Who invented the traffic light, was it William L Potts, JP Knight or Garret Morgan? Commonly it is claimed that the first patent for the invention of the traffic light was given to Garret Morgan. A device to control traffic was needed and on Nov 20th 1923 he was granted a patent for the world’s first traffic signal which was manually operated. General Electric, realizing the huge money making potential in traffic signals, bought Morgan’s patent for $40000. They switched to coloured lights. Red for stop and green for go. Eventually, over the years lights became automated.
While we agree a red light can be a nuisance when we are in a hurry. Imagine how life on the roads would have been today without Morgan’s invention. Several people took it forward with several new inventions – for instance, Henry Barnes, who was a traffic engineer and commissioner and served in many American cities was responsible for many other traffic innovations such as bus lanes, one way streets, pedestrian-operated traffic lights and also the green wave (see graphic). Green wave was the coordination of the signals according to data of currently existing traffic flows done statically, by the use of timers. Green wave was used only for the roads with heaviest loads as interweaving with several traffic junctions increased its complexity and reduced usability.

Barnes pedestrian-operated traffic lights invention was not very successful, much like our very own bus lanes in Delhi (BRT in Delhi). Traffic lights, if not programmed in a proper way can create extreme chaos on the roads. Ideally traffic lights should be timed between 30-45 seconds. Keeping it to 30-45 seconds per light consistently keeps a smooth flow of traffic. Instead, the Delhi traffic cops manage traffic lights manually. During peak hours this is the single most frustrating reason that results in long halts. Here are some I have experienced -
6min 37sec at Moti Bagh crossing on 23rd March at 4:42pm
5min 12sec at Moti Bagh crossing on 5th Nov at 6:46pm
4min 27 sec at Bhikaji crossing on 28th October at 8:05pm
3 min 48 sec at Bhikaji crossing on 29th August at 6:35pm
Going by the long halts, I would recommend carrying some books in the glove compartment to keep you busy while at the waiting line. And if you somehow escape these signals then they may come handy while awaiting the chief minister’s motorcade to pass or if you are luckier then in the long jam after a heavy downpour, waiting for the rainwater to recede.
Jokes aside, 30-45 second lights can be adjusted to 60 sec or even 90 seconds but not for over 3min. I wonder what in the world could justify over 3min halts that eventually lead to a pile of traffic. When a small snarl in the middle of the road piles up so much traffic (phantom traffic jams form) we can only imagine what a 3-6 min halt can do -- bumper to bumper until you reach your destination.
It is understandable that to operate manually and to keep a tab on exactly 30 seconds or 45 seconds while standing in the middle of the road amid managing heavy traffic can be challenging but in that case, there are several simple ways to deal with this. Here’s one from me: carry a small gadget which buzzes/vibrates after every 30 seconds.

Hope someone is listening!

Manoj Madhavan
Manoj.virtual@gmail.com

We often see vehicles on roads with their rear-view mirrors shut. Why? I can only think of the following reasons:

1. Ctrl Z (character who doesn’t follow rules) thinks that with vehicles moving in such close quarters, there is a good chance of mirrors getting hit and broken.
2. Ctrl Z trusts his peripheral vision more than looking at a rear view mirror.
3. Rear view mirrors have been stolen/broken and Ctrl Z never bothered to get them repaired.

As a child most things that are inculcated in you, remain with you. Similarly, with driving what you learn in the beginning remains with you forever, since we are all averse to change. Ctrl Z may argue that he is a safe driver even with his rear-view mirrors shut. He broadly operates within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company.

The worst use of rear-view mirrors in Delhi is represented by the auto-rickshaws. Autos provide a convenient and viable mode of transport in Delhi. According to a recent report in Times of India, there are 2 lakh more auto-rickshaws to be added to the current fleet of 1 lakh auto-rickshaws in Delhi. Add that to several other three wheelers like delivery vans, water tankers, DTKs, and pickup standards, etc., which ply on Delhi roads. I want to highlight one thing which has been ignored or not noticed so far and if corrected can solve if not most but some areas of traffic concerns.

Rear-view mirrors in three-wheelers pointing inwards

Because rear-view mirrors point inwards in more than 80% of auto-rickshaws in Delhi, they tend to notice traffic from behind a bit late. With a triangular body shape, three-wheelers should have their rear-view mirrors pointing outwards so that they can spot the vehicle from the back at the right time. Auto-rickshaws with rear-view mirrors pointing inwards tend to:

• Surprise you by turning suddenly (most of them don’t do it on purpose, just that they spot you late).
• Rely on their peripheral vision.
• Step on brakes suddenly not realizing there is a vehicle at the back.

