A new passion - Crossposted from OneMoreFare.com

[skyring]

We've got a new game, my day driver and I. A game where cabbies shine.

IPhones each, we share apps. Sometimes they are classics. Shazam is just a brilliant piece of software. You want to know who sings the song on the radio? Just Shazam it for a few seconds and it comes back with the title, the artist, a link to the lyrics and a download button from iTunes. There are currency converters, weather forecasters, games a-million.

And now Foursquare, funking off the iPhone's GPS and social networking. It's a scavenger hunt, it's a map of your day, it's a point-scoring exercise, it's gathering facts and sharing info.

Once you download the app, create a new account with all the regular rigmarole of user name, password, icon picture etc., Foursquare checks your location, finds nearby places of interest, and asks if you want to check in. Meaning do you want the world to know that you are currently at that location.

It might be a bar or a restaurant. A museum or a supermarkt, a statue or a cab rank. If where you are isn't listed, just add it. And then check in.

You get points for checking in. And for adding new locations. And for doing all sorts of stuff, such as checking into a location with "bar" in its title on a school night.

And for adding tips. Yeah, I know all cabbies love tips, but these are information tips. Drinks are half price on Thursdays. Ask for the Megaburger with Rickie's special sauce. The receptionist has four breasts - she's got a double-decker bust.

Interesting, useful titbits of trivia and advice. Invaluable as a handy guide to the traveller.

If you check-in at a place more times than any other place, you become Mayor of that place. My co-driver is Mayor of the Canberra Airport Taxi Rank. If you are Mayor of a bar, and that barkeep knows his savvy, you get a discount on your drinks. Sometimes the office of Mayor changes several times in an evening, depending on who has the quickest fingers on their iPhone!

Cabbies are good at this game, because we go lots of places and have time to check in while we are waiting for the next fare. To another place.

My Foursquare is here: Skyring.
M co-driver is here: PeskiePete.

–PeterMac



Original post here at OneMoreFare.com

Comments

[shendoah.livejournal.com]

I can see how it will be fun for a taxi driver, but Foursquare creeps me out. I just see a personal security nightmare.

[asterapallas.livejournal.com]

I sent you a Friends request.

If you don't know that it is "me" -- let me know and I will send you the name that I signed up over there with...since I don't want to post that name, here.
:)

[asterapallas.livejournal.com]

Ooooo.

Foursquare has an app for the BlackBerry!

I'll have to take a look at that.
:)

Thanks for mentioning it!

[discoverylover.livejournal.com]

ooh that looks interesting!

[fancyhorse.livejournal.com]

Isn't that the one talked about on the site Please rob my house.com?
http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/17/please-rob-me-makes-foursquare-super-useful-for-burglars/

[skyring.livejournal.com]

Not a huge problem for a night cabbie. When I'm not home, there are three people who are.

[newkaligula.livejournal.com]

yeah, I read about the please rob me site just this weekend too.

and thanks for taking it off facebook. All these sites serve different purposes and I cannot deal with crossover as it gets me involved in stuff that I ain't signed up for