![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Ain't technology wonderful
The MBTA (Boston-area public transportation) has, over the last few years, installed electronic signs at most or all of its commuter rail stations in order to convey the impression that they are interested in providing commuters with better information. This would be more convincing if the signs ever told you anything more than the date, the time, the name of the station you're at (now there's a piece of dynamic information!), and the fact (which may or may not be actually factual) that all trains or running on schedule.
Yesterday afternoon I took the train from Gloucester to North Station for the first time this season, and the sign was doing its usual thing. But then I noticed (as I heard the train hooting at the nearby grade crossing) that the sign was flashing a sequence of phrases. Because it was flashing, and because the sequence was changing fairly frequently, it was actually quite difficult to read, but I eventually figured out that it was saying the following sequence (I know that the technology available to me makes it possible to demonstrate the flashing, but I won't suibject either you or myself to that):
It took a few iterations to confirm my observation that it really did say "YELOW".
Gotta love the T and its use of technology.
Yesterday afternoon I took the train from Gloucester to North Station for the first time this season, and the sign was doing its usual thing. But then I noticed (as I heard the train hooting at the nearby grade crossing) that the sign was flashing a sequence of phrases. Because it was flashing, and because the sequence was changing fairly frequently, it was actually quite difficult to read, but I eventually figured out that it was saying the following sequence (I know that the technology available to me makes it possible to demonstrate the flashing, but I won't suibject either you or myself to that):
TRAIN APPROACHING
PLEASE STAND
BEHIND THE
YELOW LINE
PLEASE STAND
BEHIND THE
YELOW LINE
It took a few iterations to confirm my observation that it really did say "YELOW".
Gotta love the T and its use of technology.