Illuminated Metro Santa Emerges for the Season
One of the great things about driving around all day is finding the free things that people leave at the curb. People throw the most amazing stuff out.
For instance, our glowy Santa was found discarded- orphaned, even- head down in a dumpster, actually- but he’s been brightening our holidays here at Metro for the last three years.
Saved from the landfill and shining on as a proud yard-high beacon of redemption.
Announcing the Metro Raffle Winner!
The Question:
“What were the three telephone area codes that covered the whole lower peninsula of Michigan in the year Henry Ford died?”
The winner of the raffle, one of only 4 people offering the correct response ( 313,517, 616) was one J.W.P., who was simultaneously applying for a job as a Courier here at Metro Delivery.
The prize this month: a $50 gift card from Busch’s Grocery store! HAPPY HOLIDAYS J.W.P.!
And, coincidentally, after and independent of the fact of her winning, we hear that she’s to be offered the job here as well. It’s true that employees and relatives can’t win the raffle- but she absolutely won it fair and square, before we even interviewed her.
HOORAY for J.W.P.! Below, some of the incorrect responses that we got to the question:
810, 517, 616 -(close!)
662 -(that’s just one Area Code! And not even one of the 3 correct Area Codes!)
761 -(See comment directly above)
YES -(No!)
London -(…what?)
UMTRI wins Research Award for Connected Vehicles Program
As mentioned in a previous post, Metro Delivery vehicles are being SECRETLY TRACKED by UMTRI in a groundbreaking research project to improve vehicle safety.
For this massive collaborative effort, UMTRI just won the “Deal of the Year” Award from annarbor.com in the Research category. We can’t imagine that it’s easy to win an award for research in Ann Arbor, what with all the research going on. But this study is so huge, and unique, and important that we’re not surprised it took the prize.
Congratulations to our friends at UMTRI! We’re proud to be a part of this amazing study!
Proposition 3: Good for Business, Good for Michigan
Metro Delivery has been meeting with the Michigan League of Conservation Voters to demonstrate our enthusiastic support of renewable energy and Proposition 3 on the November 6 ballot.
Proposition 3 is an initiative that would increase Michigan’s use of renewable energy sources- like solar and wind power- to 25% by 2025. Currently, Michigan is committed to 10% renewable by 2015, and is on target to achieve that.
Right now, Michigan gets around 60% of its total energy from coal, imported from other states (for which we pay 1.7 billion dollars annually!). Renewable energy will allow us to reduce our dependence on those outside sources, while reducing the amount of deadly mercury that we’re currently pumping into the atmosphere and precious waterways of Michigan.
In exchange for this, what do we get? Maybe as many as 94,000 new jobs in Michigan. And maybe a better future for our children. Utility companies are running a well-funded campaign to defeat this proposal, and retain their ability to continue using the same old cheap, dirty energy sources that have us in a position where most fish from Michigan’s inland lakes and streams are so contaminated with mercury that you’re not supposed to eat them more than once a month.
If it sounds expensive to increase our use of renewable sources, know that the proposition includes language that forbids utility companies from increasing consumer costs by more than 1% annually (average $1.25/month for most consumers) to transition. If you don’t believe in the technology, please look into the tremendous results that Germany has achieved with renewable sources.
Michigan, with its amazing, pristine natural resources, is uniquely poised to step forward and assume appropriate responsibility to protect the environment for future generations. please don’t miss this opportunity to stand up for our air, our water, and our children.
Metro Delivery encourages you get out on November 6 and to vote YES! on Proposition 3.
Chihuahua Warning Sign
Having recently added Hector the chihuahua to the Metro menagerie, we found the posting of this warning sign necessary after a couple of close calls due to Hector’s diminutive stature and our fast-footed working environment…
We offer the sign to all other 
chihuahua owners, to print & display, in hopes of reducing chihuahua risk for the general public.
Click on the image for a printable copy!
Metro Delivery Trying to Make Vehicles Talk to Each Other
The University of Michigan Transportation research institute had a big soiree this Morning to launch the largest study ever done on Smart Vehicle Technology- and Metro Delivery was there, as a volunteer participant in the study.
Metro delivery vehicles- and soon several thousand other vehicles belonging to local individuals and businesses- are being equipped with special UM-designed tracking devices that communicate with traffic signals, landmarks, and other vehicles, to gather data.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was on hand to express the Federal Government’s support for the study, which everyone hopes will result in drastically reduced accidents and enhanced fuel efficiencies.
Imagine traffic lights that turn green because you’re coming towards them, or a warning from your dashboard when collision is imminent. Imagine your car knowing when there’s been an accident 500 yards ahead on a dark wet highway, and you can immediately begin to grasp the implications for public safety. Imagine a car that can listen to the other vehicles on the road and take their advice to reroute you around traffic jams and you start to think about the tremendous savings in fuel economy. We’re proud to be a part of it!
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder stood to proclaim himself a “nerd” in support of the project and Congressman John Dingell drew a large hand of applause when he said that he looked forward to a day when not only vehicles but also people could communicate with each other.
The system was demonstrated to local members of the Media, who were given test drives in vehicles equipped with the technology.
Metro thanks our friends at UMTRI for the opportunity to be a part of this exciting study of developing vehicle-to-vehicle technology! Pictures below!
Metro Delivery’s Penguin to Race Ducks
The 2012 Ypsilanti Heritage Festival is this weekend, and Metro Delivery will be participating in the A2Y Chamber’s Corporate Duck Challenge for the first time ever. The A2Y Chamber provides a Plastic Decoy Duck to customize:
fig. 1: corporate duck
But they don’t give you a lot of design direction. After internal debate about how to decorate the duck, we had to send the following request to the A2Y Chamber for clarification:
Dear A2Y Chamber:
As we at Metro Delivery prepare to customize our Corporate Duck for the A2Y Chamber Corporate Duck Challenge at the Heritage Festival in Ypsilanti, questions have arisen about specific limitations that may be imposed on the project, hypothetically.
Is there any reason to believe the following enhancements may disqualify our duck?
1. Remote Control Engines or Propulsion Rockets
2. Trained Mice inside on a paddlewheel or rowing, galley-style
3. Proximity-Triggered machine guns and/or flamethrowers
4. The substitution of an actual duck for the plastic one provided
Although there is little likelihood that our final design will incorporate all or any of these accessories specifically, Metro Delivery’s Corporate Policy requires that we clearly define the extreme parameters of a challenge, in order to achieve best results- and to prepare defenses and contingencies, i.e. if a competing duck will be firing torpedoes, we may choose to armor our Corporate Duck’s undercarriage.
We look forward to the event on August 19th, and thank you and the A2Y Chamber for sponsoring and coordinating the Corporate Duck Challenge!
Sincerely,
Metro Delivery
…the A2Y Chamber was quick to respond that motors and explosive devices were prohibited, which was a little disappointing.
Evidently any other modifications are fair game however, so we went with our TRUE SECRET PLAN: We replaced their Duck with our trained Company Penguin, Presto. Bet they never saw that coming.
fig. 2: corporate penguin
Extensive testing of his swimming ability was performed in the Metro Delivery kitchen, and Presto performed admirably.
fig.3: corporate penguin flotation test
As a coup de grâce we gave him a package to deliver to the finish line, as incentive.
fig 4: penguin, loaded.
Come on out to Riverside Park in Ypsilanti this Sunday 8/19/2012 to cheer for Metro’s duck! er, penguin! Race starts at 3:30 PM!
Race results next week! We think Presto will do great- unless the herring are running.