reported to police, but will be shortly. The sign was reverted back to its original message within hours, according to Hartley, who insisted the signs are tamper-resistant and equipped with external locks.

"This sign was broken into, it was not just a 'walk up and change the sign' kind of thing," Hartley told FOXNews.com. "This is a new one for us, we've never had it happen before."

She said she did not know whether any other signs in the area had been altered.

According to the blog i-hacked.com, some commercial road signs, including those manufactured by IMAGO's ADDCO division, can be easily altered because their instrument panels are frequently left unlocked and their default passwords are not changed.

"Programming is as simple as scrolling down the menu selection," i-hacked.com reports. "Type whatever you want to display … In all likelihood, the crew will not have changed [the password]."

I-hacked.com warns readers not to try to alter the signs, which cost roughly $15,000.

ADDCO Chief Operating Officer Brian Nicholson told FOXNews.com that the company is sending out notices to customers on the potentially dangerous security flaw.

"It's incumbent upon users to change the default password and secure the sign with a padlock," Nicholson said. "We're having our engineers review this information."

In the meantime, if you're driving in Austin, you can rest assured: There are no zombies ahead.

FOXnews.com

My latest accomplishment

click for full size:


I bought a new DVD rack yesterday and put it together last night.

Granted, not a huge accomplishment, but it was still harder than I thought it was going to be.

Go me.

Note to self:

Do not wear fuzzy slippers outside when it has been raining. Wet fuzzy slippers are gross and squishy.

Love,
Me

For lack of anything else...

Think​ back five month​s ago, Were you singl​e?​​
Yup

Who can you blame​ ​for your bad mood today​?​​
I'm not in a bad mood today

How was your night​ last night​?
Busy at work. Chill when I got home.

What is your mom liste​d under​ in your phone​?​​
Mom

How do you feel right​ now?​​
Tired. Just got home from work.

Who were the first​ 3 peopl​e you heard​ this morni​ng?​​
My mom and people on the TV

What are you liste​ning to?
Nothing, but Harvester Of Sorrow by Metallica is stuck in my head.

Do you belie​ve in celeb​ratin​g anniversaries?​​
Yes. I'm a sucker for sappy shit like that.

Do you think​ someo​ne is think​ing about​ you right​ now?
Meh...probably not.

Last thing​ you bough​t?​​
Dinner

Are you a big fan of snows​torms​ or thunderstorms?​
For sure.

Are you a jealo​us perso​n?​​
If given reason to be

Does it take a lot to make you cry?
Not at all. I'm a wuss.

What were you doing​ at 12:​​30ish​ ​last night​?​​
Sleeping

Do you think​ a lot befor​e you sleep​?​​
Sometimes

Did you stay in/​​went out last night​?​​
Stayed in

Hold hands​ with anyon​e this week?​​
Nope

Whats​ runni​ng through​ your mind right​ now?
Wondering why I'm doing this supid meme.

Do you have a frien​d of the oppos​ite sex you can talk to?
Sure

Have you ever had your heart​ broke​n? ​​​If so, how many times​?​​
Definitely. There were 3 times when it was pretty devastating.

Do you like to cuddl​e/​​snugg​le?​​
Sure

Is there​ anybo​dy you wish you could​ be spend​ing time with right​ now?​​
Yeah kinda

What does the sixte​enth text in your inbox​ say?
I don't have 16 texts in my inbox. I just cleaned it out a while ago.

Do you wish someo​ne would​ call or text you right​ now?
Eh..kinda

Is your life anyth​ing like it was a year ago?
I was just getting out of a relationship a year ago. It really sucked. I'm way better now.

This time last year,​​ can you remember who you liked​?​​
Yeah, that was Kai.

How late did you stay up last night​?​
About 12-ish

You can only drink​ ONE liqui​d for the rest of your life;​ what is it?
Seirra Mist Cranberry Splash

Have you lost conta​ct with someo​ne you wish you didn'​​t?​​
Yeah, a few people

Does anyon​e call you "​​baby?​​"​​
No

Are you a patie​nt perso​n?​​
Not really lol

When is your birth​day?​​
January 22

When was the last time you cried​?​​
I don't remember. December maybe.

Do you have frien​ds you can tell stuff​ to and youre​ sure they wont tell?​​
Yup

What can'​​t you wait for?
Hmm...I don't know. Nothing at the moment I guess.

Have you ever thoug​ht about​ getti​ng your nose pierc​ed?​​
Thought about it. Got my eyebrow pierced instead.

Would​ you go out in publi​c looki​ng like you do right​ now?
Hmm...black leggings, Metallica shirt, pink "Happy Bunny" slippers....Sure!

What is the first​ ​thing​ you thoug​ht when you woke up this morni​ng?
I'm sure it was something along the lines of "afkajaladak"

Are you mad about​ anyth​ing?​​
Nope

What do you carry​ ​with you at all times​?​​
My phone

Are you mean?​​
Nah, I'm a fucking angel.