It’s about time this area of concern was addressed, which will only benefit people in the long run.

Manoj Madhavan (@manojvirtual)

Flyovers, road widening, improved public transport – these are large scale, big budget solutions to traffic issues. But there are also several ‘small scale’ problems which, if effectively addressed, can actually result in substantial improvements to daily traffic flow. One such problem is “Drive in your lane”. It is such a simple rule, but governed by laws and rules of etiquette. The rule exists to keep the flow of traffic at a steady pace; instead, the rule is ignored because of selfishness, idiocy and most times, unawareness of Mr.CtrlZ – the guy who doesn’t follow rules.

So, do we drive on the left, right or middle of the road? Well… just ascertain the direction, trust your instincts and keep going, because Mr.Ctrl Z believes that adherence to road rules would lead to misery; he doesn’t drive, instead just works his vehicle in a particular direction at his own pace and leisure.

"WE ARE BORN IN INDISCIPLINE, HOW WOULD WE KNOW WHAT IS DISCIPLINE UNLESS TOLD"

A couple of years ago, in one of the London tubes, I noticed people looking at me when I was nicely perched on an escalator to get to the next tube. It was later, after a couple of such trips, that I realized I was not following the escalator norms. I was standing on the left side of the escalator. So what, right? Well…To give a little background to those who are unaware of escalator etiquettes- you must stand on the right side of the escalator in order to allow others to move by swiftly. I realized this only after looking at a hoarding which suggested so.

Similarly, unaware of the fact that the extreme right lane is meant for overtaking, Mr Ctrl Z finds it a safe lane for driving at a slow speed, resulting in unwanted cluster of vehicles behind him (see graphic). In such a situation the driver is left with no option but to take his vehicle to “wherever the gap is”. For instance, if he is on the right of the road, unless that is occupied, he goes to the middle, unless that is also occupied, he occupies the next available gap, as in a car racing video game.

Overtaking Mr.Ctrl Zs would mean a huge risk. Mr Ctrl Zs, despite several honks and instruction signs, insist on driving in the right lane. It is not confusion; it is feeble-mindedness. Ctrl Zs are not citing traffic laws or actual evidence but their own personal sense of what is right. They may also defend themselves by telling drivers not to be impatient or worse, to take the middle or the left lane to move ahead of them. But by doing so, they are asking drivers to break the law and put two wheelers or slow moving vehicles at risk.

I believe that out of 1 million drivers in Delhi if only 5 percent would understand what I am trying to say we would save enough time, energy and petrol in our country/city.

Please share your comments below.

Manoj Madhavan (@manojvirtual)

Visual designing is a tough job. It takes so much cognitive and creative skills to finish a project. Worse, clients will not immediately like the output. They'll request plenty of revisions, which makes the project complicated.

To make their work easier, designers rely on creative tools. But these tools can be very expensive. What if you are only a freelance designer, who is trying to get his big break? What if you don't have enough money to pay for the software?

Thankfully, there are online tools that you can use. These tools are very useful, and you do not have to install them. Just go to their webites and use them on line.

Here are some of the online tools, visual designers should know:

Adobe Color

Having problems with the color swatch of your design? Don't worry, you can go to Adobe Color and see hundreds of palettes of matching colors. You can choose from the combinations made by other users or make your own through the color wheel. Choose your color rule (monochromatic, complimentary) to help you pick which color is perfect for the mood you want to convey on your design.

Type Genius

Typography can be difficult since there are hundreds of fonts that designers can choose. The task becomes more difficult when you have to use two or more fonts in one copy. You have to ensure that these fonts compliment each other, not distract the viewers. Make your decision making easier by using Type Genius. It is a user-friendly tool that suggests which fonts fit better with your chosen font. It is easy to use and gives brilliant suggestions.

Vector Magic

Your Photoshop skill is not enough to satisfy the clients. Usually they demand best quality images and logos that you have to do it in Illustrator. But in case you have already made the design in Photoshop, you can easily convert the bitmap images to vector by using Vector Magic. The tool is so useful that paying seven dollor a month is worth it.

Easel.ly

Planning to create an infograph for a client's marketing campaign? Or a business wants to mix-up their blog contents? Then you should use Easel.ly. This tool helps you create sophisticated infographs, without opening any premium tools. This helps you save time in your projects.

Superiorpapers

A designer's skill is not limited to Photoshop or Illustrator. They also have to know how to write well. A great copy consists of well written paragraphs, captions, and slogans. In case your clients ask you to write, you can go to Superiorpapers for help. They provide professional editing help to improve the copy. You may also ask them to write the contents for you.

