What time is the next bus?

September 29, 2010 - 1:02 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Life, Technology 

Going solar?

For riders of public transportation, it’s a common scenario: you arrive at the bus stop and there’s no one else there. Did you just miss the bus? If so, when will the next one be along? Up until now, there’s been no way to know.

That’s set to change now that a new international tender has been issued by the Israel National Roads Company (INRC). The aim is to have digital signs linked to GPS transmitter aboard the buses (and eventually the Jerusalem light rail) that will feed passengers real-time information to waiting passengers.

This development is not particularly revolutionary: similar systems have been running for years in many European countries. But the Israeli proposal has a uniquely Middle Eastern twist: the digital signs will be solar powered.

That makes eminent sense in a country with abundant sunshine (too much, in fact, given the perpetual state of drought Israel has fallen into during recent years).

The Jerusalem Post reports that the tender calls for 100 intercity bus stations to be outfitted with the solar screens. That’s not a huge number: the INRC maintains a total of 3,000 bus stops across the country. But it’s a start. And going green puts Israel at the forefront of technological advancements in the field.

The tender goes one step even further: the signs are supposed to have buttons where passengers can switch languages – great for a country that comprises immigrants from dozens on countries who may not speak Hebrew perfectly – and even an audio option for the blind to have arrival information read out.

Now all we have to do is hope that that signs tell us that our next bus is right around the corner. I’m not sure I want to know I have a 40-minute wait…

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Foto Friday – Marco Jona’s Sun & Moon

August 14, 2009 - 4:33 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Art, Environment, Foto Friday, General 

Jerusalem-based Marco Jona is a professional photographer with a passion for nature, and a particular fascination with the heavenly bodies.

His series, entitled “The Sun and The Moon”, is a work in progress that is being created over time…

Marco_Jona_craters

…sunrise by sunrise…

Marco_Jona_sunrise_at_massada

…lunar eclipse…

Marco_Jona_eclipsed_moon

… by solar eclipse

Marco_Jona_eclipse

…and sunset by sunset.

Marco_Jona_rays_over_kinneret

More of Jona’s work is on view at his website – www.marcojona.com.

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