A Mixture of Subways, Columbia Alumni, and iPhones
It’s two of the best-known rites-of-passage for any Columbian: the first time that you forgot to switch to the 1 train at 96th, and the first time someone who was staying with you forgot to switch. The latter, of course, is the funnier, especially if you tell your visitor the wrong directions back, but the former is annoying, and could even cost you a full two dollars $2.25 (still a full hot dog at some local stands!) if you don’t realize your mistake until you’re outside.
Yes, subways can be deceiving. Fear not, though, subway novices, for if you have enough money to spend on an iPhone/Blackberry/Android/Kindle, then you can buy the new iPhone subway app from an start-up company called Exit Strategy NYC. While it admittedly won’t prevent such boneheadedness as missing your stop, it will save you time: the app – created by ten weeks of riding the entire subway system – tells users which car will be the closest to another line or an exit.
Still, this is just an smartphone app – why mention it here? Because the app, which was blurbed in CityRoom and amNY, was conceived/programmed by two former Columbia students – Jonathan Wegener, CC ’07 and Benny Wong, SEAS ’07. Though CityRoom says Wegener had no experience in developing a mobile application, neither alum was a web neophyte while on campus – Wong’s LinkedIn profile says he worked for CUIT (and is now at Morgan Stanley), while Wegener used to run the original Columbia-specific website, CULPA. That’s using your education.
UPDATE: Wegener got in touch with us to stress that the application does not have a map of the subway system, an impression the first version of this post mistakenly gave (Google’s handled much of the actual mapping). He also provided us with a sample image, and said the program will be getting some TV coverage soon.
Tags: alums who make us proud, bwog does not endorse fare jumping, iphone, mta, subways
7 July 2009 @ 7:13 PM · 24 comments
on 
though the 96th scenario you shoehorn here doesn’t relate to the app. that’s more an issue of forgetfulness.
Subway fare is $2.25 now.
major fail
all white bricks
is the real rip off. how is this app so expensive?
http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/pictures-19/?hp
picture #11 is David Osborne cleaning alma mater…had no idea Columbia hired a special person to take care of her…
when were the intelligence-gathering subway trips? Cause last time I checked, the 115th st. exit is 24 hrs, ever since they installed those emergency exit doors with the alarms everybody ignores.
no more original cubmail!! i think i might be the only person who used it though so i guess nobody cares.
creative and practical, good for them. And for commenter #5, I think that the whole 10 weeks spent riding the subway part is what that 1.99 is for plus unknown hours spent doing programing that neither of us knows how to do. As far as I’m concerned that’s an excellent price. I’d definitely go for it if I had a fancy phone
BWOG- sponsored by iphone app developers. Why not just put up some banners on the site. Instead you write a lame product placement article.
Yes i’m High! but i look forward to new articles not new ads. SHIT.. hwhwoo… ok. I’m looking to be Wow’ed here.
…me
available online anywhere? don’t have an iphone but would love to know this stuff–especially the place to be on the train
Well, it won’t tell you the specific car, but it’s just a matter of geography-estimating and common-sense.
http://www.onnyturf.com/subway/?system=subway&station_id=14
And there’s also Google Maps.
I never. made the mistake of not transferring at 96th. Does that mean I’m still not a real Columbia kid after two years?
2 more years to go, honey
I also never did it wrong. Does that mean I have to mail my degree back?
Yes. But the real question here is why it would cost you $2.00 or $2.25 to fix your mistake. The 116th street stop on the 2/3 is not that far away (15 minutes at most), and during the day it’s even a pleasant walk through Morningside Park. Or are you afraid of poor people?
seeing as most of Columbia-time occurs during the frostier months, it may be an aversion to the cold. or physical activity.
and who said that area is poor? for the most part, it’s a middle-class community.
isn’t cause they’re poor, it’s cause they’re a scary color that we’re not used to seeing when we are safely in our bubble
with this app is that it doesn’t tell u where to wait on the platform. counting cars is difficult.
is difficult, but the app also shows you were the conductor is so you can always count from there
#20: stop being such a faggot. haven’t you heard of affirmative action?
just downloaded this app and it’s awesome! thanks for the tip bwog!!!!
wegener is the man, he coded the COOP website back in the day. way to go buddy