this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2023
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Memes

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 74 points 2 years ago (4 children)

I'm seeing a lot less of that these days, thankfully. Los Angeles had fake palm tree cell towers when I was there. They're even worse.

[–] imPastaSyndrome@lemm.ee 55 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Wait you don't like em? I like em better than just cell towers

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I think they're uglier than cell towers. They look like what they are- fake trees trying to blend in with real trees and doing it badly. That's worse than simply putting up a metal and concrete tower to me.

[–] lunarul@lemmy.world 28 points 2 years ago (3 children)

The point is to not stick out on a cursory glance. As you drive by you see a bunch of green, you might notice there was something up with that particular tree, but that's it. A plain cell tower would stick out from a distance, interrupting the natural view.

It's like those mirror covered buildings that reflect their surroundings, giving the impression of unbroken landscape as you drive by. They're not invisible, you know there's a huge building there, but it's a hell of a lot less disruptive than a regular one.

[–] explodicle@local106.com 10 points 2 years ago

Fun fact: in Los Angeles they hide some of the giant oil pumps inside fake houses.

[–] Baku@aussie.zone 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

It's like those mirror covered buildings that reflect their surroundings, giving the impression of unbroken landscape

And it can actually work well! Until they forget they're meant to clean them

Those photos don't convey how genuinely hideous it is in person. It's horrid

[–] Mr_pichon@jlai.lu 1 points 2 years ago

It’s like those mirror covered buildings that reflect their surroundings, giving the impression of unbroken landscape as you drive by. They’re not invisible, you know there’s a huge building there, but it’s a hell of a lot less disruptive than a regular one.

Those buildings kill birds tho, thye don't see the building and hit the mirrors at full speed

[–] Fuck_u_spez_@sh.itjust.works 21 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Or, consider that the ugly ones may be the only ones you've actually noticed. The rest would then be working as intended.

[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 15 points 2 years ago

Just like wigs or esthetic surgery. We generally have the impression that wigs looks terrible, just because we only notice the bad one. The good one goes unnoticed.

[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I think they’re uglier than cell towers

Well that's a take

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As is ugliness.

[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 0 points 2 years ago

Big if true

[–] pixelscript@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

"Uncanny fakes are worse than reality" is a hot take now?

[–] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 0 points 2 years ago

Who said anything about hot?

[–] Maultasche@lemmy.world 42 points 2 years ago

You can't fool me, I know an Alolan Exeggutor when I see one.

[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 27 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I live in LA and to be fair, palm trees are basically fake trees in the first place, they're mostly non-native Q-Tips that give no shade. The cell towers should just cover themselves with billboards, they'd fit right in and make extra cash from the side hustle.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 14 points 2 years ago

I'm not a fan of the palm trees either, but a perfectly straight pole with fake leaves that do basically nothing to hide the fact that it's a cell tower was even worse to my eyes.

The craziest thing about billboards when I was in L.A. was the trucks driving around with billboards on them that were only being driven around because of those billboards. I guess the cost of a truck and fuel is still cheaper than paying for an actual billboard on Hollywood or Sunset.

[–] NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

This almost looks AI generated

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It definitely isn't. They were all over the place.

[–] NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social 16 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

I wasn’t being accusatory, just speculative

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social 14 points 2 years ago

Stop yelling at me

[–] NegativeLookBehind@kbin.social 57 points 2 years ago

“Of course I’m a real tree. Hold on, I’m getting a call”

[–] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You know that tree is growing so straight... if we cut it down it'd make a really good cell phone tower.

[–] explodicle@local106.com 6 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Why don't they just put the electronics stuff on the tops of actual trees?

[–] MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 8 points 2 years ago

Trees grow, get felled

[–] Redsamuraiman@beehaw.org 7 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Can't have trees be too lit (on fire).

[–] TheGiantKorean@lemmy.world 21 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I chopped one of these down one time. It took forever.

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago

Next time use a hacksaw, rather that the axe

[–] onlooker@lemmy.ml 18 points 2 years ago

Oooh, it's an antenna. For a moment I wasn't really sure why someone would go through the trouble of making a fake tree.

[–] saltnotsugar@lemm.ee 17 points 2 years ago

“So you’re a REAL tree?”

Yesh. I make worrie aboot Christmas time. Family cut me and make ornament on my face.

“This dude is legit.”

[–] HiddenLayer5@lemmy.ml 15 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

It's not impressive to attach green plastic bits to camouflage a cell tower (which IMO makes it uglier and more noticeable than just a bare antenna mast).

It would be extremely impressive if they could actually derive the required power from onboard photovoltaics though!

[–] Num10ck@lemmy.world 13 points 2 years ago (2 children)

i wonder what we would come up with if there was a contest to design a beautiful cell tower. a giant tulip? space needle? treehouse? inconvenience store? a blinky scroll tower?

[–] explodicle@local106.com 4 points 2 years ago

I like them just the way they are and wish they would stop wearing tower makeup all the time.

[–] ExLisper@linux.community 6 points 2 years ago

I thought it's just a big Araucaria Heterophilia.

[–] MonsieurArchi@lemmy.world 4 points 2 years ago

How do you do my fellow leaves?