Sunday, May 25, 2008

Innovations on the 6:12

I have to give the passengers on the 6:12 PM train to Bridgeport a lot of credit; they're an innovative lot. Take these two fellows for example:

With the high price of gasoline, our trains are more crowded than ever. Commuters are lucky to find seats on our off-peak trains, never mind during the rush hour. This is why this gentleman's idea is brilliant:




My friend here knows that if he arrives late, he'll never get a seat, so...he brings his own. He told me that toting this chair through the city is a drag, but it's better than standing up or squishing between two smelly commuters. When his ride is over, he simply folds the chair back up and slides it back into the canvas bag. He throws the bag over his shoulder and away he goes.

I like this idea. I'm thinking of carrying a bunch of these chairs around with me and possibly renting them out. I could start a squad of train cabana boys. Maybe we could even branch out and sell drinks with little umbrellas in them.

My next passenger's innovation is more high tech:



No, this is not LeVar Burton on Star Trek, it's just one of my passengers wearing a pair of EZVision eyewear glasses, and though they're not "virtual reality"...they're pretty darn close. My friend here showed me how they work. The glasses and earphones are plugged into an iPod that is placed in his lap. A strap pulls the glasses tight to the head so all outside light is blocked out. This gives the viewer the sensation of sitting in a movie theater, stereo sound and all. Hey, maybe me and the cabana boys can sell $10 buckets of popcorn.

What will they think of next?

*I'd like to thank these gentlemen for allowing me to use their images for this post.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bobby, I think you could clean up with your portable-seat-and-popcorn concession, not to mention the little drinks with the umbrellas. It's astonishing what people will think of to get themselves through a commute, isn't it? Your blog is always the first place I go! Always makes me laugh.

Anonymous said...

Is that portable seat metro north approved? What happens when someone hits the breaks suddenly and that passengergoes flying through the air? I see a BIG lawsuit ahead.

Bobby said...

It's gotta be safer than standing(which is what a lot of our passengers do) and besides, it's not like our seats have seat belts.

Anonymous said...

I've seen the VR guy with the specs before on the train!! Almost thought it was a remake of The Lawnmower Man!! lol Goodness I can only imagine what he is seeing in those!! I mean hey if they are x-ray specs, he needs to let me borrow them the next time I ever work Train #6504!! (Lots of fine female talent!! They could come in handy!! lol :-D )