Category Archives: Technology

PennDOT Traffic Cameras

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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 11 services Allegheny, Lawrence and Beaver Counties. They have a web site that displays all the live traffic cameras in the District. They have cameras perched high above Parkways East, North, and West, and even some tunnels, bridges and Route 51.

[If you wanna see all the beautiful highways around Pittsburgh all lined up in a row – LIVE! – click here. For traffic addicts only.]

It’s helpful for checking out the traffic before your drive home — or, in the case of tomorrow’s Superbowl, making sure you can drive home.

There’s another cool service offered by PennDOT called the Road Weather Information System (RWIS) – these cameras are all around District 11 and monitor weather conditions on the roads. Click here for the RWIS link.

Buskarma

Speaking of public transit, some folks from MAYA Design have come up with a neat little online application called Buskarma. The makers of the site “wanted to experiment with alternative ways of displaying information that might make it easier for transit riders to find the information that they’re interested in.” Using your IP address, the site displays which stops are closet to your logged in location. The site even displays how many minutes would take you to walk to certain stops and MAPS of their location. (!) When you click on a stop (eg. E. Carson St. AT 22nd), the site automatically collects information from PAT transit to show you which bus lines stop there in real time. It’s pretty cool. Check it out!

http://bus.maya.com/stop.py?city=Pittsburgh

Wake Up to a Poem

Oh this is just one of those things that makes you realize Pittsburgh is filled with creative smart people. Check out this service (based in Pittbsurgh) that lets you set up a wake up call where you pick the artist or a poem for your wake up call – Tele-Art.org

I am particularly fond of the story behind this project. From Tele-Art.org…

Alexi

I keep sleeping through the alarm. But a phone call gets me up every time.

Damien

So just get a wake up call.

Alexi

I don’t know…I don’t have any money…

Damien

I bet they have something on the web where they call you with an ad and it’s free.

Alexi

. It would be cooler if you could wake up with a poem. How hard would that be to do?

Damien

Well…all you would have to do is XXXXX, XXX, and XXXXX then XXXX software XXXX server XXXX, XXXXX phone XXXXX, XXXX mp3s maybe XXXX agents XXX. Something like that

Alexi

We should write a grant.

Even Ben Roethlisberger has a Blog

Yes, every ones favorite Steeler has his own blog – Ben Roethlisberger’s Blog. Ben shows us some pictures of his dog and some others from his camera phone while he is on the road with the team. From his blog you get the sense that Ben is just a nice guy who happens to be a great football player. It is just nice to see one of these players who also seems to love Pittsburgh and Pittsburghers as much as he loves playing football. Big Ben

What we already know, but needed Google to show others – People like living in Pittsburgh

Well we here at I heart PGH already know that people like living in Pittsburgh. The great parts of Pittsburgh are finally gaining some national attention with Google’s explaination for why they are opening an office in Pittsburgh.
Post-Gazette article: Google coming because local talent likes it here

Of course people like living here and it is just great that quality of life and talent are attracting a major national company to open a facility here. What a great statement for Pittsburgh and hopefully Pittsburgh will continue to attract and cultivate great companies so that more people can come to love PGH!