Large_Al
09-12-2003, 08:45 AM
"Toynbee ideas in Kubrick's 2001 resurrect dead on planet Jupiter" (http://www.toynbee.net)
http://www.toynbee.net/images/toynpgh2.jpg
I've seen this plaque embedded in road intersections all over Philadelphia and NYC while others have reported seeing it in other states. I had originally thought them to be constructed from some kind of thick metal but Jared E Danziger wrote with another idea:
These plaques are, I think, made of plastic which is somehow baked onto the street. Either that or they are painted on with the paint that is used for roads (to make dividing lines). I think they are plastic though because of the fact that it is a negative image that is left (what would suspend the letters in space if it were an ordinary stencil) (although there are fine lines sometime between lines of text). Unfortunately whatever they are made of is delicate, especially around the edges of the letters and tends to break apart after a while.
--From an email message dated February 17, 1996
But what is it? What does it mean?
Some Possible Interpretations
Toynbee was an English historian (1889-1975). "Kubrick's 2001" probably refers to the movie 2001 by Stanley Kubrick. It's been a while since I've seen 2010, the sequel to 2001, but if I remember correctly Jupiter is the planet that all the monoliths converge upon.
My friend Charlie Taylor has been researching Toynbee to see what his connection to the plaques may be.
An old Usenet posting found on Google asked Kubrick's daughter if Stanley knew anything about the signs.
Variations Upon A Theme
There are actually several different versions of these plaques. One says "Toynbee ideas in Kubrick's 2001 resurrect dead on planet Jupiter" while the other says "Toynbee ideas in movie 2001 resurrect dead on planet Jupiter". These are the two most common types. Then there are variations such as colored borders- sometimes with text within it- and some that don't involve any of these themes and look like public displays of paranoia (see the intersection of E. 47th Street and 5th Avenue, for example).
Miscellaneous pictures
Check out the gallery of pictures! The Philadelphia ones are from the summer of 1998. I'm tracking down the dates of the other pictures.
New York Times article about this site
Corey Kilgannon of the New York Times interviewed me recently about this web page. The publicity has already resulted in more sighting reports, including reports from previously unlisted cities such as Boston, MA and Atlantic City, NJ. The article was in the Sunday, April 25, 1999 edition and can be found in the NYT archives at http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/04/biztech/articles/25onli.html
Cincinnati City Beat article
John Stoehr of the Cincinnati City Beat did some awesome research into the Toynbee mystery. His article can be found at http://www.citybeat.com/2001-08-02/news.shtml
Columbus Alive article
John Stoehr notes that a similar article to his was published in the Columbus Alive alternative weekly. Check it out at http://www.columbusalive.com/2001/20010809/080901/08090103.html
There's been a couple of other websites created keeping track of these things. I'll add links to them soon. Keep sending in those sightings
http://www.toynbee.net/images/toynpgh2.jpg
I've seen this plaque embedded in road intersections all over Philadelphia and NYC while others have reported seeing it in other states. I had originally thought them to be constructed from some kind of thick metal but Jared E Danziger wrote with another idea:
These plaques are, I think, made of plastic which is somehow baked onto the street. Either that or they are painted on with the paint that is used for roads (to make dividing lines). I think they are plastic though because of the fact that it is a negative image that is left (what would suspend the letters in space if it were an ordinary stencil) (although there are fine lines sometime between lines of text). Unfortunately whatever they are made of is delicate, especially around the edges of the letters and tends to break apart after a while.
--From an email message dated February 17, 1996
But what is it? What does it mean?
Some Possible Interpretations
Toynbee was an English historian (1889-1975). "Kubrick's 2001" probably refers to the movie 2001 by Stanley Kubrick. It's been a while since I've seen 2010, the sequel to 2001, but if I remember correctly Jupiter is the planet that all the monoliths converge upon.
My friend Charlie Taylor has been researching Toynbee to see what his connection to the plaques may be.
An old Usenet posting found on Google asked Kubrick's daughter if Stanley knew anything about the signs.
Variations Upon A Theme
There are actually several different versions of these plaques. One says "Toynbee ideas in Kubrick's 2001 resurrect dead on planet Jupiter" while the other says "Toynbee ideas in movie 2001 resurrect dead on planet Jupiter". These are the two most common types. Then there are variations such as colored borders- sometimes with text within it- and some that don't involve any of these themes and look like public displays of paranoia (see the intersection of E. 47th Street and 5th Avenue, for example).
Miscellaneous pictures
Check out the gallery of pictures! The Philadelphia ones are from the summer of 1998. I'm tracking down the dates of the other pictures.
New York Times article about this site
Corey Kilgannon of the New York Times interviewed me recently about this web page. The publicity has already resulted in more sighting reports, including reports from previously unlisted cities such as Boston, MA and Atlantic City, NJ. The article was in the Sunday, April 25, 1999 edition and can be found in the NYT archives at http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/04/biztech/articles/25onli.html
Cincinnati City Beat article
John Stoehr of the Cincinnati City Beat did some awesome research into the Toynbee mystery. His article can be found at http://www.citybeat.com/2001-08-02/news.shtml
Columbus Alive article
John Stoehr notes that a similar article to his was published in the Columbus Alive alternative weekly. Check it out at http://www.columbusalive.com/2001/20010809/080901/08090103.html
There's been a couple of other websites created keeping track of these things. I'll add links to them soon. Keep sending in those sightings