Published September 13, 2010

Pocket MBTA for iPhone is my favorite app so far.

Last week I wrote lightning reviews of all MBTA apps I could get my hands on. Here are my conclusions:

Pocket MBTA (iTunes) is my overall favorite iPhone app. At 99 cents, the price is right. The map-centric user interface makes abundant sense and the visuals are great.

In the category of mobile websites, I give the nod to TrackTheT for a very speedy, very “live” experience. For text-based services, JustHopOn is an easy choice over NextBus SMS, which is way too complicated—but also more powerful.

Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone with an Android device, so I couldn’t test those apps.

As some commenters have noted, the “holy grail” of MBTA apps does not exist yet. The app I have in mind would combine directions with live location data.

The MBTA website allows you to look up directions on its website — but does not make use of its own location data. The apps I tested are great for people who already know their route.

And a note of caution to buyers: There are more apps and websites out there that provide MBTA maps and schedule data but do not make use of the live location data. They come with descriptions like, “Find out when your bus will arrive!” Don’t be fooled. Make sure the app makes use of the live location data.

What transit apps do you use? Did I miss any?

• Previously: Speed Review: The MBTA Apps
  

Published September 10, 2010

WBUR’s departing summer intern, Chase Gregory, sketched a portrait of the newsroom to show her gratitude. Can you find me?

Click the image to enlarge. You can view it on our Facebook page to learn who’s who.

We’ll miss having you around every day, Chase. Happy Friday, everyone!

Published September 10, 2010

Jellyfish at Monterey Bay Aquarium (satosphere/Flickr)

First, a Concord woman discovers she is surrounded by thousands of jellyfish in Walden Pond. Who knew there was such a thing as fresh-water jellyfish? And can someone tell me how they got there? (WBUR’s Sacha Pfeiffer said she saw one in the pond two weeks ago.)

The Globe explains:

It is not that the tiny jellyfish are rare; after probably hitching a ride to the United States in the late 1800s on Asian water hyacinth or other ornamental plants, the jelly fish are believed to have spread to lakes and ponds throughout the country because of activities of fishermen and waterfowl.

But because the tiny jellies can lie in a dormant state for years — perhaps decades — and bloom en masse suddenly before disappearing just as quickly, people rarely come across them or do not know what they are looking at when they do.

(Dennis Sitarevich/Flickr)

The jellies have never been spotted at Walden Pond before.

On the same day, we get word that a canoeist spotted an alligator on the Charles River in Beverly. How did an alligator get there?

A quick Google search turns up this AP story from late last month:

Gators Found In Northern US Are Most Likely Abandoned Or Escaped Pets

Experts say it’s not the latest sign of global warming. Instead the creatures almost certainly were pets that escaped or were dumped by their owners.

“People buy them as pets and then they get too big and at some point they decide they just can’t deal with it,” said Kent Vliet, an alligator expert from the University of Florida who tracks media reports about the reptiles.

In the past three years, he said, there have been at least 100 instances of alligators showing up in more than 15 states where they’re not native. North Carolina is the farthest north that alligators are found naturally, Vliet said.

Let’s not forget about the alligator crossing the road in Brockton, wearing a spiked collar and dragging a broken leash.

People, if you can’t keep a pet anymore — especially if it eats live animals for dinner — please don’t set it free. Though I’m not sure where you would take an alligator.

PS: For a daily dose of funny and occasionally heartbreaking pet news, follow the Animal Rescue League of Boston (@ARLBoston) on Twitter.

Published September 10, 2010

I tried an online class once. Never did it again. Too easy to, well, skip class.

Yo, you wanna go to the virtual prom with me? (Tyron Francis/Flickr)

That was virtual college, though. Would you put your child in front of a computer screen for virtual first grade?

That is now an option for students in the Greenfield public school system. It’s called the Massachusetts Virtual Academy, and we’re discussing it today at 3 p.m. on Radio Boston.

Enrollment is open to any child in the state for K-8. Only Greenfield residents can “attend” the online high school. The academy’s FAQ covers some of the obvious questions, such as:

• How much time do students spend on the computer? (20-30 percent of the time)
• How do students interact socially? (students are invited to frequent outings)
• Will this program intrude into my home? (no home visits required)

The program is meant for the super-gifted and for kids with severe emotional problems.

As I have written here before, I was bullied relentlessly, particularly after I made the excruciating transition from a private Lutheran school to an inner-city public school in sixth grade. I considered home school for a time. But I’m so glad that didn’t happen.

I am curious to know what you all think. Should kids just “work it out” alongside their peers on the playground? Or is virtual school a godsend for kids with serious developmental troubles or disabilities?

On Radio Boston, we’re talking with a parent whose 8-year-old and 10-year-old will be “attending” the new virtual school.

Published September 10, 2010

Daniel Ratner, a senior mechnical engineer at Google, rides his invention, the Street View tricycle. (Courtesy of Google)

There’s something kind of creepy about a Google Street View car driving down your block and snapping pictures of your house. Citing privacy concerns, some communities have tried to ban the nosy vehicles. Consider this Times of London story: Village mob thwarts Google Street View car.

But put a 360-degree camera on a tricycle, and suddenly it’s… charming.

“A lot of people right away go, Oh, wow, Google Street View, that’s how you guys do it? Wow, how cool, can I ride it?”

Daniel Ratner, a senior mechanical engineer at Google, invented the Street View tricycle to cover the places a car can’t reach. He has pedaled through Legoland California, LA’s Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier.

“Very, very often we get asked if we have ice cream,” he told me. “All the time. Really, all the time. Poeple ask, adults and kids ask if we happen to have ice cream.” (They don’t.)

