Design generally isn’t something you should have to worry about as a public transit authority, but it makes a big difference. As a historically token-based system, card design has never been one of SEPTA’s strong points. If you’ve ever had a SEPTA pass, I think you know what I mean. […]
Posts with category: Thoughts
96 posts
One of the downside to attending Drexel is the co-op program. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great program and I think it’s a model other universities should copy, but the timing of it isn’t necessarily in your favor. I was put on the Fall/Winter cycle, which definitely was in […]
After years of insisting on a desktop app to read my email over a web app, that’s finally changing. When I was still running Windows, I switched back and forth between Outlook and Windows Live Mail (yes, it’s been that long since I ran Windows regularly). When I switched to a […]
In case you missed it, SEPTA announced yesterday 24-hour subway service (as in actual trains, not busses) on the weekend is here to stay. No, seriously. I’m not kidding. And that’s huge. Earlier in the week, we got the biggest look we’ve had in a long time at the new […]
While in a lot of cases anime reuses the same element(s) over and over again (search YouTube for Every Anime Opening Ever Made), there are some series that stand out among others. You can have a series that looks great, but it can have a terrible story and/or English dub. […]
If you’re not a programmer, that title no doubt makes no sense to you. API stands for Application Programming Interface. In a nutshell, an API allows you to interact with data and applications. In the case of SEPTA, it means you can get the location of every single vehicle – […]
Depending on the type of person you are, and perhaps depending on where you work as well, you might be surprised by what you find on my LinkedIn profile. Maybe it will be my profile photo, hopefully the first thing you notice, as I assume the designers over at LinkedIn […]
According to a late-breaking on Twitter last night, Drexel is now fining streetcart vendors for vending on the sidewalk. *BREAKING* SpOt will NO LONGER be serving @DrexelUniv due to NEW police Capt’s order to fine ALL foodcart vendors for using sidewalk.Pls RT — SpOt Gourmet Burgers (@Spotburgers) July 28, 2014 […]
One of the little known facts about me may be that I didn’t actually grow up in a certain city in Missouri, strictly speaking. I actually grew up in a suburb. In fact, I can’t actually remember if I ever did get to see downtown. My family moved to New […]
A year ago, Paul english of Kayak had a rather interesting interview with The New York Times. The title of this post is one of his ideas that blew me away. Personally, I’m a fan of risk. Yes, that is a dangerous decision and there have been launch-day purchases and other investments […]
Considering that VMware is, perhaps, one of the best known and respected names in the information technology field, I think it should come as little surprise that VMware’s CEO, Paul Maritz, knows how to run a successful business. The New York Times interviewed him in 2010, and it’s worth a […]
Note: This is another post for an assignment at Drexel. If you read the other two, you know the drill. FOSS, Free and Open Source Software, is a concept that has fueled many technology innovations. There is a fairly good chance you’ve used a FOSS project without even realizing it. […]
3 Jan, 2019 Update: I see this posting appears to get a lot of traffic from those looking for Jim Heumann’s article on good requirements. The link from when this article was originally published is no longer good, however you can read the article as it appeared on IBM’s website […]
Note: This post is for an assignment here at Drexel. You’re welcome to read it, but it’s a departure from the usual programming. My first encounter with IRC likely dates back to around 2005 when I was active on a forum I’ve since left. 2007 is when it became one […]
Having a bit of fun with mates back at Uni poke fun at Myki reminded me I haven’t shared my full thoughts on the system. Myki is a system I have to use here daily in Melbourne and while it’s not horrible, it far from being an efficient, reliable ticketing […]
If you attend Drexel, you may have received this email last night (open post to view): Likewise, you may not have. As far as I know, Drexel has not released any official number as to how many of us had our records accidentally disclosed, but I’m hearing speculation on Facebook that […]
By now, you should be well aware that I take an interest in my local public transit. Quality public transit is still one of the things the majority of the US lacks. A mate literally just linked me to a map of public transit in the US. There are gaping […]
This is a post I was originally intending to write after my return to the US, but recent events have called for it being re-prioritized. With that in mind, today I’d like to talk about a subject I haven’t gone into much detail about: work. Specifically, the work I’m doing here […]
Note: I originally wrote this weeks ago, and it was meant to go up to mark a month of being in Melbourne. Well, it’s been sitting as a draft since the 27th of last month now and now I’ve been here nearly two months. So, I think it’s time to […]
Since I don’t really have anything new to say about living here in Australia, I thought I’d talk about a big part of Melbourne instead: trams. There are quite a lot of them here. But, given that Melbourne has the largest tram network in the world, that is to be […]