Friday, July 01, 2005
Crosswalk hacks
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.
Other popular hacks include the "infinite don't walk" and the "halfway across for granny."
Municipal officials across the country worry that the release of these hacks could result in traffic jams and pedestrian confusion. Roger Gorman, Mayor of Kansas City, pleaded for pedestrians to stop using the hacks, "For the love of humanity, can't you people just jaywalk?"
The FBI has shut down the button hack site citing violations of the DMCA and fears that terrorists might use the hacks to "cross the streets of America at will."
The last bit makes me wonder whether it is all a big goof. Also, the site mentioned in the article seems to have been shut down [Perhaps because the terrorist might be able to "cross the streets of America at will" - ed.]. The hackers seem to be taking it seriously, though. Their bulletin boards suggest that it is legit. The only way to know for sure is to experiment with the "Instant Walk":
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.
CWCID: Subzero Blue.
2 Comments:
By 
, at
Fri Jul 01, 08:10:00 PM:
I just tried it twice, and it worked brilliantly! The traffic signal that's on green went to yellow and then to red, stopping both directions of car travel. Then all the walk signals go to walk. It's very, very cool.
By , at
Sat Jul 02, 12:10:00 AM:
Sorry TigerHawk, but I'm afraid this may just be an elaborate ruse. To wit:
1. BBSpot is a satirical news site. Read the article if you don't believe me.
2. By the time you've entered the code, the traffic light would have changed regardless.
3. Most traffic buttons have been deactivated (granted this is from the NYT, but MRM bias seems to be largely irrelevant) (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10817FF3A580C748EDDAB0894DC404482).
