JoeyGPS Finally A Reality, Still A Waste Of Money

Posted by The Peasant 12/16/2007 8:58 PM

Tags: tcu senate, matt shapanka, gps, joey

JoeyGPS Finally A Reality, Still A Waste Of Money

What's the old adage about leaving a bunch of monkeys in a room full of typewriters? Eventually, they'll come up with a way to make JoeyGPS work? Whatever, I don't really know. The fact of the matter is that's it's finally here.

Anyway, it looks like we have a little egg on our face. I'd say we're sorry, Matt Shapanka, but the fact of the matter is that JoeyGPS (ahem, JoeyTracker) is just plain dumb, whether or not it's functional. It's a waste of time and money. You know why? Because the Joey is already on a schedule, posted for one and all to see.

I know, I know: "Without a GPS, what will I do if I miss the Joey?"

Sucks to your ass-mar. Walk to Davis and stop whining. You've probably wasted enough time as it is watching the web page refresh itself. People like you are the reason why these Sen-a-trons keep wasting their money. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch LaundryView for a few hours.

Comments

The Agent says,

I think this is great idea. But then again, what do I know, I'm just a stupid freshman. Posted 12/16/2007 9:03 PMReply

The Merry Widow says,

Hey now that it's got a GPS, do you think we can get the Joey some rims and a spoiler too? They'd be just about as useful. Posted 12/16/2007 9:29 PMReply

ClumsyMohel says,

Come on, guys! A whole post and you missed the "Tracking President Bacow" feature on the site? I think Adele requested that as a last minute addition Posted 12/16/2007 10:24 PMReply

The Decider says,

Interesting tactic the "Sen-a-trons" have used. First admit defeat so that when JoeyGPS actually happens everyone is pleasantly surprised.

Also, WTF?!: "Using public transportation is a big step you can take to help reduce energy consumption." I mean thanks TCU Senate for reminding me to ride the T, but do you really expect me to believe the Joey is good for the planet? I think you got it right Peasant, walking doesn't require ANY fossil fuels.

OK rant over, I think I'll go watch the Bush countdown clock somewhere on the interwebs. Posted 12/16/2007 10:26 PMReply

The Peasant says,

@ ClumsyMohel: Oh, believe you me, Mohel, I noticed it. It just wasn't working at the time I posted this. It would just refresh the page instead.

Honestly, I'd rather have Adele on LoJack than Larry. Posted 12/16/2007 10:54 PMReply

Anonymous says,

GPS is useless. The real problem is that the Joey is NEVER on schedule--GPS wouldn't be necessary if it showed up when it was supposed to. Plus, if you're in Davis, it's not like you're going to be able to go online and check the site anyways. I'd still rather walk than waste time waiting. Posted 12/17/2007 01:23 AMReply

Anonymous says,

So if you go north east a little you can see a bus at the intersection of 16 and 38. Is this where the joey spends its nights? if so i think a trip there is in order. Posted 12/17/2007 02:37 AMReply

Anonymous says,

@ Anonymous: people can get the internet on their phones. welcome to the 21st century. Posted 12/17/2007 04:17 AMReply

Anonymous says,

TuftsOTR, shut your face. you said it was never going to happen, and it did, and everyone's pleased with it so stop bitching. It's going to be so nice to be able to see where the joey is, and once they get a monitor up in Davis square, we won't even have to use our cellphones.

but if you'd rather sit in the cold and freeze to death, im sure it wouldn't be a great loss Posted 12/17/2007 06:56 AMReply

Anonymous says,

It's worth the buck and change to take MBTA busses and bypass obnoxious Tufts students. Posted 12/17/2007 08:18 AMReply

Joanie F. says,

All along I thought the problems with the JoeyGPS tracker had to do with the fact that Matt Shapanka likes everything to move slowly. But what has this semester taught us Jumbos? Anything that is problematic on campus can be blamed on our fallen student activities director, Jodie Nealley! Obviously the JoeyGPS tracker wasn't working because she stole it, er, somethign like that.

So lay off Spank-me Shapanka. He's just doing Neal DiBiase's bidding anyway! Posted 12/17/2007 08:46 AMReply

Anonymous says,

I'm sure the ambitious Mr. Shapanka will use the JoeyGPS as a shining example of his abilities on his resume. Here comes another wannabe politican who will do anything just to have his name associated with something...

