Tag: me

Destroy the USPS

The former tenant of my apartment was this confused person who enjoyed catalogs. She failed to register her address change with usps when she absconded. How do I get the USPS to stop spamming me with her junk mail, given that the USPS only survives because of junk, and its initiatives to reduce junk mail are about as honest as number portability?

Camera culture


i noticed this cameraphone stuff in 2001 in hong kong, and started a moblog startup in 2003: kaywa.com as usual, a few years too early, so not much became of it. so what is next?

How quickly are we moving toward the world of Augmented Reality (AR)? Compare these 2 images of Rome during the election of the last pope in 2005 and more recently in 2013. Then contrast the images to my descriptions of “tru-vu goggles” in EARTH (1989) and the gel-lens stalks people wear in 2048, portrayed in EXISTENCE.

Causing Future Shock

I would probe what total history means: what can you do with a transcript of everything said in your vicinity, from that point forward?
How do you speed up your life to have enough time to watch the “best of” of other people’s life streams?
What does a world look like where lying is really, really hard?
What are memories, anyway, if remembering is the default and forgetting a decision, and rewatching your memories hits you in the stomach because you had a rose-colored recollection?
How do we avoid turning the world into a safe, boring disneyland when you can’t get lost ever again?
How do social norms change when no one will ever be in the moment again?
Who will write the monitoring to alert you about anomalies the contacts version of glass detects in your vital signs?

Seeking Glass Explorers
Last year we showed Glass to the world for the first time – we jumped out of airships, crashed New York Fashion Week and even took a ride on the subway. It’s been an exhilarating journey so far and there’s a lot more to come, but we can’t go it alone. We’re developing new technology that is designed to be unobtrusive and liberating, and so far we’ve only scratched the surface of the true potential of Glass.

Now we want you to get involved and that’s why today we’re expanding our Glass Explorer Program. We’re looking for bold, creative individuals who want to join us and be a part of shaping the future of Glass. Glass is still in the early stages, so we expect there will be some twists and turns along the way. While we can’t promise everything will be perfect, we can promise it will be exciting.

We’d love to make everyone a Glass Explorer, but we’re starting a bit smaller. So, if you want to be one of the first Explorers, go to How to get one find out how.

#ifihadglass

If i ran the MTA

my poor experience today reminded me that i have tons of ideas for how to improve the MTA, so here goes. many of those wouldn’t be major capital projects or would pay for themselves very quickly. add your ones if you like.

  • make all buses select. no more front entrance only
  • introduce a yearly card and incentivize people to buy it
  • disincentivize buying single rides
  • eliminate the option to pay the driver
  • add ticket machines on the bus and remove them on the station
  • reopen the bathrooms in the subway
  • secure and make passing between cars convenient
  • create more retail space and rent it out
  • add exits at both ends of all platforms
  • add next departure screens at the entrance to the subway
  • get a sponsor to provide free wifi on the whole network
  • on stations where it is possible, open doors on both sides
  • paint signs onto the platforms how to stand aside when the doors open
  • automate the cars and make the redundant drivers into fare controllers
  • eliminate the unions
  • sell more sponsorships, where the whole train is themed
  • eliminate school busses and give all kids a metro card
  • investigate using the subway for cargo, not just trash
  • accelerate faster to increase average speed
  • use materials for the stations that aren’t as grimy
  • add next departure for busses
  • create more bus lanes

FDNY / NYPD plus donuts

just now, outside my building: 4 firetrucks, a jeep, and a donut cart (whenever you have FDNY or NYPD, you have donuts). turns out the boiler blew and it smells like exhaust everywhere. nothing to worry about, but in typical nyc fashion, i finally met the neighbors and we introduced ourselves.

2014-02-12: 10s of NYPD doing what they do best, standing around

Keep the junk in the suburbs

sentiment expressed near my place due to 7-11 construction. a new generation of arrivals in nyc is indeed trying to bring their suburban ways to the city, instead of escaping from them like previous generations, and some neighborhoods like murray hill have already completely surrendered to bros, while the east village is under attack by WOO girls and stretch limos.