WhatTheFont

Have you seen a font that you badly want to use, but don't know what typeface it is? Then you should use WhatTheFont. You simply upload the photo of the font, and their database will match it with fonts it is closest with. Alternatively, you can use Fount, another online tool. This tool lets you read the font type of your favorite websites. Just add their their applet and you can use them anytime.

These tools are a must-use for any designers. Even professionals find these tools helpful. Try them and see how improved your work process becomes.

About the Author:

Ethan Harvell is a marketing associate for an education company, which provides assitance to students of all academic level. He also blogs and writes about design, learning and marketing for different websites and newsletters.

Come on out this Wednesday to Club Elixir for a night of comedy and fun.

Showtime starts at 10 p.m.

Everyone free till 9 p.m.

Event is from the hours of 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

$10.00 admission fee

fishbowl special

$80.00 bottle service

huka special

Location:

Club Elixir

105-06 Jamaica Ave.

Queens, NY 11418

This is one event that you won't want to miss...

So November marks my sixth month at Vox Media.

That's pretty cool.

I'm beyond fortunate that they hired me on to work part time from beautiful Muncie, Ind. while I finish up my degree.

But working remotely has definitely come with its own set of challenges. I realized recently that none of the time I spent in various workplaces prepared me to produce from home.

Here's a bit of what I'm talking about, and a few tips for if you ever work remotely ...

1) Step into my office

My first few weeks in Muncie, I spent a lot of time horizontal. I did everything from my bed. And it seemed awesome.

That is, until I started getting back pains and was restless when trying to sleep.

I don't think I need to cite any science journals for you to believe me when I say working from bed — though cool to a 22-year-old — is a bad idea.

To compensate for my more-sedentary-than-normal life change, I began doing yoga, and that helped immensely. I also started taking breaks throughout the day to do pushups or sit ups.

Oh, and I started working at my desk.

The desk thing mostly took care of my restlessness. I realized my bed was no longer a place to relax and that the stress from my day was carrying over into my nights. Moving that tension from my bed to another location pretty much did the trick.

So don't be me. Live a vertical life.

2) We are humans, not robots

OK, except for the actual robots.

It can be hard to grab people's attention, whether on a chat client or via email or whatever else. If you are not a physical, in-your-face entity, it can be a real challenge to get people to answer you.

I can't blame them. I don't always pay attention to the many little red dots notifying me of messages, either.

My buddy, Warren Schultheis, gave me a tip for this one: video chat. When possible, reach out to people with Google Hangouts or Skype so you and the person you're communicating with can hear voices and see faces and remember you're both humans.

If people can't commit to spontaneous video chats, setting up a regular meeting time is just as effective, I think. It still reminds people you're more than a red dot and a *ping.*

3) You are not alone ... you just feel alone

Piggybacking off my last point, I have to say, REMEMBER TO COLLABORATE. It can be really easy to work in a vacuum when remote. But doing so will just postpone confrontation of imminent problems and lead to frustration all the way around. Expecting yourself to collaborate throughout the process is absolutely crucial. Even if it means harassing people.

This is especially true if you're green and have a stupid amount of stuff to learn, as I do.

4) Judge Judy is not your co-worker

If you're like me, you appreciate having some background noise as you create.

When I started working from home, I used the TV as that background noise. That was fine, until I realized I was getting hooked on court TV shows and daytime dramas.

Do yourself a favor and stick to music or podcasts. According to science, music can actually help your productivity, anyway.

Don't let Judge Judy's burning glare distract you from your projects.

5) All work and no play makes Adam a dull boy

Schedule your work hours and stick to them. If you don't have a meeting until 3 p.m., it can be tempting to sleep in an extra half hour. Don't do it.

When working in an office, your arrival and departure from work serve as very blatant cues as to when you need to start and stop producing. You don't have those cues if you're working from the same place you live.

So create those cues. Keeping yourself on a schedule helps you stay balanced and keeps you accountable.

I've been struggling to keep myself out of a perpetual state of "just let me tweak one more thing." I've also had to remind myself that 10 p.m. on a Friday is a perfectly acceptable time to stop working and start hanging out with friends.

Beyond cultivating an internal clock, keeping a strict work schedule helps me work, play, and take care of myself.

Otherwise, I wouldn't eat. And all work and no food makes Adam a cranky boy.

6) Get out of your damn house

I realized when I started having conversations with my pet fish that I needed to get out. So I started working at my favorite coffee shop or relocating to Ball State's library when I started to go stir crazy.

Switching up camp grounds helps me fend off depression from a lack of socialization, boosts my productivity, and exposes me to better coffee than the crap I have at home.

All in all, a good thing.

So that's the gist of it.

