hexstatik

my disdain and loathing for TransLink is growing by the day. not only do they give themselves raises in private closed doors meetings while charging users extra to go the airport, they don’t even understand how the internet works yet. their “Linking Terms and Conditions” state that sites linking to theirs:

1. … must always be (a link) in the form of an active link directly to http://www.translink.bc.ca…
2. … must in no way disparage or send any negative, inaccurate or misleading message with respect to TransLink or its products, services or business…
3. … may not use a Link from any web site which contains content which could be construed as distasteful, offensive or controversial…
4. (and that) TransLink reserves the right, in its sole and exclusive discretion, to terminate your right to use a link to its web site…

this means that by directly linking to their “Linking Terms and Conditions” (oops, there i go again) as above, i’ve contradicted point 1.

by saying that the TransLink board sucks because they are a bunch of private sector conservative thieves who probably don’t even ride public transit because they are too busy stuffing the their pockets with public money, i’ve violated points 1 and 2 again.

it also leaves me wondering who the fuck, exactly, is going to determine what “could be construed as distasteful, offensive or controversial”. you know, like if a blogger were to say “fuck you, translink, you bunch of trigger-happy-taser-toting, no-authority-tax-imposing, bridge-twinning, public-money-pocket-lining-shmucks”, who would determine if that was distasteful or offensive?

i know i’ve been on a rant about TransLink lately, but these guys believe they can do whatever they want. they even think they can terminate your access to their web site (see Right to Terminate Access in their terms and conditions). i’d love to see them try.

finally, this morning, i determined that i am not going to pay my daily skytrain fare until i, as a user of translink services, stop paying to have translink employees clean up all the extra free daily news rags that get handed out at all the skytrain and bus transfer stations while the private companies that print this wasteful trash make money from advertisers off the backs of our public transit system and it’s users. is translink getting paid to allow these companies’ employees onto their property to hand out papers? i doubt it. how much extra is it costing to allow this to continue? can i go and and set up shop to start handing out flyers too? again, i doubt it (you propably need a permit).

i’d love to hear what you have to say about this.

crystallitis has the details!

i woke up yesterday morning to find a note from crystal saying that she was gone to starbucks to do some reading. i quickly had a shower and got dressed, but just as i was about to leave to make my way over, crystal walked in and proclaimed “i know what i’m doing today! i am going to take a time lapse video on the skytrain, are you in?”.

“sure!”, i said.

she had after all decided to take my idea of taking a time lapse of the sky train, so there was no way i was going let her go without me. we made a quick trip to london drugs to pick up a USB cable, had a bite to eat, installed the required software, and charged our batteries before finally making our way to waterfront station.

once we arrived, we spent a few minutes on the platform to do some prep work to get ready and organized. i headed to the back of the train, while crystal stayed up at the front. she nodded and we both boarded. since we were at a terminus station, we were able to get on before the train switched tracks to head in the opposite direction. this gave us a few extra seconds to set up the tripod, connect the cable to the laptop, start the software and make some final adjustments.

at my end of train, everything was working perfectly and i was snapping photos in no time. suddently, my phone rang - it was crystal. she hadn’t set up her software, so we needed to get off the next station and restart. this time, we both got everything up and running on time.

immediately, other people on the train wanted to know what we were doing. at the front, i was approached by 3 different people. the first told me he had always wanted to do the same thing. the other was a film student who wanted to know if i had gone to school for film too and wished me luck, and finally an older man returning home from the auto show with his son who told me that i should “put some ghosts and throw some ads” into my movie to make a bunch of money.

after about an hour, our trip around the millenium line was just over. after a brief encounter with a skytrain attendant, we headed home to create the following movie with the resulting 729 images.

first and foremost, let me start off by saying that i did in fact pay for today’s trip on the sky train. thank very much.

there i was at the front of the train, on the phone with crystal, who was at the back. we were both taking a series of photos for a time lapse video project we were working on. having almost reached the end of the line, we were trying to coordinate out next move - get off now and go home, or go around again and do it reverse.

suddenly, i saw a blue jacket walking on the platform looking into the train. he spotted me and stepped onto the train while talking on his radio “hold the westbound at commercial”.

“what are you doing?”, he asked.

“just taking some photos”, i replied.

“do you have a permit for that?”, he asked

“why do i need a permit?” i hung up the phone on crystal. (read here for crystal’s story from the front of the train.)

he informed me, “you need to have a permit. you’re going to have to leave.”

“sure, ok. just let me get my stuff.” just then the doors closed on the attendant and the train started to move, so i let my camera finish the series of shots between commercial station and the last stop on the line, VCC-Clark.

during the short trip to VCC-Clark, the gentleman was getting more and more flustered with me, as was i with him. i asked him what rule i had broken, and to produce proof that i was in fact doing something against the “rules”. he then replied it was posted on the “translink website”.

“really? so you just post all of your ‘rules’ on the website where people can see them?”

“do you want to speak to the police, sir?”

by now, i had started to get my bag ready while the attendant began to speak into his radio and turned to the front of the train where he suddenly spotted crystal and her set up. he immediately turned to me and asked ,

“you have another one set up there?”

“no, that’s my partner.”

“do you have any ID on you?”

“for what? no!”

it was definitely time to go.

i tried to call crystal, but my phone was taking too long. i shoved the phone in my pocket, unplugged my gear, packed my laptop and grabbed my camera on it’s tripod and headed to the back of the train to get crystal. luckily, during my initial phone call, crystal heard the attendant ask “… you have a permit?” and was on high alert. as i was approaching the rear, i called out for her to “grab your stuff. we have to leave.” she was off the train before i arrived.

as she tried to leave the station, the attendant told her;

“you’re going to have to wait here.”

“don’t stop, keep going” i yelled out.

as we were briskly descending the stairs, i glanced back to see if he was following us. he was standing at the top of the stairs ,still talking into his radio. the look of disbelief on his face was priceless.

photo by freedryk

today, i executed a great escape in a tunnel below the streets of vancouver. on my way home tonight, as i walked toward my skytrain platform, i spotted two skycops. luckily for me, they were busy with a street person, so they didn’t see me head for the stairs down to other platform in an (obvious) attempt to avoid them.

i went downstairs to nervously wait on the platform for the train while keeping an eye open for the skycops and being watched on the security cameras. i was going to get onto the train and head in the wrong direction to get out of dodge, but i was already nervous enough and didn’t want to spend one more moment in the fare paid zone than was necessary.

i decided instead to try to blend in with the riders coming off the train and head for the exit. this way, i could head up the stairs to see what the situation was and simply make a clean exit if necessary, or, if the coast was clear, i could wait for the next train heading my way. when i arrived to the upper platform level, there wasn’t a skycop in sight. sweet! i had just totally avoided getting a $173 fine and headed for the platform to wait for my train.

a few short moments later, the train arrived and i boarded. the train was the new type, where the cars are connected in groups of two and you can walk from one car to another, with a total of 6 doors. i decided to head to the rear of the last of the two cars, just as the two sky cops hopped on from out of nowhere.

fr@ck!

i was just about to get busted. luckily, as i was walking to the rear and approaching another door, i heard the chime on the overhead speakers indicating that the doors were about to close. at the very last second, i darted through closing doors and onto the platform. as i looked back to see if the doors would jam because of a hand or foot, i saw the sky cop on the train, pointing at me with a smile on his face. i returned his smile with one of my own, turned my back and headed out of the station.