the challenge of the hollywood sign
I had this "brilliant idea" the other day that I would finish my nation-wide billboard campaign (of shameless, self-promotion) by putting up a giant "legend of" image over one of the behemoth letters of the famous Hollywood sign.
But then I thought to myself: there's probably been a few crackpots over the years that have done something similar, and they might have some perimeter security.
After doing a quick Google on the matter, my worst suspicions were confirmed: the letters are monitered and guarded like they're made out of 24 carat gold.
On the bright side though, you can actually study all of parts of the sign, up close, 24 hours a day, via web cam. So without ever getting a plane ticket to California you could really scope the situation out. Unfortunately, when you tried to make your move (I don't know why I keep saying, 'you' when I'm really always talking about 'me'), but when you tried to make your move you would have potentially thousands of amateur security guards watching your exploits, eager to rat on you (or perhaps they would cheer).
After a bit of inspection, its actually kind of amazing how plain and unglamorous the sign is, despite its tremendous size. The material the letters are made out of look like some sort of corrugated plastic, or thin metal that you might build a shed out of. The font itself is pretty primitive if you think about it, like what a farmer in the 20s would put on his highway side property to get you to come look at his "world's biggest ball of twine" or whatever.
(When will I learn: there's no need to speculate about any known thing. Here's a link to a synopnsis of some pranks and mishaps at the sign that led to its current "million dollar" security system (including the ultimate suicidal scenario by a distraught actress: jumping from the letter "H" to her death).
6:42:52 PM 
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