Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with MTA

The MTA took my baby away

orville sash — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:15:39 -0800

Why does the New York City's Metro Transit Authority keep losing money? After seeing fares rise significantly in my tenure as a New Yorker, I have read over and over again that the MTA is going to have to put service and lines on the chopping block in order to overcome budget shortfalls, but I have yet to see an article that thoroughly explores what is causing these budget shortfalls. Can anyone tell me why this continues to happen, especially in light of the fact that they had a budget surplus in the winter of 2005-2006?

I'm pretty much fucked without Google Transit.

Asherah — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:20:22 -0800

When will Google Transit reflect the recent updates to the Maryland Transit Administration (Baltimore) schedules? I've been using Google Transit via Maps on my iPhone religiously to get around Baltimore (as a car-less student). Since recent updates have taken place, effective yesterday (as reported by the MTA website), Google Transit cannot provide directions anywhere, however Baltimore/MTA is still listed as a supported transportation service on the list of cities.

Any idea of how long I will be waiting for Google and the MTA to communicate schedules and I will be able to utilize it again?

Postfix/Altermime vs. Google Apps

doomtop — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:43:04 -0800

E-mail disclaimers: Postfix/Altermime setup works great except when used as an SMTP outbound gateway for Google Apps it strips the HTML version of the disclaimer. So I have finally got Postfix running the way I'd like. I'm using Altermime to automatically attach a disclaimer to the footer of every e-mail sent through it.

Altermime includes a plaintext and an html version of the disclaimer.

Whenever I send an e-mail through Postfix using a mail client (such as Outlook, etc.) the disclaimer works perfectly. It includes the plaintext version and if you view the message in html it includes the html version.

However, when I set up my Google Apps for Domains system to use the Postfix server as the "Outbound Gateway" it somehow causes the html version of the disclaimer to be stripped from the message. So the recipient gets the disclaimer in plaintext view, but if they view it in html there is no disclaimer whatsoever.

I can't seem to figure out where why how this is happening?!@?!

New York City in one post or less

regicide is good for you — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:24:14 -0800

New Yorkers, please give a Canadian a crash course in your city. I'll be arriving shortly, and it'll be my first first time there in a while. I already know a bunch of places I want to visit or revisit (but mostly plan to wander) - but coming from a city with only two subway lines, the thought of your transit system somehow gives me both claustrophobia and agoraphobia at the same time.

Advice on quickly orienting myself, and on getting around in general (I can't afford cabs)?
Things to generally beware of, and things to generally be on the lookout for?
How to live like a New Yorker (avoid tourist traps, tourist prices, etc.)?
Points of etiquette I may not be aware of?

And anything else you think might be helpful...

Can you identify this New York subway station?

dhammond — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:25:04 -0800

I'm flying to New York tomorrow to tape an appearance on The Maury Show and I need your help. Thankfully, it's not for a paternity test. I am appearing on a segment about the crazy online videos and I need a little background info on one of the clips we're using. Do any of you New Yorkers know at which subway station this video of a breakdancer kicking a baby in the head was shot?

I thank you, hive mind. And daytime television thanks you as well.

Getting across Staten Island

quite unimportant — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 13:42:33 -0800

How do I get across Staten Island? I'm going to be stopping in NYC for a few days for work stuff and I have to visit a facility in Staten Island. I can get around Manhattan pretty easily and can get to and from the airports, but I've never been to Staten Island. What's the best way to get from Times Square to The Teleport in Staten Island? Train/Ferry/Bus? Taxi? Autogyro?

Forgive me, I'm from LA and have no proper conception of mass transit.

what's between between?

grumblebee — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 10:13:15 -0800

Is there a default understanding the word "between," if the speaker/writer doesn't say whether he's being inclusive or exclusive? For instance, if I say "Pick a number between 1 and 10," would you assume that 1 and 10 are okay picks or just 2 through 9? I suspect there isn't a RIGHT answer, but is there a common, colloquial understanding? I have Aspergers, and I get a feeling that this question would have an obvious answer to a "normal" person. But I'm so damn literal it has me stuck.

