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[aparisi2274]

I didnt see this posted, so enjoy... I think this is a great idea... lets see how it really works:

By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 14 minutes ago

NEW YORK - It seemed like such a great idea: digitally shrink maps of major subway systems and put them online so people can download them to their iPods for free.

Tens of thousands of people have downloaded maps from http://www.ipodsubwaymaps.com since Web designer and blogger William Bright, 27, created it in early August.

San Francisco and New York City officials were less enthusiastic.

A lawyer for the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority sent Bright a terse "cease and desist" letter in mid-September demanding he immediately remove the New York City subway map from his Web site.

Another letter followed on Sept. 21 from the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, instructing Bright to take down his BART system map.

Both agencies said copyrights they held to the maps barred anyone from repackaging and redistributing them without permission.

Bright, who by day works for the online magazine Nerve.Com, quickly complied with both requests but said he was disappointed.

The only money Bright said he received for his efforts came from a few advertisements on his site, which he said generated about $1 most days.

"This was supposed to be for fun," explained Bright, who signs his blog postings Little Bill and also accepts donations via PayPal.

Bright said it had taken him just 20 minutes of tinkering to chop up an online version of the MTA's subway map and shrink it into parts that could be read more easily on the screen of newer iPod models.

Word about ipodsubwaymaps.com spread quickly after Bright launched it. Before long, 50,000 people had downloaded the New York subway map. The site offers maps for nearly two dozen subway systems including Berlin, Boston, Paris, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Washington D.C.

Might the MTA have overreacted and in doing so deprived commuters of something useful?

"That's the side that everybody loves to take, that big government is going after the little guy," bristled MTA spokesman Tom Kelly. "But that's not the case. This isn't us singling out one person and one entity."

There is a chance, Kelly added, that Bright will ultimately receive permission to put the map back online.

An MTA lawyer sent Bright an e-mail Thursday offering him a one-year license to distribute the maps for free, as long as he promises to update them regularly. The catch: The MTA wants a licensing fee of $500.

That worried Bright.

"What if everyone wants $500?" he asked.

Bright has temporarily taken the Chicago transit map offline while he asks permission to use it.

BART spokesman Linton Johnson said the agency is working on coming up with its own downloadable version of subway maps for on iPods and other portable devices.

He said BART's chief complaint with Bright's maps was that they didn't reflect changes made to the transit system's route alignment earlier this month.

"We don't want to confuse our customers," Johnson said.

 

[LakeEarth]

Good idea.

 

[Mihail]

You can license a freakin' map? What if I draw my own map based on my travels using the NYC subway? Can I post that for downloading?

 

[Pimpwerx]

I read this in the paper today. Dumbest fucking thing ever. If the MTA wanted people to sympathize with them for their upcoming contract negotiations, this is the wrong way of going about it. This along with banning open containers on buses and trains, as well as banning moving between cars is bullshit. I mean, the cops now have a right to issue a ticket. Not that I give a shit, or will ever pay one, but this is still complete horseshit. PEACE.

 

[temp]

By DAVID B. CARUSO, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 14 minutes ago

 

[teiresias]

David Caruso sure hasn't aged well at all.

 

[Particle Physicist]

This along with banning open containers on buses and trains, as well as banning moving between cars is bullshit.

are these bans in effect? i drink and eat on the subway all the time.

 

[Late Stage Marxist]

You can use it on PSP as well. But you're only supposed to print it out:

http://www.nycsubway.org/maps/route/

 

[Pimpwerx]

are these bans in effect? i drink and eat on the subway all the time.

It was in the Daily News and the AM and Metro the past two days. They were gonna ban open containers in the entire subway until they realized people would have rioted. So they just did the dumb thing and banned it on the subway. And you can no longer pass between trains unless you are running from a threat. Apparently they won't lock the doors (too smart), but cops now have the right to issue tickets for these two things. Also, they can ticket you for putting your feet on the seats as well as refusing to move a bag on a crowded train. Fucking MTA. PEACE.

 

[Callo Merlose]

Well, the 7 train's doors are always open, but newer trains usually have them locked in case of rapes/muggings. I wish our subway became filled with pink ooze one day.

 

[fart]

there really need to be some better licenses made up to allow for truer free use of these kinds of municipal materials

 

[scorcho]

Palm pilot + http://www.nycsubway.org/maps/route/ + VDI = subway heaven. use your stylus or thumb to move around the map with zero lag or delay in full resolution. yay.

 

[Particle Physicist]

It was in the Daily News and the AM and Metro the past two days. They were gonna ban open containers in the entire subway until they realized people would have rioted. So they just did the dumb thing and banned it on the subway. And you can no longer pass between trains unless you are running from a threat. Apparently they won't lock the doors (too smart), but cops now have the right to issue tickets for these two things. Also, they can ticket you for putting your feet on the seats as well as refusing to move a bag on a crowded train. Fucking MTA. PEACE.

wtf? you kidding.. every morning i get a bagel and a drink to eat on the way to work.. now i cant do that? so much fuckingbullshit.

 

[Particle Physicist]

but newer trains usually have them locked in case of rapes/muggings.

so that the victims cant get away? or so no one can come to their aid?

 

[captmcblack]

you can't move between the cars for real?

Shit, I just did that on Wednesday night.

When was that law passed?

 

[Particle Physicist]

are they gonna put up posting on the subway, or just assume everyone just magically knows the new laws?


answers gaf.. i need answers!

 

[Pimpwerx]

Source: NY Daily News

MTA won't ban beverages on subway platforms

BLOOMBERG NEWS

Bowing to passenger complaints, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority today dropped a proposed rule change that would have tightened restrictions on beverage consumption in the largest U.S. subway system.

As a result, passengers won't be barred from drinking beverages such as water or coffee on platforms and mezzanines, said Paul Fleuranges, a spokesman for the MTA division that runs the subways, NYC Transit. Consumption aboard a subway car or a bus will remain illegal and subject to a $25 fine, he said.

"We're going to stay with the old rule," MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow said during the board meeting, citing a "firestorm" of rider complaints. The abandoned rule change was intended to further safeguard riders from problems such as having hot coffee spilled on them, he said.

The transit agency has drawn controversy for a variety of proposed rule changes in recent months. A move to ban photography in the system for counterterrorism reasons was dropped after public complaints and after local news media organizations questioned whether it was effective or enforceable in the era of camera phones.

Other rule changes were adopted today by unanimous vote of the board, including making crossing between trains via the doors at either end illegal, except in an emergency.

Fatalities

Andrew Albert, a nonvoting board member representing the New York City Transit Riders council, questioned the rule, which makes no allowance to move if a car is overcrowded, without air conditioning or contains someone the rider finds menacing.

Fleuranges said there have been 13 fatalities and 117 injuries from crossing between train cars since 1996.

"Billions of people have ridden," compared to a handful that have been hurt in this manner, Albert said.

Violation of the beverage rules will bring a $25 summons. The fine for obstructing a seat will be $50 and walking between cars will be subject to a $75 penalty and ejection from the system.

The rules are expected to go into effect by year's end, with notice given on the MTA Web site at http://www.mta.info.

Pardon my callousness, but 13 deaths in 9 years is natural selection at work, plain and simple. I disagree with all of these rules. But hey, I'm a fucking rebel. They didn't mention the fine for putting your feet on the seats, but that's another they they've added too, if it wasn't already there. Sounds like the beverage rule may be old, but I could give a fuck. I eat and drink on the train and bus. Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke. PEACE.

 

[Mejilan]

Damn, I really wish I had downloaded the NYC maps before they were pulled. I had no luck earlier today googling up some mirrors.