Nov
17
Video of the Day: The L Train Notwork
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WeMakeCoolSh.it “L Train Notwork” Behind the Scenes from Matthew McGregor-Mento on Vimeo.
As the MTA works to bring cell service underground, a group of artists in — where else? — Williamsburg have decided to bring a wireless intranet network to the L train every day. The group, called WeMakeCoolSh.it, has been experimenting with their project from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. every day this week in the last two cars of the L train between Morgan Ave. and 8th Ave.
Here’s how this works: Using a few battery-powered web servers, the group creates mobile hotspots on the train. Those riding the L with their WiFi-enabled devices — which is just about everyone — can sign onto the network to chat with fellow straphangers, read curated news and creative content and surf the limited intranet. “We like to encourage strangers to talk to each other, and this seemed like a great way to do it,” the founders said in a press release. “When people ride the trains during rush hour, they are forced to be so close to each other, but they rarely interact with each other. We wanted to give people something to talk about.”
According to the group, they’re not doing anything intrusive that violates any MTA rules or regulations. Their equipment fits into regular shopping bags, and they say they “aren’t doing anything you couldn’t do on the average laptop or mobile device.”
Earlier this week, the group released the video above which shows how they set up their mobile train network. Tomorrow morning is their final run. While I’m sure some people will find this art both kitschy and ridiculous, it’s a clever way to connect people on a train in the morning.
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Why is he wearing a green headband?
I could see these guys getting funding from Craigslist to keep the project going.
I think I “get” the headband
woah — didn’t mean to embed anything here…. sorry ’bout that BK — new feature in the website?
I think that’s pretty neat. And hey, maybe if Siemens’ crappy CBTC system goes down (again) they can have their friends ride the other L trains and have the trains find where they are that way! /rant against Siemens
You know, I think this is a really cool idea. It has gotten brushed off by a lot of people simply because of the population that it’s aimed at and where it originated. And maybe I’m biased (I live off the Montrose stop), but it’s a unique idea that’s extremely creative and features local artists and writers. I have a few friends who are part of the 1441 Bushwick writers collective, and it’s really awesome that their work was featured here. This is actually something that could really take off. Call it kitschy if you will, but it’s still inherently creative and gets their names out there.
LOVE the concept. Wish they could keep it going.
Between the green color scheme and the use of “Notwork” instead of “network”, I find myself reminded of this…