Potty-mouthed prankster messes with Texas sign

[March 15, 2011]  HOUSTON (AP) -- A potty-mouthed prankster managed to hack into an electronic sign in downtown Houston, treating drivers to an earthier message than their used to seeing.

The unknown prankster changed a temporary traffic sign that said "DETOUR" in large orange letters to "POOP." The message was there for most of the weekend.

Then on Monday morning, the sign was changed to ": ) LOL" before workers managed to change it back to its standard message.

The Texas Department of Transportation wasn't amused. Spokeswoman Raquelle Lewis told the Houston Chronicle that hacking the onboard computer that controls the sign is disruptive. It's also punishable by a fine of up to $500.

In 2009, a prankster in Austin got national attention by hacking a similar sign to display the message: "Zombies in area! Run!"

___

Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com/

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.