All you need is..

laptop.. usb IR sender... some brute force s/w and bingo.... saves you taking the panel off and programming by hand using the inbuilt handset.

They accept infrared programming for neat drive by administration...

Prime Minster's Honour?

PRESERVE it??? Bit late for that, don'tcha think Mr OzPlod?

<-for my next trick, I wil hack this stop sign to display an insulting message to Gordon Brown...

Actually, very easy to hack...

These types of roadsigns are not remotely configured; they have a local PC control interface in that big yellow box at the back. Rarely locked, so it's said.. not that I'd know in person.

Here's more information for the curious (Inc. passwords and reset methodology.)

http://gizmodo.com/5136970/hacking-road-signs-is-frightningly-easy-and-funny-and-illegal

Harder because its electric

Many Oz signs have slots for the police to put in the bad-behaviour du jour.

E.g. Police Targeting: Speeding/Seatbelts/alcohol etc.

I suppose this is supposed to terrify you into submission but I take it to mean that you can speed if they are targeting seatbelts or drive drunk if speed is being monitored.

You could just snag the letters from your local church noticeboard and slide them in - I'm getting the letters for "Koalas" and "Rare Birds" because that makes more sense the the usual signs.

...or create your own [fake] signs.....

http://atom.smasher.org/

Says much

That instead of reprogramming the thing back to normal, they had to kill the power to the sign. Maybe they forgot the password???

this reminds me of

a story a couple of years ago where students hacked a talking bus stop (somewhere down south) advising blind passengers where to go. Unfortuately for them, it didn't mention anything about buses.

Paris, cos she went where she was told to go.