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Comment by mtgentry | Hacker News Reader

There’s probably a vast difference btwn what the state says it costs the maintain them, and what it costs this guy. Really wish there were more opportunities for the public to do stuff like this. There’s been a light out in the alley near me for years and the city won’t fix it. I’d happily do it myself if it was allowed.

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Guerilla Public Service. If you've not heard of Richard Ankrom who fixed an exit sign on the 110 freeway, check it out. He made a documentary about it (and there are countless other videos on YouTube covering the story).

https://youtu.be/Clgl63CWOkM?si=CZQEzUsY9gWjWbLU

He did it so well, the modification stayed in place for years.

If you can do it right, I say go for it.

Unfortunately you left out the fact that despite his good intentions, it's illegal, and he would have been arrested if caught.

Here’s a short list of other illegal things:

- lemonade stands without a business license

- posting fliers on traffic light posts, yard sale signs, etc

- turning over a solid double yellow line to get into a plaza

There are lots of “illegal” things we do every day, because they are better for society than strictly following the law.

OK so if I understand you right, you're implying that it's only “technically” illegal but it won't be enforced?

Ya, it's a fair question, my claim isn't very clear in my comment. I think there are two elements that I care about:

1. Exactly what you said, it's illegal but is seldom enforced

2. I would rather break the law to improve the world, than to follow the law and watch it fall into chaos.

I'm with you on #2, but even more than that, I'd rather live in a world in which detrimental laws are easier to change/fix...

Ya, that's fair, and very noble of you. I think this sort of thing is often the divide between engineering and politics. Engineers want to do the thing. Politicians want to make it easier to do the thing. I realize those are loose definitions, and I'm just some internet guy, but I like my definitions. As you get promoted, you move away from engineering, and further into politics. Personally I don't have the patience for much politics, even though i recognize that it is good and important.

All that to say -- I think you should be promoted :)

You need to understand that there's The Law and then there's "what people get in trouble for". Practice anarchy in your daily life. Take control of your surroundings. Just make sure you only do good. And if you suspect you'll get into a "no good deed goes unpunished" scenario, make a game of it and do it under cover of night.

You should also consider a bat suit.

Or a high visibility vest and a clipboard.

Really, who is going to catch you in this scenario?

Is it literally just the lightbulb? Is it accessible? You should just do it, they likely won’t notice, and even if they do they’re not going to arrest you. If you’re within 30 min of Escondido CA I’ll even come do it for you.

Of course it's allowed. How far have things come that you think you'll get in trouble for replacing a bulb somewhere in the street?

Wow, this is terrible and dangerous advice. There are multiple laws that prohibit this, some of which are in place to protect people from danger (such as the high voltages involved or the possible risk of injury to yourself or others) while others are about certification.

The desire to help is absolutely laudable, and I wish it were easier for volunteers to get permission to go and do it, but to go on an Internet forum to wrongly claim that it's already allowed is irresponsible.

I usually agree, but it's fairly high up, the bulb is probably non standard, and it's not clear how to get the top off. Just slightly more work than I'm willing to put in.

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