Hands-On: Palm Pixi at New York Fashion Week
New York posts
Cell Phone Pic Leads to Arrest of Subway Perv
According to the New York Daily News, 41-year-old Harlem resident Cileane White was minding her own business as she sat on the Number 3 subway train last Friday. Out of nowhere, from across the aisle, Kevin Bishop, 44, of the Bronx, exposed himself to the woman and began to pleasure himself, White told police.
An FBI employee, White displayed a much cooler sense of judgement than we would, using her cell phone to snap a few pictures of Bishop in the act. (Taking a picture of something that foul would be the last thing on our minds.) White later headed to her local police precinct to report the crime. When she tried, though, a female officer apparently told her that the situation "was not a police matter."
TapIt Combines NYC Cafes to Form Water Bottle Refilling Network
In this economy, people are coming up with some inventive ways to pinch pennies. Social network TapIt, which was created in 2008, is a group of cafes that partnered to offer free water to the thirsty public. Not only does clean water help folks save money (the site claims it saves users about $500 a year), but it also reduces waste by cutting down on the number of used plastic water bottles.
Fortunately, the retailers are easy to locate. All participating cafes display a TapIt sticker in the window, and you can easily browse the locations on a map the Web. Now, there's also an iPhone app that locates and maps partners near your current location.
Currently limited to New York City, TapIt sounds like a no-brainer, especially during the dog days of summer. It'd be fantastic to see this idea spread to other metropolitan areas, particularly down in the steamy South. [From TapIt, via Core 77]
Computers, Web, Social Networking
Homeless Folks Getting Reconnected Through Facebook, Twitter
Homelessness and technology may seem incongruous, but they are not as far away from each other as one might expect. Cities like San Francisco and New York are helping the homeless to become more connected, through the unlikely means of Facebook and Myspace.
Although the homeless may not have physical mailing addresses, they want to have virtual ones through free social networking sites. Featured in a profile by the Wall Street Journal, 37-year-old Charles Pitts administers Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter pages, and runs an Internet forum on Yahoo, all despite living under a bridge in San Francisco. The executive director of Central City Hospitality House in San Francisco estimates that 50-percent of the visitors to its free computer center are homeless.
This is not the first time San Francisco has tried to connect homeless folks through media. A year ago, Google, in conjunction with Project CARE, gave out free phones and service to the homeless of San Francisco in order to help them network and find jobs. Programs aiding the poor not only help get people off the streets, but could add billions to the economy.
New York City has put 42 computers into five of the city's nine municipal homeless shelters with plans for more, according to the report, and 80 additional shelters in the city offer computer access. [From: FOX/Wall Street Journal]
Time Warner to Charge Fees for Internet Based On 'Consumption'
No, folks -- this is no prank. Time Warner Cable really is throwing caution (and public opinion) to the wind and moving forward with its evil consumption-based internet billing. If you'll recall, we heard that the operator was trialing the method -- which imposes premium rates on big broadband users -- back in early 2008, but now it seems it's quietly hoping to roll it out into more major markets. Starting this month, TWC will start gathering information on its customers' internet use in Austin, TX, San Antonio, TX, Rochester, NY and Greensboro, NC; if all goes "well," consumption billing will hit those markets this summer or sooner. We'll point you to the read link if you're interested in just how outrageous these capped plans look (particularly for internet TV viewers), but we'd be remiss of our duties if we didn't share this gem of a quote from TWC CEO Glenn Britt: "We made a mistake early on by not defining our business based on the consumption dimension." Thanks for clarifying, Glenn-o.[Thanks Kevin, image courtesy of Corbis]
9,000 Tickets Given to NY Cell Phone Drivers in One Day
You know that using a cell phone while driving in New York state is illegal, right? Unless you're using a hands-free kit, it is. Since the law passed, most police officers have been rather lenient in issuing tickets, generally only giving them out when someone is pulled over for another offense -- like speeding or poor driving. Last Thursday, however, police in New York City decided it was time for a crackdown, issuing 9,016 tickets in a single day.
This, too, shouldn't have been a surprise, as the New York Police Department (NYPD) wasn't secretive about its plans, issuing warnings through newspapers and local television networks. Starting at 12:01am last Thursday morning, officers kept their eyes open for driving talkers. Here's an idea of how effective they were: In 2008, about 535 tickets were given out each day for the same offense, meaning more people were ticketed on one day last week than were in an average two-week span. It remains to be seen whether the NYPD will maintain this level of attention going forward, but even using a hands-free kit may be banned before long, which may make give officers something else to look out for. [From: NY Daily News]
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Audio/Video, Computers, Downloads
Is NY Really Going to Tax Internet Porn?
With New York facing a $15 billion budget deficit , it should surprise no one that the Empire State's leaders are getting creative in their search for a solution.
New York Governor George Patterson wants to place a four-percent tax on Internet downloads of books, music, and other content. While some people are calling this the iPod tax, we all know that it should be called the "porn tax." Proponents of the tax say it will raise much needed funds in a time of crisis. Michael Long, chairman of New York's Conservative Party opposes the tax, saying, "You're sending a message to the children... If you're taxing it -- how can it be wrong?"