After three months of working from home, I've pretty well adjusted to the challenges and have honestly become a better adjusted person than ever before.

Plus, the communication skills I've gained from these relatively weird technological constraints are totally going to help me in the long run.

The world is becoming smaller and offices more spread out as people phone into meetings from all over the world. Don't be caught off guard when you're expected to telecommute at some point in your life.

If you work from home or work with many remote employees, please feel free to post tips in the comments or tweet them at me.

I can make a list of quick advice to share with the world.

The internet is a strange place.

But you need to understand it.

That's why a professor asked me to create a series of tutorials to present to her class across three sessions.

The tutorials walk students through everything from HTML and CSS syntax to the incorporation of JavaScript plugins and the creation of directories.

It's been a learning experience for everyone. For starters, I learned exactly how much or how little people know about the way the internet operates, and I was surprised when I realized these students didn't understand the concept of directories or paths.

That is, until I remembered I was in the same boat less than a year ago.

Then I remembered the time-sucking tutorials I had to get through just to gain a basic understanding of client side languages. I spent months Googling answers for concepts that elude people less technically minded than the folks writing open-sourced things' documentation.

Yet I did it. I'm continuing to do it. My professor asked me to help others do it. And others are attempting to do it on own their own, as well. Why? If learning is such a frustrating, time devouring commitment, why do people care enough to try?

The answer: We live our lives in part behind computers. And the Internet of Things is promising to bridge the chasm between cyberspace and meatspace. Simply put, we are digital citizens.

Don't believe me? According to Pew, 70 percent of American adults have home broadband connections. As of 2013, 56 percent own smartphones. Thus, the way we consume information has changed, and as you've heard time and time again, so must mindsets around sharing information.

None of this is new, yet not many universities seem to be responding to this reality in their curriculum.

That's why I suggest colleges and universities add courses to their mandatory curriculum to help students perform in the digital space.

These courses could focus on specific topics:

• Web 101: What happens when you click a button & the internet as a physical thing

• Foundations of client-side languages

• Basics of digital correspondence and presentation (possibly complementing speech classes)

• Social media management & etiquette

• Management of personal identity and reputation online

• Web security

Ball State requires students to take a finance class that teaches them how to pay taxes, budget and plan for their financial futures. The point is to teach students basic skills they need to be functional adults.

I believe we need to supplement these meatspace skills with cyberspace ones.

Because simply put, even though we are digital citizens, we are not digital natives. Knowing how to point a mouse and post to Facebook isn't enough. We need to be intentional in our words and actions online, just as we would in the tangible world.

Here are some readings so you can empower yourself:

• We Need a Digital-First Curriculum to Teach Modern Journalism

• At the intersection of journalism, data science, and digital media: How can j-schools prep students for the world they’re headed into?

• Cindy Royal: Are journalism schools teaching their students the right skills?

bsu.edu

I'm proud to announce I've been selected as the first place winner of the Indianapolis Press Club's Excellence in Student Journalism Award.

This is a huge honor, and I feel absolutely humbled to have been chosen.

So I want to use this space to thank the IPC, Ball State's Department of Journalism and the many people I've gotten to work with throughout my internships.

As thrilled as I am to have won this award, I'm more thrilled by what I think it means. I think it reflects a journalism community ready and willing to embrace new forms of storytelling to meet the changing needs of audiences.

And of course, I would like to congratulate Ball State's Ryan Howe for placing third in this year's Keating Competition.

Again, this is a huge honor, and thanks goes out to everyone who has touched my education.

I owe any award I might get to the village that raised me. ;)

Read more about the awards here.

If you are a graphic designer who is just starting his freelance career and making a single project takes you days, you better read along because this post is about to reveal the top secret art websites every designer should use.

Geometric Shapes:

In the past few years, along with the Metro Style, there has been a new trend on the visual market covering all spheres of the art world. 

From fashion to pure hand-crafting, geometrical shapes seem to have conquered the global graphics market. Making the perfect triangular texture is quite difficult, if you don't have the right tools in hand. Illustrator and Photoshop might be your best friends when it comes to designing your raster or vector project, still the Triangles Github project of Maksim Surguy will take your geometric pieces to the next level.

Mock-Up Graphics:

I've spent hours upon hours in search for the perfect HERO image or mock-up PSD for my print designs.

Little did I know there is an online tool to answer all my design prayers. MockupEverything is a premium free online app which will help you mockup just about anything. Books, magazines, T-shirts and all sorts of devices can be the canvas of your new project. The tool has a free and paid version which allows you full access to customization options for only $12 a month.

UIfest Creativity Bundle:

If MockupEverything hasn't got what you need, you should definitely check out UIfest.

