Parking System Alerts Your Phone of Open Spots
Posts with tag SanFrancisco
Google Gives Free Phone Numbers and Voicemail to Homeless
Google's one phone number for everything service, GrandCentral, is getting a new trial of sorts. Google is taking its 'Do no evil' mantra to the streets of San Francisco -- literally. A partnership between Google, the San Francisco city government, and Project CARE (Communications and Respect for Everybody) is offering a free phone number and voicemail box to every homeless person in the city for life.The philanthropic program is aimed at helping the homeless not just communicate with friends and family, but also land jobs. One of the big stumbling blocks for the downtrodden is their inaccessibility. When emerging from job training programs, folks need a method of contact, preferably a phone number. By calling from any phone, including pay phones, the homeless will also be able to get a phone number and set up the voicemail box.
Project CARE also sees the voicemail box as a doorway to proper medical testing and care. If the project is successful, Google will expand it through the rest of the state, and hopefully the country.
From MSNBC
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New Parking Meter Issues Immediate Tickets
A fancy new way to pay for parking -- and issue parking tickets -- is being tested in San Francisco. The Photo Violation Meter is a computerized parking meter that accepts not only coins, but credit cards as well. The new meter detects when a vehicle pulls up and pulls away via digital cameras and sensors. If your time runs out before you move your car, it takes a photo and wirelessly transmits the data back to the the police department in order to issue a citation.
The Photo Violation Meter does allow you to avoid fines all together, though. When paying with a credit card, there is a no-fine option that bills you for the length of time you're parked.
The parking meters will help municipalities increase revenue by insuring that 100 percent of parking meter violations are fined, but will probably also make some meter attendants very unhappy.
From Gizmag
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