I hear his next project will be a statue of himself giving a lollypop to a baby. Posted 12/17/2007 09:10 AMReply

Anonymous says,

it's not matt's fault that the right technology wasn't around or popular when he first started pushing for this. before you criticize, you should realize that people like matt actually get things done on campus. you all like to just sit here and complain, but no one actually does anything.

all you tufts students think you're so amazing and entitled. you seem to forget that the vast majority of you are ugly harvard rejects. maybe matt will put this on his resume. he should. but even if he doesn't, he'll still look better than all you stupid rich kids who do nothing at tufts but get trashed every weekend Posted 12/17/2007 10:07 AMReply

The Peasant says,

@ Anonymous: It's not that Matt isn't getting things done. Rather, it's that what he is accomplishing and the projects he deems worthy of funding are just wastes of money.

I would respect him a lot more if he came up with a worthwhile project, rather than giving us a digital version of what we basically already have in analog.

As for the entitlement comment, yes, I'm sure you'll find plenty of students here who are "ugly harvard rejects" who feel a sense of entitlement. But do you know why they feel entitled? Because they still pay to attend this university and the TCU Senate's pet projects are supposed to be helping to improve the Tufts' experience, not giving it the equivalent of a shitty, new ringtone. Posted 12/17/2007 10:17 AMReply

The Merry Widow says,

@ The Peasant: Hear hear, Peasant!! Why should we focus on a GPS when huge pieces of campus STILL don't have wireless? Posted 12/17/2007 10:29 AMReply

Anonymous says,

@ The Peasant:

the tcu's purpose isn't supposed to be "pet projects." besides funding all the student groups and the fall and winter dances, they do tons of good things, but you just don't realize because they don't go around advertising everything they do.

no funding is being wasted on joey gps. we got the unit for free.

as for the wireless, if any of you complainers actualy paid attention to what the senate is doing, you'd know that they have senators addressing wireless and when leah mcintosh (the executive administrative dean who basically writes the checks for big projects) came in, the feasability of implementing wireless on campus was the main concern. it's not like the senate just has two million dolars just lying around.

oh, and guess what. there are only 35 people on senate and like 4,000 that aren't. maybe you should all stop blaming the senate for your own laziness. Posted 12/17/2007 11:05 AMReply

Anonymous says,

Teh perhaps a little dubious privilege of a Tufts education is something many students will never experience, cause Tufts still turns down many students every year due to lack of financial aid.

So every time I see resources (whether manpower or money) wasted on frivolous projects, I reserve the right to get angry. When is the TCU going to push for a combthrough of Tufts' finances to see how much money could be saved towards financial aid? Or is that too contentious? What about combining it with a party, that might get the TCU working?!? But tell you what forget it, let's focus on getting bus tracking and alcohol on campus instead!

Where Shapanka can make a real impact is his Institute of Political Citizenship. Except that the two faculty members to whom I've spoken about it have, independently of each other, called it a 'joke'. You can disguise resume padding, but it leaves an odor. Posted 12/17/2007 11:47 AMReply

Anonymous says,

@ Anonymous:

wow.

first of all, even though like that other person said, we got the gps for free, the tcu money wouldn't be taken away from financial aid anyways. the tcu only allocates money from the student activity fee. they're not wasting financial aid money. they're utilizing the fee correctly

second, tufts already has the captal campaign which is working on financial aid. they're going to declare need blind status within the next few years. the "combthrough" you're asking about has already been happening for years

third, all the problems you mention have nothing to do with the tcu. the tcu's purpose is to allocate the student activities fee and to promote the concerns of the student body. they don't control any working funds of the school, or financial aid, or anything. you can't blame them for that.

fourth, stop attacking matt. his project still is an accomplishment and he'll have a bigger impact on tufts than thousands of you

fifth, if you have complaints about things the ADMINISTRATION should be doing, rather than sitting on some onling blog bitching and getting nothing done, how about you schedule a meeting with an administrator or propose a resolution to the senate?

Jesus christ you tufts kids do nothing but bitch. Pay attention once in a while and have som initiative. Posted 12/17/2007 2:31 PMReply

Anonymous says,

Yeah seriously. The people posting here don't even know what they're talking about. Posted 12/17/2007 2:38 PMReply

Anonymous says,

It must be easy to criticize progress when the only thing you do is write up a relatively unintellectual blog.

