Occasionally, the Metropolitan Transit Authority does something really useful. On their web site, developers can access the plethora of MTA data streams, free of charge as an open source resource.

So what does that mean to you, the non-geek passenger fuming at a delay or just trying to get from point A to point B with a minimum of delay or discomfort?

Easy: grab a smartphone - which, unless you live in a cave, you most likely have - and download the apps developed independently of the MTA by some enterprising ventures, here, or just go to Apple's iTunes store and grab an app there. They're free, do all sorts of useful stuff, are available in languages as diverse as Afrikaans and Yiddish, and work beautifully.

There you go. Now catch your train.

I love the WFP. Granted, they sometimes do things I think are not in anyone's best interests, including their own, but usually, they are gold. Witness this:

Tell me that's not brilliant. More information and a call to action can be found here.