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Monolith Reappears In Middle Of Lake 145

Posted by Hemos from the soon-it'll-be-in-boston-commons dept.
Orion2o6 writes: "According to an article on the King 5 (NBC Affiliate based in Seattle) Web site, the Monolith reminiscent of '2001: A Space Odyssey' that had originally showed up in a Seattle-area park on New Years Day was spotted in the center island of a small lake in the city of Seattle. The TV station had received an e-mail early on Thursday morning which clued them in to this location. The monolith is now in violation of the bird sanctuary that exists there."
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Monolith Reappears In Middle of Lake More

Monolith Reappears In Middle of Lake

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  • <Charleton Heston>
    Damn Dirty Apes!!!!
    </Charleton Heston>
  • I know the people that built it and put it up.

    They didn't move it.

    --

  • please don't put more people in jail!
  • You could maybe be offended by this idea if I had proposed to continue moving the monolith around to other bird sanctuaries and inviting masses of people to come view it........I was actually proposing the removal of the monolith from the sanctuary, thereby ending the disruption it caused.

    In other words, suck it trollboy.

  • 350 pounds is considerably enough to break SOMETHING, at least.
    ----

  • KING 5 doesn't know jack. I know someone who actually know the people that built the monolith and put it up. They moved it to its current location. To boot it is going to turn up missing again and might return to its original location and stay there.

  • 2001: A Space Odessy is being rereleased to theatres in October (At least according to the aintitcool list for 2001). It is likely that this is a publicity stunt.
  • the first time someone told me that there was a troll under the fremont bridge I thought she was pulling my leg

    Heheheh. The first time I showed someone the Troll, we were having an escalating Slug Bug war (which in Fremont and Wallingford, is kind of insane... you get bruises that don't heal after you've been playing for two days).

    Needless to say, I got major kudos for that particular slug bug when she saw the troll. :>)
  • So it uses Linux to run the prime webserver, using high-speed radio Net connections.

    Some of the Canada geese complained of the radiation, but after it was pointed out that this was the point of the Monolith, they settled down quietly to hatch their new and improved offspring.

    Goose tumor, anyone?
  • This reminds me of the story of the stolen garden gnome that went on a trip around the world, and photos of it (in front of the pyramids, etc) were sent to the gnome's original owner.
  • If you think this is bad, wait until lots of small monoliths start appearing on the island, the ghost of dead birds start appearing and you have to spend half an hour convincing your outboard motor to take you away from the island.

    "Would you like me to sing you a bird song, Dave?"

    "Yes, HAL, that would be very nice."

    "Devo, Devo, play me your music, do.
    I'm half crazy, over all the bird poo.
    It won't be that monstrous light rail,
    We wish we had the monorail.
    But you'll look sweet, homeless on the street,
    with a Monolith built for two ..."

    ...

    "Hello, Professor Gates, I'm ready for my bug fix now ..."

  • http://tecfa.unige.ch/pub/sounds/HAL/ Must convert em from .au . They're pretty cool.

  • They are writing all of the outlook viruses to get back at us for uploading that virus into their mothership (see ID4)

    Microsoft isn't have a world-wide monopoly, they are striving for a universe-wide monopoly!

    ;)

  • Hmm, I thought this was a 2010 reference, not 2001, although I could be wrong.

    -B
  • Some weirdo wants to sling dogshit at a canvas and call it art, that's fine, but he has no right to expect anyone else but himself to finance it. None whatsoever.

    Tell ya what, you stay out of my wallet, and I'll stay out of your house. I bet you've got some really nice stuff in there that could be used to fund some damn thing or another... what? It's *yours* and I can't take it, you say? Well, well.. imagine that. Oh well, too bad you got all the guns banned, or you might have been able to stop me from taking it...
  • It is a puplicity stunt.
    I was listening to Mark and Brian (syndicated california radio show) Thursday morning when they solicited calls from whoever might have done it. An anonymous cow said that it would start moving around to keep grabbing attention because 2001 is being re released in to theaters this year.
  • For anyone not bored by this story already, the Seattle Times has this update [nwsource.com]. The monolith will get an official home at Magnuson Park, at least until 'kite season' begins in March. It's good (as a Seattle resident) to see the Parks Dept being reasonable about it and legitimizing the work rather than just getting rid of it because it wasn't commisioned.

