Idle question inspired on the sixth floor
spa...@pffcu.com
Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
--
Let the people think they govern and they will be governed.
-- William Penn
Boron Elgar
>
>Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
>can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
It makes them easier to locate or track from the air.
Boron
Blinky the Shark
> Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
> can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
For the same reason black'n'whites do. Identification. Think
helicopters, and I don't mean black ones.
--
Blinky Linux Registered User 297263
Upgrading From IE http://blinkynet.net/comp/upgrade.html
Mozilla Firefox http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
Dana Carpender
spa...@pffcu.com wrote:
> Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
> can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
>
Ever hear of traffic helicopters?
Dana
Al Yellon
>
> Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
> can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
The United Center in Chicago also has its logo painted on the roof, where
no one entering it from the ground can see it. Obviously, it's so it can be
seen from helicopters or planes, or the Sears Tower observation deck.
--
"People ask me what I do in the winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell
you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."- Rogers Hornsby
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rants, comments, reviews: || To contact me use the following:
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Binyamin Dissen
:>Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
:>can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
Somehow, if they were jumped to from great heights, I doubt that the jumper
would care which bus they jumped on.
--
Binyamin Dissen <bdi...@dissensoftware.com>
http://www.dissensoftware.com
Should you use the mailblocks package and expect a response from me,
you should preauthorize the dissensoftware.com domain.
I very rarely bother responding to challenge/response systems,
especially those from irresponsible companies.
Greg Goss
>Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
>can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
Probably for choppers. How many police / traffic&news choppers are in
the air over LA at any given time?
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
spa...@pffcu.com
In fact, yes.
Why on Earth do traffic helicopters need to know what number bus is
stuck on the Schyulkill? Do they honestly say "Bus number 87875 - why,
that's the Tioga line!"
--
Strap them kids in / give 'em a little bit of Benadryl
and a cherry coke we're going to / Oklahoma.
-- James McMurtry
John Hatpin
>Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
>can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
It's so that the aerial cameraman can be sure which one's got Sandra
Bullock in the driving seat. Stuff like that can be important.
--
John Hatpin
Chip C
At night buses go to sleep in big fields at the edge of town or in poor
neighborhoods, packed close together nose-to-tail and side-to-side.
Their handlers watch over them from towers, from which only their
distictive dorsal markings can be seen to verify that they've all come
home or to pick a favourite out from the herd.
Chip C
Bob Ward
>Dana Carpender <dcar...@kivanospam.net> wrote:
>>
>>
>> spa...@pffcu.com wrote:
>>
>>> Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
>>> can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
>>>
>>
>> Ever hear of traffic helicopters?
>>
>
>In fact, yes.
>
>Why on Earth do traffic helicopters need to know what number bus is
>stuck on the Schyulkill? Do they honestly say "Bus number 87875 - why,
>that's the Tioga line!"
A bus has been hijacked. Which one?
Greg Goss
>On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 09:25:40 -0500 spa...@pffcu.com wrote:
>
>:>Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
>:>can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
>
>Somehow, if they were jumped to from great heights, I doubt that the jumper
>would care which bus they jumped on.
I first noticed the bus numbers in SPEED. There, it was highly useful
to the audience to recognize the bus instantly.
Mark Steese
> Dana Carpender <dcar...@kivanospam.net> wrote:
>
>> spa...@pffcu.com wrote:
>>
>>> Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
>>> can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
>>>
>>
>> Ever hear of traffic helicopters?
>
> In fact, yes.
>
> Why on Earth do traffic helicopters need to know what number bus is
> stuck on the Schyulkill? Do they honestly say "Bus number 87875 - why,
> that's the Tioga line!"
Buses do more than get stuck -- they break down, go off the road, crash,
etc. If you're calling something like that in from a helicopter, it helps
to be able to identify the bus in question, no?
--
Mark Steese
Unscramble and underscore to email
----------------------------------
In our age, there is no such thing as "keeping out of politics." All
issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies,
evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. -George Orwell
Stephen Fels
"Mark Steese" <makes...@charter.net> wrote in message
news:Xns95DD9530...@69.28.186.121...
> spa...@pffcu.com wrote in news:1ovib2x...@tasker.pffcu.org:
>
>> Dana Carpender <dcar...@kivanospam.net> wrote:
>>
>>> spa...@pffcu.com wrote:
>>>
>>>> Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
>>>> can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Ever hear of traffic helicopters?
>>
>> In fact, yes.
>>
>> Why on Earth do traffic helicopters need to know what number bus is
>> stuck on the Schyulkill? Do they honestly say "Bus number 87875 - why,
>> that's the Tioga line!"
>
> Buses do more than get stuck -- they break down, go off the road, crash,
> etc. If you're calling something like that in from a helicopter, it helps
> to be able to identify the bus in question, no?
So, bus companies spend extra money painting a number on the roof, because
they feel helicopters are their best line of communication in an emergency?
That's why they have radios on busses.
I suspect the idea offered earlier, though presented with humor, is
correct... Identification in the crowded bus yard, where it is easier to
look down from the upper floors of the office (or a tower) than it would be
to wander among the rows, looking for the number on the side, or back.
--
Stephen
Home Page: stephmon.com
Satellite Hunting: sathunt.com
spa...@pffcu.com
> spa...@pffcu.com wrote:
>> Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
>> can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
>>
> neighborhoods, packed close together nose-to-tail and side-to-side.
> Their handlers watch over them from towers, from which only their
> distictive dorsal markings can be seen to verify that they've all come
> home or to pick a favourite out from the herd.
>
Finally an explanation that makes sense.
-
Your legs are too short to kick-box with the Buddha.