Let us set some facts straight: The Joey GPS didn't cost Tufts or the TCU anything. Nor is it really a priority of the TCU Senate. It's a small project that moved slowly over 2 and a half years. And just because you can't exactly get on a computer in Davis, doesn't mean the Senate, or your punching bag Matt Shapanka, doesn't have something up its sleeve to solve that problem.

Have a wonderful break and a delightful holiday, TuftsOTR. Posted 12/17/2007 2:46 PMReply

Anonymous says,

The bitchier the comments on Tufts OTR, the more fun it is to read. Rock on, anonymous bitchers! Milk the privilege of anonymity for all it's worth!

On a more serious note:
Matt Shapanka = that chubby guy from Spin City. Discuss!

PS: 20-year-old Tufts students whose profile picture on their website is them wearing a suit in front of an American flag are scary. Posted 12/17/2007 3:07 PMReply

Anonymous says,

The reason the Joey is working now is because a company in Texas named Ublip was contacted by a Tufts sophomore and donated one device with a year of service. Posted 12/17/2007 3:22 PMReply

Anonymous says,

If you're going to bash Matt Shapanka, at least get your facts straight. Posted 12/17/2007 3:30 PMReply

The Peasant says,

@ Anonymous: @ Anonymous: Dear Anonymous Readers,

Thanks for clearing up some of the facts. I wasn't aware that the unit was acquired for free. This is somewhat comforting, but it doesn't change that fact that time is money and that we don�t actually need to know where the Joey is 24/7. There�s already schedule for that and if you can�t figure it out within a month or two of coming here, then you should probably be walking to Davis instead, getting that blood flowing before the rest of your brain atrophies.

Never assume, dear reader. It�s tacky. Clearly, no one expects the Senate to magically produce two million dollars from a hat (unless it used to be Jodie Nealley�s. Ba-ZING!). I know that, you know that � case closed. Wi-Fi is getting more affordable, but it�s still expensive and laying the infrastructure can often be difficult. Sure it�d be nice, but I still love you. No harm, no foul.

True, the Senate�s purpose is not solely �pet projects,� but you have to understand that, more often than not, these are the only things we hear about. You guys aren�t made of money; rather, you allocate the funds allotted to you. I know this; I used to run a certain student group. So, before you assume that I have no idea how the TCU Senate works, take a moment to ask yourself what you�ve accomplished by slandering all Tufts students as �ugly Harvard rejects� who have �nothing to do but bitch.� The Senate is supposed to represent the interests of the student body, right? We elected thirty-five of you to represent the four thousand of us and, as such, we like to see results. After all, we�re only human.

As for Matt Shapanka, I don't think he's a bad guy. I'm sure he's a perfect gentleman. He just has the misfortune of being the face of the Joey GPS and, consequently, he gets his name attached to an article about it in the blogosphere. Is TuftsOTR meant to be taken as serious journalism? That�s for you to decide. What�s wrong with a little snark with your news? Lighten up � it�s the Joey, for crying out loud.

So thank you, dear readers, thank you for all the well-wishes of a cold, frosty death because we clearly can�t figure out how to wait indoors when the bus is running a few minutes behind. What will you do without the MBTA GPS? Plug your iPhone into the Third Rail? Anyway, dear readers, I�ll think of you fondly as I walk back from Davis before you can refresh the browser on your Sidekick. To those of you who are still grounded in reality, keep up the good work. And to all a good night.

Love,
The Peasant Posted 12/17/2007 3:39 PMReply

Anonymous says,

First of all, I would like any of you to actually work for something outside of yourselves. Instead of bitching about what isn't getting done, go out and do it yourself. If you have all this free time to make fun of another person, surely you have the time to get your own "pet project".

If any of you actually paid attention to the events and activities around campus, you would realize how lacking your campus would be without the efforts of the senators. Instead of harping on what is missing, take a look around and see what they actually do for you. And if you have an idea you would like to be brought to their (senators) attention, they would be more than willing to meet with you.

I guess the moral of the story is people with no lives have time to find fault with others because their life is so boring. Maybe you should crack a book every so often and actually learn correct spelling and grammar, instead of coming up with clever ways to insult another person that you don�t even know. Posted 12/17/2007 3:47 PMReply

Anonymous says,

I love the TCU's sense of humor:

Jumbos for Life (New Group Funding)
Requested: $3,431.88; ALBO recommended $114.26
Senate Vote on ALBO recommendation: CLEARLY PASSES

That's 3.3% of what they requested, haha!

