Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with sign

Scrolling LED message sign

msacheson — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:13:33 -0800

Where to buy electronic scrolling LED message sign ... in person? I can find what I *think* I want to buy online, but this is something I really want to see in person before ordering, so I know what I'm getting. I don't want to be like a bride on her wedding night who opens the big package and says, "Is that what I ordered?" you get the idea.

More info: I want a scrolling message sign to use in my 6th-grade math classroom. Put students' names on there for good achievements, birthdays, whatever. You know, for the kids.

Sign Vinyl Cutter Info Needed!

Ponderance — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:49:47 -0800

I want to buy a moderately/low priced sign vinyl cutter for a project. What is a decent brand? I want to buy a moderately/low priced sign vinyl cutter for a project. What is a decent brand? I see lots of cheap ones on ebay and they scare me.

I want the low end of a decent brand that will have some longevity, and I can buy supplies for (God save us from gear that has picky proprietary needs).

Any advice is appreciated!

Florid Victorian "Curb your dog" sign in Lynton, Devon?

schampeo — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:37:55 -0800

Back in 1996, Heather and I visited our friend Jason in Bourne End, northwest of London, and spent a few days in Lynton, in Devon. There was a funicular from Lynton to Lynmouth, and we used to take the train from Lynton down into town and wander around in search of scrumpy. As we got off the railway, at the mouth of the Lyn, we found ourselves on the west bank of the Lyn, and IIRC there was a building right about there with the best ever Victorian-latinate-lingo "please curb your dog" sign I've ever seen. Back then, we were in our "experience life, don't take pictures of it" phase, and so I don't have pictures. But I'd love a pic, if there's any way possible - but I don't know anyone in Devon at all, and various flickr and google searches have failed me. Any hope that you know, or know someone who knows, someone from Lynton or Lynmouth or thereabouts, or who knows what I'm talking about? IIRC, we were about here. thanks, hive mind! (nod to jessamyn)

Fight the system!

GrooveStix — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:53:11 -0800

Help me fight a traffic ticket. :( I got stopped by the cops today and received one 'speeding' and one 'disregarding a stop sign' ticket. Both of them are BS and I intend on fighting them in court. So I have two questions.

1. Is it possible for me to find out what evidence is going to be used against me? I am asking this because I don't know if they have any evidence of me speeding, because I wasn't. They didn't even bring that up when they were talking to me. Mainly they talked to me about the stop sign, so I was very surprised to see that they added that as a civil infraction too. The ticket says: Violation of basic speed. Too fast. [too furious?!] :)

2. I say they because there were two cops - one car, and they both came out when I was pulled over. The other one stood at the passenger window. I wanted to know if both of them need to show up in court for the hearing, or just one of them.

By the way, this happened in Michigan, if that helps.
Thanks!

Asthma Vapineze?

chez shoes — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:45:15 -0800

What is the meaning of the Asthma Vapineze sign on Fairfax in Los Angeles? Been wondering about this sign, also seen here, for years. Googling only confirms what a mystery it is.

Anyone??

all the main streets, on one long sign.

twistofrhyme — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:14:06 -0800

where can i find a rolling sign from the top of a toronto transit streetcar? i'm talking about the changeable, white-text-on-black-background signs that indicate the route. better description and photo inside. i love signs like this. in a condo ad a while back, i saw a similar sign from a TTC streetcar- it had all the main routes (spadina, roncesvalles, king, queen, college, etc) on it. it was a lot bigger than the san francisco bus sign in the linked photo- like 8 feet long by 2 feet wide. anyone know where i can find one- or even what they're properly called?
(typography side-question- i don't know the word for the way the font is laid out on the TTC streetcar sign, but if i did, it might help me find one. what's it called when each font is scaled so all the words in a column are the same width but different heights, like in the top left corner of this book?)
thanks!

Spraypaint, plastic, weather, shall they be mixed?

otolith — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 08:25:01 -0800

Spray painting plastic curtains for outdoor display. Advice needed. I need to make some big, primitive signs that will be displayed outdoors for at least a month. This is in New York City, so they will be subjected to wind, rain, snow, plus occasional unseasonably warm weather.

My idea, so far, is to spray paint some plastic shower curtains, which I can get on the cheap. I am aware that painting plastic with regular spray paint is bad news, but it seems like water-based spray paints should be safe (is that a good assumption?).

My questions: does anyone have experience using water-based spray paint on plastics and do you think my scheme would be durable enough to withstand the outdoors for several weeks?

Thanks.

How do I make visitors laugh at the expense of my kitty?

Alpenglow — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:59:45 -0800

I need a funny saying for a sign that will go in a window. It will hang over my fat cat, who hardly moves. I know you guys can come up with something great. I have a fat white cat. He sits on a large footrest that is in front of a window all day. The window is right next to the front door. I'd like to put up a sign over the cat that visitors can see. Something funny. They always notice the cat, and I'd like to make them laugh. The cat is very happy. He's just old, lazy and arthritic. He's on meds, and is spoiled rotten, and is perfectly content gazing out the window all day, taking breaks only to eat and poop. Help me exploit this. Thanks!!