It came up today because, as NYCers know, the transit system is all screwed up. I'm on the 2 line, in Brooklyn, and I'd like to get to Atlantic Avenue (also on the 2 line). According to the MTA, " trains are suspended in both directions between the 34th Street-Penn Station and the Atlantic Avenue Station." So does that mean 2 trains are going TO Altantic and Penn but not between Atlantic and Penn? Or are the trains not even going to Atlantic and Penn?

I'm actually not all that worried about the train issue. That's just an example that came up today. My question is, is my confusion natural, or would a "normal" person just know what "between" means? And, if so, what DOES it mean?

Sometimes, when someone says "Pick a number between 1 and 10," I ask them if they mean INCLUDING 1 and 10. They tend to look at me strangely, as if I'd asked a really dumb, obvious question that I should know the answer to.

How can I set up Bugzilla to receive bugs via email?

Deathalicious — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:46:51 -0800

How can I set up Bugzilla 3.0 to receive bugs via email? Yeah, I know, email_in.pl. But how. That is, how can I invoke email_in.pl -- how can I set it up so that something is actually being piped (or whatever) to email_in.pl whenever a message is sent to the correct bugzilla address? I assume I need to set up an MTA; how can I do this? I've scoured google and can't find any information on how to get the MTA set up, or even if Bugzilla is already set up to listen on a certain address, or anything. The documentation that comes with Bugzilla assumes that you somehow magically know how to pipe the email to Bugzilla. This is exactly what I don't know.

I'm running on a RedHat Linux box, and have root access so I can install whatever MTA runs your fancy.

If anyone out there has actually set this up, I desire your config files or whatever.

Incidentally, this work is for a very nice, friendly, and inoffensive non-profit organization in support of the arts. So your help is not going towards the promotion of evil or wanton profits, in case you have an issue with that.

And to forstall any derails: yeah, I know XXX is a much better project management tool, but I did my research and for what we need Bugzilla is what we have to go with. The email in feature seems really great and was a major selling (metaphorically speaking) point, but until I get it working Bugzilla is dead in the water. Thanks for your help.
PS: Yeah, I know perhaps this might be better posted to a specific forum, but I trust the answers of MeFites more. Furthermore, I figure if this hasn't been answered on those forums yet it's not likely that I'll have any luck. I'm hoping a MeFite has done this setup before and is feeling generous.
PPS: This is your chance for fame. As far as I can gather, a lot of people want to set this up but there is no actual information out there. If you can post something good, this page will be where everyone gets their setup information! Your chance to win Nobel Prize is assured!

Local or Express?

2bucksplus — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 06:36:42 -0800

Help me optimize my daily New York City Subway commute! A good question for those who love transportation puzzles: Every business day, I travel from Union Square to Grand Central at 8:30AM and return at 5:30PM via the 4,5 or 6 train. These trains depart from opposite sites of the same platform. Given the frequency of the trains, and their comparative speeds (and the fact that the local stops along the way), am I better off:

1. Always getting on the first train that arrives, be it local (6) or express (4,5)
2. Always getting on the first express train that arrives, even if that means not getting on a local train (4,5)
3. Some other answer?

Why?

Now, say I just miss an express train (i.e. see it depart the station), am I better off:

1a. Getting on the next train to arrive, be it local or express (4,5 or 6)
2a. Getting on the next express train to arrive even if that means skipping a local train (4,5)
3a. Some other option?

Why?

I am assuming in this question that I always can board any train, but if I estimate that the express trains are too crowded 10% of the time, and the local trains are never too crowded, does that change your answer?

Sending mail from Linux to Exchange

tommasz — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 06:29:12 -0800

I have a Linux box (Ubuntu Edgy) that I would like to be able to send mail to an Exchange server. It also needs to send/receive locally. Which MTA will actually allow me to do this and are directions for configuring it available? I've found lots of vague references but very little "program X will do this and here's how" kind of stuff.

