I was just thinking that there is really room for another innovation. Ever been a driver at an intersection where you have a turning green light at the same time as the pedestrians crossing the street you are trying to turn on and there is a constant stream of one or two people that keeps you and other drivers from turning until the pedestrian light turns red and only one car has the chance to turn? How about implementing something like the OP light, that leads to grouping pedestrians crossing the street to allow a car to turn in between them. Seems smart to me, especially in areas like universities or work centers where there are rushes of people in between classes, lunch, or rush-hour.
Streetpong [video]
51–60 of 91 posts
Re: Streetpong [video]
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why is it sickening? There is no virtue in being bored; no goal to be achieved by doing nothing. If I have time, I wish to do something useful with it, and entertainment is useful (if not, then life would be rather dull). There is a certain perverse nostalgia these days to times before smartphones, before the internet, before the telephone, before technology. Wasn't it great when you were stuck on train without a boo…
> There is no virtue in being bored; no goal to be achieved by doing nothing. Yeah, actually there is. Not only is it important to unplug from technology on a regular basis, but an idle brain is useful for creative thinking and problem solving.
> an idle brain is useful for creative thinking and problem solving.
This is a more reasonable argument, and I agree. It is often useful to have quiet space to think. That said, I prefer to put the dishwasher on, and go for a walk outside for 15minutes, than to stay inside doing the dishes. The dishes themselves are not in and of themselves important. In the case of the streetlight, many people may be too busy navigating the streets to relax properly into a good idle state, or they may be pissed off and want some light-hearted fun; we should not make value judgments on them for that.
> it [is] important to unplug from technology on a regular basis
Whilst I might not necessarily disagree with you on this point, people often make this claim with no actual evidence or reasoning. Why is it important to unplug? In some situations, I can clearly see a benefit - for example, eating dinner with friends, pulling out a phone to check social media disrupts your ability to connect with your friends, makes you seem rude, and will likely reduce the quality of your interaction. When I'm on the train to work in the morning, listening to music and reading web articles on my phone seems like a net benefit.
There can be benefits to avoiding technology and to doing things properly and in-person - but those should be evaluated on an individual basis with logic, rather than with a general appeal to puritan work-ethics and ascetism.
Re: Streetpong [video]
#53Huh. I thought this was actually "Why Games Should Enter The Public Domain" for a while (though of course I should have known better because of HN's headline policy). If it were, it would be a wonderful argument in it's simplicity; as is, it's a concrete example.
Re: Streetpong [video]
#54This looks a little dangerous to me, because it makes the pedestrian take their mind off the road. Just last week, a car accidentally drove up on the side walk part of the crosswalk and would have hit me had I not been paying attention and jumped out of the way. From what I understand this is not an uncommon event either. It's not like the lip of the curve is really any protection against the cars, a car can easily d…
It is an uncommon event. If it were common, we would be protecting every street corner with large bollards or a concrete wall. How many cars pass through an intersection on any given day. How many end up on the curb?
In parts of the world, bollards are much more common. But in New York City, they are much more rare:
http://www.streetsblog.org/2005/10/14/making-nycs-streets-sa...
There have been a significant number of cases where cars end up sidewalks near where I live. It's not just drunk drivers; it's often distracted drivers who are texting or using an app.
Bollards are a great and fairly cheap solution, but many bureaucrats are pro-car and oppose them for the danger they might pose to drivers.
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Re: Streetpong [video]
#55I was just thinking that there is really room for another innovation. Ever been a driver at an intersection where you have a turning green light at the same time as the pedestrians crossing the street you are trying to turn on and there is a constant stream of one or two people that keeps you and other drivers from turning until the pedestrian light turns red and only one car has the chance to turn? How about impleme…
I think what you're describing is a "scamble" crosswalk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedestrian_scramble
They're a nice way of balancing foot traffic with the need for vehicles to turn at a light. I'm not sure why they're not more popular around the world.
Re: Streetpong [video]
#56This looks a little dangerous to me, because it makes the pedestrian take their mind off the road. Just last week, a car accidentally drove up on the side walk part of the crosswalk and would have hit me had I not been paying attention and jumped out of the way. From what I understand this is not an uncommon event either. It's not like the lip of the curve is really any protection against the cars, a car can easily d…
It is an uncommon event. If it were common, we would be protecting every street corner with large bollards or a concrete wall. How many cars pass through an intersection on any given day. How many end up on the curb?
it happens a lot. I've seen it - been close to getting hit once - car went airborne over the curb and landed and popped 3 tires right in brooklyn by one hanson place - read about it in other cases, sometimes its a little bump sometimes people get killed.
you might perceive it to be uncommon because of your personal experience.
Re: Streetpong [video]
#57I wish there were traffic lights that would countdown until the the light changes (quantitative) or use something like an hourglass (qualitative).
Re: Streetpong [video]
#58This looks a little dangerous to me, because it makes the pedestrian take their mind off the road. Just last week, a car accidentally drove up on the side walk part of the crosswalk and would have hit me had I not been paying attention and jumped out of the way. From what I understand this is not an uncommon event either. It's not like the lip of the curve is really any protection against the cars, a car can easily d…
It is an uncommon event. If it were common, we would be protecting every street corner with large bollards or a concrete wall. How many cars pass through an intersection on any given day. How many end up on the curb?
I don't know, I've witnessed it twice that I can recall and I don't even spend a lot of time walking around among traffic. I think the game might actually lower the risk profile since at least one pedestrian and possible observers would be inclined to stand behind the metal pole, rather than on the curb of the street. I would hope that the game were a little more engaging though, considering it would get old after the first time playing.
Re: Streetpong [video]
#59Yeah, sure, it's cool, but take a step back and it's actually kind of sickening. All plays back to society needing constant stimulation of some kind. We can't just wait , or be bored , heaven forbid, anymore. Our phones aren't even enough now!
Why is it sickening? There is no virtue in being bored; no goal to be achieved by doing nothing. If I have time, I wish to do something useful with it, and entertainment is useful (if not, then life would be rather dull). There is a certain perverse nostalgia these days to times before smartphones, before the internet, before the telephone, before technology. Wasn't it great when you were stuck on train without a boo…
>There is no virtue in being bored; no goal to be achieved by doing nothing.
Boredom is actually good for children and adults.
http://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/raise-great-kids...
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1000142405311190345450... - you'll need to view the google link to see the full article - http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21895704
>Wasn't it great when you were stuck on train without a book, and just had to grin and bear it?
Seriously? Is it THAT bad sitting quietly by yourself that you had to use the expression "grin and bear it?" I would not be upset being on a train without entertainment. In fact, I don't usually bring entertainment with me on flights or trains and if I do, I usually don't end up using them anyways.
Re: Streetpong [video]
#60I was just thinking that there is really room for another innovation. Ever been a driver at an intersection where you have a turning green light at the same time as the pedestrians crossing the street you are trying to turn on and there is a constant stream of one or two people that keeps you and other drivers from turning until the pedestrian light turns red and only one car has the chance to turn? How about impleme…
In most US cities it's technically illegal to drive through the crosswalk until all pedestrians have reached a crub, even if they are crossing clear across the way. It's a great idea though.