CTA Tattler

Kevin! You know better than to use your mugshot for a newspaper article!

More cell phones with tunnel accessibility?
That bites. It's bad enough when the cellphones flip open as we come out of the tunnel, but at least we had the little bit of quiet inside. I must be turning into a cantankerous old woman, but honestly, there is no reason to have your big breakup conversation with your girlfriend on the TRAIN.

ack, and because I'm an asshole, I forgot to start my comment with this - Congratulations, Kevin!

Congrats on the hat-tip from the Trib.

I think its funny how people are mourning the loss of quiet in CTA subway tunnels. Between the echo of the train and the usual unwanted sources of entertainment common to the L, *what* quiet?

Congrats, Kevin! You, did it - Eureka!

And as far as cell phones in the subways go: I've had US Cellular for years now, and I can honestly say that unless you're waiting for a train on a quiet platform, I've never been able to have a cell phone conversation on the subway. The ambient noise down there in the tunnels totally overwhelms the poor volume power of all the cell phones I've ever had. That being said, it's great for texting and checking voicemail before the train arrives. I just hope that the difficulty hearing doesn't prompt people to raise their voices and go for it anyway. People already talk more loudly when on their cell phones than when they're speaking with someone right next to them, which has always boggled my mind - it's as if they think that talking louder will help you hear the voice on the other end of the line better. It's kind of like the stereotype of the American tourist who thinks that raising his voice will help the non-English speaker understand what he's saying :-D

Congratulations, Kevin; nice way to end the week!

Congrats Kevin, couldn't happen to a guy with a nicer name....

KevinB

Cell phones that now work in the subway. The roar of the train combined with people yelling to be heard on their phones over the roar of the train. Great.

Yeah, congrats Kevin. I've only been reading this blog for a short time but I enjoy it very much.

You've been a long-time source of entertainment and information for me, so the Tribute recognition seems right-on. Thanks for the blog!

That should put an end to remarks like "nobody reads this blog, it's just a few of us griping to each other." Nice to see you get some credit for your efforts, Kevin! Anyone can start a blog--keeping it going, attracting thoughtful discussion and turning it into a community is a different level altogether.

Congrats.

It seems like more people would be happy that phones would work in the tunnels. Isn't this a safety boon?

Also, as a Blackberry user, I know that this means you can use bus tracker for your connection while in the subway. Perhaps even to make stragic decisions about where to get off and when (depending on your situation).

Since it is hard to believe that most people will bother to try to have an inane conversation by yelling in a moving subway car, this seems like mostly good news to me.

People yammering on cell phones on the subway drive me crazy but I have to say, after being one of the evacuees on the Blue Line last spring, being able to call my office (or the fire department!) would have been nice.

Congratulations!!!

Congrats on the honor! You rock!

As for Verizon's deal, I sure hope it's a hell of a windfall for the CTA....they could use it!

First off, congrats, Kevin! You deserve the honor from the Trib. Your blog is great!

About the Verizon deal, it's great to see that another company gets on board and allow their users the ability to use their cellphones in the subway. Although the rumble of the trains would make any cell phone conversation inside the subway inaudible, having the ability to make calls or text message during an emergency is extremely valuable. I just wish my wireless carrier would sign on.

Kiel--I've been told by a former Motorola employee that, esp in the beginning of cell phones, people talk louder on them because the pickup is not near the mouth. It is sensitive enough (obviously to all of you who use them) to pick up normal or slightly lowered tones when held in the appropriate manner. However, we're still used to the mouthpiece being right there by the mouth and usually not so sensitive, so people talk louder on a cell phone because they think they must in order to be heard.
Of course, some are just ignorant, heedless clods, but I'm sure that description fits none of you, right? (I don't have a cell phone, so if I'm a clod, it's in a different way!)

And, Kevin--always nice to be recognized, isn't it? Congrats!

Congrats Kevin! You deserve it!

Congratulations on the recognition, Kevin. Thanks again for giving us a space to express our transit obsession. My friends and family members' eyes glaze over when I talk about this stuff. Maybe the blogosphere's eyes do too, but luckily I can't see it. :)

Woo-hoo! Rock on, Kevin! Congrats!

As to mobile phone use in the subway, I have Sprint and I'm data and phone-capable in the subway. Have been for awhile. I'm in the 'checking bus tracker' camp, or if I'm bored I'll read the paper online.

I have stood on mute on an early conference call before on my way into work, which was handy because I could just listen and not have to be at work early.

I have received 1 call whilst underground and it was impossible to hear my caller. I just told him I'd call him back topside. When I did, he told me he hadn't heard anything but a loud whirring noise and just assumed it was a bad connection and hung up.

So yeah, unless it's an emergency, I don't even know how conversations will be able to take place.

First, congrats on the recognition.

Second, the whole cell thing, just like a quiet ride, is a chimera until the CTA does something about truing the wheels on its rolling stock. Unless and until they do that on a regular basis, we will still be subjected to wear-and-tear causing, hearing-endagering, tinnitus-causing deafening racket due to the flat spots on wheels pounding the track like a jackhammer. When will the CTA get with the program on this? It's totally unacceptable.