General Discussion

Brenda

(1,936 posts) Fri Mar 21, 2025, 04:31 PM Mar 2025

New electronic billboard with absurd message

I saw it this morning where there was no billboard or post there 5 days ago. It's smaller, maybe 60% the size of regular ones and the graphics/text were kinda shitty. This is on a busy county road in a very red state but just outside a city that votes blue.

Upon a red white and blue background were the words:

"Donald Trump has done more for American citizens than any other president in United States history!"

First thought was JFC any fuckin rich Chump supporting landowner can just erect their own billboard and program it in oh I don't know COBOL because they're cheap and stupid and put propaganda on it.

Second thought was I wonder how many of these there are? I suspect it's just this one because it's in an area that has seen a huge increase in new housing and a large influx of people in the last 2 years. The thing is, the new folks are mostly black. Do they really think they can convince them with their billboard?

Final thought: Man they must really be gettin' nervous that their base and maybe a lot of MAGA are seeing the DOGE attack for what it is. The rich stealing from the poor.

I bet that billboard suffers some damage sooner rather than later.

14 replies

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Highlight:

New electronic billboard with absurd message (Original Post) Brenda Mar 2025 OP

If one were to hack into that sign, only one word change would be necessary: Ocelot II Mar 2025 #1

Good idea! Brenda Mar 2025 #3

This message was self-deleted by its author central scrutinizer Mar 2025 #13

The "Elon is so wonderful" bots are everywhere. louis-t Mar 2025 #2

That sounds perfectly horrid, however... Brenda Mar 2025 #8

This message was self-deleted by its author Skittles Mar 2025 #4

No one in their right mind would use COBOL to execute a simple print function. n/t Ms. Toad Mar 2025 #5

You overestimate the IQ of my neighbors. Brenda Mar 2025 #9

Regardless of the device being printed on, Ms. Toad Mar 2025 #10

lol ok Brenda Mar 2025 #11

I figured that. Ms. Toad Mar 2025 #12

someone needs to cross out "American citizens" Skittles Mar 2025 #6

Yes, Dear Leader. Of course, Dear Leader. Anything You say, Dear Leader. Aristus Mar 2025 #7

Done more to hurt American citizens than any other president Emile Mar 2025 #14

Ocelot II

(129,139 posts)

1. If one were to hack into that sign, only one word change would be necessary:

Reply to Brenda (Original post)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 04:36 PM

Mar 2025

"Donald Trump has done more TO American citizens than any other president in United States history!"

Brenda

(1,936 posts)

3. Good idea!

Reply to Ocelot II (Reply #1)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 04:41 PM

Mar 2025

Kinda like the Newt Gingrich Contract ON America.

I REALLY don't want to look at it the way it is every morning from now on.

Response to Ocelot II (Reply #1)

central scrutinizer This message was self-deleted by its author.

louis-t

(24,575 posts)

2. The "Elon is so wonderful" bots are everywhere.

Reply to Brenda (Original post)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 04:41 PM

Mar 2025

AI photos of him with several different AI families. All the kids have 6 fingers. One has him with an old lady it claims he saved from eviction. And the glowing responses were something that shocked me. I think some of them were bots but these people worship him.

Brenda

(1,936 posts)

8. That sounds perfectly horrid, however...

Reply to louis-t (Reply #2)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 04:45 PM

Mar 2025

I'm talking about a physical pretty tall post with an electronic billboard alongside the road.

It's too shitty to be AI. Just some rich hillbilly who's gonna FAFO.

Response to Brenda (Original post)

Skittles This message was self-deleted by its author.

Ms. Toad

(38,311 posts)

5. No one in their right mind would use COBOL to execute a simple print function. n/t

Reply to Brenda (Original post)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 04:44 PM

Mar 2025

Brenda

(1,936 posts)

9. You overestimate the IQ of my neighbors.

Reply to Ms. Toad (Reply #5)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 04:48 PM

Mar 2025

Especially the rich ones.

Ms. Toad

(38,311 posts)

10. Regardless of the device being printed on,

Reply to Brenda (Reply #9)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 04:53 PM

Mar 2025

(billboard, computer screen, paper) The message displayed is the equivalent of the first program you write in every computer class I've ever taken or learned (COBOL, Fortran, Pascal, BASIC, Unix, Java, Python): Make the receiving device display, "Hello World.

That's a single line program in BASIC. In COBOL it takes around 6 lines.

COBOL is a program best suited for business/accounting functions - not for displaying messages.

Brenda

(1,936 posts)

11. lol ok

Reply to Ms. Toad (Reply #10)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 04:58 PM

Mar 2025

I retract using the word COBOL in my OP because it only popped into my mind because I heard about the COBOL problem DOGE was ignorant of when scouring SSA.

Ms. Toad

(38,311 posts)

12. I figured that.

Reply to Brenda (Reply #11)

Fri Mar 21, 2025, 05:01 PM

Mar 2025

Despite the fact that it is an ancient language, by computing standards, it is well-suited for handling social security records. As long as you understand the language. I learned it in 1981-ish - before most of these yahoos were born.