| A Cab Driver’s Side Job As The Human-Computer |
| Written by Jordan Rubenstein | |||
| Tuesday, 05 October 2010 02:40 | |||
 Recently, cab rides have gotten a lot more interesting. Touch screens allow you to navigate through different articles from sources such as People. A taxi ride home will give you enough time to flip through news updates on Heidi Montag, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton, and then read about the newest hot restaurant in New York. But during one taxi ride home, the display screen was covered by a piece of paper, with a red title reading “THE HUMAN-COMPUTER.” Underneath, it described in detail what -- or rather, who -- the human-computer is. The man sitting behind the steering wheel in front of the human-computer sign is Oleg Roitman, an immigrant from Ukraine who does more than just driving his cab. He makes riding in a taxi an interactive experience; an opportunity to show off his skills. Most cab drivers hardly interact with the rider at all; at most, they ask where you’re headed. For Mr. Roitman, the cab driver- cab rider interaction is what makes his job interesting. Mr. Roitman prompts you to tell him a date, such as your birthday, and he’ll use mental math to tell you what day of the week the date occurred on. And when he hits a red light, he pulls out an electronic calendar that displays the day of the week when you enter in a date, to show you that he got the date right. Then, he scribbles the date and the day of the week on a small souvenir sheet, that the passenger can keep as a reminder of their cab ride with Mr. Roitman. Aside from figuring out the day of the week of any date, Mr. Roitman makes jokes about marriage, showing his slightly abrasive but interesting personality. Between his personality and his math tricks, he leaves an impression on any rider that steps in his cab. Mr. Roitman makes his calculations using a mathematical formula that can be found online at curiousmath.com. He said that he figured out the equation on his own while he was a Red Army recruit in the 80’s. He immigrated to Tel Aviv in 1991, where his act was quite popular. But when he moved to New York in 1992, it didn’t do as well in Times Square. He temporarily gave it up, but decided to combine in with driving a taxi in 2000. While Mr. Roitman’s act on the road may seem crazy to some, he’s managed to entertain riders while still doing his job. Plus, his act often leads to good tips -- sometimes in excess of $100. The Human-Computer is no Cash Cab -- the rider can’t expect to win any money or to be on TV - but if you’re lucky enough to hail The Human-Computer for your next ride, you’re in for a fun ride. For more information on Oleg Roitman visit http://www.prx.org/pieces/29442-storycorps-oleg-roitman
|