  • All these weblogs are yours.

    Except Slashdot ...
    Attempt no insightful postings there.

  • I saw a picture the other day in some story that showed this woman letting her dog piss on it. Would that enhance the dog's iq?

    -1:stupid :)

  • Re:oh (Score:1)

    by knurr ( 161310 )
    i am da king of bad grammar baby
  • Did the people who placed the monolith even *read* the book or *see* the movie? The monolith is supposed to be on the moon by now. It was on earth 3,000,000 years ago. Placing it on the earth as a reference to the movie is just plain worng. Or are they making a cryptic statement about how far we have "progressed" in millions of years? Oh, what wiley ones these artists be. Or worng.
  • I was thinking the same thing. The point of placing it in the middle of a park was to let people walk up to it and check it out. Now it's unavailable to everyone except those willing to trespass into a bird sanctuary. Which you *know* they will. How long before the park has to move it again because too many people are crossing to the island and screwing with the sanctuary? And when they do, will they set it up again or will they just trash it? Maybe we should keep an eye on E-bay for "1x4x9 monolith. Like new."

    Naeser's Law:

  • ... always puttin' things [mit.edu] on top [mit.edu] of other things. I tell's ya...
  • TSIA

    (Title Says It All, old school BBS style!)

    -steve
  • "Err...the last one. I'm can't be a karma-whore anymore because I'm over 50 ..."

    You're my hero! 50, wow. Guess it shows how much you've spouted in the last couple of years. Me, my best postings usually gets unnoticed. Now THAT's quality, you should really consider some goatse.cx-links, to keep you score down. =)

    "...and trolling is gay."

    But if you were gay I guess you would've had reasons to write what you wrote, right, RIGHT?!?! :-))

    "The problem here, is that people take everything too seriously. Relax, guy -- look over there."

    I'm mellow dude, going with the flow. Oh wow, I just saw an UFO over there! Thanks!

    - Steeltoe
  • ...Read the "Some People" manifesto? [supportthemonolith.org] What kind of non-sequitor crap are they spewing? It's sad when artists take intellectual stands, but end up sounding like anti-intellectuals. Some People should STFU.
  • This post is probably as interesting as the original topic. But I thought someone might find use out of this ... If this post is a repeat, don't blame me - blame slashdot for repeating "pop news."

    http://www.supportthemonolith.org

    StatiK

  • A third monolith has been spotted in Redmond, in the middle of the Microsoft campus. Early reports indicate a small but statistically reliable drop in the number of bugs being found by quality assurance specialists in Microsoft software. Related reports from the Gates compound indicate that Melinda is finding Bill "more human" than usual.
  • That's the best part about this whole thing. It's not just that the monolith is moving, it's that a bored news media in a slow week has nothing better to report than this. Apparently, if you want your cool prank to make the news, do it the week after New Years.
  • It fits on Slashdot, but look at the graphic from King. They call it "Breaking News." This is breaking news? Breaking news should be big. Something that matters. A 9 foot hunk of steel being moved to an island is not big. You'd think with all that cash floating around up there, they could afford some real reporters.

  • Something you don't think of everyday.... (OT) (Score:5)

    by the_argent ( 28326 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @04:03AM (#528610) Homepage
    Clipped from the bottom of the article in the helpful hint section
    "Green Lake has had problems with unclean water. Call ahead (684-0780) for the goose poo-poo index before diving in"
    Hell, I used to have to worry about not swimming right after I ate, now this???
  • First off, it's not made of concrete, it's metal; secondly, according to "Some People" the group claiming responsibility for installing the object (aren't monoliths technically made out of stone?) at it's original site at Magnuson Park, it only weighs about 350 lbs., so it would be easy for four or five healthy individuals to pick it up and move it. 'Course they would have needed a boat to remove it from the Park (the entrances are gated after dark) haul it out of Lake Washington via the Montlake Cut possibly to GasWorks Park (and there's a great hill there where I think it should make a future appearance!) pull the thing out of the water, transport it to Green Lake (roughly a mile), put it into another boat and take it out to Duck Island. All in all, it would require a bit of logistical legerdermain (sp?) to accomplish all this without anyone seeing. But it was VERY foggy Wednesday night/Thursday morning, so there was ample cover to conceal the perps. One note of clarification; the people who did move it (whether it was "Some People" or another group) did not "trespass", as Duck Island is not an officially-designated bird sanctuary; only an unofficial one, so no encroachment laws were broken in the process of moving the object to the island. The only question remaining now is, will it be moved again, and if so, where will it make it's next appearance? CPC
  • Here in Seattle, we love our art. The best art IMHO is the art that the people love and interact with. Often, the "authorities" are clueless and the artists are smart. Great art.