At the moment, this is the closest you can get to Faneuil Hall on Google Street View.

Today, by popular demand, the trike comes to Faneuil Hall Marketplace. (Street view can get you nearby, but not really inside the promenade.)

A few months ago, the company announced that some 20,000 Internet users voted for the trike to visit the marketplace over the Navy Pier in Chicago or Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

Imagine: Anyone, anywhere will be able to peruse the chowdah stands and merchandise shops once frequented by our founding fathers.

(A note to the privacy-sensitive: Faneuil Hall invited the trike cam. And Google’s face-blurring algorithm will work there, too.)

Ratner doesn’t ride the Google trike anymore — the company hires “drivers” for that — but he has fond memories of his heavy and awkward invention.

“I don’t know know if you’ve ever been on a trike of any kind, but they are goofy,” he said. “On, bikes whether we know it or not, when you go to turn you lean. … When you’re on a trike you can’t lean.” Once his brain adapted, Ratner said, he was flying up mountain bike trails.

Only a Google snowmobile could capture this.

Ratner seems to embody his company’s desire to capture and share everything. His other invention, by the way, is a Street View snowmobile. He is proud of the stunning imagery at Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler, British Columbia. (The little stick man wears skis!) His team hopes to capture the South Pole.

Of course, that voyeuristic ambition gets Google in trouble. Today the Boston Herald interviews a Newton lawyer who is suing the company for collecting private data from home Wi-Fi networks with its Street View cars. The lawyer says it’s “galling” for Google to be rolling into Boston again.

But Ratner is a nerd, not a policy guy. He invents stuff. I asked him for details of his next top-secret project.

“I hope you get back in touch with us in the coming months,” he said.

I offered to go off the record.

“Please come back and talk to us in, like, six months.”

Update: I talked about this on Radio Boston, and intern Huw Roberts put together a great slideshow!

Related Stories:

• Xconomy Boston: Q&A with Digital Imaging Mastermind Luc Vincent
• Hubbub: Google Wants Your Private Streaming Bits
• Radio Boston: Google And Your Privacy In The Wireless Age

Published September 9, 2010

10 bucks' worth of MBTA apps on my iPhone

An exciting announcement today for anyone who waits for rides the bus: Real-time GPS tracking data is now available for all MBTA routes, serving 47 cities and towns.

That means app developers can write software to help commuters pinpoint the exact location of their next bus. The MBTA has dusted off an App Showcase page that lists 10 such programs.

To spare you the time and expense of trying them all, I will download, test and review each and every app — except, unfortunately, the Android apps. (You’ll have to tell me which ones you like.)

Get ready, get set…

____

Catch The Bus (iOS app, $0.99, iTunes)

Fast, simple interface. Choose your route, tap your stop, and a big number displays how many minutes you have to wait. The auto-refresh is nice, but I didn’t realize the feature existed at first because there is no way to tell it’s “live.” A map of each route is provided to help you identify the closest stop. This is handy, but you have to know your route first; an automatic “find the closest bus” feature would be stellar. Also, it would be useful (or maybe just cool) to see the exact location of your bus as a pin on the map.

Get the rest of my mini reviews after the jump. Or if you’re impatient, you can jump to the conclusion.

Continue reading →

Published September 9, 2010

Dresden Dolls lead singer and "Cabaret" star Amanda Palmer, left, with WBUR's Sacha Pfeiffer in Studio 3 (Andrew Phelps/WBUR)

The tweets and phone calls came in fast and furious as Radio Boston’s Sacha Pfeiffer interviewed Dresden Dolls lead singer Amanda Palmer (@amandapalmer), who is starring in the ART’s production of “Cabaret.” (I loved the Liza Minnelli version.) The audio of the interview is up now, if you fanboys and girls care to listen.

The show runs through Oct. 29 at the ART’s Oberon venue in Harvard Square.

I must say, she is charming.

Published September 9, 2010

Some of the most important news about Boston’s economy comes in the form of something very boring: the so-called beige book.

Think of it like a Zagat guide for the economy that’s updated eight times a year. The Federal Reserve System‘s 12 regional banks — one of which is headquartered in Boston — all survey businesses in their regions and compile the responses. It’s less about numbers and more about “How’s business?”

Ten of those banks reported very slow growth this time. But it’s a different story for the other two — Boston and Cleveland. (As WBUR’s Curt Nickisch noted on Twitter: “Good things come to Cleveland after LeBron leaves.”)

Here are highlights of the Boston Fed’s findings, which cover all of New England:

• Retail sales are mixed. Stores are either seeing decreases or very slight increases.
• Back-to-school sales were modest.
• Travel and tourism are stronger than expected.
• Nearly all manufacturing firms surveyed report favorable results for the second quarter.
• Software and IT showed strong growth.

Our go-to expert, Alan Clayton-Matthews, talked with Morning Edition today. Clayton-Matthews said high-tech is lifting Boston’s economy ahead of the rest of the country. But businesses here are still reluctant to hire because of the weak recovery nationally and internationally. “Why would you want to expand if you may need to cut back in the near future?” he said.

Half of the high-tech firms surveyed by the Boston Fed have increased hiring, and one firm said it was “on the cusp of hiring.”

WBUR’s Bob Oakes asked Clayton-Matthews, Is this a blip or a trend?

“I think it’s a trend,” he said. But: “This recovery has a long way to go and it’s also a very unequal recovery.” By “unequal,” he means that metro Boston is racing ahead of the rest of the state. Massachusetts is still stuck in a recession.

Clayton-Matthews said the only thing that can “fix” our economy — and get people to start spending again — is time.

What are your economic indicators? How do things look from where you stand?