What holid​ay is your birth​day close​st to?
Groundhog Day.

Has a girl ever compl​iment​ed your hair?​​
Yup

What was the last text messa​ge you sent?​​
*points to Twitter widget*

Happy Birthday to me

*confetti toss*

A friend of my mom's got me a lovely ceramic angel with my birthstone.

My mom got me a new pair of slippers (my old ones were raggedy) and the Indiana Jones DVD box set with all 4 movies. W00t! I'm a total Indy nerd. =]

I'll probably get a little something from my co-workers later as well.

It's been good so far.

Leave the politics to madmen

So today Barack Obama is being inaugurated into the office of President of the US of A.

And I really don't care.

Is it weird for someone my age to care as little about politics as I do?

Well, I care a little.

I'd like to see our economy whipped back into shape.

I have a good friend recently join the Marines. She's in boot camp right now. I have another good friend who is planning on joining the Marines later this year. While I'm proud of them for their decision to join up at this time, I fear for their safety. I'd like to see our troops pulled out of Iraq before either one of them have to go over there.

Hopefully Barack Obama is the man for the job.

Meh...

So we had a girl quit today. She and the manager got into it and she quit. I fucking hate a stressful work environment, so I'm kind of glad she's gone.

I also found out my work schedule is being changed as of this week. I'm going to be off Mondays and Tuesdays, as opposed to Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Which totally fucks up the fact that mom was going to take me out to lunch on Wednesday for my birthday since I'm working on my actual birthday (Thursday). I think we're just gonna do it Tuesday instead.

Also...

Don't you just LOVE it when someone thinks you're mad at them when you don't answer a text/email within an hour when they should know you're at work and might just be busy?

Hi Jared!

lol

OMG

Metallica was amazing.

Too amazing for words.

I just can't describe it.

This might help.


That arena is freaking HUGE!

We were in the front row of the upper concourse. The view was actually really great from there.

The stage was set up in the center of the floor and the show was performed in the round. Which was awesome. Lars' drum kit rotated throughout the set.

James' vocals were spot on. Everything was just perfect.

I'm at a loss for words...

In a couple of hours

I'm heading up to Washington DC to see
these guys...


Fuckin' A!

You can expect a full review when I get back tomorrow. =]

Look what I found!

0:02 - 0:06

OMG it's it's Jordan and Shane!!
*fangirl squeal*









That would actually be the Brothers Leto in 1994.


Jared is going to kill me....

In case you hadn't noticed

I redid my blog again. Apparently the website that was hosting the background image I had is no more. That's what I get for not saving it to my computer or photobucket or something. I liked that one way better than this one.


So the Golden Globe Awards were last night. I watched it. I always do. And I have a few comments/observations.

1- I practically leaped out of my seat when they announced Heath Ledger as the winner for Best Supporting Actor. I sincerely believe he still would have won if he were still here. He deserved it. The Oscar is next!

3- I adore Kate Winslet. She seems like the sweetest person. I want to have tea with her.

3- Johnny Depp is like a fine wine. He's only gotten better with age. He's sexier now than he was in his 20s.

4- I want Colin Farrell to come to my house and read the dictionary to me. Hell, he could read anything to me he wants. I wouldn't care.
I was also pleasantly surprised by his Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) win. Oscar nomination in the near future? I hope so.

5- What the fuck happened to Mickey Rourke's face? Seriously??


And my favorite line of the night, courtesy of Mr. Farrell:

Apparently I need to update.

That's what Jared said anyway.

Not that I have anything interesting to write about.

We have a new girl at work. She started yesterday. I really like her so far. I got to show her how to do close-out tonight. I could tell she was paying attention. That's always a good sign.


I was talking to a co-worker about the Metallica show I'm going to next week, and this lady that was in there getting her hair colored told me she went to high school with former bassist Jason Newstead. She said she was mean to him because he was a metal guy and she was a cheerleader. (lol) But they ran into each other years later after he got all rich and famous, and he gave her big hug and was like "hey! How ya been?" and was really nice to her.

It's always awesome to find out famous people you've admired for years are really cool people.

A Quest

From Jared.

The quest is to post a song (or video of said song) that you think best describes you.

So this is me, most of the time.


...and on bad days.

Damnit

Since Jared is being an ass, I decided to cave and write something about my childhood.

The problem is, I dont remember a lot about my childhood.

I remember my parents splitting up when I was 7.

I remember my older half-brother running away from home shortly after that. He was gone for 3 weeks.

I remember first being exposed to rock music my aforementioned half-brother.

I remember being in 3rd or 4th grade and having to learn this song in music class...I don't remember what it was called. But it was about the 50 States and part of the song was singing the names of all 50 States in alphabetical order. I still know them.

I remember watching School House Rock and learning more about grammar and history than I did in school.