Bob Ward
wrote:
Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming the
streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is saying
"Hey, guys, over here!"
Jim Ellwanger
<bob...@verizon.net> wrote:
> Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
> question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming the
> streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is saying
> "Hey, guys, over here!"
Electronic destination signs have an emergency message built into the
system. The ones I've seen flip between "EMERGENCY" and "CALL POLICE."
--
Jim Ellwanger <use...@ellwanger.tv>
<http://www.ellwanger.tv> welcomes you daily.
Mark Steese
news:rxPFd.198711$8G4....@tornado.tampabay.rr.com:
>
> "Mark Steese" <makes...@charter.net> wrote in message
> news:Xns95DD9530...@69.28.186.121...
>> spa...@pffcu.com wrote in news:1ovib2x...@tasker.pffcu.org:
>>
>>> Dana Carpender <dcar...@kivanospam.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> spa...@pffcu.com wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof?
>>>>> There can't be that many people jumping into them from a great
>>>>> height.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Ever hear of traffic helicopters?
>>>
>>> In fact, yes.
>>>
>>> Why on Earth do traffic helicopters need to know what number bus is
>>> stuck on the Schyulkill? Do they honestly say "Bus number 87875 -
>>> why, that's the Tioga line!"
>>
>> Buses do more than get stuck -- they break down, go off the road,
>> crash, etc. If you're calling something like that in from a
>> helicopter, it helps to be able to identify the bus in question, no?
>
> So, bus companies spend extra money painting a number on the roof,
> because they feel helicopters are their best line of communication in
> an emergency? That's why they have radios on busses.
"Extra money"? The buses have to be painted anyway. I doubt that the
expense of painting a bus's roof would be significantly reduced by
omitting the number.
As to radios, there are situations where a police/rescue helicopter may
need to ID a bus in trouble after receiving a radio call for help.
Someone else already mentioned hijackings. If you have to distinguish
between a hijacked bus and a non-hijacked bus from the air, doesn't it
help if the buses have big honkin' ID numbers painted on them?
There are also situations in which the bus driver is incapacitated and
unable to use the radio. If a bus dispatcher calls in a report that bus
3765 is long overdue and the police do an aerial recon of the place
where it was last seen, it's definitely going to be helpful if they can
distinguish between the missing bus and all the non-missing buses they
might see.
> I suspect the idea offered earlier, though presented with humor, is
> correct... Identification in the crowded bus yard, where it is easier
> to look down from the upper floors of the office (or a tower) than it
> would be to wander among the rows, looking for the number on the side,
> or back.
I've passed by any number of city bus parking lots in my day, and I've
never seen one that was near tall buildings. The nearest buildings tend
to be garages where the buses can be worked on when necessary.
Bob Ward
wrote:
>In article <h9cgu01239ubcokfn...@4ax.com>, Bob Ward
><bob...@verizon.net> wrote:
>
>> Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
>> question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming the
>> streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is saying
>> "Hey, guys, over here!"
>
>Electronic destination signs have an emergency message built into the
>system. The ones I've seen flip between "EMERGENCY" and "CALL POLICE."
Still not very useful from 800 feet or so...
Blinky the Shark
> As to radios, there are situations where a police/rescue helicopter
> may need to ID a bus in trouble after receiving a radio call for help.
> Someone else already mentioned hijackings. If you have to distinguish
> between a hijacked bus and a non-hijacked bus from the air, doesn't it
> help if the buses have big honkin' ID numbers painted on them?
Nobody seems flabbergasted at top numbers on police cars, but just as a
datapoint on top numbering for identification in general, that has to go
back at least to the '60s, based on Adam-12, which I doubt would've
added them just for the show.
Stephen Fels
"Bob Ward" <bob...@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:h9cgu01239ubcokfn...@4ax.com...
Charles Bishop
Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote:
>"Bob Ward" <bob...@verizon.net> wrote in message
[snip preceeding]
>>
>> Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
>> question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming the
>> streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is saying
>> "Hey, guys, over here!"
>>
>Um, "Hey guys, over here, at 23rd and State! Westbound!
It's tough to do hypotheticals, especially on the 'net, but I'd guess if
the bus is hijacked, the hijackers aren't likely to let the driver give a
position, or any info. It's hard to see why anyone whould hijack a bus
though, so I'm guessing the numbers on the roof are for other, more
likely, purposes, such as inventory control.
charles
Bob Ward
wrote:
"Hey, guys, over - blam blam blam blam..."
Bob Ward
Just where do the inventory control clerks stand to do the counting in
New Mexico, Charles?
I'd still put my money on public safety.
Blinky the Shark
> In article <H6bGd.199224$8G4.1...@tornado.tampabay.rr.com>, "Stephen
> Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote:
>>"Bob Ward" <bob...@verizon.net> wrote in message
> [snip preceeding]
>>> Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
>>> question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming
>>> the streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is
>>> saying "Hey, guys, over here!"
>>Um, "Hey guys, over here, at 23rd and State! Westbound!
> It's tough to do hypotheticals, especially on the 'net, but I'd guess
> if the bus is hijacked, the hijackers aren't likely to let the driver
> give a position, or any info. It's hard to see why anyone whould
> hijack a bus
Plenty of Google hits for "hijacked bus", "bus hijacking", etc. I
didn't look deeply, but the only one on the first page or two that was
USan was in Utah (it was a Greyhound).
> though, so I'm guessing the numbers on the roof are for other, more
> likely, purposes, such as inventory control.
I'd say that would be the least of the reasons. I can't imagine the
city (or other entity) going up in a choppers every morning to write
down all of the top numbers of the buses in the yard (or any other such
scenes I can dream up).
