Suppose that somewhere else in our universe, there’s another planet with intelligent life. We don’t know what they look like, or what gases they breathe, or what they eat, or whether they’re inches or miles tall. We don’t know whether they move by hopping, drifting, or slithering. We don’t even know if their lived environment is largely two-dimensional, like the surface of the earth, or freely three dimensional, perhaps a cloud-city full of cloud-beings who drift up and down as easily as they drift left or right. We don’t know what they call themselves, so let’s call them borts. Continue Reading →
Amusing
tadpoles of new zealand: an auckland transit animation
There's a lot of potential for animation of Google Transit data, and we're just starting to see it explored. Some results will be rich with information, differentiating various kinds of service so that you can see how they dance together. Chris McDowall's animation of a day's transit in Auckland is less informative but correspondingly more meditative. Buses, trains and ferries are all rendered as earnest little tadpoles (or comets, or sperm, or viruses, depending on your sense of scale).
(An animated map of Auckland's public transport network from Chris McDowall on Vimeo.)
It nicely illustrates the point that frequency is what makes a route into a line. The line that goes really solid during the peak is the Northern Busway, which is far more frequent than any of Auckland's rail lines.
UPDATE: Commenter "numbat" points out that on the island at the east edge of the image (Waiheke Island) you can see local island buses pulsing with ferries that link the island to Auckland's CBD.
music video for subway map lovers
I’m advised that I’d like this subway-map-themed R.E.M. video, though R.E.M. is not really my thing.
Actually, it’s a nice test of whether you’re more interested in transit graphics than in transit!
amusing: sheep on the subway
A classic from XKCD:
funny: guerilla marketing at bus stops
What do you suppose Fitness First means with that "68"? Hint: we're not in America, so it's not the temperature.
Thanksgiving English Quiz: Grammar in The New York Times
Can this sentence, from the New York Times article on the DeLay conviction, be read as anything other than evidence of the collapse of journalism, and hence of language, and hence of civilization?
To be guilty of money laundering, the prosecution had to show the money had been obtained through an illegal activity before it was laundered.
They succeeded in showing that, so I guess that means the prosecution is guilty of money laundering.
This is the frigging NYTimes! Are there no editors sharp-eyed enough to change “To be guilty of …” to “To prove …” ? Predicates need subjects! Otherwise they run wild and incriminate innocent people.
Update: Commenter GD provides the necessary transit angle on this story:
William Safire is rotating in his grave. The question now is how to harness that energy and power rail transit with it 😉
Happy Thanksgiving to American readers. If you had to fly in the USA yesterday, I hope it was stimulating.
Canberra: A Walk to the Office
In Canberra, I recently stayed at the brand-new Aria Hotel, and had occasion to walk next door to the offices of the ABC [Australian Broadcasting Corporation] to do an interview. Like most people in a hurry, I took the most direct way. The resulting 200m walk was so funny I thought I’d let the photos speak for themselves.
Respect for Signal Engineers
From the rather mysterious cartoonist xkcd.com:
I’ve certainly met both of these characters many times. Come to think of it, I’ve been both of these characters.
Funny Journalism Note: Los Angeles Cuts Down on “Movement”
This is just funny. From the Los Angeles Times today, an article by David Zahniser on cuts to Commuter Express services run by the City of Los Angeles:
The agency also would phase out three Commuter Express routes: Line
575, which travels from Simi Valley to Warner Center; Line 413, which
moves from Van Nuys and North Hollywood to downtown; and Line 430, which
runs from Pacific Palisades to downtown Los Angeles.