What is the mysterious fourth rail for?

pithy comment — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:33:39 -0800

I'm relatively new to New York and ride the subway every day. When I'm on the above-ground lines I notice another "fourth" rail in between the two running rails that doesn't look like it is used, but is securely tied down. Sometimes there's even a fifth rail, also in the middle. Usually this rail doesn't run continuously and it occasionally curves or has other oddities. What is this fourth rail for? Here's a picture. I know it isn't the third rail.

Are your tubes clogged, too?

popechunk — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 10:16:14 -0800

Mail Administrators: are you seeing a huge increase in the amount of e-mail? I track lots of things on my small mail server, and one of them is the
number of times my mail server accepts a connection on TCP/25 from a
remote server. This number has steadily risen from around 9,000 times
per week (several years ago) to about 14,000 times per week (this summer).

Recently, however, I've seen an explosion in the number of machines that
are connecting to me. Like double. Also, I am getting an astounding
amount of spam. I've done some analysis of my logs using perl, but
can't find anything obvious. Buddies that also run their own mail servers
are seeing similar jumps in volume. What's going on?

won't SOMEBODY think of the basketball team?

grumblebee — Sat, 01 Jul 2006 10:37:26 -0800

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am not selling money for no basketball team. I am just trying to stay off the streets and raise a little cash..." Who is behind this scam? Like many "New Yorkers", I've heard this script hundreds of times on the Subway. My wife thinks that one kid started it and that others copied him -- and now it's spreading like a virus.

But I say if that was true, the script would evolve and change. It doesn't. It's always the same. Someone is behind ithis. Someone is coaching these kids. I've searched, but I've only found this one blog entry, in which the poster claims to have met the guy behind the scam -- if it is a scam. Does anyone have any more info?

Bonus question: what's the deal with the big, inner-city type guys who walk from car-to-car? Are they just looking for a seat? I doubt it, because even when there seats available, they don't take them. Is something going down? Do they deal drugs on the Subway or something?

Is there a site or resource somewhere that covers Subway scams?

The Potentially Rehabilitating Junky's Purse

blueneurosis — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 10:14:33 -0800

So I found something of considerable value on the Queens bound F-Train...now what? I spotted a tiny purse with no one around it. I looked around, seeing that no one seemed to be rushing back on board to snatch it, so I did what anyone with a longish ride would do.
I opened it up.

What I found:
-100 dollar bill and a penny
-vicodin prescription note (with number that gets a hospital's rehab answering machine, which was full of messages)
-one photography receipt for a roll being developed
-rolling tobacco papers
-social security card that matches the vicodin note's name
-loads and loads (29!) of single wrapped alcohol prep wipes
-three packets of sweet and low

So, gentle reader, what do I do?
If I return the bag to the MTA (the subway people), there's no way of knowing if the contents will get back the owner. They have been on an ad blitz to show that they really do have a lost and found department, though.
Should this person be a full-on junky, which the 29 prep wipes makes me think, giving the purse back in person would be a bad idea, as would giving a junky money.
If this person is legit about wanting to recover, they'll need the money, the prescript, and the social security card.

Geographically, this person is all over the place. The stop I got on and noticed the purse was in Brooklyn, the prescripton and roll of film receipt are both from Harlem, and the address on the prescript was in the lower 30s of Manhattan.

Since when has trying to do the right thing been so murky?

Getting From NJ to JFK on Strike Day

brownpau — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 08:21:36 -0800

MeFiNewYork, I ask you this. Today, I need to make it from Union, NJ to JFK Airport via public transit. I need to be at JFK by 7pm. I am leaving Union at 1:38pm, taking NJT to Penn Station, and LIRR to the Jamaica-JFK Airtrain. I am doing this with 100 pounds of luggage in a large rolling suitcase about the size of another person. There is a strike going on. Am I doomed? (Addendum: There are no Virginia hams in my luggage this year.)

Can I get to NJ from NYC later than the last train at 1:37 a.m.?

seinfeld — Sat, 08 Jan 2005 11:00:47 -0800

I live in Northern NJ and like to stay out late in NYC. My problem is the train's latest return trip to NJ is at 137am. How can I get home later? Is there a PATH station that has ample parking at night? I'm new to the area and would appreciate the help. Thanks!