Comments on: Stupid Stoplights Help Explain GTD http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stoplights-explain-gtd/ Helping Creative People Create Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:09:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: glen http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stoplights-explain-gtd/comment-page-1/#comment-187 glen Fri, 25 Aug 2006 04:55:06 +0000 http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stupid-stoplights-help-explain-gtd/#comment-187 The relative level of the patience of the driver? I think they need to re-evaluate the algorithms used to determine this level. Maybe people have gotten more irratable over the years, and traffic light makers haven't taken this into account. :) The relative level of the patience of the driver? I think they need to re-evaluate the algorithms used to determine this level. Maybe people have gotten more irratable over the years, and traffic light makers haven’t taken this into account.
:)

]]> By: Doug http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stoplights-explain-gtd/comment-page-1/#comment-186 Doug Fri, 25 Aug 2006 03:45:20 +0000 http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stupid-stoplights-help-explain-gtd/#comment-186 Not many people know this, but most modern electronic traffic control systems are equipped with IUDS* circuitry to regulate the flow of vehicular traffic. Ferric metal mass sensors embedded in the top layer of the road deck both detect the presence of a large ferro-metallic object, such as an automobile, and sense the relative level of the patience of the driver (and adjust traffic light timing inversely). Seriously. I read this somewhere. (*Inverse Urgency Detection System) Not many people know this, but most modern electronic traffic control systems are equipped with IUDS* circuitry to regulate the flow of vehicular traffic. Ferric metal mass sensors embedded in the top layer of the road deck both detect the presence of a large ferro-metallic object, such as an automobile, and sense the relative level of the patience of the driver (and adjust traffic light timing inversely). Seriously. I read this somewhere.

(*Inverse Urgency Detection System)

]]> By: Rian http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stoplights-explain-gtd/comment-page-1/#comment-182 Rian Fri, 25 Aug 2006 00:13:53 +0000 http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stupid-stoplights-help-explain-gtd/#comment-182 Hm. You actually wait for those lights to change? When there's no one around in the middle of the night, I just go, when I am familiar with the intersection, and I know where the police might be lurking, or not, as the case is near my house. Hm. You actually wait for those lights to change? When there’s no one around in the middle of the night, I just go, when I am familiar with the intersection, and I know where the police might be lurking, or not, as the case is near my house.

]]> By: Ian Clifton http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stoplights-explain-gtd/comment-page-1/#comment-179 Ian Clifton Thu, 24 Aug 2006 21:02:05 +0000 http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stupid-stoplights-help-explain-gtd/#comment-179 Most of the stop lights are set to favor a particular direction (the main street of the intersection), but every light seems different. I see this especially since I walk to work and I have to stop at each intersection. I've found that on one of them, I can only go if I have hit the button before the people on the opposite side lose their green left arrow light. If I hit it after, then the people going the way I am going can go and the people on the other side can go. Then the people on the left road can go... which is an offramp, so people typically T from there, but I still can't cross because there is a CHANCE someone might go from the offramp to the onramp and hit me... so I have to wait for their light to turn red and then for the people across from me to use their left green arrow, and THEN I can go! There's another light that, if no cars have gone by for ~20 seconds, the light starts to change as soon as I hit the button. I am not sure what the basis is for all of it. Some towns have their lights revert to blinking yellow or red at night because of the low traffic. One interesting note though is that I know someone who got a DUI at night because he was waiting at an intersection "forever" and finally got fed up and just went... and obviously an officer saw him. Maybe the plan is to catch that behavior? Most of the stop lights are set to favor a particular direction (the main street of the intersection), but every light seems different. I see this especially since I walk to work and I have to stop at each intersection. I’ve found that on one of them, I can only go if I have hit the button before the people on the opposite side lose their green left arrow light. If I hit it after, then the people going the way I am going can go and the people on the other side can go. Then the people on the left road can go… which is an offramp, so people typically T from there, but I still can’t cross because there is a CHANCE someone might go from the offramp to the onramp and hit me… so I have to wait for their light to turn red and then for the people across from me to use their left green arrow, and THEN I can go!

There’s another light that, if no cars have gone by for ~20 seconds, the light starts to change as soon as I hit the button. I am not sure what the basis is for all of it.

Some towns have their lights revert to blinking yellow or red at night because of the low traffic.

One interesting note though is that I know someone who got a DUI at night because he was waiting at an intersection “forever” and finally got fed up and just went… and obviously an officer saw him. Maybe the plan is to catch that behavior?

]]> By: glen http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stoplights-explain-gtd/comment-page-1/#comment-173 glen Thu, 24 Aug 2006 14:53:43 +0000 http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stupid-stoplights-help-explain-gtd/#comment-173 Jude, Great point. I'm pretty sure this sadistic stoplight would figure out my plan though. It's pretty mean like that. In all honesty though, you're on to something. GTD is making the best of a situation, and turning right could easily be a better solution. Jude,

Great point. I’m pretty sure this sadistic stoplight would figure out my plan though. It’s pretty mean like that.

In all honesty though, you’re on to something. GTD is making the best of a situation, and turning right could easily be a better solution.

]]> By: Jude http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stoplights-explain-gtd/comment-page-1/#comment-171 Jude Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:13:11 +0000 http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stupid-stoplights-help-explain-gtd/#comment-171 This is why they invented right turns. We have a stoplight like this near my house and I've found it's much quicker to make a right turn, then turn back to hit the light from the other direction than to wait for it to change so I can go directly across the street. If you want to turn this into a metaphor for Getting Things Done (which I confess that I am still wading through after owning the book for a couple of months), you could perhaps say something motivational about thinking outside of the box to get things done. But for me, personally, making a right turn at this light gives me back control over the stupid stoplight, thereby reducing my frustration and the amount of gasoline I use waiting for it to change to green. This is why they invented right turns. We have a stoplight like this near my house and I’ve found it’s much quicker to make a right turn, then turn back to hit the light from the other direction than to wait for it to change so I can go directly across the street. If you want to turn this into a metaphor for Getting Things Done (which I confess that I am still wading through after owning the book for a couple of months), you could perhaps say something motivational about thinking outside of the box to get things done. But for me, personally, making a right turn at this light gives me back control over the stupid stoplight, thereby reducing my frustration and the amount of gasoline I use waiting for it to change to green.

]]> By: Sean http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stoplights-explain-gtd/comment-page-1/#comment-166 Sean Thu, 24 Aug 2006 06:54:24 +0000 http://lifedev.net/2006/08/stupid-stoplights-help-explain-gtd/#comment-166 Good analogy. It really calls out the 'time' or 'when' component of GTD. Good analogy. It really calls out the ‘time’ or ‘when’ component of GTD.

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