It all started here, about two weeks ago.  One of the default passwords presumably refers to the Department of Transportation, and someone made a pun on "Dippy Dots" for the override.  (Whether as a reference to a polka-dot pattern on ornamental paper, or a nod to the Dippin' Dots snack food, nobody knows.)

Last week, it word had spread here.

A few days ago, the invasion had spread to Texas, where the local news picked up on it.  In Indiana, Raptors and zombies started coming out of the woodwork, making Wolf Blitzer nervous.

Pictures of signs warning of the zombie invasion are gathered here.

The zombie one made me laugh my ass off.

Raptors, not so much.

The zombie one made me laugh my ass off.

Raptors, not so much.


Heh.  I wonder what the highways will be like when Terminator 3 or the new Transformers movie comes out... 

Heh.  I wonder what the highways will be like when Terminator 3 or the new Transformers movie comes out... 


Entertaining, no doubt. :D

And the lulz continue in Illinois and Washington. 

The funny thing isn't the wave of copycats.  It's that nobody at the company that makes the things has issued a patch to remove the dippy backdoor/override, and/or that few, if any, of the state DOTs have issued memos to work crews reminding them to change the default password or to secure the consoles.

Kudos to the pranksters for at least being judicious in their choice of messages.  "Next 5 mi / speed limit / 95 mph" would be well over the line from "funny" to "felonious", but even the hardest-ass DA is probably going to have a hard time getting anything other than a misdemeanor for "Zombies ahead!  Run!", or "Hang up / the phone / and drive".

The one idea that made me wish I had diplomatic immunity was "We know / that's not / your wife", with a roadside or overpass-mounted webcam to see how many guilty-looking passengers duck for cover.