Your place to share stories on and off the bus.
From @spamelson:
“@turkellviolince playing violin on the #muni”
Thanks for sending, guys. What song(s) did you play?
By the way, did you see the surprise concert on a Copenhagen train? It still gives me goosebumps.
This face makes me weak in the knees. Taken by lubushkin on Instagram.
Photo by Mike Dillon
Take a look at what happens when the riders are not looking. So glad these photographers always have their lenses at the ready. Enjoy these photos and your weekend!
Photo by willsfca
Photo by tywhite
Photo by abelardomendesjr
Photo by 49squaremiles_photography
Photo by James Castañeda
SFMTA spokesperson Paul Rose told us that construction will be complete at the Portals by this time next year and complete in the stations by late next year.
The Daily Mail reports that the cameras build up a memory of normal versus suspicious behavior:
The company says will put them in 12 stations with up to 22 cameras in each, bringing the total number to 288.
The cameras will be able to track up to 150 people at a time in real time and will gradually build up a ‘memory’ of suspicious behaviour to work out what is suspicious.
So how does this work? BRS Labs President John Frazzini told Fast Company:
The company’s AIsight behavior recognition product relies on 11 patents related to computer vision technology and surveillance imagery. BRS’s patents primarily deal with the intersection between computer vision and machine learning; video footage grabbed by MUNI cameras will be automatically translated into code for real-time processing. Clips of anomalous activity are dispatched to MUNI employees automatically; SMS text message alerts are also sent to staffers’ mobile phones.
The system can send out alerts such as when someone has placed an unattended package in a populated area, or when an individual is trespassing into an area that normally only vehicles travel.
Some reports have hinted at the potential “big brother” aspect of the to-be-installed security system. Should the average transit rider worry about the new cameras?
Photo by Larry Peiperl/Bright Fog Photography
From my window at work on Parnassus Ave, I noticed a 6 bus showing the words “GO BULLS” (yesterday) and a 43 showing “EQUALITY!” today (for the vote on pay equality). I didn’t realize drivers had that much power. Go drivers! Better than GO GIANTS (from an As fan).
Sports allegiance aside, this is pretty cool, almost as cool as “Nowhere in Particular.”
Spotted other Muni signage of interest? Tell all!
Sure enough, the second car had stopped and for some reason been unattached from the first car, which continued out of the tunnel. I was worried about the chance of another train coming up behind us but it is a short tunnel and you can see light at both ends from the middle and I thought, surely the operator in the first car and muni control noticed the problem, as you can see in the photo I took that shows that a second train had started to enter the tunnel behind us and stopped.
A woman in the front car had dialed 911. She asked if anyone had any medical issues or if anyone was having a panic attack – no. Someone would be on their way to help. After five minutes or so, a Muni employee showed up and hopped on. He tried to start the car but explained it was not getting power. This is why it stopped and uncoupled from the
first car.
Everyone filed off the car and walked back to the tunnel opening to be greeted by fire trucks, police, and curious neighbors. A bus was being brought in to pick up passengers. I had plans to meet someone in the Castro. A quick check of the map and I was on my way up Clayton and down 17th. And that was it.
This was Katie’s day on Muni and her entry for the 100 Days, 100 Muni Stories contest. We all know too well how one little thing can derail your carefully scheduled day. Check out other stories competing for 100 Days, 100 Muni Stories, and send us your own Muni story today. Use the Muni Diaries submission form or tweet @munidiaries and include the hashtag #100MuniStories.