    You should see our troll, and wait for the Fremont bus (it passes within a block of the center of the universe, so why should we be suprised about a silly black monolith lounging around?)
  • We tried to use BSD, but every time we did that it turned red from embarassment.

    So it uses Linux to run the prime webserver, using high-speed radio Net connections.

    Some of the Canada geese complained of the radiation, but after it was pointed out that this was the point of the Monolith, they settled down quietly to hatch their new and improved offspring.

  • I think they should either impound it or put it on display at a local art museum.

    BTW: Just got 2.4 running... schweet! kernel.org.uk was the only place I could find it.

  • Well obviously the aliens were tired of waiting for us and sent a follow-up. When you send an email and expect a response, I bet you don't wait 5000+ years for an answer. Cut them a break.

    Naeser's Law:

  • Those things you see are called branches.


    Ah ... now I get it. Thanks. But it's still the wrong color ...

  • Confluence and Monolith -- what a great way to start the year.

    I really think we need more mystery in our lives -- remember how great crop circles were before they were exposed as frauds. Or Blair Witch? Where's that SETI accelerator hoax we we need it?

    sigh


    --
  • I only have Linux here at the moment, so ... too bad. But I will have a look at the movie tonight.

  • Actually they originally placed it on the moon, but considering the state of Earth's space travelling capabilities, they had to lower the bar so to speak to make it easier for us to get to. Even the aliens get impatient with us...

  • Would you mind going up there and throwing bones? You never know what might materialize. Of course, you're just as likely to go off killing jaguars...
  • I don't suppose you've ever used Canada Post.
  • A point of clarification: Duck Island is not an officially-designated bird sanctuary, only an unofficial one, so technically no trespass laws were violated, and thus the perps cannot be prosecuted for putting it there. The object is clearly visible from the lake shore and at this time of year, it is relatively unlikely scores of people are going to haul rowboats, canoes or kayaks down to Green Lake just to travel the short distance out to the island for a closer look. My guess is that the object will remain until the next opportunity for transport, when it will mysteriously disappear, only to reappear in another location. CHRIS COMTE
  • My god! It's full of nuts!
  • Here in Seattle, we love our art. The best art IMHO is the art that the people love and interact with. Often, the "authorities" are clueless and the artists are smart. Great art.

    You should see our troll, and wait for the Fremont bus (it passes within a block of the center of the universe, so why should we be suprised about a silly black monolith lounging around?)

    Be careful telling them the mysteries of the Fremont Troll and the Signs That One Has Entered The Center of the Universe. Those who moderate on /. are known to penalize that which they do not understand, for they have not yet been illuminated and cannot understand the Meaning of the Monolith.

    And let not us reveal the presence of the Great God Lenin, he who wears the Santa Hat, as he faces to the West in Fremont. For this would cause them to be afeared, and they are not yet one with the Universe.

    That said, I'm kind of peeved, cause I had planned a copycat hack, but once Spike told me that the mysteries were more involved, my plans for the Rose Garden on Jan. 20th were deferred.

  • The point of placing it in the middle of a park was to let people walk up to it and check it out. Now it's unavailable to everyone except those willing to trespass into a bird sanctuary.

    Who said the Monolith had appeared for humankind?

    There are other living forms on this planet, human, and they have a greater need.

  • If you're wondering where it will appear next, I should mention that most people believe that Monoliths like beach parties, especially those where sacrifices occur.

    As shall be revealed soon.

