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# I, robot; or Taking back transit
- URL: https://www.chrismessina.me/blog/i-robot-or-taking-back-transit/
- Published: 2006-01-22T23:14:05.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-25T03:34:06.000Z
- Author: Chris Messina
- Tags: Personal, transit, bayarea, bayrailalliance, caltrain, robot

[](http://www.flickr.com/photos/factoryjoe/90102731/?ref=chrismessina.me)[Daryl](http://daryl.learnhouston.com/?ref=chrismessina.me) [accused me of being a robot](http://factoryjoe.com/blog/2006/01/22/going-where-no-mashup-has-gone-before/?ref=chrismessina.me#comment-1886) because I tend to write a helluva lot about web/tech topics. So much so that I seem cyborgian. Well, yeah, I guess that's accurate given that 99% of his interactions with me occur online (that's the nature of Work Two Dot Faux). But then, I tend not to really make a distinction between my [so-called online life](http://www.horsepigcow.com/2005/11/my-so-called-online-life.html?ref=chrismessina.me) and the one I carry on in the meatspace as a not-so-mild mannered dimwit chucklehead.

As I like to say of my web-based alcoholic and [self-destructive](http://factoryjoe.com/blog/2005/12/29/wanted-to-destroy-something-beautiful/?ref=chrismessina.me) blogger persona: "I'm not an alcoholic, self-destructive blogger. I just play one on the interweb."

Anyway, whatever the hell that means, Daryl's got a point. I've gotta start showing the connection between all this web goopiness and what I'm trying to do *in the real*, (like [Tracy Bonham](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link%5Fcode=ur2&tag=factorycity-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&path=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fproduct%2FB000001BGU%2Fqid%3D1137998434%2Fsr%3D8-4%2Fref%3Dpd%5Fbbs%5F4%3Fn%3D507846%26s%3Dmusic%26v%3Dglance&ref=chrismessina.me) said).

So if I have my way, I'll be helping to build out a worldwide network of [Coworking venues](http://factoryjoe.com/blog/2006/01/17/wanting-a-permanent-coworking-space/?ref=chrismessina.me), holding [international](http://barcamp.org/?ref=chrismessina.me) [microevents](http://mashpit.org/?ref=chrismessina.me) that cost nothing, waging a war on intellectual property rights and its follow-on [intellectual police state](http://factoryjoe.com/blog/2005/12/26/intellectual-property-perpetuates-the-intellectual-police-state/?ref=chrismessina.me) and now, add to that list... [taking](http://bayrailalliance.org/?ref=chrismessina.me) on the debacle that is the American transit system. Or something.  

When do I find time to sleep you might ask? Well, when you're a robot, you don't need to sleep. So I guess Daryl was right after all.

More to follow my dear four readers.... *we's all jes gettin' stahted*. 

technorati tags: [transit](http://technorati.com/tag/transit?ref=chrismessina.me), [bayarea](http://technorati.com/tag/bayarea?ref=chrismessina.me), [bayrailalliance](http://technorati.com/tag/bayrailalliance?ref=chrismessina.me), [caltrain](http://technorati.com/tag/caltrain?ref=chrismessina.me), [robot](http://technorati.com/tag/robot?ref=chrismessina.me)

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### 💬 Comments from the original post

**[Brandon Stafford](http://pingswept.org/?ref=chrismessina.me)** · 2006-01-23 08:19:48

Excellent use of the word "chucklehead"! Mike and I were debating using that word in our presentation last weekend, and Mike vetoed it on the grounds that the audience was not familiar with the term. Guess he was wrong again!

**[Mike](http://www.goelzer.com/blog/?ref=chrismessina.me)** · 2006-01-23 09:26:13

\*hangs chucklehead in shame\*

**[Mike](http://www.goelzer.com/blog?ref=chrismessina.me)** · 2006-01-23 09:32:21

D'oh! I was trying to enclose my comment within asterisks (per IRC convention), but I didn't realize that WordPress would treat that as markup syntax. Now I'm really hanging my head in shame. Please, someone, just kill me now...