Earlier this week SEPTA unveiled a new website design with a cleaner layout and a focus on new technology, implementing features such as a real-time train ticker, RSS feeds, and twitter updates. Among the new features is the option to plan your trip using Google Transit, where you can easily switch between using public transportation, walking, or driving to determine the best way to reach your destination.
There is one problem though- it seems that many links still revert back to the old design, meaning that the transition is far from complete. In any case it’s good to see that SEPTA is taking a step (or, baby steps) in the right direction, and we look forward to future improvements. Check out the site at www.septa.org, and tell us your opinion in the comments below!
PHILADELPHIA – October 28, 2009 (WPVI) — 
New Taskbar
As the Phillies prepare to make another run at the World Series, TVs throughout the Delaware Valley will no doubt be tuning in to follow along. One thing viewers can expect to see shortly after a close pitch to the plate is an animated graphic depicting the strike zone and if the given pitch was ‘in fact’ a ball or a strike. The Emmy Award winning system known as KZone was first developed for ESPN in 2001 by Sportsvision Inc., it is now used by numerous other networks as well.
A lot is happening on the construction site of the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market which is on schedule for completion in August of 2010. We will be opening an office there as well, so it is very exciting to walk around and see the progress. The new market is 1/4 mile long and the footprint of the building is almost 22 acres. It will be the most technologically advanced wholesale market in the world and we are very honored to be involved with the building systems design.
Top 5 Ways to Give Back Without Ever Leaving Your Desk
In honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday- and all the hard work that goes into preparing for it- we’ve come up with 5 websites that can quickly and easily help you give back to the community without ever leaving your computer chair.
FreeRice is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program. For every trivia question that you answer correctly on the website, 10 grains of rice is donated to hungry people around the world. While that may seem like a relatively small amount, it’s important to remember that while you are playing, so are thousands of other people. In 2008 alone, 43,942,622,700 grains of rice were donated by sponsors who advertise on the site. Trivia questions range from vocabulary to math and art history, so test out your skills for a good cause!
“Blackle” is essentially the same as Google, but with a black background. Why does this make a difference? Because a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen. Blackle is powered by Google and will give you the same exact results, although it does not allow for image searches. By setting www.blackle.com as your home page, you can save a little bit of energy every time your browser loads.
Oxfam International is a group of organizations that work together to eradicate poverty and combat injustice. You can do your part by simply entering your name, address, and email to sign petitions that urge world leaders to listen to the voices of people around the world on topics like the crisis in Darfur and natural disaster relief. You can also opt to save your information so that you only need to enter your email upon future visits, and it won’t cause you to get any junk mail. This is a very quick and simple step to take that could make a difference in the lives of many.
Firstgiving allows you to create your own fundraising page to raise money for any nonprofit organization. You can email your webpage to friends, family and colleagues, who donate by credit or debit card in an easy, secure online transaction. Firstgiving will send all the donations to the registered non-profit of your choice, minus a small transaction fee that covers the cost of support, secure hosting and money transfers.
Here are a few websites of Philadelphia-based charities and non-profits that accept credit card donations online: