Personal Dork Assistant

Civil Obedience

Most people don't seem to consider this to be an artistic act. After all, he just made a highway sign to published specs, but this struck a chord with me in a number of ways, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. An authoritative voice derived from the trappings of authority, backed up by the truth. People followed the sign because it looked like an official sign, and because it was a helpful sign. Subversion through conformity. Very cool.

I bet the Techers banged their heads against the wall when they saw the story, too, wondering why they didn't think of it first. The Harbor/Pasadena Freeway was converted from a carriage path to California's first freeway, and it's the artery that connects Pasadena to downtown LA. The road is still designed more for Model-T's than Mercedes, and it can be a harrowing ride during rush hour, especially if you're trying to merge into 55mph traffic from a dead stop on one of the short, antiquated on-ramps. It's fun to fly down the curves at 4am, though, and I made the run quite often at that hour, since that's when The Original Pantry started serving breakfast, and there's nothing like a big plate full of eggs, bacon, and potatoes (the #6 combo) after an all-nighter. The best thing was the big plate of all-you-can-eat thick-cut griddled sourdough toast, though, which was a perk the Techers got because we tipped more than their typical 4am clientele. It turns out that the revised freeway sign is sitting right about where the Pantry exit is. Good times.