Charles Bishop
wrote:
I don't know why we should worry about how other countries keep track of
their buses.
>
>I'd still put my money on public safety.
Sorry, Public Saftey finished out of the money.
charles, though he went off at 11 to 8
Charles Bishop
Shark <no....@box.invalid> wrote:
>Charles Bishop wrote:
>> In article <H6bGd.199224$8G4.1...@tornado.tampabay.rr.com>, "Stephen
>> Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote:
>
>>>"Bob Ward" <bob...@verizon.net> wrote in message
>> [snip preceeding]
>
>>>> Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
>>>> question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming
>>>> the streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is
>>>> saying "Hey, guys, over here!"
>
>>>Um, "Hey guys, over here, at 23rd and State! Westbound!
>
>> It's tough to do hypotheticals, especially on the 'net, but I'd guess
>> if the bus is hijacked, the hijackers aren't likely to let the driver
>> give a position, or any info. It's hard to see why anyone whould
>> hijack a bus
>
>Plenty of Google hits for "hijacked bus", "bus hijacking", etc. I
>didn't look deeply, but the only one on the first page or two that was
>USan was in Utah (it was a Greyhound).
>
>> though, so I'm guessing the numbers on the roof are for other, more
>> likely, purposes, such as inventory control.
>
>I'd say that would be the least of the reasons. I can't imagine the
>city (or other entity) going up in a choppers every morning to write
>down all of the top numbers of the buses in the yard (or any other such
>scenes I can dream up).
I'm not doing well today. For inventory control I also meant, where the
buses are on the road at any time-are they where they're supposed to be?
On the other hand, some real research may be needed.
charles, I volunteer Blinky
Blinky the Shark
Okay, I'll merge into that lane with you, too. :) I can't imagine the
city (or other entity) going up in choppers to write down the top
numbers of the buses they see, with the date and time, and their
location on the streets.
> On the other hand, some real research may be needed.
> charles, I volunteer Blinky
Blinky is completely satisfied that the numbers are there for whatever
kind of emergencies make their use valuable, rather than so that
Official Bus Counters can read them from Offical Bus Counter
Helicopters or while wearing Official Bus Counter Stilts.
Mark Steese
>> Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
>> question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming the
>> streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is saying
>> "Hey, guys, over here!"
>>
> Um, "Hey guys, over here, at 23rd and State! Westbound!
"Good thing our city has a talking bus!"
--
Mark Steese
unscramble and underscore to email
----------------------------------
Everywhere I go, I'm asked if the universities stifle writers. My opinion
is that they don't stifle enough of them.
-Flannery O'Connor
Stephen Fels
> "Stephen Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote in
> news:rxPFd.198711$8G4....@tornado.tampabay.rr.com:
>
>>
>> "Mark Steese" <makes...@charter.net> wrote in message
>> news:Xns95DD9530...@69.28.186.121...
>>> crash, etc. If you're calling something like that in from a
>>> helicopter, it helps to be able to identify the bus in question, no?
>>
>> So, bus companies spend extra money painting a number on the roof,
>> because they feel helicopters are their best line of communication in
>> an emergency? That's why they have radios on busses.
>
> "Extra money"? The buses have to be painted anyway. I doubt that the
> expense of painting a bus's roof would be significantly reduced by
> omitting the number.
Ever priced a paint job with a graphic the size of a bus roof, verses
plain? The difference could run into the thousands.
> As to radios, there are situations where a police/rescue helicopter may
> need to ID a bus in trouble after receiving a radio call for help.
> Someone else already mentioned hijackings. If you have to distinguish
> between a hijacked bus and a non-hijacked bus from the air, doesn't it
> help if the buses have big honkin' ID numbers painted on them?
Busses are hijacked frequently enough that painting them for such
identification makes sense?
> There are also situations in which the bus driver is incapacitated and
> unable to use the radio. If a bus dispatcher calls in a report that bus
> 3765 is long overdue and the police do an aerial recon of the place
> where it was last seen, it's definitely going to be helpful if they can
> distinguish between the missing bus and all the non-missing buses they
> might see.
But, why are busses such a special case? Why aren't ambulances, or trains
similarly identified?
>> I suspect the idea offered earlier, though presented with humor, is
>> correct... Identification in the crowded bus yard, where it is easier
>> to look down from the upper floors of the office (or a tower) than it
>> would be to wander among the rows, looking for the number on the side,
>> or back.
>
> I've passed by any number of city bus parking lots in my day, and I've
> never seen one that was near tall buildings. The nearest buildings tend
> to be garages where the buses can be worked on when necessary.
It would only take a two story building, or even a one story, with access to
the roof. I've seen such lots with what look like guard towers and sometimes
'crows nests' in the middle. That's why I lean toward this explanation.
Mark Steese
15010512...@user-38ldvsd.dialup.mindspring.com:
[snip]
>>Plenty of Google hits for "hijacked bus", "bus hijacking", etc. I
>>didn't look deeply, but the only one on the first page or two that was
>>USan was in Utah (it was a Greyhound).
>>
>>> though, so I'm guessing the numbers on the roof are for other, more
>>> likely, purposes, such as inventory control.
>>
>>I'd say that would be the least of the reasons. I can't imagine the
>>city (or other entity) going up in a choppers every morning to write
>>down all of the top numbers of the buses in the yard (or any other
>>such scenes I can dream up).
>
> I'm not doing well today. For inventory control I also meant, where
> the buses are on the road at any time-are they where they're supposed
> to be?
You don't need to see the buses for that: the simplest way to accomplish
it is to have the drivers radio in regularly. Transit companies rarely
own their own helicopters.