Where can I find these metal things to hang a sign on a pole? Pic

austinlee — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:44:52 -0800

Where can I get these metal things to hang a sign on a pole? Picture included! I need help finding these metal things to hang my sign on a pole. You can see an image here. Someone suggested just making them but I would feel comfortable buying one? I tried home depot but had no luck!

Help me stick it to the Pats.

erikgrande — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 20:25:56 -0800

I'm going to the Dallas Cowboys vs New England Patriots football game this weekend. I'm a Dallas fan sitting in the endzone, and the game will be broadcast on CBS. Please suggest some clever pro-Dallas signs. I figure a CBS acronym is a good bet. The Patriots' cheating scandal seems ripe for parody. Ultimately, it's just gotta be funny. Thanks.

Looking for certain kind of RS232 LED sign.

prggr — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:37:27 -0800

I'm looking for a small-ish (under 12") LED/message board sign that I can drive from a computer (RS232) that would allow me to change the messages in real-time. All the ones I've found either run off 12v or are battery powered. Bonus points if it can beep on command, too. I'm more or less trying to find some way of creating a visual cue that can be triggered by a computer to signify some action has been completed. I'm going to have three of these on one computer. Each display would probably say something like "YES", "NO", or "ERR" and possibly flash if possible. Making it beep would also help. I can't use the standard PC speakers as I don't think I can get three separate channels on three different speakers without any overlap.

Stop the water rot!

Marky — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:14:56 -0800

Protecting a hex sign, help! My family gave me two hex signs. They're 18 inches in diameter, painted on 1/8" Masonite. I was not enthusiastic about nailing them up to my shed, I thought they would be destroyed by the weather.

So I took them to Kinkos and had them laminated. No problem, and I'm not that worried about UV, they won't be in direct sunlight.

But now I'm looking at the edges, which are unprotected.

Any ideas on waterproofing the edges? I thought about plastic molding (as used on car doors) but I don't think they will bend in a circle.

How to

gbinal — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:40:39 -0800

From a technical and practical standpoint, how can I set up both of the following in my office building. 1) a news ticker (real, scrolling text) 2) a light that flashes every time an incident is triggered on an attached computer Both would need to be attached to personal computer (mac, xp, or linux - all are available). As new incidents are triggered (e.g. via an email arriving in a Thunderbird folder or via an RSS feed), something a)adds the entry to the scrolling text and/or triggers a light to flash (preferably larger, like stoplight size).

I swear I've googled all over, esp. for the ticker, but all I find is software for onscreen tickers, not larger ones meant to be viewed farther away.

Thoughts? Links? Any experience yourself? Thanks in advance for always being a great help and a great bunch of people.

One Sharpie to Rule Them All!

clango — Wed, 30 May 2007 08:59:38 -0800

What's the most permanent marker pen in the universe? Specifically, if one were to be going to comic / sci-fi shows and drawing on / signing shirts for people, is there a more permanent ink than Sharpie Industrial (amazing funes) or Rub A Dub washable pens? (bonus points if it's permanent after being drawn over silk screened areas and can be washed)

Should I sign without reading first?

Anonymous — Thu, 03 May 2007 22:01:16 -0800

The owner of the privately held company that I work for has decided that he wants to give out equity in the company to a select number of employees. This isn't hugely valuable right now but could potential be extremely valuable if the company were to ever go public. I have been selected to be a part of this group as I am an Officer of the company. My share would be worth $5000 currently. I get a certificate, etc. The point of all this is to have employees personally invested in the company to affect the way they conduct themselves based on that personal investment rather than working for someone else's money they are working for their own. I think this is great and I am very excited. I am concerned about one thing though. This being a serious matter and a big deal for the owner of the company there is a 50+ page document that details the who deal. At the end of the document everyone involved signs as well as the owner. I am essentially being asked to sign off to this document without reading it first. I understand that it is very long and it's not anything bad, but I just am very stubborn about signing things and always like to read and understand them fully. The owner of the company is a close friend of mine and I don't want him to think I am questioning this deal. I really want to sign on and be involved but I want to read the document. I am told that after everyone signs we would get a copy. I am the only one that has not yet signed. Am I being a jerk? The reaction I am getting is basically that this is a bonus I am being given and that I should just accept it and not make things difficult by wanting to read this very long document that I probably won't understand anyways because it is so complicated. I'm not sure what to do because I love the company I work for and the people I work with and I want to be a part of it. I don't want the owner/my friend to think that I am not grateful for what I am being offered.

Chinese/Japanese sign

pica — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:00:02 -0800

What does this Chinese/Japanese (?) sign mean? It's in big print on a good looking second hand t-shirt I just bought. I hope that after you all-knowing people have translated it for me, I'll feel more comfortable wearing it.

What's the deal with the "D" on a "wide load" sign?

gwenzel — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 21:16:37 -0800

A "wide load" vehicle on the highway seems to always have a sign on the back to indicate that it's a "wide load", but the sign doesn't say "wide load". Instead, it has the letter "D" in the middle of it, and red/white vertical bars. Why a "D"? What does the "D" stand for? Why not just have the sign say "WIDE LOAD"? I'm in Canada, if this is something that'd be different in other countries.

What does this sign with the red "X" mean?

Pliskie — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 08:16:27 -0800

What does this sign with the red "X" mean? I frequently see, attached to the front of certain buildings, a large white sign with a red "X" that goes corner to corner (full bleed). I originally thought it was a sign that indicated the building was to be demolished ("demolish here"), but I've since seen as many instances where the building so marked was just refurbished as I have instances where the building was razed.

Google fails me, and I'm certain somebody here must know it.

Here's the closest thing I could find to show what this looks like. Picture this about 2 feet square, attached to the front of a structure. Red X

Ticket Predicament

lain — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 14:17:18 -0800

MyFirstTicketFilter: What should I do? So I recieved my first ticket, and I'm not sure how to do this! Here's what happened:

I was picking up a friend from a train station in a city I have never been before. While leaving, I was confused with the streets because there was a lot of construction going on. I accidentally turned onto a very, very short one way street. I tried to get out of there really fast, and I turned at a four-way stop sign without stopping. Sure enough, a policeman saw what I did and pulled me over.

He gave me a ticket for failing to stop at a stop sign, but there was no stop sign for me to see because I was going the wrong way. I'm not sure what to say when I have my "court" thing. Should I tell them I was going on a way way street or just take the failure to stop at a stop sign ticket? My friend told me to plead not guilty, and it will give me a chance to get off without a fine, but I'm not sure if this is right, even though not having a fine sounds good =/ . Is telling them that it was an honest mistake, due to the construction going to do anything? And is going down a one way street, however short it is, worse than not stopping at a stop sign? What should I do, and what will happen?

Taco Bell Bean/Meat ratio?

Darth Fedor — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:32:30 -0800

TacoBellFilter: What does the sign on the tortilla warmer that says something like %71 Bean %29 Taco mean? I can't remember if that's exactly what it says. If not, it is something very similar. Is this propaganda reminding the employees that on a menu item containing both beans and taco meat, the prescribed ratio is 71% beans to 29% meat? If so, that sucks! 70/30 is bad enough...but 71/29? I don't like the idea of subliminal suggestion being used to shaft me out of getting the taco meat I deserve! Can any former employees shed light on this?

Permanent anticipation zone

klangklangston — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 19:07:52 -0800

Permanent Anticipation Zone?

(Camera phone picture)

I saw this affixed to a transformer at the Forest Park "L" stop in Chicago.

The only reference to this phrase I can find is a piece by Jamie Pawlus, though I'm not sure if this is related. (I already have searched under his name, and read the links related to his work, mostly out of Indiana). I was wondering if anyone has further information about whether this is an intentional installation piece, or an authentic piece of communication from the CTA.

Caution: Purse

luftmensch — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 18:42:57 -0800

CraftFilter! I need some tips on how to make an awesome purse out of a safety sign. More specifically, a wet floor sign identical to this (the sign is actually yellow). My sister ganked it from god-knows-where, and i feel the shape and size are begging for pursedom. I generally prefer purses with shoulder-type straps, but short handles would be fine if it works best. Crafty mefites, help me approach this project!

iTunes sign on problem

what-i-found — Sun, 13 Nov 2005 08:50:19 -0800

Why am I asked to agree to the iTunes legal stuff EVERYTIME I open it? It only happens when I'm logged on, not when anybody else uses this imac.

I want to learn sign language quickly and easily

spiderskull — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 20:30:57 -0800

What's the best and easiest way (besides classes) to learn sign language? I have a friend who is hard of hearing, so usually just speaking to him with a higher volume makes it possible to communicate with him. Meetings, labs, and classes however are another thing.

He understands American Sign Language, and I'd like a very basic and quick lesson in it. I don't have time for classes, so that's out of the question. What would be best for this? CD-ROMs? Books?

I'm looking for something simple, meaning using English grammar.

Are parking lot stop signs enforceable in California?

Ogre Lawless — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 11:48:19 -0800

Are parking lot stop signs enforceable in California? I'm generally one for obeying rules of the road, but some of the stop signs in the parking lot of my local grocery megamart are nonsensically placed. I generally use a "if its safe, ignore it" policy towards these signs but am I breaking the law?

It seems if these are placed on private land by private individuals they shouldn't be legally binding. Not that the answer will change my driving habits much, but you know...