From their minutes (11/18/07; hey, at least one person reads them). As long as they keep up those antics, I'm happy. Posted 12/17/2007 3:53 PMReply

The Old Fart says,

@ Anonymous: Oh noez, teh senatz has an infiltratorz! Posted 12/17/2007 3:59 PMReply

The Libertine says,

Ya'll would be surprised how involved we are on campus...really, you'd truly be shocked.

Although I do love the hypocritical slandering as Halo playing, computer dependent, cheez-ball stained nerds. Posted 12/17/2007 4:14 PMReply

Anonymous says,

I know some of the otr writers; they're complete losers Posted 12/17/2007 4:49 PMReply

Anonymous says,

Losers with heart, surely!

Besides, it's not like they're doing outrageous, baseless things like questioning whether there's a conflict of interest when a TCU Executive Board member is also an editor of Tufts' highest-funded publication. Now, that would be slander! Posted 12/17/2007 5:15 PMReply

Anonymous says,

can someone please just kill this topic. Posted 12/17/2007 5:57 PMReply

The Agent says,

@ Anonymous: Seriously. This is getting just as bad as those comments on that NQR article. Posted 12/17/2007 6:20 PMReply

The Peasant says,

@ The Agent: When 31,000 people track the Joey naked, then it'll be as bad. Posted 12/17/2007 6:55 PMReply

JumboMamas says,

Peasant,

Before this, you were my favorite OTR blogger. You were the one who was going to meet JumboMammas at the OTR masquerade party.

Now, that person will be the Agent. He is the only one with the guts to stand up for this magical technological convenience.

You were further dammed in my books when you excused UIT's appalling ineptitude at deploying Wifi around campus. Guess you won't even be seeing JumboMammas on the internets from the comfort of you bed... Posted 12/17/2007 7:37 PMReply

The Peasant says,

@ JumboMamas: JumboMammas,

Forgive me, my dearest, but I could not let this one slide. The good news is that you can still enjoy this piece of black magic, even if it is without my blessing. I just come from a simpler time, I suppose. Honestly, I'd prefer that more time was devoted toward Wifi than on beefing up our young Joseph, but you can't win them all.

Also, I am not pardoning UIT; they dropped the ball something fierce. Rather, I'm not condemning the TCU Senate for not spending the Benjamins they don't have on something that we probably already should have.

So, with that said, if your heart tells you to run to the Agent, then so be it. He is young and spry and impatient like so many huddled Jumbos, yearning for a fresh update on the Joey's location whenever he so desires.

I'll always remember what could have been.

Ruefully,
The Peasant

I'll always love you. Posted 12/17/2007 9:24 PMReply

Anonymous says,

@ ThePeasant:
yo stay focused!

magwitch from arkansas Posted 12/18/2007 09:19 AMReply

The Philosopher says,

Good god, was that an entertaining read.

Love,
An OTR loser Posted 12/18/2007 1:09 PMReply

Anonymous says,

Maybe the student body is looking for a little more from their senate, like maybe a TCU senate president who hasn't slept or tried to sleep with every female member of the senate...senate-cest! Posted 12/18/2007 8:16 PMReply

Anonymous says,

This is hilarious...1) It is the freaking Joey. It shouldn't even exist. Grow some balls and walk to Davis. I'm sure most of you need the caloric expenditure. 2) The TCU Senate is worthless. No one actually cares about anything it does. Hardly anyone votes. If the voting process wasn't conducted online, you would have 1% of the student body turning out. 3) This free blog brings the student body far more pleasure than any of the "events" that the Senate "organizes." I would much rather have my student activity fees back then pay to have some obnoxious sophomore plan a crappy concert. 4) People at Tufts do actually do productive things. Like "working" at jobs. Taking "classes" that aren't "political science" or "history" or "english." Posted 12/19/2007 10:09 AMReply

Anonymous says,

lay off the shapanka jokes. let's focus on his positive attributes, like his cuddliness. Posted 12/22/2007 10:21 PMReply

The Peasant says,

@ Anonymous: Ah, yes! I think I remember reading about the "cuddliness" on his C.V. Posted 12/22/2007 11:35 PMReply