The most plausible reason to have the bus number painted on the roof is
to provide a rapid means of aerial identification during a crisis. Of
course, that doesn't mean it's the real reason, but unless someone
produces evidence to the contrary, I'll stick with it.
> On the other hand, some real research may be needed.
>
> charles, I volunteer Blinky
Or somebody could write a letter to Cecil.
--
Mark Steese
unscramble and underscore to email
----------------------------------
Blinky the Shark
> Ever priced a paint job with a graphic the size of a bus roof, verses
> plain? The difference could run into the thousands.
The characters are probably a big mylar-or-whatever stick-on. Not free,
but probably not thousands of dollars.
Stephen Fels
"Blinky the Shark" <no....@box.invalid> wrote in message
news:slrncuhdp5....@thurston.blinkynet.net...
> Mark Steese wrote:
>
>> As to radios, there are situations where a police/rescue helicopter
>> may need to ID a bus in trouble after receiving a radio call for help.
>> Someone else already mentioned hijackings. If you have to distinguish
>> between a hijacked bus and a non-hijacked bus from the air, doesn't it
>> help if the buses have big honkin' ID numbers painted on them?
>
> Nobody seems flabbergasted at top numbers on police cars, but just as a
> datapoint on top numbering for identification in general, that has to go
> back at least to the '60s, based on Adam-12, which I doubt would've
> added them just for the show.
Police cars are routinely involved in coordinated chases with air support.
In that case, it makes perfect sense to top number them. I just can't
imagine that busses are involved in hijackings often enough to justify the
additional expense.
Boron Elgar
wrote:
>
I do not think it is highjackings that are the primary driver (pardon
the pun) behind this. Quickly and accurately locating a bus, often
among many others on a route, whether it is lost, or broken down, has
an onboard emergency or is sighted driving erratically or illegally
are the most likely scenarios.
I know that if one drives the NJ Turnpike or Parkways, there are
dozens and dozens of buses in easy view at rush-hour. They can take up
whole lanes, just like line-parading elephants.
Most places are easily monitored by air and often under direct monitor
almost all the time. If any need whatsoever arises to be able to
identify a bus, numbers would be in place.
I do not know the risk-benefit ratio is calculated, but since these
buses are usually numbered in at least 4 places already, adding it on
the roof may not be much of a problem. Do you have some figures that
indicate a great additional expense is required and significantly
raises the cost of bus prep?
Someone must like the numbers as several states mandate it on school
buses and some regular ones, too, along with detailing the size of the
numbers on the rooftop. I realize there are just those who will join
into the CYA mode, but this one doesn't bother me for some reason.
Check out PA & KA files, which I easily found
http://www.marc.org/transportation/Forums/SafetyForum.pdf
http://www2.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/BT/2003/0/SB0250P0255.pdf
Some states mandate satellite monitoring equipment, too.
Boron
Blinky the Shark
> Or somebody could write a letter to Cecil.
Submitted.
Blinky the Shark
> "Blinky the Shark" <no....@box.invalid> wrote in message
> news:slrncuhdp5....@thurston.blinkynet.net...
>> Mark Steese wrote:
>>> As to radios, there are situations where a police/rescue helicopter
>>> may need to ID a bus in trouble after receiving a radio call for
>>> help. Someone else already mentioned hijackings. If you have to
>>> distinguish between a hijacked bus and a non-hijacked bus from the
>>> air, doesn't it help if the buses have big honkin' ID numbers
>>> painted on them?
>> Nobody seems flabbergasted at top numbers on police cars, but just as
>> a datapoint on top numbering for identification in general, that has
>> to go back at least to the '60s, based on Adam-12, which I doubt
>> would've added them just for the show.
> Police cars are routinely involved in coordinated chases with air
I watch them freqently, here in Los Angeles.
> support. In that case, it makes perfect sense to top number them. I
> just can't imagine that busses are involved in hijackings often enough
> to justify the additional expense.
I tried so hard to express "I'm just tossing in a chunk of timeline on
top numbering in general" when I said "but just as a datapoint on top
numbering for identification in general". I gess I failed.
kay w
SF:
>Busses are hijacked frequently enough that painting them for such
>identification makes sense?
I realize all buses aren't school buses, but.....
From the School Transportation News
http://www.stnonline.com/stn/industrynews/terrorism/security_onboard2.htm
Georgia has one of the most comprehensive school bus security programs
nationwide. Headed by GEMA, statewide workshops have been held since
2000 to help school districts implement security plans in their
everyday transportation operations. GEMA teaches bus drivers the
importance of screening riders – and anyone approaching the bus – for
weapons and explosives, how to identify suspicious substances and
powders, and how to deal with hostage situations. Steve Harris, GEMA
school safety project manager, said the program recommends all buses
come equipped with rooftop numbering to assistance law enforcement
with identifying and tracking the bus, as well as employing a Global
Positioning System.
--
"If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner."
Tallulah Bankhead
Charles Bishop
Shark <no....@box.invalid> wrote:
>Mark Steese wrote:
>
>> Or somebody could write a letter to Cecil.
>
>Submitted.
See, I knew you were the go-to guy^Wshark
charles, What's your Cecil number?
Bob Ward
What is "Route Management"?, Alex
Bob Ward
wrote:
>
Please, could you itemize the additional expense?
Jerry Bauer
(in article <dgjju0pdpoj4ialo5...@4ax.com>):
>
> Please, could you itemize the additional expense?
>
>
(1) the additional expense
Bob Ward
wrote:
>
>But, why are busses such a special case? Why aren't ambulances, or trains
>similarly identified?
I'm pretty sure I've seen numbers on ambulances, and I can't recall
the last time I encountered a free-ramnging train.
