May 18, 2012 — The future is here, but it needs signs. The federally financed EV Project, intended to build infrastructure for the widespread use of electric vehicles, is running into some hiccups — mainly in the form of typography and image. That is to say, signs.
Just a few different signs denoting EV-charging spots. (Ecotality)
From left, Bernadette Harris, Ieshia Nelson, Alicia Goston, and Tyshyra Hines, all killed on Mother’s Day in a horrific crash.
May 15, 2012 — Normally a day of celebration, Mother’s Day ended tragically for four new mothers in Chicago this year. Tyshyra Hines, Alicia Goston, Bernadette Harris, and Ieshia Nelson, all in their early 20′s, were driving to Goston’s grandmother’s birthday party. Three were close friends. The fourth was dating one of their brothers. Now six children are missing their mothers, because of a speeding car.
The Chicago-based Heartland Institute has launched a campaign of crazy- both on the billboard and off.
May 10, 2012 — Whether you’ve been watching the primaries or American Psycho, you’ve probably realized that it takes crazy to know crazy. Heartland Institute, a libertarian public policy think tank in Chicago, has come under fire recently for a billboard campaign the non-profit launched earlier this month. The institute, which was founded in 1984, has notoriously denied climate change for most of its existence.
Heartland’s newest campaign featured mug shots of infamous convicted felons beside the caption “I still believe in Global Warming. Do You?” Included in the series of signs posted around the Chicago area were images of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, homicidal cult leader Charles Manson, and dictator Fidel Castro. The organization planned to feature Osama bin Laden in the future before its campaign began to receive backlash from its corporate sponsors, donors and staff.
A still from “Lost,” in which the pill-popping alcoholic Jack Shephard reads a piece of John Locke’s obituary, on his way to a funeral home.
May 8, 2012 — It seems like fodder for a Lost joke that the man who portrayed alcoholic surgeon Jack Shephard has been arrested in a landlocked city on DUI charges. As the character of Kate Austen once pleaded with Shephard on a runway in Los Angeles, maybe it is time to go back. Clearly the real world has taken a toll on the island dwelling leader. Matthew Fox, the former star of JJ Abrams’ seminal television series Lost, now resides in Bend, Oregon, with his wife Margherita Ronchi and their two children, Kyle and Byron.
Studio City store owners lost significant revenue after these signs were inexplicably posted in early April. Photo by David Crane/Daily News Photographer.
May 4, 2012 – Shopowners in Studio City, Los Angeles are furious over a batch of temporary No Parking signs posted by the Department of Water and Power three weeks ago. The signs were posted in conjunction with ongoing water pipe and road work along Moorpark Street and Whitsett Avenue. The disruptive improvement projects started two years ago in the Southern California community. Local businesses including beauty salons, liquor stores, dance studios and other mom-and-pop operations are still recovering from the extensive nearby roadwork of the past couple years. These new restrictions now have some reporting losses as high as sixty percent since the start of the project in 2010.
Maria Nunez-Gonzalez (second from right) was the driver in the fatal accident. Her daughter, Jocelyn (foreground center), was also killed in the crash.
April 30, 2012 — A tragedy on the Bronx River Parkway this past Sunday has shaken many to the core. The car accident, which killed seven relatives, has prompted public outcry about the maintenance of New York State highways. Maria Gonzalez, 45, was behind the wheel when the 2004 Honda Pilot bounced off of a median, crossing three southbound lanes and flying over the guardrail. The van then plummeted fifty-nine feet to a ravine on the outskirts of the Bronx Zoo. All seven passengers in the vehicle – representing three generations of the Dominican-American family – were pronounced dead at the scene.
Many street signs can be custom-made for some flair.
The breadth of signs available these days ranges from regulated and straightforward to humorous or simply bizarre. Yet as any number of billboard companies or beautification initiatives can verify, the true key to a successful sign lies in its aesthetic value. Sometimes this just means that a sign must be clear and unobstructed. But often, drivers and pedestrians are more likely to respond positively to signage or billboards if they are pleasing to the eye.
April 24, 2012 –
In last week’s Friday Five, the SmartSign blog posted about NMDOT installing blinking four-way stop signs at several mildly congested intersections in the Alamogordo area. After conducting a comprehensive traffic study, New Mexican officials have decided that the number of motorists passing through the intersections were too few to warrant a traffic light. The all-way stops were implemented to improve drivers’ awareness and engagement with the road ahead, without the unecessary cost of lights.
A retroflective Stop Sign Ahead sign can inform drivers of an upcoming four-way stop.
April 20, 2012 –
In Newcastle, UK, lawmakers are enforcing a new “Twenty is Plenty” campaign to combat speeding drivers in school zones. St. Chad’s Primary was the first facility of several in the district to install Speed Indication Devices (SIDs) on the streets surrounding the school. SIDs enforce speed limit signs by flashing a warning message in red that alerts the driver and pedestrians that a car is going too fast. In Staffordshire county, the new legislation dictates that SIDs will flash when a car registers as going over twenty miles per hour.
School zones should have “Watch Out For Children”
signs posted to keep kids safe.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 –
This past weekend at Coachella, thousands of fans watched in awe as Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg took the stage with the late Tupac Shakur. The legendary rapper, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1996, was projected via hologram to perform a set with the two contemporary hip-hop celebrities. The holographic projection, designed by immersive technology company AV Concepts, used a combination of found footage and computer-generated animation to produce a likeness of the rap martyr. Shakur performed “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerika’z Most Wanted.” Attendees reported that the most jarring moment of the performance was when the hologram greeted the audience with a casual, “What’s up Coachella?” The real Tupac died two years before the first Coachella music festival was even organized.
The holographic projection of late rapper Tupac at Coachella 2012.
