Terrorists and crosswalks

[unixronin]

So it seems Cross Anytime just released their list of almost 4,000 accumulated crosswalk-control hacks, including their most popular, a 3-2-1-2-3 sequence to get an instant "Walk" light.

The absurd part?  The FBI has shut down their site, http://www.crosswalkbuttonhacks.com/, citing DMCA violations and (I swear I'm not making this up) fears that "terrorists might use the hacks to cross the streets of America at will."

I honestly don't know whether to laugh or weep.

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Update:  As believable of our bumbling government as this might be, accumulating evidence seems to indicate it's probably a hoax.  I didn't spend sufficient time to check it out, clearly.

Comments

[jmkelly.livejournal.com]

I believed it for a while, too. I think the real tipoff was that business about their being "used by politicians and city officials to get an edge in crossing the street." Boys and girls, think of the mayor of your town. Think of the city councilmembers. Think of every bureaucrat and politician you've ever heard on the radio or TV. Do you think they'd have the brains to remember something like "three long (where long=1.5 seconds for some signals, 1.7 for others), 2 short, 1 long, 2 short, 3 long" for more than five seconds? Do you think they'd have the patience to actually do it, when they could just whip out their cell phone and bitch out the city traffic engineer?

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think I missed that line. If I'd seen it, I'm sure I'd have smelled a rat for exactly that reason.