It is now safe to turn off your subway system
The ubiquity (thanks Tinyspell) of Microsoft never ceases to amaze me. I know that their software has taken over desktops everywhere but I always assumed that for the critical systems of the rough-and-tumble real world that there would be a more robust solution. Then I discover that the electronic voting system is built using Visual Basic and Access and now I find that the the Madrid Metro TV is running (or more correctly, not running) on Windows Professional 2000.
The picture above (taken using my €50 digital camera, apologies for quality) shows the ‘It is now safe to turn off your computer’ screen well known to millions of desk top users. And while it may be safe to turn off your computer in the comfort of your own home, I’m not sure of the wisdom of doing it on a subway train travelling at over 100km an hour.
While attempting to view the Metro channel I have also been invited to Debug for Memory Errors, to reconnect a loose cable and to press CTRL-ALT-DEL on the infamous blue screen. It must feel like a living nightmare to the office workers of the city when after finally escaping the daily battle with Windows at the office and hoping for some relaxation on the way home they are forced to relive the whole experience all over again.
I can’t imagine what those commuters who have no computer experience think of all these warning messages.
Having said that, the Madrid metro is an excellent system overall and something that the people of Madrid can be proud of. The latest project introduced 30 new stations on time and on budget. It provides a stark contrast to our own shambolic efforts to bring a functioning public transport system to Dublin.
Mark Waters marked time at 10:46 am on November 8th, 2003 .
