Well, it was inevitable. Yes, we have other terrible secrets besides the fact that we're enamored with transit minutiae. Scary, no? Well, it turns out that we're ungodly dweebs for a good DIY project. And what could possibly be better than to combine our two loves into one horrendously nerdy endeavor?

That said, we're going to start off our post this week close to home, featuring a project created by our very own Tom Lee. Tom presented this crafty work at a recent DorkbotDC meeting, and kindly allowed us to show it off here as well. It's an ingenious little idea that combines both DIY creativity and Metro usability. We'll let Tom explain in his own words:

I built a magical picture frame to tell me when I need to leave to catch the Metro. Allow me to explain. There are really just four parts to it. First, there's the picture frame, bezel, LEDs and meters. That just took a visit to a few electronics, craft and junk shops, plus some meticulous cutting, gluing, taping and soldering.

(Tom Lee)

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Second, there's the Arduino. Arduino is an increasingly popular platform that makes it easy for hobbyists to use microcontrollers, which are basically very tiny computers that run programs and can control a few wires' worth of input and output. An Arduino costs between $30 and $40, and you can find out more about them here. In this case the Arduino is responsible for controlling the lights and meters.

Telling the Arduino what to do is a router running a custom firmware. which I got for free but which might cost another $10-50 depending on where and which one you got (a router, of course, will also set you back $40 to $100) CORRECTION: The custom firmware is freely available; the router may cost between $10 and $50, depending on which one you get and how good your eBay luck is. The firmware makes the router a tiny, flexible computer -- one that's much more powerful than the Arduino, and which can connect to the internet over my apartment's wifi network. I talked about this technique (and the project in general) at the last Dorkbot DC meeting; you can listen to my presentation and view my slides here. The router is responsible for telling the Arduino how many seconds there are until the next train. The Arduino uses that information to set the meters and LEDs to the appropriate state.

Finally, there's a script running on a webserver. The router dials in to that script as needed, and it goes and talks to the WMATA Rideguide website. It plugs in my address and a few destinations -- the specific ones vary by the time of day, so that I can see the time to work in the morning and the time to nightlife in the evening -- and gets back a web page. It parses it, figures out when the next train or bus is, then figures out how many seconds there are between that time and the current time. And, as mentioned, that's what gets sent to the Arduino, which then counts down and manages the lights and meters. When it's time to get another update, the router does so.

The result: a couple of needle indicators that count down from 40 minutes to zero. I've also measured the time it takes to walk to the Metro from my apartment and configured the Arduino so that if there's enough time left to catch the train, the backlight is amber. If there isn't, it's red. And if it's the 60 seconds in between those two periods -- the time when I really need to get going -- both lights are illuminated.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming: after the jump, we've got your usual roundup of the week's transit stories.

We Can't Collect Taxes Anymore? Well, There's Always YouTube: WTOP reports this morning on a new initiative by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority that's encouraging people to record how bad their commutes are by posting videos to a dedicated YouTube channel. The organization - which recently had its ability to tax taken away by the Virginia Supreme Court, is looking to create a sort of grassroots effort to prove to the state's General Assembly that more money is desperately needed.

We can't argue with the fact that Virginia needs to dedicate more public money to transportation projects. But while we have no doubts that there is going to be some hilarity in these videos (even though the YouTube site clearly states "WARNING! PLEASE DON'T USE CAMERAS WHILE DRIVING" and promises monitoring), one has to wonder - doesn't it seem like a cheap way to earn back the favor of residents after bungling the refunds of over $24 million in unconstitutionally collected taxes?

What do you think, Northern Virginians? Will you be uploading a video - or is the taste of the NVTA still too sour?

Meters Break, But the Law Doesn't: There's been quite the gabfest on the Cleveland Park email list recently over a very interesting question: if you are trying to find a parking space and the only one available is at a broken meter - can you park there legally and expect a ticketless windshield upon your return? Well, as one would imagine - since most meters don't say "broken," just an ambiguous "FAILED" message - parking enforcers will ticket your car; that is, unless you report the meter as broken to DDOT. Expectedly, it's quite the process. According to once response:

There is a number to call on the meter plus an identifying number for each meter. They will give you a confirmation number. This will not keep you from getting a ticket, but it is a way of establishing that the meter did not work. But even if you didn't report it you can still deny liability by writing a letter of explanation and filling out the back of the ticket and mailing it in.

He's had made large stickers which say, in large letters, "Meter Broken". He sticks them on the glass of the non-functioning meters when whever he encounters. one Then, if he gets a ticket despite, he photographs the meter with a small camera that is always in the car. He then sends the photo + ticket with explanation on the back to the appropriate city office.

Engines and Cabooses: Scheduled rail testings may cause minor delays over the next three weeks...Route 1 around Alexandria is still going to be a mess for the rest of the week...Speaking of Northern Virginia traffic issues, there's a new ramp opening at the Mixing Bowl...April 9 saw Metro record the ninth-highest one day ridership in the system's history.