Blinky the Shark
>>Mark Steese wrote:
>>Submitted.
Huh?
Charles Bishop
Shark <no....@box.invalid> wrote:
>Charles Bishop wrote:
>
>> In article <slrncuj81e....@thurston.blinkynet.net>, Blinky the
>> Shark <no....@box.invalid> wrote:
>
>>>Mark Steese wrote:
>
>>>> Or somebody could write a letter to Cecil.
>
>>>Submitted.
>
>> See, I knew you were the go-to guy^Wshark
>
>> charles, What's your Cecil number?
>
>Huh?
Cryptic didn't work I guess. To recap:
We were discussing the reason for id. numbers on the tops of buses
Many opinions were offered, including mine, which turned out to be less
likely than I thought
I suggested the more research was needed and that you were the guy to do it
You said you were happy with your reasoning
Mark mentioned that there was a higher source we could consult
You sent the HS a letter asking the question (I infer)
I complemented you and said I knew you were the one to do the additional
research needed (or to be the one to farm it out)
charles, I think that covers it, and it's only because it's you asking
that I went to the trouble
Greg Goss
The bus yard near where I used to live had a small three story office
along one edge of it. You don't need choppers to check out which bus
hasn't come in yet.
--
Tomorrow is today already.
Greg Goss, 1989-01-27
Blinky the Shark
>>Charles Bishop wrote:
>>>>Mark Steese wrote:
>>>>Submitted.
Yeah, I know all that. I was there. My question was about (and thus
directly followed, his invalid sig, which, in what would normally be an
internym but is in his case just something tacked onto his first name,
making it look like he's asking *himself* a question, asked "What's your
Cecil number?" It's still up there, with my question directly after it.
Bob Ward
I'm sure that that office is the reason they put numbers on all the
busses from New York to Los Angeles.
Blinky the Shark
Buy my images are a lot more fun.
Mark Steese
>>> So, bus companies spend extra money painting a number on the roof,
>>> because they feel helicopters are their best line of communication
>>> in an emergency? That's why they have radios on busses.
>>
>> "Extra money"? The buses have to be painted anyway. I doubt that the
>> expense of painting a bus's roof would be significantly reduced by
>> omitting the number.
>
> Ever priced a paint job with a graphic the size of a bus roof, verses
> plain? The difference could run into the thousands.
Then they must have a damn good reason for spending the money, no?
Saving somebody the effort of walking around a parking lot hardly seems
to justify the expense.
>> As to radios, there are situations where a police/rescue helicopter
>> may need to ID a bus in trouble after receiving a radio call for
>> help. Someone else already mentioned hijackings. If you have to
>> distinguish between a hijacked bus and a non-hijacked bus from the
>> air, doesn't it help if the buses have big honkin' ID numbers painted
>> on them?
>
> Busses are hijacked frequently enough that painting them for such
> identification makes sense?
Hijacking is but one of a number of possible situations in which it
would be useful to identify a bus from the air. Buses crash with
alarming frequency; sometimes injured passengers need to be airlifted to
a hospital. There are also situations where a passenger or the bus
driver requires emergency medical assistance. Use your imagination.
>> There are also situations in which the bus driver is incapacitated
>> and unable to use the radio. If a bus dispatcher calls in a report
>> that bus 3765 is long overdue and the police do an aerial recon of
>> the place where it was last seen, it's definitely going to be helpful
>> if they can distinguish between the missing bus and all the
>> non-missing buses they might see.
>
> But, why are busses such a special case? Why aren't ambulances, or
> trains similarly identified?
What makes you think they aren't? A few seconds of googling turned up a
site for the city of Toronto which includes PDF files showing the
graphics for ambulance roofs, which include ID numbers. See
http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/ems/site_map.htm
>>> I suspect the idea offered earlier, though presented with humor, is
>>> correct... Identification in the crowded bus yard, where it is
>>> easier to look down from the upper floors of the office (or a tower)
>>> than it would be to wander among the rows, looking for the number on
>>> the side, or back.
>>
>> I've passed by any number of city bus parking lots in my day, and
>> I've never seen one that was near tall buildings. The nearest
>> buildings tend to be garages where the buses can be worked on when
>> necessary.
>
> It would only take a two story building, or even a one story, with
> access to the roof.
It would take more than that -- buses are fairly tall vehicles. The
numbers on the ones on the farthest ends of the lot wouldn't be visible.
> I've seen such lots with what look like guard towers and sometimes
> 'crows nests' in the middle. That's why I lean toward this
> explanation.
You'd need either a very small lot or a very high tower to be able to
see the numbers on all the buses clearly, and it seems like climbing up
and down the steps to the tower would be just as time-consuming as
walking around the lot.
--
Mark Steese
Unscramble and underscore to email
----------------------------------
In our age, there is no such thing as "keeping out of politics." All
issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies,
evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. -George Orwell
Jim Ellwanger
<mere_...@charter.net> wrote:
> "Stephen Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote in
> news:H6bGd.199224$8G4.1...@tornado.tampabay.rr.com:
>
> > Um, "Hey guys, over here, at 23rd and State! Westbound!
>
> "Good thing our city has a talking bus!"
Some cities DO have talking buses, in a fashion: they have an on-board
system automatically playing back prerecorded messages announcing each
stop, using GPS data.
--
Jim Ellwanger <use...@ellwanger.tv>
<http://www.ellwanger.tv> welcomes you daily.
