Wallpaper App Lets You See Pittsburgh –– And Other Cool Places –– in Real Time

Designed by a CMU student, it’s a great way to travel without ever leaving your desk.

 

What’s on your computer or smartphone’s wallpaper? Chances are it’s a picture of a favorite person, location or meal you unconsciously stare at all day and rarely, if ever, change. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

But if you are looking for a change of scenery, World View Wallpaper might open your eyes.

The app is the brainchild of Todd Medema, who programmed video games in high school and studied technology, entrepreneurship and design at Carnegie Mellon University.

“I was introduced to time-lapse photography and was also planning a trip to another time zone — I mentally connected the ideas of time zone clocks + photography as a way to show the passage of time, and the idea was born!” he says.

Right now, there are six cities or regions available, including Pittsburgh, with more on the way.

—Richard Cook
 

photo via flickr

 

#TaptheApp: Yellow Cab jumps into competition with Lyft and Uber

Pittsburgh Transportation Group, owner of Pittsburgh Yellow Cab, is looking to give Uber and Lyft some competition. After years of development, the Z-trip app will provide a cab or black sedan to app users.

The setup is very similar to Uber and Lyft: Users can store credit-card information, request a pick-up location and see a fare estimate before ordering a car. Plus, a photo of the car and driver will appear after booking. The main differences between Z-trip and competitors? Cash payment is an option, pricing will not fluctuate during peak hours and the service will only be “primarily available” on Fridays and Saturdays.

All Z-trip drivers will be “fully vetted, trained and insured” by Yellow Cab, unlike competitors, whose drivers are private contractors. Z-trip is free to download on Apple and Android devices and for use on mobile Web browsers.

—Cristina Holtzer
 

photo courtesy of slide the city

 

#SlidetheCity: But where?

The folks at Slide the City are bringing the ultimate slip and slide to Pittsburgh on Saturday, June 6.

The only thing we don’t know is where they plan to set up this padded 1,000-foot vinyl water playground. In a city of hills and valleys, you would think the options are endless. Any ideas? Feel free to leave your suggestions below or on our Facebook page.  

And in case you’re wondering, here’s how it looked in Salt Lake City last summer.