  • If you had read even the first line of the article:

    "The activist organization Some People apparently put the monolith in Magnuson Park on New Year's Eve"

    or the 3rd & 4th paragraphs:

    "Members of Some People marched in the streets on New Year's Eve, and hoped their monolith would make its mark.

    "We were trying to help the human race evolve, and some other humans steal it," said member Caleb Williams."

    You will see that it is a local seattle group that did it. I can't find a web page for them. If anyone knows of one, please let me know!

    Wariac
  • This reminds me of the story of the stolen garden gnome that went on a trip around the world

    There's a group calling themselves Gnomes Sans Frontieres assisting in the rescue and relocation of garden gnomes, especially those in France.

    Every gnome needs a vacation.

  • "Oh, what wiley ones these artists be. "

    They`re scamps, arent they! You can always rely on an artist to make one stop and take stock of life, put it into perspective.
  • (Or, maybe the monolith has chosen chickens as the next enlightened species... :)

    mmmm, chicken... agggrrrr

  • I have a problem with putting my monolith in inappropriate places as well, usually under the cover of darkness and when people are looking the other way.
  • If you think this is bad, wait until lots of small monoliths start appearing on the island, the ghost of dead birds start appearing and you have to spend half an hour convincing your outboard motor to take you away from the island.
  • Speaking of the movie - where can i find some HAL9000-like add-ons for my computer ?

    Add-ons like:
    - blue/gray Case with the HAL9000 text
    - "red eye" - maybe with a ccd camera in it.
    - Crystal-like memory'n'stuff that i can remove to make the dam' thing run slower so i can play some ole' DOS games. :)
    - voice synth that could say: "H-E-L-L-O D-O-C-T-O-R Y-E-S-T-E-R-D-A-Y T-O-D-A-Y T-O-M-O-R-O-W" at startup and "What are you doing Dave ?" at shutdown. :)

    --

  • I'm very happy to pay for fun like this out of my taxes

    A civilised society should support creative activities. Much rather give my money to fund mad art than pay for the more insane military anyway :-)

  • Judging from the fact that the monolith appears on various locations and checks on various life forms, it must be on the first part of its mission. If it succeeds, we may see intelligent life on this planet in a few million years.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Bird sanctuary... (Score:5)

    by MattT ( 130844 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @08:46AM (#528638) Homepage
    Ok, so the monolith violates the bird sanctuary... No big deal, I'm sure that the birds have violated the monolith by now anyway.

  • Damn! You'd think I'd learn *something* from Star Trek IV!

    Naeser's Law:

  • I'd almost agree, except that I know enough idiots to know that someone is going to make the voyage so they can spray paint the thing with "HAL wuz here". Most people will be satisfied to stand on the shore and admire it, but not all.

    Naeser's Law:

  • Much like the roughly ten-pound ceramic frog that was kidnapped from a yard in Rhode Island and taken around the world for nine months in 1998

    Up here in Canada there was (is?)a group that went around at night "liberating" lawn jockeys. They saw them as "enslaved" blacks that needed to be freed, I saw it as pretty funny, and a decent social statement.

    Going on means going far
    Going far means returning
  • Authorities are in the process of finding a permanent home for the monolith.

    At least they're not just going to impound, destroy, or fine those who are responsible for making it. (However, for some stupid reason or other they may still get fined - unfortunately that's the way society is)...

    But really, people should appreciate art.
  • The Seattle Union Record (the online paper for the still-striking Seattle Times workers) has another story [unionrecord.com] posted about the monolith. Funny, I posted a report here of the Monolith moving yesterday afternoon, but the powers that be rejected it.

  • Well, in the collection of intelligent wildlife, we now have in the picture of a heron [nwsource.com] next on the evolutionary list...

  • Here's the story in the P-I [nwsource.com] with a better pic of the Monolith.

  • And, for inquiring minds, here's a local Seattle P-I columnist's article [nwsource.com] on the Monolith.

  • Hey you! Don't fuck with us jugglers! Or maybe you want me to try to juggle your balls for a while? We can do that, you know! Now, would you like it in a cascade or shower pattern?

