A few days ago, I listened to an interesting piece on National Public Radio about “Google mashups” – fun projects that combine Google’s mapping technology with feeds or GPS data or something completely off-the-wall.

One of the examples given was dartmaps – the Dublin Area Rapid Transit systems live-time system maps. Annie from Going Underground has recently been riding the DART, so I thought she’d get a kick out of this.

They’re useful, and cute, too – all Thomas the Tank Engine and not at all what you’d expect from a regional transit outfit. Due to the time difference, I always seem to check in when the little engines are out at the ends of the lines, sleeping apparently.

I would have loved to have something like this when I was dependent on the bus in Seattle. No more waiting in the rain for a late bus, just watch for it on my computer at home and leave the house just in time to catch it.

Now that I’m no longer dependent on public transportation, you’d think I’d lose interest in this stuff, but my fascination with trains and the Tube continues.

All these fun maps were hunted down by the awesome Google Maps Mania, which reports on a great London Pubs map, as it happens. It’s called “PintSearch” and it’ll be dead useful on our next trip to London (projected for next fall). It’s all about the synergy, eh?