We aren't saying pornography is right or wrong, but it is a legitimate, primarily legal form of adult entertainment that makes billions of dollars a year. Mr. Long is trying to appease his base, which is expected and a bit unoriginal. He cannot honestly believe that an industry of this size needs further legitimacy. Taxing pornography does not legitimize it. If the pros of taxing downloadable content can ease the pain of this budget crisis, and ultimately make fiscal sense, why wouldn't the governor pull the trigger? [From: Inquirer]
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Google Maps Incorporates New York City Transit Maps
Google is finally mapping something that matters (with all due respect to the earth and oceans): subway routes in New York City.
Yes, Google has decided to add New York City Transit to its infinite list of things already mapped (you'll find other transit systems mapped here). Now, when someone searches for a location in the city, they will be supplied with a list of accompanying mass transit options, driving directions, and for those of us feeling extra-healthy, walking directions. The ever popular Street View will be joined by other features like restaurant view and we assume creepy voyeur view (we made that last one up).
We are sure this new technology will come as a relief to some of the 8.5 million people that use NYC mass transit every weekday. [From: USA Today]
Amazon, NY Governor Battle Over Online Sales Tax
Amazon is fighting the proposal tooth and nail. New York consumers are sure to not support the idea, but local merchants and small business owners think it's about time that online giants like Amazon lose their tax-free advantage.
Spitzer's budget proposal, which includes the online sales tax, faces an uphill battle. As if opposition from online retailers and consumers wasn't enough, law and precedent may not be on his side either. In 1992 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could not force online retailers to collect sales taxes unless they had a physical retail outlet in the state.
New York currently collects sales taxes from online sales from companies with brick and mortar locations in the state.
From AOL Money & Finance
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Verizon Pays Up Over Cellular Disconnections
Verizon is finally paying up for disconnecting over 13,000 users due to their breach of an unpublished download cap on its cellular broadband service known as BroadbandAccess. Following a nine month investigation by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Verizon has agreed to pay a fine of $150,000 to the state as well as reimburse users the price of laptop cards or cell phones they purchased to use the service.
In April, Verizon stopped disconnecting users over data usage, but maintained the right to throttle traffic for users who exceed a five-gigabyte limit, which they clearly disclose.
So users of these services should be wary of downloading bigger files like music, since that stuff can easily eat up a monthly five-gigabyte limit.
From the AOL Money & Finance (AP)
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Man Fired After GPS Showed He Was Not at Work
Turns out the Board of Education was tracking his movements with a GPS receiver built into his employer-provided cell phone. Over five months, administrators noticed multiple discrepancies between where John should have been, and where the GPS data showed he actually was. In response to the data, an administrative judge suggested the 21 year veteran Halpin get the axe.
Halpin tried to fight the termination, saying he was never informed the phone could be used to track his movements, and questioned the accuracy of the data. Unfortunately for Halpin, this did not convince administrative Judge Tynia Richard, who found him guilty of submitting false time records.
From Boing Boing
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NYC Cabbies Threaten Strike Over GPS
Cabbies are up in arms because they claim the GPS units are a violation of privacy, and because they will often be asked to pay for the devices themselves, which cost between $2,900 and $7,200 over a three year period.
The city claims that the GPS units will not track the movements of the cabs (though, they'd certainly be capable), but will only record pick up and drop off points, something cab drivers are required to do already. To offset the cost of the units, the city hopes to increase revenue by allowing riders to pay with credit cards via the units, and it also plans to sell advertising on the screens.
Other benefits of the devices include allowing riders to search for local businesses as well as movie and play times. Having the GPS units will also help track lost items and find cabs in trouble.
The New York Taxi Workers' Alliance plans to meet next month to decide on a date and duration for that strike, if one is deemed necessary.
From Gearlog and USA Today
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NY State Preps Video Game Legislation
New York State Senators Martin Golden and Andrew Lanza are preparing to introduce legislation that aims to keep inappropriate video games out of children's hands.
There are three major components to the legislation:
- The creation of an advisory board that would monitor the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the current ratings organization that stamps games with content warnings, much like the MPAA does for movies. The board would be charged with assessing the efficacy of the ESRB in keeping video games with adult themes away from children on an ongoing basis.
- The second part of the law would make it illegal for video games to be sold without being rated by the ESRB. Vendors caught selling unrated games would be fined.
- The creation of a Parent-Teacher Anti-Violence Awareness Program funded by the previously-mentioned fined. The program would educate parents and teachers about ESRB ratings and encourage parental involvement in their children's gaming choices and purchases.
Our take: Laws governing the sale of video games have thus far failed, probably because they focus on censorship instead of education. Unrated movies are filmed and released everyday with out the collapse of the free world, and video games aren't much different. The Parent-Teacher Anti-Violence Awareness Program heads in the right direction by striving to educate and involve the only people who have any control over what their children play -- the parents.
From Daily Tech
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