If you ever looked at the overwhelming amount of advertising in urban spaces and questioned whether or not you can make a difference, you most certainly can. Meet Rami Tabello, the man behind my new favorite website: IllegalSigns.CA. The Toronto based site tracks illegal signs, as well as lax enforcement through freedom of information requests and old-fashioned sleuthing. Since starting earlier this year, his organization was able to remove 200 illegal signs in just their first 2 months.

I’m still a bit speechless by how awe-inspiring this effort is, so I’ll let them explain…

Everyone should have a hobby. Our hobby is destroying illegal billboards with the rule of law.

The outdoor advertising industry has a global culture of non-compliance with the law. Advertising companies are erecting illegal billboards all over the world, wherever they can get away with it. In Toronto, this renegade, lawless industry has been acting with impunity due to bureaucratic negligence.

Our Streets are where civic capital is created. Illegal billboards monetize our civic capital, under no colour of right, by treating citizens as consumers first. Illegal billboards commodify what is unique about our neighborhoods by turning our Streets into pages of a mass-market magazine, without regard to the law. Join us as we fight to legalize and democratize Toronto’s visual environment. Join us as we fight to Reclaim the Streets.

Another amazing tidbit pulled from a piece on illegalsigns.ca in Canada’s Marketing Daily:

Les Abro, president and CEO of Abcon Media, acknowledges the outdoor advertising industry has a history of flouting signage bylaws. “It is widespread. It’s the nature of the beast—you either do it or you don’t do any business,” says Abro.

from The Anti-Advertising Agency

Unbelievable I know, but this is real. It almost sounds like a good idea until you look at the list of eligble cars and see that they are almost all giant SUVs.

“Aiming to capitalize on consumer angst about the high cost of gasoline, General Motors Corp. on Tuesday said it would cap pump prices at $1.99 for customers in California and Florida who buy certain vehicles by July 5.”

click here for the full story

Tool for armchair activists is a machine for remote rants and protests. It can be strapped to lampposts in front of pro-eminent buildings like the house of parliament, or other institutional buildings in front of which many protests occur.

Thanks to its embedded mobile telecommunication device, the machine is able to receive incoming sms messages and speak them out loud through its powerful megaphones, thus allowing the armchair activist to shout out its rants and protests in the comfort of his sitting room.

Tool for armchair activists offers a modern alternative to the speaker corner, and save you the hassle to sit in the rain, waiting for your favourite MP to pass by.

Website where you can buy it

Dvorak Uncensored » Hurricane Stories
Some of the more unusual Katrina stories thanks to Dvorak. Who knew this geek guru went so deep into current affairs? Not that this particular story is deep, but his blog has become a wealth of information that doesn’t normally get out, especially over the last week.