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Mystery Tiles From Around the World

puppetman writes "The Kansas City Star has an interesting story about Toynbee Tiles. They show up embedded in streets, and can be found in the US (Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Aberdeen, Edgewood, Washington, etc), Chile, Argentina and Brazil. They are made of "epoxy or super hard plastic that's actually inlaid in the asphalt itself." The tiles invariably state, "Toynbee Ideas in Kubrick's 2001 Resurrect Dead On Planet Jupiter". Sometimes there are secondary tiles that request people make more while others are of a more paranoid slant. Toynbee was a religious historian who believed that "well-being of a civilization depends on its ability to respond successfully to challenges, human and environmental". There is even a Ray Bradbury book, The Toynbee Convector. Toynbee.net has a link to a Usenet posting where someone ask's Kubrick's daughter if the man himself knew of the tiles. To date, the origin of the tiles are a mystery. Any /.'ers able to provide the location of additional tiles, or perhaps clues for solving the mystery?"

16 of 466 comments (clear)

  1. Unlike those hatemongers in the GNAA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    I LOVE FAGS AND SPOOKS.

    *_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_
    g_______________________________________________g_ _
    o_/_____\_____________\____________/____\_______o_ _
    a|_______|_____________\__________|______|______a_ _
    t|_______`._____________|_________|_______:_____t_ _
    s`________|_____________|________\|_______|_____s_ _
    e_\_______|_/_______/__\\\___--___\\_______:____e_ _
    x__\______\/____--~~__________~--__|_\_____|____x_ _
    *___\______\_-~____________________~-_\____|____*_ _
    g____\______\_________.--------.______\|___|____g_ _
    o______\_____\______//_________(_(__>__\___|____o_ _
    a_______\___.__C____)_________(_(____>__|__/____a_ _
    t_______/\_|___C_____)/______\_(_____>__|_/_____t_ _
    s______/_/\|___C_____)__GNAA_|__(___>___/__\____s_ _
    e_____|___(____C_____)\______/__//__/_/_____\___e_ _
    x_____|____\__|_____\\_________//_(__/_______|__x_ _
    *____|_\____\____)___`----___--'_____________|__*_ _
    g____|__\______________\_______/____________/_|_g_ _
    o___|______________/____|_____|__\____________|_o_ _
    a___|_____________|____/_______\__\___________|_a_ _
    t___|__________/_/____|_________|__\___________|t_ _
    s___|_________/_/______\__/\___/____|__________|s_ _
    e__|_________/_/________|____|_______|_________|e_ _
    x__|__________|_________|____|_______|_________|x_ _
    *_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_s_e_x_*_g_o_a_t_e_x_*_


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  2. /.ed by ItsBacon · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    /.ed in under 20 comments?

  3. And another line by Unknown+Poltroon · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    For those who want to deny any and all knowlege about these so called "tiles"

    --
    All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
  4. One thing that's no mystery by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    We punked out the Dolphins on Sunday. Go Texans!

  5. Pittsburgh has an H! by Thrakkerzog · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Pittsburgh ends with h.

    Does anyone know where these tiles are in Pittsburgh?

  6. Re:Kubrick promised us the Monolith... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Main probelm with restrooms is the allow hidden activities (mainly drug use). In some cities, there's also a risk of bomb attack - Dublin, Belfast and London are all kinda short on public toilets too.

    If people weren't taught body-shame in their early years, this wouldn't be a problem - toilets could be see-through, open-air affairs, and the risks would be near nil. Of course, people spend five years or so being taught that urinating or defecating in front of others is "wrong" (for no particularly good reason).

  7. Don't Worry About the Tiles by markt4 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    What I want to know is, "What is the frequency, Kenneth?" http://www.ape-o-naut.org/innuendo/

  8. Re:warning : non verbatim copy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I don't know about you, dudes, but I think somebody shat in the mods'cereals, this morning...

  9. Re:Kubrick promised us the Monolith... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Bodily shame? Whay business wants to locate near a loo? How about having the entry to your walk-up apartment near one? If you can't see it, you can still smell it. If it is translucent or open-air, that is even worse! Nothing helps the appetite like a good view and smell of human waste.

  10. bodily shame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    you act like your disgust is normal.
    The smell might be an issue near eateries, since eating shit is trained out of us at such an early age, (99% of everyone here did it when they were less than 2 years old) but we have all kinds of high-tech ventilation now.
    And "translucent" does not mean "lets out smells". That's why they sound different.

    That the people of new york are incapable of using a restroom without chewing on the walls is a sad testament about human civilization.

    1. Re:bodily shame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      At least the clear toilets would attract back the Japanese tourist business.

    2. Re:bodily shame by gughunter · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      > you act like your disgust is normal.

      I'll have to keep that line in mind for the next time I accidentally let one rip in an elevator. "Dry heaves? Bah! You act like your disgust is normal!"

  11. What does any of this have to do with SCO? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I just don't get the connection to SCO. I thought this was the SCO discussion board, is Toby behind SCO? Inquiring minds want to know.

  12. Classified as SPACE story? by YetAnotherName · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Hemos, why'd you pass it through as "Space"? OK, so there's a 2001 reference, so wouldn't "Movies" make more sense?

    Given the serious slashdotting the cites sites have experienced, "Quickies" is right out. And were they accessible, they'd probably be mildly amusing, so perhaps "Entertainment" or "It's Funny. Laugh" should be the way to go. With so many links, you could've set it to "Links" or any number of other categories which aren't used anymore.

    But space?

  13. Re:Kubrick promised us the Monolith... by fenix+down · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Well, completely pretending I didn't even read your second paragraph, I think the reason you don't have toilets in cities is because they've been getting on with bars charging a drink for the toilets for 300 years or so just fine. It seems weird once the government starts building rest areas on the highways, but cities have been holding bladders for ransom for as long as they've been around. Maybe drugs and bombs factor in on the negative whenever they bring up installing a few, but I think it's more important that there's just no critical need. If you get to pick between hiring a new cop or building a bathroom, I think you go with the cop. The wildlife'll make the sidewalk smell like piss anyway.

  14. Re:Kubrick promised us the Monolith... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    i think you just want to watch shit come out of someones asshole