Charles Bishop
Shark <no....@box.invalid> wrote:
Who is "he/his/him". It looks like it's me, but maybe not and I shouldn't
answer this. In case it is me though:
I left everything quoted because your "Huh?" was a case where there were
too few words and I missed your point. You were concise, I'll admit, and
economical in your use of words and bandwidth, but it wasn't enough for me
to glean your meaning, and I missed the import of your question and went
on and on far longer than I needed to in my explanation and for all that,
missed answering your (somewhat abbreviated) question in even the remotest
manner, causing you probably a small amount of grief. I'll try again.
I intimated that you, having written a query on the numbers on the roofs
of buses to Cecil, were the go-to guy for things like this. Then, in the
epenthetic (which it really isn't because there isn't a following word) I
made a joke, a pun if you will, on a Bacon number, the number of people
between someone and Kevin Bacon. This is a running gag, I believe, here
and elsewhere. My pun, or joke, if you will, was wondering how closely you
were connected to Cecil. I didn't expect an answer, because there was a
rhetorical question attached to the pun.
charles, sorry you missed it, but am happy to be able to explain it to you
Blinky the Shark
> In article <slrncujp1l....@thurston.blinkynet.net>, Blinky the
> Shark <no....@box.invalid> wrote:
>>Charles Bishop wrote:
>>> In article <slrncujngp....@thurston.blinkynet.net>, Blinky the
>>> Shark <no....@box.invalid> wrote:
>>>>Charles Bishop wrote:
>>>>> In article <slrncuj81e....@thurston.blinkynet.net>, Blinky the
>>>>> Shark <no....@box.invalid> wrote:
>>>>>>Mark Steese wrote:
>>>>>>> Or somebody could write a letter to Cecil.
>>>>>>Submitted.
>>>>> See, I knew you were the go-to guy^Wshark
>>>>> charles, What's your Cecil number?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>>>Huh?
^^^^
>>> Cryptic didn't work I guess. To recap:
>>> We were discussing the reason for id. numbers on the tops of buses
>>> Many opinions were offered, including mine, which turned out to be less
>>> likely than I thought
>>> I suggested the more research was needed and that you were the guy to do it
>>> You said you were happy with your reasoning
>>> Mark mentioned that there was a higher source we could consult
>>> You sent the HS a letter asking the question (I infer)
>>> I complemented you and said I knew you were the one to do the additional
>>> research needed (or to be the one to farm it out)
And asked "What's your Cecil number?"
To which I directly replied, "Huh?", because I didn't know what a
"Cecil number" was.
>>> charles, I think that covers it, and it's only because it's you asking
>>> that I went to the trouble
>>Yeah, I know all that. I was there. My question was about (and thus
>>directly followed, his invalid sig, which, in what would normally be an
>>internym but is in his case just something tacked onto his first name,
>>making it look like he's asking *himself* a question, asked "What's your
>>Cecil number?" It's still up there, with my question directly after it.
> Who is "he/his/him". It looks like it's me, but maybe not and I shouldn't
> answer this. In case it is me though:
I was thinking that question was from another Charles that posts in the
group. Yes, that was your invalid sig, and your goofy non-internym that
always makes it look like you're talking to yourself.
> I left everything quoted because your "Huh?" was a case where there were
> too few words and I missed your point. You were concise, I'll admit, and
I put it directly beneath the line that I was asking about. While it's
pretty hard to *apologize* for asking it that directly, I can see where
you might have thought I was asking about the whole post, because I
didn't say "Huh? I don't understand your use of "Cecil number", in the
line above this question.
> economical in your use of words and bandwidth, but it wasn't enough for me
> to glean your meaning, and I missed the import of your question and went
> on and on far longer than I needed to in my explanation and for all that,
> missed answering your (somewhat abbreviated) question in even the remotest
> manner, causing you probably a small amount of grief. I'll try again.
Yeah, I was only asking about the "Cecil number" that was directly above
where I put the question.
> I intimated that you, having written a query on the numbers on the roofs
> of buses to Cecil, were the go-to guy for things like this. Then, in the
> epenthetic (which it really isn't because there isn't a following word) I
> made a joke, a pun if you will, on a Bacon number, the number of people
Bacon number. Say no more. Gotcha.
Wish you'd explained that in your first go at answering my thread, but
you seem to have run out of steam before you got that far into the
explanation. :) No prob, though. I'm with you now.
Blinky the Shark
> "Stephen Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote in
> news:cggGd.199947$8G4....@tornado.tampabay.rr.com:
>>>> So, bus companies spend extra money painting a number on the roof,
>>>> because they feel helicopters are their best line of communication
>>>> in an emergency? That's why they have radios on busses.
>>> "Extra money"? The buses have to be painted anyway. I doubt that the
>>> expense of painting a bus's roof would be significantly reduced by
>>> omitting the number.
>> Ever priced a paint job with a graphic the size of a bus roof, verses
>> plain? The difference could run into the thousands.
> Then they must have a damn good reason for spending the money, no?
> Saving somebody the effort of walking around a parking lot hardly seems
> to justify the expense.
<sound of tires screeching under heavy braking>
Actually, no one's established it's paint. I have a hunch they may be
plastic film characters (by noW. I included that secondary question
- paint or film - in my email to Unca Cece.
>> But, why are busses such a special case? Why aren't ambulances, or
>> trains similarly identified?
> What makes you think they aren't? A few seconds of googling turned up a
> site for the city of Toronto which includes PDF files showing the
> graphics for ambulance roofs, which include ID numbers. See
> http://www.city.toronto.on.ca/ems/site_map.htm
Nice Googling.
> You'd need either a very small lot or a very high tower to be able to
> see the numbers on all the buses clearly, and it seems like climbing up
> and down the steps to the tower would be just as time-consuming as
> walking around the lot.
