Imaginary Landscape
RSS FeedI get asked a lot about this Twitter thing. What is it, they ask. I say it is a microblogging platform, which mostly elicits blank stares. I go on to describe it in more detail, how people "Tweet" about what they're doing in short bursts. Most look quizzically, wondering why anyone would be interested in knowing when someone is blow drying their hair or eating a burrito the size of their forearm (no, really. I saw the Twitpic).
Mostly I agree that the content on Twitter is drivel. But not today.
I started today by taking the Metra commuter train into work. At around 5:15 as my day was winding down, I received a Tweet from the Unofficial Metra UP North Line Twitter account, created by Tony Zale. Last February Tony spent a couple hours programming a Twitter syndication of the Metra Service Updates.
Here was the Tweet:
UPN TRAIN 339 SCHED TO ARV WAUKEGAN AT 5:45PM IS STOPPED NUST OUTSIDE OF THE ROGERS PK ST DUE TO A PEDESTRIAN INCIDENT.
It wasn't clear what was happening but any "incident" involving a train and pedestrian can't be good. Another Tweet:
ALL METRA UNION PACIFIC NORTH LINE TRAINS WILL BE STOPPED IN THE VICINITY OF ROGERS PARK DUE TO A PEDESTRIAN INCIDENT.
Then another:
CTA RED AND PURPLE LINE TRAINS TRAVELING BETWEEN WILMETTE AND CHICAGO IN BOTH DIRECTIONS WILL HONOR METRA TICKETS UNTIL 8:00 PM THIS EVENING.
At this point, I decided to change my plans and switch to the CTA. It is somewhat less convenient but I figured it was my best shot at getting home.
I walked into the Argyle Red Line station, but the attendant was unaware of the developing situation. I brought her up to date and was ready to show the mobile Tweet to prove it, but she just let me through.
The upshot is that I got home about 15 minutes later than scheduled. Were it not for Twitter I'd still be on the Ravenswood platform.
All in all, there were 14 Tweets about the incident, including this last one which I am reading from home:
METRA UPN OUTBOUND TRAINS TRAVELING TO WAUKEGAN AND KENOSHA ARE NOW ON THE MOVE AND ARE UP TO 110 MIN LATE.
Brilliant.
Updated 07/14/10 @ 10:52AM CDT by brian
Categories: Chicagoland Cool Web Stuff Technology