    Look at www.juggling.org [juggling.org]

  • Read the articles (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Man, it's like people in this country don't know how to read anymore. "Caleb Schaber, a 27-year-old Ballard artist, said a group of about 15 people, members of a loosely organized group called "Some People," planned the monolith's appearance at Magnuson Park on New Year's Eve, but had nothing to do with its disappearance Wednesday morning and relocation to Green Lake." "Placing it there involved a number of steps, carried out over two days. On Saturday, they mixed the concrete in a wheelbarrow, poured it into a rectangular hole near the top of the grassy hill and set four hollow tubes in the concrete. The 350-pound monolith, which was built with four pieces of rebar protruding from its base, was brought to the site the next evening, Schaber said, and the rebar was set inside the tubes with epoxy." It's not 1000 pounds, and there's no longer any mystery.
  • Cool! I'd better take the green line to Park Street and go outside to investigate.
  • Goose poo isn't really bad... I've gone diving for golf discs in a lake with around six inches of goose poo at the bottom. It's really squishy. Sometimes rocks and stuff cut my feet. The goose poo didn't help wound cleanliness much.
  • There's some stuff here [tbid.com]. Haven't checked the quality/OS requirements.
  • ..that it was Excalibur that appeared in the middle of a lake, not Monoliths!

  • I'm unsure wether you're karma-whoring, trolling or just plain ignorant, but there's more to crop-circles than meets the eye.

    Err...the last one. I'm can't be a karma-whore anymore because I'm over 50 and trolling is gay. The problem here, is that people take everything too seriously. Relax, guy -- look over there.




    --

  • The first rule of hacking... (Score:4)

    by hey! ( 33014 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @05:24AM (#528669) Homepage Journal
    Do no harm.

    There's a reason bird sanctuaries are off limits to casual idiots. Granted this time of year there aren't going to be nesting birds, but unless the people who did this are bird experts they have no idea whether they were doing any damage.

    Other reasons why I think this stinks: you don't mess with somebody else's hack. You don't repeat somebody else's hack either. Be creative.

  • new MS brainwashing tool (Score:4)

    by peter303 ( 12292 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @06:13AM (#528672)
    Isn't it obvious being in Seattle?
    MicroSoft is now directly massaging our brains
    with subliminal technology in monoliths with the
    messages:
    "Buy Windows 2K",
    "Bill Gates is good",
    "Anti-trust is bad",
    etc.

  • Unless they put some roots under the thing, it's too easy for some punk to topple. That would probably be bad if somebody was on the other side.

    If they rooted it safely in the park, I'd be all for it. As it is, I'm just hoping that nobody ends up arrested or dead over this stunt.

  • Aaaah! Birds! (Score:5)

    by StandardDeviant ( 122674 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @04:07AM (#528676) Homepage Journal

    Shit, the last thing we want is for the birds to peck the thing or land on it. Hasn't anyone see Hitchcock's movies?! The last thing we need is a pack of IQ-enhanced birds flying about raising havoc!

    ;-)


    --

  • A step forwards (Score:4)

    by frog51 ( 51816 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @04:11AM (#528678) Homepage Journal
    To me this definitely seems to be the way to go - no more city art funded by taxes. Instead, we get art created and installed for free by nearly anonymous individuals/groups (okay, it costs them money, but that's up to them)
    All the better if it is a bit quirky or whimsical - provokes thought and conversation.



    Frog51

  • It's to prepare us for the end times (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward

    That the shadowy figures behind the industrial-military complex are finally deciding that America needs to be prepared for when They come amongst us openly. This has been their plan all along, and the increased public awareness of the potiental of a visit from Them and the increasing amount of science-"fiction" coming out of Hollywood are all part of their plan to make sure that when the time comes, we all know what we need to do about Them.

    Remember folks, it may all sound like paranoia, but a paranoid is just someone who hasn't been gotten to yet. The time is almost here for when They arrive to claim their dues.

  • Put them to use (Score:5)

    by tooth ( 111958 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @04:12AM (#528685)
    Cool! We should soon have one marking every degree confluence [slashdot.org] :)
  • nearly every art movement in history has been iconoclastic in nature. Rebeling against each previous movement as being "too established", "too rigid".