Arrrrr. My day in the crows nest, eh? Yo ho ho, and a bottle of
bus-driver urine for the controlled substances check! Arrrrr! Shiver
me timbers!
Stephen Fels
"Charles Bishop" <ctbi...@earthlink.netttt> wrote in message
news:ctbishop-150...@user-38ldsjc.dialup.mindspring.com...
> In article <H6bGd.199224$8G4.1...@tornado.tampabay.rr.com>, "Stephen
> Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote:
>
>>"Bob Ward" <bob...@verizon.net> wrote in message
> [snip preceeding]
>>>
>>> Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
>>> question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming the
>>> streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is saying
>>> "Hey, guys, over here!"
>>>
>
> the bus is hijacked, the hijackers aren't likely to let the driver give a
> position, or any info. It's hard to see why anyone whould hijack a bus
> likely, purposes, such as inventory control.
That's what I've been saying...
Charles Bishop
Shark <no....@box.invalid> wrote:
[I snipped a bit]
>I put it directly beneath the line that I was asking about. While it's
>pretty hard to *apologize* for asking it that directly, I can see where
>you might have thought I was asking about the whole post, because I
>didn't say "Huh? I don't understand your use of "Cecil number", in the
>line above this question.
Apology accepted
charles, Ceçi n'est pas une .sig
Charles Bishop
<ste...@fels.cc> wrote:
>"Charles Bishop" <ctbi...@earthlink.netttt> wrote in message
>news:ctbishop-150...@user-38ldsjc.dialup.mindspring.com...
>> In article <H6bGd.199224$8G4.1...@tornado.tampabay.rr.com>, "Stephen
>> Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote:
>>
>>>"Bob Ward" <bob...@verizon.net> wrote in message
>> [snip preceeding]
>>>>
>>>> Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
>>>> question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming the
>>>> streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is saying
>>>> "Hey, guys, over here!"
>>>>
>>>Um, "Hey guys, over here, at 23rd and State! Westbound!
>>
>> It's tough to do hypotheticals, especially on the 'net, but I'd guess if
>> the bus is hijacked, the hijackers aren't likely to let the driver give a
>> position, or any info. It's hard to see why anyone whould hijack a bus
>> though, so I'm guessing the numbers on the roof are for other, more
>> likely, purposes, such as inventory control.
>
>That's what I've been saying...
It's uplifting to know I'm in such good company. However, I think the
other side, even though they are mean to dogs and cats, have good points
and I've retreated from the absolutism that is Inventory Control. Blinky
wrote to Cecil, and perhaps we can get an answer from there, or elsewhere.
I tried Googling, but only got sites that were related to bus routes.
charles
Stephen Fels
"Blinky the Shark" <no....@box.invalid> wrote in message
news:slrncuirav....@thurston.blinkynet.net...
> Charles Bishop wrote:
>> In article <H6bGd.199224$8G4.1...@tornado.tampabay.rr.com>, "Stephen
>> Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote:
>
>>>"Bob Ward" <bob...@verizon.net> wrote in message
>> [snip preceeding]
>
>>>> Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
>>>> question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming
>>>> the streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is
>>>> saying "Hey, guys, over here!"
>
>>>Um, "Hey guys, over here, at 23rd and State! Westbound!
>
>> It's tough to do hypotheticals, especially on the 'net, but I'd guess
>> if the bus is hijacked, the hijackers aren't likely to let the driver
>> give a position, or any info. It's hard to see why anyone whould
>> hijack a bus
>
> didn't look deeply, but the only one on the first page or two that was
> USan was in Utah (it was a Greyhound).
Does Greyhound put numbers on top of their busses?
>> though, so I'm guessing the numbers on the roof are for other, more
>> likely, purposes, such as inventory control.
>
> I'd say that would be the least of the reasons. I can't imagine the
> city (or other entity) going up in a choppers every morning to write
> down all of the top numbers of the buses in the yard (or any other such
> scenes I can dream up).
How about looking down from a small tower, or second floor window (or
roof/balcony) of the office? Why is everyone so fixated on helicopters?
Greg Goss
I've had Ed answer an email question. Is that a one or a two?
Bob Ward
wrote:
>
Why are you so fixated on the parking lot?
Bob Ward
wrote:
>
>> It's tough to do hypotheticals, especially on the 'net, but I'd guess if
>> the bus is hijacked, the hijackers aren't likely to let the driver give a
>> position, or any info. It's hard to see why anyone whould hijack a bus
>> though, so I'm guessing the numbers on the roof are for other, more
>> likely, purposes, such as inventory control.
>
>That's what I've been saying...
>--
That makes two of you...
Blinky the Shark
> "Blinky the Shark" <no....@box.invalid> wrote in message
> news:slrncuirav....@thurston.blinkynet.net...
>> Charles Bishop wrote:
>>> In article <H6bGd.199224$8G4.1...@tornado.tampabay.rr.com>,
>>> "Stephen Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote:
>>>>"Bob Ward" <bob...@verizon.net> wrote in message
>>> [snip preceeding]
>>>>> Talking on the radio still does not VISUALLY identify the bus in
>>>>> question. If a bus is hijacked, and there are 200 busses roaming
>>>>> the streets, how are the good guys supposed to tell which bus is
>>>>> saying "Hey, guys, over here!"
>>>>Um, "Hey guys, over here, at 23rd and State! Westbound!
>>> It's tough to do hypotheticals, especially on the 'net, but I'd
>>> guess if the bus is hijacked, the hijackers aren't likely to let the
>>> driver give a position, or any info. It's hard to see why anyone
>>> whould hijack a bus
>> Plenty of Google hits for "hijacked bus", "bus hijacking", etc. I
>> didn't look deeply, but the only one on the first page or two that
>> was USan was in Utah (it was a Greyhound).
