Volunteering time or money
The Morning News offers a helpful list of charities and causes. [via Anil Dash]Saving a bridge jumper
Brooklyn-based Satan's Laundromat is one of the best NYC photoblogs available; I try to check it weekly. On December 19, however, Mike told a story that's both harrowing and poignant.Ad*Access Collection, at Duke University
Duke University's Ad*Access collection compiles images from over 7,000 ads published in newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. Also of note on this site are the brief but informative history pages for each industry. Although the archive covers radio and television and personal-hygiene ads in addition to transportation ads, it's the images of train and airline advertisements that most interest me.
[via muxway]
Profanity bill before Congress
In October, the FCC ruled that Bono's use of the phrase "this is really, really fucking brilliant" during the Golden Globe awards did not violate federal laws prohibiting indecent programming. The FCC's reasoning was that Bono's remarks were "fleeting and isolated" and did not "describe or depict sexual or excretory actitivities and organs." According to this ruling, the FCC has previously allowed the use of such words, used as insults, to stand, which I suppose means that under the current FCC regime, one could get away with calling the president a "cocksucker" on national television. Even a cursory Google search will turn up page after page by conservative and religious groups incensed by this ruling. Perhaps in response, California Republican Doug Ose and Texas Republican Lamar Smith introduced a bill in the House banning the use of such words. It'll be interesting to see where this goes. I'm sure the debate on this bill will be the very first time ever that any Congressperson has uttered the words cunt or asshole, so I'm happy to have them guiding the ship of American morality. [via Metafilter]Hey, eurotrash guy!
I know you think your tight black leather pants make you look hotttt, but your bigass shopping bag from American Girl Place begs to differ. I know it's Christmas and all, but dude... American Girl?New York turns into Boston?
EverythingNY asks: Bars to Close at 1:00? I have another great idea! To save money, the MTA can suspend subway service from midnight to 5am!I know "that'd be a great band name" is a cliche, but...
...I think Heavy Metal Umlaut would be a great band name. [via Things]MeFi: Subway busking
An interesting thread has sprung up on Metafilter about buskers in the New York subways.SantaCon hits Gawker
So, if Gawker has covered Santacon, does that mean that Santacon is now played out or do we have to wait for AM New York to show up?Pizza by the inch
The all-things-pizza weblog Slice reviews the new pizzaria Pinch. The review makes me very hungry for a tangy thin-crust slice o' pie. The Pinch concept looks cool: you get a four-inch strip of pizza, priced by length. A twelve-by-four strip is six dollars, and of course toppings are extra. [Slice, via Gawker]American Air passengers stranded on tarmac
Passengers arriving at JFK from the Dominican Republic sat on the tarmac for over ninety minutes last night because the ground crew had all gone home.My other blog
I have a new blog! It's in addition to this one, not a replacement for this one. The new one's so easy to manage, it's like sitting back and letting it write itself! W00t!Moblogging SantaCon
Lauren's just set up a moblog, which is a weblog to which one can post from a mobile phone. Not much is on Lauren's moblog right now, but come Saturday, you'll be able to see live pictures of the bright-red debauchery that is SantaCon. Last year: Words from SantaConWinter in New York
Gothamist notes today several photoblogs with pictures of New York's first major snowfall of the season. In addition to Jake Dobkin's pictures of an all-white Central Park, I also really love Rion's pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge. I forgot to carry a camera out on Sunday, when I went to the BARC shelter in Williamsburg to walk Billy in the snow.Custom-made signs from NYCDOT
The New York Department of Transportation now sells custom-made street signs to the public, including reproductions of classic designs.
Signs include directional pointers to Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds, vintage bus stop indicators, signs for kids, and humorous signs.
[Via mug]
Book of subway maps
New geek fetish: Metro Maps of the World. So far, it's not available in the U.S. I might just pony up the extra cash and buy it from Amazon.co.uk.