Cell phones! Cell phones! Cell phones!
Today's New York Times resonates with me as I sit on a stopped NJT train in the Meadowlands between two loud chatty moms with poster children for ADD, shouting to each other and on the cells at the same time. Go figure.

I think of Tokyo trains last month, where a third of riders pull out their cell phones within seconds of boarding. Unlike here, public rudeness is discouraged, and people have a refreshing sense of courtesy.
Do they yell their private business in public? Not a chance- they do email and instant messaging.

Editor's note: i bought a cool little keyboard for my Handspring Visor in Japan. One hitch: my fingers are a little too big, so I'm one-finger typing with my pinkie. New devices just take time, I guess.

Finally back from two weeks in Tokyo, sure enough taking plenty of public transportation. Successfully conquered the bus as well as the subway / JR Railway commuter trains. Hit the beginning of rainy season, and despite that, had far more sun than NYC did during June! Alas, I have the same beefs with their bus system that I have with ours -- no schedule info at most stops, no decent maps with transfer points. Seemed like most of the routes (that I saw) are just rail feeders. And despite the well-established train links to the airport, I took the bus as always. A one-seat ride sure beats a few transfers, even if it's a little longer. More on that for tomorrw. At least I've beat jet lag and no longer sleep from 8 pm until 4 am!

"Why do they call the Newark busses 'bananas'? Because they travel in bunches!" Old joke comes to mind today on the M104 as I see two others in front of me, playing leapfrog with my bus at every stop, every two blocks. I'm sure the people behind me that didn't used to run Track in school have a long wait ahead of them.

Better dispatching? The M104 has a long run. It happens. Maybe when they get the GPS links working, it'll get better.

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7/18/2003

Sorry, I drove to work today. Was reminded just why I hate driving in and near Manhattan. Not looking forward to driving back to NJ on a summer Friday evening! At least the subway can travel faster than one block per 30 minutes. :)

Have a good weekend, and check for the many service outages from the NYC MTA!