Greg Tracy

When pet projects grow up and become something bigger

May 6, 2010

I had a huge smile on my face this morning when I scrolled through my Twitter timeline and found @gl33p's pictures of the new display at Mother Fools Coffeehouse. Coffeehouse patrons are now enjoying real time arrival estimates for the Madison Metro buses passing by at the corner of Ingersoll and Jennifer courtesy of SMSMyBus!

It's amazing and gratifying to see this project come to life the way it has. And it reinforces the importance of doing rather than talking when a problem presents itself. You just never know where it will lead you.

A few months ago, Twilio ran a developer contest for their new SMS API. Having already built one Twilio app for blogging to Posterous, I was anxious to create another one and I immediately knew what I'd build with the SMS tools.

I have long wanted a way to query the Madison Metro bus system to understand where my bus is when I'm standing in two feet of snow. I knew that Metro tracked their buses using GPS so I figured why not put that information in my hand using a mobile phone.

I was able to build the app in a weekend of hacking and SMSMyBus was born. I could query any bus and any bus stop in the city from my phone. My problem solved... But I quickly discovered that I wasn't alone. Several people around me were having the same problem and immediately started using the service as well. Feedback and bug reports came flying in and the number of users grew without an ounce of publicity outside of a few tweets. Today there are over thirty individuals using the service to make their bus experience better.

Since its initial release, I've added a number of other interfaces to extract scheduling data.... You can now receive real time arrival estimates via the phone, email, Twitter, and Google chat.

Through the prodding of my first user and biggest evangelist, Preston Austin, I was encouraged to build a truly platform agnostic interface and make the data available through a simple web service. Once made available, Preston championed the creation of the display at Mother Fools and implemented a terrific presentation layer that continuously refreshes throughout the day.

This has opened the doors for a number of different opportunities for partnerships throughout the city, and we're looking forward to expanding the number of displays to make the data more accessible and make riding the bus more enjoyable.

Do you have an itch? Have a problem that needs to be solved? Go solve it. You never know what it will turn into...

Filed under // appengine madison programming projects twilio

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Riding to work with the mayor is a joy

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June 9, 2009

I biked to work with the Mayor of Madison today, and I wish I had a police escort with bagels at the end every day!

Click here to download:

Riding_to_work_with_the_mayor_.zip (8495 KB)

Filed under // madison

Comments [2]

Bratfest logistics

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May 28, 2009

Guessing the number of volunteers handling brats at Bratfest is like guessing the number of jelly beans in the jar.

By the way, they set a new world record eating 208,752 brats in four days!

Filed under // madison observations

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State stimulus plan in horticulture

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May 18, 2009

Today was the (annual) day that the State Capital opened its lawn doors for digging. Inexplicably it seems, the State of Wisconsin gives away its crop of tulips each year once their petals fall of.

It's always amusing to watch the men digging with pitch forks in suits and ties so they can bring a couple of dozen tulips home to their wives.

Filed under // madison observations

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Sleds emerge from December

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March 7, 2009

Filed under // madison

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We mail cheese

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February 28, 2009

Filed under // madison observations

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Ms. Liberty surfaces on Lake Mendota

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February 18, 2009

A thirty year-old prank resurfaced this week when the UW Hoofers Club cobbled together all of the old pieces this week. It's very cool to see (particularly at night). If you're in Madison, head to the student union and check it out!

Click here to download:

liberty.zip (9636 KB)

Filed under // funny madison

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Tools that make things worse

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December 30, 2008

I'm mildly addicted to the new live bus map for Madison's Metro Transit system. It's a beta site that provides a live feed of where every bus is currently located, and even plots them on a Google map with cute little bus icons.

My initial reaction was, "Finally! I've been wanting this forever. Now I'll never miss another bus again. Ever."

But a funny thing happened. Since I started using the site when preparing to leave the house or office, I've actually missed more buses. Way more. In fact, I've probably missed more than I've made. The problem is I started using the website rather than actual bus schedule, which has led me to simply try to time it right. I figure out where the bus is in the city and tell myself, "I have a couple of more minutes before I HAVE to leave." That approach has been killing me because no matter where the bus may be, it's schedule is way more deterministic than my own.

What I need to do is the same thing I've been doing for the last eight years... go to the bus as if it is on time and follows the prescribed schedule. Then I can just take a peak at the map before I pack up and get a feel for how long I'll be waiting once I get there. Or in the best scenario, discover that the bus is running late just like me and that I can still get to a bus that I would have otherwise missed.

I'm trying to think of other convenience services that have had this opposites effect, but I can't think of any (although I'm sure there are others). Has this happened to you?