Wrapped up in a gorgeous design, the UIfest website comprises everything a graphics designer needs in its first months. No, we are not talking about design tutorials, but rather a complete collection of PSD and AI files from icons to backgrounds and shapes all free for both personal and commercial use. Featuring a one-of-a-kind DIY HERO image bundle, this design hub will most definitely become one of your favorites with lots more resources coming along.

The Lazy Designer's Hub:

I'm gonna share a secret with you and I bet you've probably thought about it either, but never had the courage to try it out yourself.

When you are pushed by deadlines or are just too lazy to take upon the project yourself, there is an easy and relatively cheap way to deal with the situation. Fiverr and lots of sites like it, which have popped up on the web market in the past few years give you the perfect opportunity not only to sell your work, but buy yourself time, on a quite competitive price. Just like carpet & upholstery cleaning companies provide service which saves customers time and efforts on a job they could often do themselves, hiring a designer for a small project could help you keep up with the sleep or meetup with friends for a cup of coffee. For just $5, you could get that Logo done in an hour, spruce it up according to your client's taste and forget about your troubles.

Page by erin baker crab.

Page by Miguel Ángel Fernández. I missed this one when it was originally posted. Thanks to Bence Mikola and Mana Guzey for drawing attention.

Page by Dustin Frucci.

Inspired by Northwestern's Knight Lab, I have begun hosting a Code Night for Ball State's chapter of SND.

This is not a hackathon or anything resembling one, to be clear. It is a night for people who know code or want to know code to hang out and ... code.

The point is to create a community in which people can feel supported to try new things, ask each other questions and seek feedback about development and design.

If a you're working on a project, we want you to come on in, so if you run into problems there are people around who can help find solutions. Or maybe you're just too busy to plug away at a project; this is an excuse to set aside at least two hours a week to code.

Right now, we have a few people strong in HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery who are available to answer questions. Over time, I hope our mentorship group becomes more robust so we're capable of answering more and more questions.

I anticipate, too, that mentors may not have answers to every question. But working through a problem is a critical part of development. So we can figure things out together.

I'll continue to host these every Wednesday from 8-10pm in the student newsroom through May. Then, I'm handing over the reins to my buddy, Aidan Feay.

If you're a Ball State student, I hope to see you there!

One of the problems with NPD is that there are so many posts. This is a collection of pins from NewsPageDesigner.org by Pinterest users. I like seeing the site curated this way. May be helpful to our users as well.

Page by Jason Klein.

Page by Dan Worthington.

How to View Art. Page by Amy King. Illustration by Monica Ramos.

SND 2014 had many amazing speakers, touching on topics from the integrity of journalism to the challenges of redesigning websites.

The biggest lessons I learned from these sessions, though, all support one main theme: Put users at the forefront of your process.

Here's some of what I took away from the conference.

1) "Yes" is more powerful than "no."

Jan-Eric Peters is the editor-in-chief of the WELT-Group, which recently went through a massive change in its structure that breaks the newsroom into three sections. People in different sections either focus on news to be published right now, tomorrow or Sunday.

This change came in part from one important mindset:

A newsroom needs to be capable of changing quickly to address the ever-changing needs of the audiences. Danke, Jan-Eric Peters.

2) Public feedback should help websites evolve. Constantly.

OK, so I work for Ted Irvine, but that doesn't diminish the point. Vox.com was built in nine weeks; dedication to iteration made this possible.

But launching as an incomplete product allowed Vox.com another advantage, and that's the ability to make changes based directly on user feedback.

3) People who make the content use our creations, too.

People clicking our links are not the only ones interacting with the products we create. The tools we make need to be intuitive to use from a content production side, as well.

If it's difficult for producers to use a storytelling tool, they they simply won't.

Alex Breuer of The Guardian hammered this point into my head when talking about his redesigned website's method of arranging and changing up the homepage layout. It's a complex knot of code, but will be easy for users to navigate on all ends.

(Fun fact, he said 30% of theguardian.com's users access content through the website.) 

4) We need to stop making decisions based on the limitations of technology.

We make technology. We friggin' make technology. How many times have reporters said, "This would be a really cool way to tell a story!" and how many times have we in turn said, "We don't quite have the tools to do that."

That's part of a point Sarah Sampsel of The Washington Post made.

Of course, there are times when we have to make decisions based on resources and humanpower. But this reminds me that the "Yes, and..." attitude of improv applies to news environments, too.

So there it is, in a nutshell.

Many folks made great points. It was great to hear people like Greg Manifold of The Washington Post talk about bridging print and digital design.

Regardless of what the design is, though, it is important to remember one thing: Users are the purpose.