Ancient Bridge

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Originally uploaded by wanhashim

This bridge is located in one of the Angkor Wat complexes leading to one of the ancient temple. More than 1000 years ago, they are the master of stone craftmen and their ingenuity is still becoming a mystery until now.

World Clock Keeps on Ticking

Watch this world clock information for a few seconds and imagine about the real lives that its represent.


Poodwaddle.com

The Dabbawalas

Dabbawalas are about 5,000 men in Mumbai who routinely deliver home cooked lunches in lunch box or tiffin.  Dabba means lunch box or tiffin. The practice is 120 years old where lunch is cooked at home, picked up by a tiffin man between 9am and 10am, and then is passed quickly through a series of train and push cart transfer that get the tiffin to the customer's office.




One tiffin carrier changes hands at least four times between home and office. Each tiffin man can easily carry up to 40 tiffin carriers in a tray balanced on his head or arranged in a push cart.

Dabbawalas wearing traditional Gandhi topi usually work in groups of 40.




The tiffin boxes that arrived from the suburbs by train are divided up between the dabbawalas, each would sling 40-odd boxes onto his bicycle handlebars.

The distribution system has not changed since 120 years ago and is among the world's most efficient. It is claimed that the tiffin men make only one mistake in six million deliveries.

More information can be found HERE.

A House

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Originally uploaded by wanhashim

This house seemed to be has been abandoned for such a long time by judging from the growth of vegetation on top of its roof. The house was made visible due to the clearance of the adjacent land for future development. The design of the house is very simple and the entire house is made of wood.

Without the land clearance I will never know the existence of a house here. I decided to take the picture of the house because I think it is just a matter of time that the house will also being demolished to make way for development.

States to Have Highway Monitoring Systems by 2016

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final rule requiring the states and U.S. territories to have real-time traffic monitoring programs operational by Nov. 8, 2016.

The rule says, under the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users” (SAFETEA-LU), the DOT is required to establish a “real-time system management information program” that provides the capability to monitor—in real-time—the traffic and travel conditions of the major highways of the United States and to share that data with state and local governments and with the travelling public.

The rule does not specify which type of monitoring technology to be used. According to the notices issued by the U.S. DOT, the rule establishes minimum parameters and requirements for states to make available and share traffic and travel conditions information via real-time information programs.

In addition, while the rule becomes effective Dec. 23, 2010, the establishment of the real-time information program for traffic and travel conditions reporting along Interstate system highways shall be completed by Nov. 8, 2014, while a real-time information program for traffic and travel conditions reporting along the state-designated metropolitan area routes of significance shall be completed by Nov. 8, 2016.

A system to monitor the traffic and travel conditions of the major highways of the United States and to share that information to improve the security of the surface transportation system is needed to address congestion problems; to support improved response to weather events and surface transportation incidents; and to facilitate national and regional highway traveller information, the notice says.

I think the rule is implemented to acknowledge the importance of real time information in solving traffic congestion and the importance of disseminating the information to travellers. Hope one day the importance of the real time traffic information is realised in other part of the world especially to those cities that are experiencing chronic traffic congestion during peak hours.

For further information, read States to Have Highway Monitoring Systems by 2016,

Hopefully, the congestion problem especially during major festive seasons will be the thing of the past.  Also read HERE for traffic congestion during festive season.

The system will also help in preventing this type of unnecessary traffic jam.

The system can also alleviate traffic congestion during incident on Penang Bridge.

The system can also be used in other part of the world to reduce traffic congestion.