> Does Greyhound put numbers on top of their busses?
I don't know.
>>> though, so I'm guessing the numbers on the roof are for other, more
>>> likely, purposes, such as inventory control.
>> I'd say that would be the least of the reasons. I can't imagine the
>> city (or other entity) going up in a choppers every morning to write
>> down all of the top numbers of the buses in the yard (or any other
>> such scenes I can dream up).
> How about looking down from a small tower, or second floor window (or
> roof/balcony) of the office? Why is everyone so fixated on
> helicopters?
As for me, because it's an even funnier image than a Bus Counter's
Crow's Nest On A Tower ("Ahoy, Number 6734! Cast off all lines!"), which
isn't much more likely, IMO, than keeping track of your busses from a
tall building in the industrial zones where most cities probably have
their bus yards. (And it's the nature of of afca that in all but the
worst of Fuck-You Rants there's usually a bit of humor thrown in.)
Blinky the Shark
>>"Cecil number"
> I've had Ed answer an email question. Is that a one or a two?
Ask Charles; it's his construct.
SoCalMike
> You'd need either a very small lot or a very high tower to be able to
> see the numbers on all the buses clearly, and it seems like climbing up
> and down the steps to the tower would be just as time-consuming as
> walking around the lot.
an observation camera (or several) on a tall pole would likely be cheap
enough.
SoCalMike
>>It's tough to do hypotheticals, especially on the 'net, but I'd guess if
>>the bus is hijacked, the hijackers aren't likely to let the driver give a
>>position, or any info. It's hard to see why anyone whould hijack a bus
>>though, so I'm guessing the numbers on the roof are for other, more
>>likely, purposes, such as inventory control.
>
>
> That's what I've been saying...
judging from what my observation camera tells me, number 10 is over on
the far side of the lot near the dumpster. the driver says the brakes
have been feeling kinda mushy, so could you put it in the garage and
give it a once-over? he also says one of the headlights are out, and the
wipers are streaky too- so go ahead and replace those.
SoCalMike
> How about looking down from a small tower, or second floor window (or
> roof/balcony) of the office? Why is everyone so fixated on helicopters?
its all about observation cameras, mang!
spa...@pffcu.com
> Chip C <chipc...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> spa...@pffcu.com wrote:
>>> Why on Earth do buses have their numbers painted on the roof? There
>>> can't be that many people jumping into them from a great height.
>>>
>
>> At night buses go to sleep in big fields at the edge of town or in poor
>> neighborhoods, packed close together nose-to-tail and side-to-side.
>> Their handlers watch over them from towers, from which only their
>> distictive dorsal markings can be seen to verify that they've all come
>> home or to pick a favourite out from the herd.
>>
>
> Finally an explanation that makes sense.
You know it's probably 20 degrees farenheit out there today. I'm not
kidding, And going up 10th between Market and Filbert the Gallery cuts
off the sunshine and a wind kicks up blowing straight southbound, right
in your teeth like a Sawzall out of a chicken cannon.
But never the less, in the interest of Science, I walked down 10th
Street, into the wind. Not too far, I had to drop by B. Dalton to pick
up a new desk calendar; my "paper airplane a day" calendar turned out
to be the same six planes repeated every week, with different
background pictures. Think I'm going to waste my time making 52
Monarchs, each one more fumble-fingered than the last? I don't think
so.
So here's the thing. The Greyhound / Peter Pan bus station, on the edge
of Chinatown and really not that far from some spectacular skyscrapers,
in the middle of the fifth-largest city in the nation, a place that
rarely is anything less than filled to capacity with both buses and
people, is, at its highest point, twelve feet tall. Roughly. I had to
eyeball it and I wasn't going to stand and gawk while my eyelids froze
open. But it's one lousy story, with a pitched roof that doesn't look
like the Bus Commander would climb up there, no cameras on poles or
high stepladders or even a small trebuchet.
So I guess that the constant bus hijackings plaguing the nation are
looking more like a suspect. But I won't beleive it until Uncle Cecil
says it's so.
--
Don't drink the pickle juice until the pickles are all gone.
E.I.
"Bob Ward" <bob...@verizon.net> wrote ...
> "Stephen Fels" <ste...@fels.cc> wrote:
>
> >But, why are busses such a special case? Why aren't ambulances, or trains
> >similarly identified?
>
> I'm pretty sure I've seen numbers on ambulances, and I can't recall
> the last time I encountered a free-ramnging train.
Just maybe you don't get out enough ?
E.I.
"Chip C" <chipc...@yahoo.com> wrote ...
>
> At night buses go to sleep in big fields at the edge of town or in poor
> neighborhoods, packed close together nose-to-tail and side-to-side.
> Their handlers watch over them from towers, from which only their
> distictive dorsal markings can be seen to verify that they've all come
> home or to pick a favourite out from the herd.
... Calvins' Dad ? ... is that YOU ?
>
> Chip C
>
E.I.
"Blinky the Shark" <no....@box.invalid> wrote ...
> Charles Bishop wrote:
>
> > Blinky the Shark <no....@box.invalid> wrote:
>
> >>Mark Steese wrote:
>
> >>> Or somebody could write a letter to Cecil.
>
> >>Submitted.
>
> > See, I knew you were the go-to guy^Wshark
>
> > charles, What's your Cecil number?
>
http://oracleofbacon.org/oracle/star_links.html
Greg Goss
I can't remember who it was, or whether it was here, but someone
suggested that Calvin's dad was named Dennis, getting payback for a
youth as a blonde toon hellion.