Bus as Car Replacement Transportation? Not quite yet, but it could be.

I got on a Metro Transit (Minneapolis and Saint Paul) bus not knowing where it was going or how to use it a number of times in the last month. I have never ever had the problems I have had in my own city while using transit in other cities (NYC, London, Paris, Milan, Florence, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco). This could be different… it could be better.

Insight
We educate people to transport themselves in cars! Learning to use the bus is not part of the class (drivers ed). Going to work and back does not encompass the emotional or the realistic demands people have for a preferred transportation device.

The bus is not helping itself by educating users on the full picture. Rather they toss silly ad campains at us. It is not enough to say “replace your car,” “save on gas.”

Further people don’t want to risk social embarrassment that can be inflicted when faced with screwing up while using the bus wrong or not knowing the system. It is not unlike ordering at Starbucks the first couple times. I think graphic design and strategic thinking can minimize social risk for people and build easy ways to actually use the bus for more than point to point transportation (like we use our cars).

Problems — but not all of them… just some of them.
The information provided for the bus system is not organized well, to the point where every person using it could easily access the information. A couple examples included, one, Fares are posted inside the Bus not at the stops. Two, routes are found in pamphlets organized with stop times as the highest priority. They are not located at the stops or in an easy access macro paper map or quick download file for mobile devices.

Implication
The Bus can replace the car but only if the users are educated and helped along the process and it is made clear that the bus can be used for more than point to point but for the pre-duringand post work transportation demands.

Think of the volume increase in ridership if most people were one, comfortable they understand the bus gig and two, know the risk of social embarrassment is minimal.

Solutions… but not all of them:
One) Build a macro map for all routes that is small and portable and easily accessed on mobile devices. Think about a map that looks like directions to a graduation party.
Two) Post the route(s) map with weather resistant application methods to the back of each BUS stop sign and in each shelter.
Three) Post the fares and the transit help telephone number at all stops.
Four) Promote the use of a skateboard vs a bike for transit extensions. You don’t have to lock up a skateboard, you can easily bring it on the bus and into wherever your destination is.

I think that if these changes were made I could see myself as well as a mass of others start to swap their cars for the bus.

jott.com
iwantsandy.com

What do you think? To my mind I wonder if work could be structured in such a way as to make trust a senior management principle along with a pile of other ideas? I am interested in the conversation. What do you think? What can you change or do with regard to work?

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/05/21/no-schedules-no-meetings-enter-best-buys-rowe-part-1/

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/05/22/no-schedules-no-meetings—enter-best-buy’s-rowe-part-2/

http://www.fastcompany.tv/video/how-best-buy-engages-employees-improve-productivity

AT&T User Generated Public Dropped Call List

Insight
AT&T wireless drops calls constantly.
I thoroughly enjoy my iPhone.
I hate the service.
Other people must to
Lets track it

Solution
I am looking for a developer interested in building an iPhone app that would make it easy to make a public record (sort of wiki like) of all our dropped calls.

After dropping a call the user fires up the app, taps the location button, gets two views of the data. One view is a mash up of the services and locations of the dropped calls. The second view is a timeline of all recorded dropped calls.

Implications
You have to wonder why AT&T has not done this yet. We could crowd source the data to argue against their recent slogan “more bars in more places.” We as a user base can know we are not alone and it would be wildly public so all people can see the terrible service and see that service get better. Then, and just maybe then, AT&T will fix the problems!

Where do Fire Trucks gas up? I’ve never seen it.

Why does my arching sprinkler have to arch? It always misses the corners of the yard. Is there a better way? Can’t all the nozzles have the same pressure/shooting distance?

If fuel prices are roughly double in Europe, most of the time, and I flew from Milan to London about 2 years ago when gas was $2 USD a gal and paid $70 USD for the ticket, along with everyone else on the plane, why in the world do US airlines now charge over $300 for roughly the same distance at $4 USD a gal? Shouldn’t it be more like $140 USD?

I submit to you that it is not about the gas prices like they say it is! Airlines in the US have a broken model and rather than admit that, they blame price hikes, extra charges and layoffs on gas prices. I say, change your model! Where is all the non-gas money going?

NWA, due to your new fees on milage/reward tickets I’m done with my NWA/US Bank card. Are you all really this crazy? Why do you think this is OK?

Lets have a digital, collaborative and visual extension of the classroom.

How can we extend the conversations happening in the classroom so that students have higher retention and greater social interaction with the material? How can we do what iTunes has done with select university content and do it for whatever content we’re compelled to do so?

I submit to you that it does not have to take a ton of time nor does it have to take a pile of money. The tools for video recording are cheap (e.g. viddler.com or vimeo.com), as in free and easy to use. The tools for conversations online are cheap (e.g. wiki’s or blogs, etc.), as in free and easy to use.

What are we waiting for? Teachers have the intuition to share. That is part of why they teach. Social media and certainly students in the current media climate are compelled to interact and ideate in the digital space. Further, they are online almost all the time. Lets use the tools they are already using to assist in learning and retention and conversation.

Let’s start giving this stuff away for free! Lets have the conversations with the people interested in having them regardless of the topic. Teachers, share your content in video form. Students, start sharing what you are learning in school in the social space. The people interested will find your stuff and we’ll all be better off for it.

Toss your stuff my way. I’d love to know about it.

Check these links as some, but not all, of the resources I know of that could help the endeavor.

http://www.youtube.com/user/tbrunelle
http://www.timbrunelle.com/
http://www.mcad.edu
http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english
http://www.37signals.com/

The tab flashes… now, can we get the most recent chat to scroll in the tab?

What if dates were displayed in a circle instead of a line?

There are a pile of ways twitter can be used. This is just one.

Does using Twitter and specifically live update services (like Twhirl, where the feeds trickle on and then off your screen) offer a tool for practicing and building your ability to focus on many data sources while still getting done what you intend to get done?

Think about instances like client meetings where you have to listen to other perspectives, take in information, and clarify what you hear people saying while integrating that new information into your understanding of a subject and simultaniously developing and communicating your point of view to the specific unique audience in order that you too can get done what you went to the meeting for.

I think Twitter via Twhirl is a great training tool for developing your abilities to succed in client meetings and other hectic attention diverse situations. Say you are working on your computer and interesting things keep flowing in right alongside of what you are thinking about and doing. You can pay attention to cool things while determining what to learn more about. I think it can train ones mind to stay alert and versatile to changing ideas and new information while also staying focused on accomplishing what it set out to accomplish.

What do you think? Have you tried it? Do you have a role where Twitter could help you practice being a better listener to many points of view while simultaneously being a better doer?

Build in the reuse of the package and make it social by including postage right on the package. Every package of each glass of wine could be a stamped envelope ready to be reused.

http://www.tetrapak.com/environment/pages/default.aspx