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PUBLIC TRANSPORT SCHEDULE INTERPRETATION FUN CHALLENGE

By komet (Thu May 25, 2006 at 03:37:19 PM EST) morons, buses, trains, trams, public transport, idiocy, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, European education systems, Switzerland, time travel, centipedes, algorithms, welfare state, cowwqas., _-_ (all tags)

Welcome to the inaugural Public Transport Schedule Interpretation Fun Challenge (PTSIFC), in which I invite you to pit your wits against the vagaries of riding public transport in an unknown land.

The task is simple, and I will not subject you to the horrors of finding out which bus you have to take and where the bus stop is. No, for now, you merely have to devise an algorithm to determine how long you will have to wait until your bus or tram arrives. At your disposal is a schedule (example here) and your own wristwatch.

Solution under the fold.

The correct solution is as follows:

1. Stare at wristwatch. Try to remember what you learnt about the big and small hands at primary school.

2. Jab finger at random number on schedule.

3. Forget what current time is (determined at step 1). Check watch again.

4. Allow concept to slowly form in your benighted fucking mind that current time is nowhere near selected schedule entry.

5. Move finger along line, repeating step 4 at each entry.

6. Allow fact to dawn upon you that you are moving finger in wrong direction. Reverse.

7. After several tries, forget what current time is. Check watch.

8. Move finger past boundary between weekday and weekend schedules. Fail to notice anything amiss.

9. Furrow brow throughout.

10. Notice bus arriving, rendering endeavour moot. Embark, taking care to obstruct as many people as possible.

There, that was easy, wasn't it? If you got all the steps right, you can probably apply for Zurich citizenship.

Morons.

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PUBLIC TRANSPORT SCHEDULE INTERPRETATION FUN CHALLENGE | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback

Poor thing. by ambrosen (4.00 / 1) #1 Thu May 25, 2006 at 03:45:16 PM EST

If only you had a proper public transport system, with a proper integrated online travel planner.

Obviously, the mobile version is unusably poor, but never mind.

I rent cars when I go to furrin lands by cam (4.00 / 1) #2 Thu May 25, 2006 at 04:17:15 PM EST

it is like public transport, but more personalised, and goes where you want, when you want.

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic

You rent cars by komet (4.00 / 8) #3 Thu May 25, 2006 at 04:19:59 PM EST

that go into Alyson Hannigan's bedroom when she's masturbating?

--
<ni> komet: You are functionally illiterate as regards trashy erotica.
[ Parent ]

It doesn't tend to work well by aphrael (2.00 / 0) #6 Fri May 26, 2006 at 12:36:51 PM EST

if you're spending a lot of time in crowded urban cores with narrow windy streets.

If television is a babysitter, the internet is a drunk librarian who won't shut up.
[ Parent ]

: I drove through Munich by cam (2.00 / 0) #10 Fri May 26, 2006 at 01:02:05 PM EST

Koblenz, Aachen, Heidelberg, Brugge, Ulm and a bunch of others.
cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic
[ Parent ]

Re: which bus you have to take and where it stops by Greener (2.00 / 0) #4 Thu May 25, 2006 at 04:23:24 PM EST

But that's the part I'm good at. I successfully managed to decipher public transit in 5 different European cities in the last 2 weeks. Plus the eastern European train network.

I think I'll be tackling Switzerland next year.

Have they fixed the prague metro yet? by aphrael (2.00 / 0) #7 Fri May 26, 2006 at 12:38:32 PM EST

When I was there ('98), the machines that sold you metro tickets were only in Czech, and the pattern of questions it asked was unintuitive. This caused tourists to be highly confused, and many would end up not getting tickets at all, whereupon they were fodder for the prague metro police (who only checked the tickets of obvious foreigners and then would issue them tickets/bribe demands).

If television is a babysitter, the internet is a drunk librarian who won't shut up.
[ Parent ]

: I think they were still in Czech only by Greener (2.00 / 0) #9 Fri May 26, 2006 at 12:54:41 PM EST

but they were literally 'push the button for the ticket you want and insert money' and there were only three options. You couldn't buy a half fare luggage ticket from them though so the 'target the tourist' option was still available if you can't find a newsagent that sells them.
The only place I actually got checked was in Budapest and they were checking everyone coming out that exit.

[ Parent ]

you need the ... by BlueOregon (2.00 / 0) #5 Thu May 25, 2006 at 08:08:23 PM EST

... BVG.

Usually, though, I walk (stumble) home.

"ES LEBE BERLIN!"

_
"The german quoting guy is a little bit out there." (fleece)

: They really need by aphrael (2.00 / 0) #8 Fri May 26, 2006 at 12:39:49 PM EST

to create a ghost station museum.

If television is a babysitter, the internet is a drunk librarian who won't shut up.
[ Parent ]

PUBLIC TRANSPORT SCHEDULE INTERPRETATION FUN CHALLENGE | 10 comments (10 topical, 0 hidden) | Trackback