    Face it. Artists get a kick out of dissing authority. The folks who placed the original monolith were cool, but their 5 minutes is up. Another artist building a monolith would have been "doing the same thing". STEALING someone else's monolith - now that's art.

    Next, we need someone to grind a crucifix into it, and soak the whole thing in a big jar of urine!

  • 2001: A Seattle Odyssey. . . (Score:4)

    by Salgak1 ( 20136 ) <salgak@speakea s y .net> on Friday January 05, 2001 @04:12AM (#528687) Homepage
    I can see the message now. . .

    This Island is for the birds alone.

    Place no Monoliths here. . . .

    (g,d, & rlh)

  • Oh No! You've just proved that late night alien visitors are responsible for all of those Outlook Trojans! We're all doomed! AaaAAaaGgggGGhhHHHHhh!11!!!1!

  • not officially a bird sanctuary (Score:3)

    by lisa ( 19611 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @11:46AM (#528689) Homepage Journal
    Its not officially anything except an island in the middle of the lake they want people to stay off. And since its not officially a bird sanctuary they aren't technically doing anything illegal (no more than putting it anywhere else in a park).

    Lisa
  • Do you really think that it will stay there? I suspect that it will disappear again shortly and re-appear soon after in a new and exciting location. I would love to see this thing get a lot of travel and appear all over the world, fueled by our imaginations and the fun of it all.
    So............if you're near it, help it travel.

  • It's full of stars!

  • simpsons flashback (Score:4)

    by gonar ( 78767 ) <sparkalicious&verizon,net> on Friday January 05, 2001 @05:29AM (#528695) Homepage
    reminds me of the simpsons episode with the winged skeleton statue.

    in the end it was a publicity stunt for a new mall...

  • Remembers me of that we have this new movie "chickenrun" out. Is it a coincidence?

  • Bird Sanctuary... (Score:3)

    by dmuntz ( 224666 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @05:44AM (#528699) Homepage
    Yeah yeah, sounds just like the government talking here. "Nice monolith, but uh, your in a bird sanctuary! $4000 fine please!"

  • last words (Score:4)

    by Takatsuki ( 157642 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @06:22AM (#528700)
    "My God.... it's full of stars... Oh. No, wait... No, it's just bird poop."


    --
  • ...with weapons, then I'll worry about it...

  • Too bad... (Score:3)

    by big_groo ( 237634 ) <(groovis) (at) (gmail.com)> on Friday January 05, 2001 @04:23AM (#528706) Homepage
    Now this is going a little too far. The first time, in the park, was funny. The monolith probably would have been left alone by city officials - a tourist attraction. Now, they're going to investigate, remove (the monolith) and maybe prosecute the trespassers. If it is on a bird sanctuary it will HAVE to be removed, because SOMEONE is going to go see it.

    Now what's going to happen to the monolith? The mystique is gone. Some dumb shits ruined it for everyone.

  • Obligatory 2001 Refereces (Score:5)

    by Masem ( 1171 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @04:24AM (#528707)
    "All these lakes are yours, except the one with the bird sancutary. Attempt no landings here."

    (Or, maybe the monolith has chosen chickens as the next enlightened species... :)

  • The creators come forward (Score:4)

    by HeroicAutobot ( 171588 ) on Friday January 05, 2001 @12:09PM (#528709) Homepage
    The monolith was created by a group called "Some People". You can find out a litthe more about the group and the monolith here [supportthemonolith.org].
  • It's very appropriate for the Monolith to appear on Seattle. After all, in the movies it always appeared where no intelligent life was to be found.
  • Once you finish handling this "violation of bird sanctuary" issue, you need to look into the sparrow problem. I have an inside source that tells me that there's a gang of sparrows who flew in from Oregon and are picking on the other birds at the lake.
  • ... who thinks they should be arrested for disturbing a wild-life sacntuary?

    If they want to save humanity they better start with our environment. Lossof a liveable biopshere is probably the single bigegst threat to modern man.

  • I thought that it was a garden gnome?
    Or has it happened more than once?


    "I'm not a bitch, I just play one on /."
  • ...2001 dvd perhaps?

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