ShuttleGirl.com was originally just a good excuse to post another picture of Britney Spears on the Internet.

But now, site creators Anthony Delvecchio ’01 and Jason R.P. Karamchandani ’02, roommates in Pforzheimer House, have realized the full potential of their creation.

A twist on Shuttleboy, a UNIX-based program set up by David Malan ’99 to help students navigate the notoriously confusing Harvard shuttle schedule, ShuttleGirl offers similar assistance.

But Delveccio and Karamchandani’s program meant more than a sex change—and a lot more curves. Their improved shuttle savior had tons of techno-savvy.

Shuttleboy still lives on (at ~mbehar/pub/bin/shuttleboy and ~malan/pub/bin/shuttleboy) but ShuttleGirl has stolen the hearts of most quadlings—and maybe even seven North American cities.

Since her birth Sept. 24, the campus has watched ShuttleGirl develop from a simple website into a complex, integrated system that may soon revolutionize the world of mass transit schedules.

Super Woman

Beyond her most basic website function—listing the next three shuttles on a selected route—ShuttleGirl has perfected a number of other skills.

"We think ShuttleGirl is an incredibly elegant solution," Delvecchio says of her ability to multitask. "One algorithm does everything."

A cell phone accessible ShuttleGirl was ready instantly. Palm contacted Delvecchio and Karamchandani about a handheld version, and by the end of November, 300 students had ShuttleGirl version 2.0 in their pockets. A version designed for Windows CE, Microsoft’s handheld device, is currently in the works.

As new wireless technologies have emerged, ShuttleGirl has been there, eager to adapt to new systems.

In conjunction with the Harvard Computer Society (HCS) and Tellme Networks, Delvecchio and Karamchandani even created a voice for ShuttleGirl on the 4-TELL system.

"We told them we would contribute if they got the girl of our choice," Delvecchio said. When HCS said Colleen M. Gargan ’02 agreed to provide the vocals, the ShuttleGirl team busily put together a voice portal.

Starting March 23, users have been able to dial 4-TELL and make contact by saying "ShuttleGirl." Gargan’s voice then leads them through prompts to get their shuttle information.