Conjunction junction...what's your function....

Something you may not know about me.

I can pull up and replace old caulk around a bathtub/sink/whatever.

I can replace a toilet handle.*

I can paint a popcorn ceiling.**

I can hook up a cable modem to a computer.

I can install a car stereo.

I can figure out how to use pretty much anything electronic without ever looking at an instruction manual.

Nothing really major. Just something I'm kind of proud of. It's good to be handy.


*I did that today.

**Whoever invented popcorn ceilings should be shot.

A musical trend I've noticed...

...and surprisingly, enjoy.

Over the last 10-15 years, I've noticed numerous rock bands covering 80s songs. Mostly cheesy 80s pop songs. But not always.

The first one I really took notice of was Marilyn Manson's cover of Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)".

Since then, Mr. Warner (that's Manson's real last name, folks) has also covered "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell, and "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode... "Tainted Love" being my favorite.

Korn has covered "Word Up" by Cameo, and "Love My Way" by Psychedelic Furs.

Disturbed has covered "Shout" by Tears For Fears, and "Land Of Confusion" by Genesis.

Then we have Alien Ant Farm with their cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal".

Mudvayne and 30 Seconds To Mars have both covered The Police, with "King Of Pain" and "Message In A Bottle", respectively.

And don't get me going on the 2 albums' worth of old-school punk covers that Metallica has done. If you want to hear one, "So What" is on my playlist.

Blasphemy!!

This story broke last summer. But I'm still pissed off about it...

Rocky Horror movie to be remade

Cult musical film The Rocky Horror Picture Show is to be remade 33 years after it as first released, it has been announced.

The new version of Rocky Horror, which was created by Richard O'Brien, will be co-financed by Sky Movies in the UK and MTV in the US.

The original 1975 film, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Meat Loaf, has become a kitsch classic.

The cast and director of the new version are yet to be announced.

The plot revolves around young American couple Brad and Janet who accidentally stumble into a strange world of alien transvestites and overt sexuality.

Lou Adler, executive producer on the original film, will return in the same role.

"The Rocky Horror phenomenon has a life of its own that has reincarnated itself in numerous ways since its birth," he said.

"Our hope has always been that each new endeavour and rebirth will expose the Rocky Horror experience to new audiences and expand the fan base."

He said the original film would continue to be enjoyed "by new fans and old alike".

Jim Sharman, who co-wrote the original screenplay and directed the film, said: "The original has some qualities that can't be reproduced but a remake could have its own very different strengths and qualities."

The new film will have its UK premiere on the Sky Movies channel.

The film started life as stage show The Rocky Horror Show in 1973.

It was adapted for cinema as The Rocky Horror Picture Show two years later and has generated an enthusiastic and dedicated following.

Audiences to both the stage and screen versions are encouraged to dress up like the show's characters.

AND!

Rocky remake leaves O'Brien cold

A remake of cult 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show is being produced without the blessing of its creator Richard O'Brien, he has told the BBC.

It was announced on Wednesday that the new version, which will be co-financed by Sky Movies in the UK and MTV in the US, would be co-produced by O'Brien.

But he told the BBC he would not be involved "in any way".

"I have no view on whether it should be remade but it doesn't have my blessing," he added.

The original 1975 film, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon and Meat Loaf, has become a kitsch classic.

The plot revolves around young American couple Brad and Janet who accidentally stumble into a strange world of alien transvestites and overt sexuality.

Sky announced on Wednesday that Lou Adler, executive producer on the original film, would return in the same role, while O'Brien would co-produce.

But, speaking on Wednesday afternoon, O'Brien told the BBC: "I'm not co-producing it and I won't be involved in any way.

"The first I heard about it was when people sent me cuttings from US papers."

He later told BBC Radio 5 Live that his involvement had been announced "to suggest I've given the project my seal of approval".

The original was "a wonderful movie", he said.

"I don't know where they'll go with it really," he added. I've even heard that they're going to put new songs in. I wrote the book, the music and the lyrics. Where are they going to get the songs from? Who's going to do that? That's a bit strange isn't it?"

Sky said the cast and director of the new version are yet to be announced. Lou Adler said: "The Rocky Horror phenomenon has a life of its own that has reincarnated itself in numerous ways since its birth.

"Our hope has always been that each new endeavour and rebirth will expose the Rocky Horror experience to new audiences and expand the fan base." He said the original film would continue to be enjoyed "by new fans and old alike".

The new film will have its UK premiere on the Sky Movies channel.

The film started life as stage show The Rocky Horror Show in 1973.

It was adapted for cinema as The Rocky Horror Picture Show two years later and has generated an enthusiastic and dedicated following.

Audiences to both the stage and screen versions are encouraged to dress up like the show's characters.

O'Brien said the stage show had gone from strength to strength with a production opening in Sydney recently and one due to open in Berlin by the end of the year.

This is wrong on so many levels.